The Great Maui Adventure

 

Sunrise at Haleakalā National Park

As you shiver in the inky darkness, bumping elbows with strangers and wishing for your warmer coat, it’s easy to grumble, ‘What was I thinking?’ But then a soft, orange glow pierces the darkness. The crowd leans forward, holding its breath. Cottony clouds appear, stretching to horizon’s end, encircling your lofty summit perch. Rich tones of amber and ocher blaze on the crater floor below. Elemental. Communal. Spiritual. To quote Mark Twain: ‘The sublimest spectacle I ever witnessed.’ And to quote the park service: 'Reserve before you go!' Yep, reservations now required.

Driving the Road to Hana

Buckle up. Of all the heart-stoppingly dramatic drives in Hawaii, this is the Big Kahuna. A roller-coaster of a ride, the twisting Hana Hwy winds down jungly valleys and back up towering cliffs, curling around 600 twists and turns along the way. Some 54 one-lane bridges cross nearly as many waterfalls – some of them eye-popping torrents and others so gentle they beg a dip. But the ride’s only half the thrill. Swim in a Zen-like pool, stroll a ginger-scented trail and stop once, maybe twice, for banana bread.

Snorkeling at 'Turtle Beach'

Packed with coves, reefs and lava rocks, the Maui coast is made for do-it-yourself snorkeling. Grab a map at the dive shop, rent gear, hit the beach and off you go. From stunning Maluʻaka Beach in Makena, simply swim in the direction of the tour boats. Before you get halfway you’ll likely spot a magnificent green sea turtle nibbling algae on the ocean floor, and another swimming gracefully through the surf. The underwater sights at ‘Turtle Beach’ are mesmerizing – and a great introduction to Maui snorkeling.

Whale-Watching

Breaching. Lunging. Slapping. And the ever-mysterious spy hopping. Humpback whales keep things lively off Maui’s western coast each winter, when thousands arrive to court, mate and calve. If you’re in Maui at the same time – typically December through April – treat yourself to a whale-watching cruise. Whales are also readily spotted from cliffside lookouts such as Papawai Point, from west-facing beaches and from oceanfront condos. Snorkelers and divers who stick their heads underwater at the right time can even hear them singing: love songs, we presume!

Waihee Ridge Trail

Hiking doesn’t get much better than the Waihee Ridge Trail, an inviting footpath that climbs the rugged green slopes of the West Maui Mountains. The trail is alternately covered and exposed, winding through a dense grove of guava trees before darting up a grassy ridgeline with bird’s-eye views of cloud-topped peaks and overgrown valleys. After 2.5 miles of gentle climbing, the lonely summit is a sweet reward.

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Touristy Spots You Should Not Miss in Ecuador

Cuenca

The fairy-tale colonial center of Cuenca is a Unesco World Heritage Site that’s been charming visitors since the 16th century. And while the cobblestone streets, polychrome building fronts and remarkably well-preserved cathedral will have you snapping a photo on nearly every corner, it’s the town’s laid-back feel, friendly locals and bohemian spirit that will truly fill your heart and soul. Top that off with great nightlife, plenty of museums and galleries, and some of Ecuador’s best eateries, and there’s no doubt why this is the bar-none top highlight of southern Ecuador.

Beaches of the North Coast

Don’t associate Ecuador with sun and sand? Well think again, because the northwest of the country is packed with fishing villages, resort towns, surfer hang-outs and totally pristine areas of golden sand, so head down or up the coast and take your pick. One of the best places for a sunny getaway is Canoa, where you'll find a long picturesque beach backed by cliffs and some excellent surf. When the sun goes down, Canoa's lively eating and drinking spots make a perfect cap to a day spent frolicking among the waves.

Quilotoa Loop

Adventure begins at 3000m along the popular Quilotoa Loop, a rough travelers’ route that takes you through indigenous villages and painters’ colonies to a deep-blue crater lake and into the heart of Ecuador’s central highlands. The best thing about the loop is that you can custom-build your adventure to fit your needs. Want to volunteer in a sustainable agriculture project? No problem. Or would you like to hike and bike from village to village on forgotten trails? Yep, it's got that, too.

Riding the TelefériQo

Proving there’s more than one way to summit the Andean peaks, the TelefériQo whisks you up by aerial tram to breathtaking heights (4100m) over Quito. In a city of sublime views, Cruz Loma offers the finest of all – assuming you go on a clear day. Here, Quito spreads out across the Andean valley, with majestic peaks (including Cotopaxi) visible in the distance. At the top, you can extend the adventure by hiking (or taking a horseride) to the 4680m summit of Rucu Pichincha.

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Sights in Columbia That Even Kids Will Surely Enjoy

Wildlife Lodges on the Amazon

The sheer size of the Amazon is nearly incomprehensible to the average person – Colombia's portion alone is bigger than Germany – so it goes without saying there are many places to bed down on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. But those in the Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Amacayacu and along the Yavarí Rio are the best places to see the greatest variety of wildlife and ecosystems. Here you can swim with dolphins, fish for piranha and see alligators, monkeys and frogs up close.

Outdoor Adventures in San Gil

San Gil isn't much to look at, but what it lacks in natural beauty, it more than makes up for in high-octane amusements. Peddle, paddle, rappel, spelunk, bungee or paraglide – whatever your preference – San Gil is Colombia's go-to outdoor adventure playground, most famous for heart-stopping Classes IV and V rapids on the Río Suárez, but boasting a résumé far beyond white-water rafting. Get wet, get airborne, get your courage boots on – San Gil will test your limits.

Exploring Medellín

Get a bird's-eye view of life in the real Medellín as you soar in the city's award-winning metrocable system above working-class neighborhoods clinging precariously to steep mountainsides. The maze of haphazard red-brick abodes below is the beating heart of a city where difficult terrain is no obstacle to growth. After dark, check out the other end of the spectrum by visiting the chic restaurants, bars and clubs of El Poblado, the center of Medellín's legendary nightlife, popular with the city's well-heeled, fashionable crowd.

The Páramos of Lago de Tota

Fewer than a handful of countries boast alpine tundra ecosystems formed by glaciers known as páramo – and Colombia hogs the majority. The area around the sky-high cerulean Lago de Tota lays claim to one of the most rewarding hikes in Colombia: the Páramo de Ocetá leads you on a 19km jaunt through foreign landscapes of peat bogs, wet grasslands peppered with signature frailejón (yellow-flowering shrubs), colorful flowers, two waterfalls, spectacular lagoons and a natural city made of stone. Some might say it's the most beautiful moor on earth.

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Top Sites You Should Not Miss When You Visit Portugal

 

Fado

Born in a working-class Lisbon neighbourhood, the melancholic music of fado has been around for centuries. Despite its years, fado remains a living art, heard in tiny family-run restaurants, like A Baîuca, and elegant music halls alike. A lone, powerful voice coupled with the 12-string Portuguese guitarra are all the tools needed to bring some listeners to tears, as songs recall broken hearts, unfulfilled dreams and the lost days of youth. In fado, raw emotion often conveys more than mere lyrics can; even non-Portuguese speakers find themselves moved by great fadistas.

Ilha de Tavira

Ilha de Tavira has the lot for sunseekers, beach bums, nature lovers (and naturists): kilometre after kilometre of golden beach (think sand, sand, sand, as far as the eye can see), a designated nudist area, transport via miniature train, busy restaurants and a campground. To top it off, it’s part of the protected Parque Natural da Ria Formosa. Outside the high season, the island feels wonderfully remote and empty, but be warned: during high season (July and August) the hordes descend.

Parque Natural da Ria Formosa

This special spot feels like it’s in the middle of the wilderness, yet it’s right off the Algarvian coast. Enclosing a vast area of sapais (marshes), salinas (salt pans), creeks and dune islands, the protected lagoon system stretches for an incredible 60km and encompasses 18,000 hectares. And it’s all accessible from various towns – have a boat drop you at a deserted beach, or amble along the nature trail among the precious wetland bird life.

Megaliths Around Évora

Spiritual, magical, historical, incredible – the many ancient megaliths around Évora will make your hair stand on end. As a traveller, you will more often than not have these sites to yourself – and what better way to ponder the mysteries of places so ancient they cannot fully be explained? How did such massive rocks get hauled into place? Were they fertility symbols or proprietorial land boundaries? They beg questions, yet – refreshingly in a world of reasoning – provide few answers. Somehow, their appeal lies in not knowing.

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Tourists’ Favorites in Mexico

 

Savor the Flavors

Mexican cuisine is like no other, and every part of the country has its own regional specialties, based on seasonal local ingredients and what’s fresh on the day. For the tastiest travels, try local dishes from restaurants and busy market and street stalls – you’ll lose count of the delicious culinary experiences you encounter. When it’s time for fine dining, seek out some of the legion of creative contemporary chefs who concoct amazing flavor combinations from traditional and innovative ingredients.

Huasteca Potosina, San Luis Potosí

Gorgeously green, lush Huasteca Potosina, a subregion of San Luis Potosí (and the wider Huasteca area), offers ruins, fascinating cave visits and wild and wet experiences. You can plunge into, boat to or ogle at a number of stunning waterfalls and rivers. As for color? The turquoises, aquas and greens are as vibrant as any manipulated image. Huastec culture is strong here: don’t miss trying a local zacahuil, a massive tamal. The region, too, is home to surrealist garden, Las Pozas, where gigantic Dalí-esque structures ‘strut’ their quirky stuff.

Volcán Paricutín

As volcanoes go, Paricutín is still in its kindergarten years. Blasting out of a Michoacán maize field in 1943, it’s one of the youngest volcanoes on Earth and the only one whose life cycle has been fully studied by scientists. Miraculously, Paricutín is also relatively easy to climb. Some rock hop across barren lava fields to bag the peak, others ride horses through hot black sand before dismounting for the final summit scramble. The goal’s the same: a chance to stand atop a veritable geological marvel, viewing nature at its rawest and best.

Cabo Pulmo

Rediscover the magic of old Baja by visiting the largely undeveloped east coast, discovering world-class diving off Cabo Pulmo, the only coral reef on the west coast of North America and, at 71 sq km, one of the largest and most successful marine protected regions in the world. In this beautiful place you can see expect to see black coral bushes, schools of trigger fish, yellowfin tuna and snapper. Depending on the seasons and currents, you may also spy hammerhead sharks, huge manta rays and whale sharks.

Pico de Orizaba

Touch the sky high above Mexico on the gruelling climb to the 5611m summit of Pico de Orizaba, the snowcapped highest mountain in the country. The trek is no walk in the park. You’ll need the help of an experienced local trekking operator, clothing for extreme cold and a sense of adventure as big as the mountain itself. If this all sounds a bit extreme for you, enjoy any number of less-demanding trails on the peak's lower slopes.

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Top Experiences You Should Not Miss When in Mexico

 

Costa Maya

Do yourself a favor and get to this region while the going's still good. Unlike the overdeveloped Cancun and Riviera Maya, you can still find quiet fishing villages on the Costa Maya that put a premium on sustainable development, such as Mahahual and Xcalak, both of which boast some of the best dive sites on the Caribbean coast. Then head inland for Laguna Bacalar, a laid-back lakeside town known for its mesmerizing scenery, a 90m-deep cenote and an old Spanish fortress.

Monarchs in their Millions

Canopies of golden-orange butterflies cover the forests and hillsides in the Reserva Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterfly Reserve), perhaps Mexico’s most astonishing yearly natural phenomenon. It’s the kind of annual event to plan your trip around – between November and March the migrant monarchs cover every surface, weighing down tree branches and changing the landscape into a permanent sunset as the butterflies winter far from the freezing Great Lakes during one of the planet’s most spectacular migrations.

Guanajuato City

The glorious World Heritage–listed city of Guanajuato packs a huge amount into its narrow valley. The former mining town turned colorful university city is a feast of plazas, fun museums, opulent colonial mansions and pastel-hued houses. Snake your way along pedestrian alleyways, people-watch in the squares, mingle with marvelous mariachi groups, or party hard at estudiantinas (traditional street parties) and in the many student bars. The underground tunnels – the town’s major transport routes – make for a particularly quirky way to get around.

Pacific Coastline

Running from the desert islands of Baja California to verdant coves backed by lush tropical mountains, and from untrammeled expanses of sand to mangrove-fringed lagoons teeming with birdlife, Mexico’s Pacific coastline is stunning in its natural beauty. Punctuating this primordial grandeur is a series of lively resort towns – Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo and Acapulco – interspersed with world-class surf spots such as Barra de Nexpa, Boca de Pascuales, Troncones and Puerto Escondido, where clear barrels of awesome power batter the shores.

Gregarious Guadalajara

Mexico’s second-largest city manages to dazzle despite being more a collection of pueblos than a great metropolis. This charmer gets under your skin with colonial buildings, lofty churches, labyrinthine markets, awesome public spaces and wonderful craft shopping in the arty suburbs of Tlaquepaque and Tonalá. The young and middle class party all weekend in smart bars and heaving dance clubs, and there’s nowhere better in western Mexico to eat out, whether you're after local specialties such as spicy goat stew, or chic Mexican-French fusion cuisine.

Espíritu Santo

Espíritu Santo island is spectacular in every way. Pink sandstone has been eroded by wind and waves into finger-like protrusions, each harboring a beautiful cove. And if this otherworldly beauty isn't enough then you can descend into the endless blue with whale sharks, dive the many colorful reefs, camp under a canopy of stunning stars, watch frolicking sea lions at their island colony and paddle your way along myriad azure bays.

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Top must do in Subic, Philippines

 

Subic is one of the Philippines fastest growing cities. It is very near in the country’s capital. It has a lot of things to offer, from wildlife to the best beach, from beautiful hotels and breathtaking scenery. What are you waiting for? Come and enjoy the beauty of Subic.

Let’s do countdown for the Subic best things to do and to enjoy:

 1. Visit Jungle Environment Survival Training (JEST) Camp.  Visiting this place is a combination of adventure and nature trip. The first thing you can enjoy is the different array of birds. The JEST doesn’t offer only birds they also offer other wild animals that kids and also you can enjoy. The next thing is the sports activities. You can wall climbing and you can also learn survival things. Like how to cook in bamboo, how to set a fire and many more.

2. Enjoy the beach. You can enjoy the best beach in Subic Bay. Subic is very near in the bay, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery. A lot of beach that offers the best accomodations.

3.  Go Horseback Riding at El Kabayo Stables.  As huge lovers of all things related to either animals or nature, my husband and I were eager to go for a horseback trail ride that enabled us to enjoy both! I’ve always been a horse lover, but have had very few opportunities to be around them, so I jumped at this chance to go riding on our honeymoon.

It was a really cool ride. We rode to the El Kabayo Waterfalls where we were greeted with a wonderful view of fresh, flowing waterfalls and green scenery. We were allowed to spend 10-15 minutes enjoying the falls before our guides (and our horses!) took us back to the stables. It was a 30-minute ride each way, so we got to enjoy a whole hour with our beautiful equestrian companions.

4. Go to zoobic safari.

Zoobic Safari really puts most of the other zoos that I have been to before to shame. Another super unique place, you surely don’t want to miss this safari! It starts off with a walk through areas where you can actually feed all of the animals (just not the monkeys, we were told)! Be sure and purchase a basket of fruit for Php100 at the counter before your tour starts or you may regret it! We were the only ones who did so in our tour group, and we were easily the most popular people there. Everywhere we walked, we were being followed by birds, goats, camels, horses, deer and more, trying to get more of the food!

There you go the top things you can enjoy in Subic. It is not just a place for swimming, it is also a place to enjoy and encounter the beauty of nature.

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