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ADVENTURE VACATIONS FOR
ANIMAL LOVERS:
If we were all Dr. Doolittle, would we
understand
what animals have to say? Deepen
your
understanding; take a trip and get closer
to
the animals you love.
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"Tjololo," a leopard
at the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve, Kruger
National Park, South Africa. (Photo © Wolfgang Steiner.) For more on leopard conservation, see : awf.org/content/action/detail/4113/ |
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Give a Snow Monkey a hot spring, and you will witness one happy primate. (Photo © jetbug)
SNOW MONKEYS AND CRANES In Japan, west of Tokyo
in the mountains and wooded hills and along the west coast, hundreds of thousands of birds gather to spend the winter. Among
them are rarely seen Asian cranes which populate the fallow rice paddies in the Arasaki Crane Reserve. On this trip with Zegram Expeditions, travelers can
spend three days photographing thousands of cranes and understand why they are so sacred to Japanese culture. From here, you
drive south through the light snow to the thermal springs where Snow Monkeys collect silently to enjoy the steamy heat. The
hotel you stay in has its own private outdoor thermal bath to relax in every evening. Then you visit the wild island of Hokkaido which attracts swans and huge Steller's sea eagles, as
well as cranes. Your experienced Zegram guide,
Mark Brazil, will introduce you to the people who live among this amazing wildlife experience. |
Happy at home
in Death Valley. (Photo © Roger Archibald)
TOUGH BEETLES
The
desert was so hot their gold fillings melted, or so the story goes of explorers a century or so ago. Death Valley
was full of the bones of the unfortunate who could not find an end to the otherworldly mirage they were drawn to in search
of precious metal, which quickly turned into a search for life-giving water. But lack of water is no deterrent for some beetles
which crawl their way out of the sand dunes and hurry off on daily tasks. Backroads invites you to bike Death Valley for 4 days. Biking brings you closer
to the experience and adds the challenge of a fairly strenuous climb (5,000 feet) at Dante's View, and a descent to
282 feet below sea level at the great Salt Playa. Nights you return to the mission-style Inn at Furnace Creek (below sea level), for some cool rest
and relaxation. You figure out the best route with your fellow group travelers, and choose an activity level (from 10-20 miles to
56-75 miles) that's best for you. Trips leave during the cooler months; next one is in February. Four days, about $2,000 ($650-$700
single supplement).
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Crocodiles are sacred in parts of West Africa, like
this one in Burkina Faso. (Photo © gavinchapman65) POSSIBLY THE LEAST VISITED AREA OF AFRICA, the 88 islands that comprise the Bijagos Archipelago in the Atlantic off Guinea Bassau offer
an experience of another time, of another country. The 23 islands that are inhabited were settled 9,000 years ago by people
who migrated from central Africa and became avid fishermen and who somehow managed to maintain intact their belief in Animism,
despite being settled by Portuguese traders in 1446 and ruled by Portugal from 1936 to 1974. A matriarchal society with female
priests, the island dwellers built seagoing canoes big enough to hold 70 people well before any Europeans visited. Because all life is sacred and architecture on the islands
cannot be permanent, ecotourism thrives well. The saltwater swamps, mangroves, and long sandy beaches are breeding grounds
for fish, crocodiles, green sea turtles, which come to lay their eggs, and hippos, which actually live in salt water, rather
than the fresh water of their East African cousins. You will spend 3 days here as you travel with Betchart Expeditions aboard the small cruise ship Callisto.
Starting in Dakar, Senegal, Callisto sails down the West African coast, with side trips in motorized pirogues
to tiny villages, a drive in The Gambia to the reserve to see Colobus monkeys, a stop at a chimp rehab center, and lots of
time to visit personally in these countries which were part of the African kingdoms in the 13th to 15th centuries. You
will enjoy music, dance, museums, and contemporary arts and crafts. Visits to stark architectural remnants on islands off
Senegal and Sierra Leone illustrate the brutality of the slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Twelve days, with 10 nights aboard Callisto
which carries 34 passengers, from about $9,000 to $15,000, depending on berth.
Air to Dakar is extra. Call 800 252 4910. See: www.betchartexpeditions.com/africa_into.htm
Mali has some imaginative traditional architecture,
such as these granaries in Dogon Country. (Photo©Dario Menasce en.wikipedia)
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Migrating
Monarchs hang together. (Photo©Paul Tessier) MONARCH MIGRATION Their numbers rise and fall in response to natural disasters
, but every year Monarchs follow their instincts and migrate south, where they gather in several groups among the pinetrees
of northern Mexico. Total miles -- a staggering 3,000, with lots of stops for food and rest. Natural Habitat Adventures has been taking hardy nature lovers to see the butterflies for several years. Trips leave
regularly in winter months. Groups have a maximum size of 15. YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Butterflies collect in trees at an altitude of between 6,000 and 9,000 feet, and you might have to hike for 2 miles to get
to them. Some of that hike is straight up. Small horses are available for some of the steep inclines, but not for the steepest.
The reward of seeing the blaze of fluttering orange is worth the trip, however, with the silence broken only by the sound
of their wings.
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