World ExpeditionsBig Adventures. Small Footprint.https://assets.worldexpeditions.com/BlogTraveller stories: Travelling to Morocco After the Earthquakehttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/5534/what-it-was-like-travelling-in-morocco-just-after-the-earthquakeCommunity,Traveller StoriesTue, 10 Oct 2023 01:05:00 GMT<h2><strong><strong>A Change of Plans</strong></strong></h2> <p>I’m fresh off the plane from <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Morocco">Morocco</a> and a few people are surprised that I didn't cancel my travel plans, asking if it's safe to travel there after the recent earthquake. </p> <p>I was due to land in Marrakech 3 days after the earthquake to begin an 11-day private Moroccan adventure. I chose to cut it down to a 7-day trip, flying into Tangier instead, and picking up my existing plans from there. </p> <p>Only a few further days on, travellers were able to enjoy the Marrakech Medina as before and for hikes in the Atlas Mountains, there have always been numerous routes to choose from so there is no need to avoid this spectacular area.</p> <p>Despite hearing so much about the earthquake on the news, travel in Morocco felt very normal and as welcoming as ever. Places that had temporarily closed were quick to re-open.</p> <p><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="Rabat Medina | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2524113" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Medina-2524113-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Rabat-Medina-2524113-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Chefchaouen Kasbah | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2524115" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Chefchaouen-Kasbah-2524115-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Chefchaouen-Kasbah-2524115-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Fes tanneries | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2524114" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Fes-tanneries-2524114-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Fes-tanneries-2524114-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></p> <h2><strong>The Earthquake's Effect</strong></h2> <p>I discovered that the people who have been most affected live in remote, small, villages in the Atlas Mountains where few tourists venture.</p> <p>Outside of Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains, there had been little, if any, physical damage or disruption but still they faced cancellations from travellers which greatly impacted their livelihood. So they were keen to move on - and even more excited to see our faces.</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="Carpet shopping in Chefchaouen | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2519293" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Carpet-shopping-in-Chefchaouen-2519293-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Carpet-shopping-in-Chefchaouen-2519293-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Cats of Chefchaouen | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2519294" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Cats-of-Chefchaouen-2519294-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Cats-of-Chefchaouen-2519294-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Cosy rooftop of Riad Cherifa in Chefchaouen | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2519295" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Cosy-rooftop-of-Riad-Cherifa-in-Chefchaouen-2519295-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Cosy-rooftop-of-Riad-Cherifa-in-Chefchaouen-2519295-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <h2><strong></strong></h2> <h2><strong>Is it safe to travel to Morocco?</strong></h2> <p>It is absolutely safe to still travel there and tourism is an industry that supports so many local people in Morocco. The message I got whilst I was there is: "Please continue to visit & experience this magical destination".</p> <h2><strong></strong></h2> <h2><strong>Highlights and tips for travelling to Morocco: </strong></h2> <div><strong></strong></div> <p><em><strong></strong></em></p> <p><strong></strong><em><strong>Shopping </strong></em><br /> Check your airline baggage allowance and bring an extra suitcase to take home, the shopping is next level in Morocco!</p> <p>Leather bags and sandals. Carpets and cushions. Tagines and other decorative ceramics, copper pots and silver jewellery. Spices & perfumes and argan oil. Baskets. </p> <p>The stalls themselves are a beautiful sight. And talking and haggling with your seller is all part of the experience – ask your guide, or hotel or look at blogs online to get a rough idea of what to pay for certain things and then have fun! Ultimately, if you like it, the price you’re happy to pay is the right one.</p> <p><strong></strong><em><strong>Architecture, doorways, tiles </strong></em><br /> In our briefing on the first day, our guide warned us to watch our footing and ensure we look down so we don't trip over on steps or uneven ground. I thought this seemed unnecessary until I found myself constantly distracted staring at yet another magnificent intricate doorway or ceiling.</p> <p><strong></strong><em><strong>Mint tea </strong></em><br /> Enjoying mint tea is a ritual in Morocco. The pretty glass cups, filled with hot sweet tea and stuffed with mint - morning, noon and night you’ll be offered mint tea and even watching it be poured for you is fun.</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><img alt="This is how you pour tea in Morocco | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2524116" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/This-is-how-you-pour-tea-in-Morocco-2524116-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/This-is-how-you-pour-tea-in-Morocco-2524116-###width###px.jpg" /></div> <p><em><strong></strong></em></p> <p><strong></strong><em><strong>Tagine </strong></em><br /> When the server brings the distinctive clay pot to your table and lifts the lid on the bubbling hot tagine, you know you’re in for something special. There are more varieties of tagine than I ever imagined and so many seafood options once you’re in the north of the country like swordfish tagine and anchovy tagine, always with a serving of fresh round bread to tear up and dip into the dish along with a big bowl of delicious olives.</p> <p><em><strong>Riads </strong></em><br /> Staying in a riad is such a unique Moroccan experience. Essentially a guesthouse, here you are warmly welcomed by your hosts, staying in often old and intricately decorated homes. The many dishes at breakfast are a delight.</p> <p> </p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="Riad Cherifa in Chefchaouen | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2524109" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Riad-Cherifa-in-Chefchaouen-2524109-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Riad-Cherifa-in-Chefchaouen-2524109-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Breakfast, Morocco style | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2524110" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Breakfast_-Morocco-style-2524110-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Breakfast_-Morocco-style-2524110-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Great local tour guide in Morocco | <i>Jac Lofts</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2524111" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Great-local-tour-guide-in-Morocco-2524111-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Africa/Morocco/Great-local-tour-guide-in-Morocco-2524111-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <em> </em> <h2> </h2> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> 5534Traveller Stories: Trekking in Nepal... Again!https://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/5491/traveller-story-trekking-in-nepal-againActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Himalaya,NepalWed, 03 Aug 2022 07:21:00 GMT<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Traveller, Patrick O’Shea from NSW, Australia, recently trekked with us in the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Annapurna">Annapurna region</a> of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal">Nepal </a>five years after he did the iconic <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Walking/Everest-Base-Camp-Trek-in-Comfort">Everest Circuit Trek</a>.</strong></span> <div> <p><em>This is nothing like the Nepal I remember.</em></p> <p><em>Isn’t Nepal soaring mountains, snow, ice, and rock scree? </em></p> <p><em>Don’t you ascend slowly over several days? </em></p> <p><em>Isn’t it trekking above the snow line more than 4500m up, trying to inhale whatever oxygen you can get into your lungs, while your legs burn from lack of said oxygen? And isn’t it bloody cold? </em></p> <p>Not this time. </p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="Boats on Phewa Lake, Pokhara | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2194555" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194555-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194555-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="This is a snapshot of some of the views we had to endure! It's a tough gig, right? | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2194556" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194556-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194556-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Lespar - we were welcomed so beautifully with a puja ceremony and got to see the village, the school and met some lovely people. | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2194557" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194557-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194557-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <hr /> <p>We are scooting up and down steep tracks and rough-hewn steps through red and green forests and farmland. The colours are so vibrant, like “turning up the saturation in Lightroom” vibrant and the verdant green vegetation is reminiscent of a scene from The Hobbit, or even the dark forest in Harry Potter.</p> <p>And yet, we ARE in Nepal. This is the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Annapurna">Annapurna</a> side of the Himalaya, a completely different beast to the Everest side. I was promised a different side of Nepal, and I surely got it. </p> <p><strong>My second time in Nepal delivered all the wonderful parts of Nepal that I do remember. Lovely villages, incredibly nice people, shopping in Thamel (and didn’t we overdo that!), and those monster mountains we all adore. </strong></p> <p><strong><img alt="Day 5, Old Ghandruk - believed to be around 350 years old. | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2229127" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229127-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229127-###width###px.jpg" /></strong></p> <p>It showed us a much more subtle blend of scenery, rather than the stark beauty of the high altitudes. It also supplied Pokhara, the 2nd largest city in Nepal and a sparkling gem on the banks of Fewa Lake. </p> <p>Going in April (as opposed to October) also meant the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Blog/rhododendrons-spring-in-the-annapurnas">Rhododendron </a>was out in full force - and we saw forests of them! </p> <p>Our trek to Khayer Lake gave us a wonderful variety of scenery and experiences. Loads of flora for the botanists, animals, and plenty of birds, Nepal’s amazing rivers and some of the towering mountains we all love to see. But the lower altitude meant the temps were higher and for anyone who prefers trekking in the warm over the cold, this was perfect. Plus, <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Blog/altitude-sickness-with-dr-jim-duff">altitude sickness</a> was less of an issue. </p> <p>Kathmandu is of course amazing every time, though this time round we also had Pokhara! </p> <p>What a town. What a gem of a place. Everything Kathmandu has to offer in a compact 4 miles stretch, and a slew of restaurants and cafes perched on the lakefront, ready to satiate any palate. Do I hear 2 for 1 beers? </p> <p>Oh, and did I mention the spa day?  </p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="Lespar - we were welcomed so beautifully with a puja ceremony and got to see the village, the school and met some lovely people. | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2194558" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194558-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2194558-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Walking among giants - what a view. | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2229123" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229123-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229123-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Boats on Phewa Lake, Pokhara | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2229124" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229124-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229124-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <div> <h2><strong>So, Everest or Annapurna?</strong></h2> <p>C’mon, that’s like asking which of my kids I prefer! The differences meant both were amazing. Everest Himalaya is more physically challenging, but for those looking for some tough terrain, the nature of the steep climbs up and down on this hike still made it a tough one. There are no free rides in Nepal, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!</p> <p>Nepal is such a country of contrasts; each time you go back, it draws you in just a little tighter. You can’t help but wonder what else is in store for you the next time you come back. </p> <p>And come back you will!</p> <p><img alt="Beautiful vistas, nature giving us art, the ever-present morning cup of tea (with a view, of course) and our fearless leader! | <i>Patrick OShea</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2229122" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229122-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Annapurna-Blog-2229122-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2><strong>What's Next?</strong></h2> <p>I worked out that my motivation for wanting to go in the first place was the physical challenge - so the next option is to climb. During an information night at the World Expeditions office, pre-covid of course, I discovered Cholo!</p> <p><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Blog/on-the-couch-with-mountaineer-soren-kruse-ledet">Soren’s photos</a> made me want to jump on a plane right then and there.</p> <p>My god that was what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, covid got in the way, so I’m gradually easing my way back in. Climbing is still on the radar, though I'm running out of time.</p> <h3><em><strong></strong></em></h3> <div><em><strong></strong></em><br /> Feeling inspired? Check out our Nepal trips <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal">here</a>.</div> <div> </div> <div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-2 dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><img alt=" " class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="2208660" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Author-2208660-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Author-2208660-###width###px.jpg" /></div> <div class="col-sm-10 dynamicContentWrapper" switchsource="content1"> <h3><em><strong>Patrick Oshea</strong></em></h3> <p>Patrick is a Travel Advisor/Writer from NSW, Australia. To follow along with his journey and see all the incredible places he's already been, follow him on Instagram @anunfinishedjourney.</p> </div> </div> </div> <h3> </h3> </div> </div> 5491The ‘Adventure Mindset’: the path to health and happinesshttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/2370/the-adventure-goddess-journey-di-westawayAdventure Travel,Community,Traveller Stories,ActivitiesThu, 05 May 2022 03:06:00 GMT<p>“<em>The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams</em>.” – Oprah</p> <p>I often feel frantic and frazzled getting ready for a weekend adventure. Projects pile up and I wonder what on earth I was thinking about adding extra challenges to an already busy life.</p> <p>But when I stand on that summit overlooking the vast wilderness of rich emerald forest or gaze across snow-capped peaks or feel the sun warm our skin as it pops over the horizon, a weight lifts off my shoulders and the whole world glows.</p> <p>When we take the call to adventure, our upcoming exotic challenge often motivates and excites us as we gather skills, fitness and gear to prepare for the journey. Life takes on a whole new dimension of happiness and fulfilment.</p> <p><img alt="Wild Women in the Bungles | <i>Di Westaway</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1223012" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Western-Australia/Wild-Women-in-the-Bungles-1223012-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Western-Australia/Wild-Women-in-the-Bungles-1223012-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>When we’re immersed in a real adventure with friends we feel natural exhilaration. We share magic moments. We feel the wonder of awe.</p> <p>Doctors call it 'lifestyle medicine'. We call it adventure.</p> <p>Neuroscience shows that adventure is really good for us. It connects all our happy hormones into one harmonious heaven of pleasure. Millions of people around the world now get to feel the health benefits of adventure by choosing to book a trip to an exotic land. But when you choose an active adventure, you get the magic motivation of the team challenge to lift your health and fitness to another level.</p> <p>Adventure is a state of mind. Active adventure is a state of mind, body and spirit.</p> <p>There are many paths to health and happiness. I am only an expert in one: the adventure goddess journey. Adventure goddesses live natural exhilaration because we reconnect with nature and design a lifestyle that synchs with our ancient origins. And Wild Women On Top has helped nearly 20,000 of them feel better.</p> <p>During the past 35 years of seeking health and fitness, I discovered the healing powers of adventure through adversity. When I was tired, miserable, wrung out and fighting forty, I faced a mid-life crisis. I overcame it by embarking on a real adventure with friends. And now I help other women do the same.</p> <p>Many women today are exhausted. We are overworked and run-ragged. We are insanely busy bees, rushing around madly with no time to nurture ourselves, working long hours for lifestyles that don’t bring us real happiness.</p> <p>We have been seduced by a first-world culture that tells us Botox, thigh gaps, acrylic nails, and Brazilians bring happiness and that the doctor will fix us when we get sick.</p> <p>We’ve lost our way.</p> <p>But psychiatrists say three things make us happy: someone to love, something to do, something to look forward to: adventure. But I want more than just happiness. I want natural exhilaration.  And to get natural exhilaration, we need nature.</p> <p><img alt="Tramping the Routeburn Track | <i>Julianne Ly</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1223014" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/New-Zealand/Routeburn-Track_-New-Zealand-1223014-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/New-Zealand/Routeburn-Track_-New-Zealand-1223014-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>Nature brings sustainable happiness and fulfilment. It helps us thrive. In nature, we find real health and power. Nature energises mind, body and spirit, creates healthy food and provides action.</p> <p>As I soar to sixty with a fit, healthy, resilient body and mind, leading a business that supports a family of four, I feel not just happy, but fulfilled. I can still do handstands, climb trees, bounce on beds, out-ski my kidults (not bragging, just saying) and dance about. And so can you.</p> <p><img alt="Remarkable Rocks jump | <i>Di Westaway</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1223015" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/South-Australia/Remarkable-Rocks-jump-1223015-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/South-Australia/Remarkable-Rocks-jump-1223015-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Why an 'Adventure Mindset' is good for you</h2> <p>Adventure is a metaphor for life. There’s the thrill of the planning, the excitement of the challenge, the freedom of the hills, the meditation of movement and the exhilaration of overcoming the odds.</p> <p>The 'Adventure Mindset' is a recipe to help us feel natural exhilaration. It is a thought tool that adapts the lessons of wild adventure to life. It teaches mental toughness, builds confidence and helps you kick-arse at work, home and in life. When you experience a challenging adventure in the wilderness you experience a journey that gives you a skill-set that can directly impact the way you manage your day to day life.  It gives you an ‘Adventure Mindset”.</p> <p>The mindset starts with a purpose. When you add people and a plan you get pleasure and power. And when you add nature, you get natural exhilaration.</p> <p>Life can be tough. Hardships hurt. But with the adventure mindset when life whacks you in the face, you’ll whack it right back.</p> <p><em>Words by Di Westaway</em></p> <p><big><strong>Feeling inspired? Find your inner goddess on our <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Womens-Adventures" target="_blank">Women's Adventures →</a></strong></big></p> 2370Traveller stories: What to expect when rafting Tasmania's Franklin Riverhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/5046/traveller-stories-rafting-the-franklin-river-in-tasmania-australiaActivities,Adventure Travel,Water Adventures,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Australia, New Zealand &amp; the Pacific,AustraliaThu, 21 Apr 2022 03:55:26 GMT<p><strong>Too much water and you can be marooned for days and with too little water, well, the journey becomes an exhausting experience. The tradeoff, however, is unique wilderness, incredible outdoor camping and an adrenaline-rushing rafting journey that's to be expected from one of the top five rafting experiences in the world. Read a past rafter's account paddling down one of Australia's most famous and wildest rivers, the Franklin.</strong></p> <p>Reflections on the last 10 days on the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=franklin+river+rafting" target="_blank">Franklin River</a> are many and varied but it was everything we had hoped it would be. </p> <p>The rafting was more than a chance to revisit a cause long forgotten in the annals of time, it was an experience for the ages, a true wilderness adventure superbly, and energetically guided, managed, organized and supported.  </p> <p>Adrenaline rushing rapids, solitude and untold beauty among the majesty of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?categories=AUS&searchKeywords=frenchmans+cap" target="_blank">Frenchmans Cap</a> and its surrounding ranges left an indelible imprint. </p> <p>We dined like kings; paddled like dervishes; climbed like monkeys, as we hauled the boats and our gear over boulders the size of houses; and we soothed our bruised bodies each evening in the sparkling chilled waters of the river. </p> <p>Challenging? Yes. Safe? Always. Tiring? Certainly. </p> <p>Although, we didn't push the trip as some brave souls do for reasons which allude me. Why rush to get out of Paradise and an adventure for the ages? Savour the moment. </p> <p>In hindsight, it was an exhilarating adventure with just the right balance between a unique wilderness and outdoor camping experience and an adrenaline-rushing rafting journey that's to be expected from one of the top five rafting experiences in the world. It didn't disappoint.</p> <h2>Riding the rapids: be prepared to put in the hard work</h2> <p>You have to work or should I say paddle to enjoy it, with the ever-present commands ringing in your ears as the guides pushed pulled and paddled us down the river.</p> <p>What we didn't appreciate was that the experience very much depends on water level and flow which ultimately are derivatives of the weather. </p> <p>Good weather and the water level tends to be lower than ideal with more portaging and mind-boggling hauling of boats and gear across boulders the size of houses; bad weather and the water height tend to be higher and closer to that necessary for that ideal adrenaline rushing experience. </p> <p>As they say, it's a matter of balance but with too much water and you can be marooned for days and too little water, well, the journey becomes an exhausting experience.</p> <p>Our weather was perfect with little or no rain, a unique first for southwest Tasmania which meant that we perhaps did a little bit more hauling heaving and portaging than otherwise would be necessary.</p> <p>But the tradeoff was clear skies, good swimming in water you can drink straight from the river all day every day and the benefits that come from seeing no one, hearing no one and leaving no footprints.</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#555555;"><strong>Only about 800 people do the Franklin each year now and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say there's not a scrap of paper, bottle or can to show that civilisation has entered the Franklin valley. </strong></span></p> </blockquote> <h2>No lifeline to civilisation</h2> <p>It's undisturbed like the silent hand of some ghostly apparition reaching out across the valley – a mysterious but beautiful spectre than only amplifies what becomes the perfect isolation experience. </p> <p>We were totally alone with only the sounds of the rhythmic beat of our paddles as they cut through the rushing waters and the bark of the guides with their incessant “left side", "right side", "hard", "forward", "fall back” to break the silence. </p> <p>There was no mobile coverage, no other paddlers, and no sign of wildlife except for the odd trout, one brave platypus and a lonely quoll over 120 kilometres, but felt entirely safe on the water and under the stars.</p> <h2>Dining like kings</h2> <p>The amount of food the guides sport was limited only by the space on the boat, which was a pleasant change from the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Full-Pack-Treks/South-Coast-Track" target="_blank">South Coast Track</a> where weight was the big obstacle. </p> <p>So there were pan-fried scallops, fillet steaks, chicken Kyiv and other luxuries ever-present on the Franklin.</p> <h2>The bottom line: should you raft the Franklin?</h2> <p>If you want total isolation, an outdoor adventure, that little extra dash of adrenaline to make you feel younger, to enjoy the company of like-minded friends in some stunning country, and aren't afraid of some hard work, then the Franklin is for you and World Expeditions is the perfect host for the experience.</p> <p>There was nothing but extreme natural beauty, stillness and solitude to embrace each morning as the long fingers of mountain mist crept up the valley and the paddlers emerged from yet another blissful night under the stars.</p> <p>Truly magical. A trip for the ages. </p> <p><em>Words by fellow rafter, Roger Davis, who paddled the rapids of the famous <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=franklin+river+rafting" target="_blank">Franklin River</a> in March 2022 and has set his sights on his next adventure in Tasmania: the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=walls+of+jerusalem" target="_blank">Walls of Jerusalem</a> in winter.</em></p> 5046A Tibetan Trek of Faith: Lhasa to Kathmanduhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/5005/a-tibetan-trek-of-faithActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Book Club,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Himalaya,TibetThu, 17 Mar 2022 02:48:50 GMT<p><em><strong>In 1992, Brandon Wilson and his wife Cheryl were the first Western couple to complete the 1100-kilometre pilgrim trail from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu. Here is how it began.</strong></em></p> <p>Maybe we approached the journey all wrong from the very start, gulping in its challenge in one gigantic breath, like diving headfirst off a cliff into some mirrored pool of unknown depth.</p> <p>It was bound to be a great adventure, we argued, a chance to prove something to ourselves—especially to those who vowed it couldn’t be done. But any Western sense of toughing things out, of muscling our way across a land as complex as utter darkness, soon fell by the wayside like exhausted matchsticks.</p> <p>Survival has somehow become mysteriously linked with the uneasy idea of letting go. Perhaps it always has been. But leaps of faith have never given me much personal comfort. Still, this is Tibet; it’s unsettling, yet reassuring.</p> <p>When life is bleakest, magic appears, tenuous at first. It’s a strange, exhilarating force, a peace. Obstacles vanish and hurdles disappear. We find water where there is none. Someone arrives out of nowhere offering shelter. Another shares his meagre food. Another, his love.</p> <p>At those moments we have a gnawing suspicion that there is something more to our thousand-kilometre trek, something more than just two weary travellers tracing an ancient pilgrim’s path from Lhasa to Kathmandu across the Himalayas.</p> <p>And that sense of greater purpose, more than any personal tenacity or courage, ultimately keeps us moving.  </p> <h2>Never Say "Impossible"</h2> <p>It all started innocently enough. Sure, my wife Cheryl and I had heard about “Shangri-La,” that legendary Himalayan paradise. Who hadn’t grown up with the fable? Then, one snowy morning, snuggled deep in a cozy leather armchair beside a library’s crackling fire, I became intrigued while reading about an ancient trail once walked by pilgrims from Kathmandu, Nepal to Lhasa, Tibet, home of the Dalai Lamas.</p> <p>According to this account, no foreigners had seen the “forbidden” city until 1903. Borders were sealed after the 1950 Chinese invasion until 1979, only opening for brief periods since.</p> <p>At that time, only 1200 foreigners had ever seen Lhasa, let alone the rest of Tibet, and half of those were with an English army campaign. Most of the others were on more recent, tightly controlled Chinese propaganda tours. Considering all that, I thought that maybe no Westerner had ever trekked this unexplored path. This was the challenge that initially convinced me to write to the Chinese authorities.</p> <p>The same motivator that has sent other madmen traipsing off to some of the highest, least travelled, most remote corners of a shrinking planet.</p> <p>Other folks I guess might have been content to stay in Colorado, especially at that time of year. After all, it was a cloudless afternoon. The type of day where the spruce trees, God’s own sweet air fresheners, scent the rarefied air with a promise of perennial hope.</p> <p>Besides, who could have guessed such a simple action as opening a mailbox could change one’s life forever? Tearing open an envelope, not from the embassy but from China’s “authorized” travel agent, I eagerly read:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>It is impossible to independently travel from Kathmandu into Tibetan Province, nor from Lhasa into Nepal on foot. As far as we know, it is impossible to get the permit to stay in Tibet for 60 or 90 days on your own. It is impossible to buy local food or find simple guesthouses every 300 km., let alone 30-km. You could hardly come across a soul within a couple of days, if you go on foot… Conditions in those high and deep mountains of Tibet are beyond your imaginations.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>I was thrilled. Its string of impossibilities just made me more determined, especially their bullheaded insistence that it couldn’t be done. Still, we prepared for the worse.</p> <p>“Look, if the Chinese refuse to give us visas,” I cautioned Cheryl, my wife and naive accomplice, “we’ll be forced to sneak in or bribe our way across the border from Nepal. We’ll have to hide in the mountains and slip from village to village.” Plus, I neglected to add, rely on the kindness of strangers.</p> <p>By the time we’d committed to the challenge, there was so little time to prepare for something so unknown. We feverishly scoured bookshops and found a Lonely Planet Tibet Guide. But the book contained no topographical maps, no details on food or shelter, and it was anyone’s guess what the Communists would do if they caught us without papers. Then, unexpectedly, doors began to open.</p> <p>The chance to become among the first Westerners to capture a bit of history, while beating the Chinese at their own bureaucratic game, convinced us. We’d give it our best shot.</p> <p>Looking back, we should have taken a year to plan for our harrowing journey. There was equipment to buy, test and break-in; food and supplies to order; maps to study; lives to put in order; physical conditioning to achieve. But we knew if we were to complete our trek before the ominous November snows, we had only three months to prepare.</p> <p>If we wait until next year, I figured, good sense will probably prevail. Physically, we’re in good shape, but we’re far from being mountaineers, I thought.</p> <p>Still, when you get right down to it, there’s little we can do now to prepare for a 35-kilometre (22-mile) hike each day—which is exactly what we need to cover if we hope to make it to Kathmandu before the last 5182 metres (17,000 foot) pass is hopelessly blocked by a ton of snow and we’re stranded until May.</p> <h2>Kathmandu, Nepal: October 7-12</h2> <p>It’s easy to forget the subtleties of a place like Kathmandu. But, like meeting an old lover on the street, those exhilarating sensations and musky memories quickly stir and reawaken.</p> <p>It begins with an on-rush of a dozen desperate urchins with their frantic curbside hustle, screeching, “Taxi, Misstah! Taxi, Sir?” Then there’s the ritual cramming of two size ten bags into a size five trunk. Once loaded, those taxis take off and swarm with all the frenzy and heated determination of wasps in a jar. Incessant bleats, peals and joy buzzer rasps of ten thousand horns punctuate fits of starts, stops and swerves. It’s an intricate ballet.</p> <p>Motorized tuk-tuks, hand-pulled rickshaws and dilapidated heaps careen down crowded streets, blaring at gawking tourists, persistent hawkers and wayward cows. They follow a well-practised weave, fake and swerve through an orchestra of sheer chaos and overpowering odours. All that’s missing is a conductor’s baton to direct the symphony of shit.</p> <p>The official trekking season attracts those who dream of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Himalaya" target="_blank">Himalayan quests</a>, like vultures to African roadkill. The French roam murky alleys, narrowly skirting ambushes by mock-gracious merchants. Brits scour streets in search of legendary cakes, while Americans suck cold brews to tunes from pizza joint jukeboxes.</p> <p>Now, as if that wasn’t already enough to throw the typical traveller off balance, a two-week Nepalese religious festival added to the madness. Dasain, the most lavish of Hindu holidays, spilled frenzied throngs into already undulating streets.</p> <p>During our last visit after a month spent roasting in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=Rajasthan" target="_blank">Rajasthan</a>’s summer desert, Kathmandu was an oasis fulfilling fantasies of food, comfort and relaxation. Yet, even then she was enigmatic. Her face changed like masks in a Balinese barong: one moment beautiful and enchanting, the next bizarre and revolting.</p> <p>Unfortunately, since then, fame aged her more than centuries past, and her virginal innocence, an honest wanderer’s welcome, was deflowered. We were saddened by the loss, but this time Kathmandu was just a staging area. Its score of trekking supply shops, groceries, banks and one-star (or falling-star) hotels only promised to hasten our departure.</p> <p>We needed all the help we could get since everything was uncertain. All except our steadfast determination. All we can do is have faith, I kept reminding myself.</p> <p>Yet, at that point in my life, the concept of faith was abstract to me, ethereal, best relegated to love, religion and the life hereafter.</p> <p>The travel agency that was recommended was set among a hundred other one-person shops in Kathmandu’s teeming Thamel district. We approached it reluctantly since after flying halfway around the world we arrived to find our hotel hopelessly filled. He had never reserved our room. Still, he was our only contact. Perhaps our last hope.</p> <p>“Narayan suggested we see you when we arrived... We’re planning a special trip and your brother thought you could help.” N.D. grinned while his head bobbed back and forth in that unmistakable Nepalese wobble—like a plastic dog in the rear window of a ‘65 Chevy.</p> <p>“Not to worry,” he chirped, already mentally tallying commission from another lucrative Nepal trek. “I will try.”</p> <p>At this mere mention of business, our host sent the “boy” scurrying for more tea then leaned back with a confident smirk.</p> <p>“Can we speak frankly?” I whispered, after turning to confirm the door was closed. Our plans had been shrouded in secrecy since that first meeting. Narayan’s hushed tones and wary glances made it seem like Chinese spies lurked right beneath his desk. Since then, we were extremely cautious about sharing our plan with anyone for fear the Chinese would catch wind and refuse us entry.</p> <p>“Of c-c-course,” he stuttered, now becoming intrigued by his mysterious strangers. Exasperated by our laboured ritual, Cheryl impatiently blurted out, “We want to go to Tibet.” “We want to fly to Lhasa,” I added, “then, trek back to Kathmandu.”</p> <p>“Trek back?” he clucked, shaking his head. “Nooo… Impossible!” After travelling so far, I refused to accept impossible as an excuse anymore.</p> <p>“Why? Buddhist pilgrims have done it for centuries.” “But no Western couple ever has that I know of,” he replied, snickering at the prospect. “Do you know how far it is?”</p> <p>“Over a thousand kilometres (621 miles),” Cheryl deadpanned, used to that tired old argument.</p> <p>“Yes and it’s a long way between villages,” he reminded us, as cautious or frightened as his brother.</p> <p>“We know,” my partner assured him, “but we have plenty of dehydrated food.” I nodded in agreement, although plenty was certainly stretching it. Actually, hoping to lessen the weight in our packs, we had foil packets for ten meagre meals.</p> <p>“And we have maps, too,” I added, having picked up the 'very latest' showing the thin, ragged route from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Although the kid hawking them on the street promised it was “just five days old,” I had my doubts since travellers are expected to be mighty gullible in Kathmandu.</p> <p>“Hey, maybe we can buy a yak or burro in Lhasa,” Cheryl suggested, figuring that hiking that far was hard enough without lugging forty-pound packs. “Or we can even hire a guide to lead us from one village to the next.”</p> <p>Although N.D. was fascinated, his practical nature (or daily experience with the Chinese) warned him that our scheme was pure craziness. It took several glasses of creamy tea to finally convince him it was worth at least one phone call to China’s “official” travel agent.</p> <p>One call and he could prove us wrong, get rid of us, and get back to his newspaper. As he slowly dialled the number, I almost stopped him. Reluctant to reveal our plans, especially to the Chinese, I was afraid we’d never get in.</p> <p>“It’s still not too late to hop an organised tour,” I figured, “then disappear into the Himalayas.” But to be honest, I wasn’t anxious to run into some overzealous, pubescent Chinese soldier waving an Uzi, eager to shoot “spies.” While all those doubts crossed my mind, N.D. reached the airline office. Although neither of us speaks Nepali, it was easy to decipher his conversation with China South West Airlines.</p> <p>“I have a couple who want to trek from Lhasa to Kathmandu,” he started. Then in a patronizing tone, he snickered, “I told them it was impossible, but…” He suddenly stopped. Our hearts raced. Were we finished? Did they just flatly refuse? “Yes, they know they’ll have to book a Lhasa tour, but… What? You’ll consider it?” Stunned, he shot us a quizzical glance. Then he apologetically blubbered, “Why, yes, yes, I’ll send them over right away.”</p> <p>The staff at CSWA was surprisingly cooperative and more than surprised that two Americans were serious about trekking through Tibet. “Your timing is fortunate. Most fortunate,” the slight supervisor pronounced, sizing us up with wide-eyed curiosity. “You see, the border officially opened just yesterday... however,” he continued, “it is only open from the Tibetan side. You must first fly to Lhasa on our mandatory five-day tour.” Cheryl and I shot each other incredulous looks. Grins started to surface. “Afterwards, you can continue on your own.”</p> <p>On our own? We nearly leapt from his sofa. Then, reluctant to let him glimpse our explosive, hallelujah-excitement, we calmly asked that one question, one last time. “Has this ever been done before?”</p> <p>The pensive supervisor hesitated only a second, assuring us, “No. To my knowledge, no Western couple has ever walked Lhasa to Kathmandu.”</p> <p>There, we’ve heard it three times, I thought. It must be true. But does that only mean that no one’s been so mad?</p> <p>“It just hasn’t been possible,” he added, de-emphasising our luck. “The border’s been closed many years now.” Although he promised to send our request to the Chinese Embassy, we remained sceptical that they would issue visas for the sixty days we needed. Or that they’d allow two unsupervised Americans free rein to trek across “their” Tibet. That was unheard of.</p> <p>Then, as if to allay all those unspoken fears, a displaced Tibetan clerk secretively shared something with us, a truth which eased our minds. “Why worry?” he asked, with a cryptic smile. “If it is meant to be, if Lord Buddha wills it, it will be.”</p> <p>And so it was. One telephone call, a change in policy one day earlier, the unlikely consent of a few officials, and suddenly it was willed. It was pure synchronicity. If we had never stumbled into that Tibetan shop or had arrived in Kathmandu one week earlier, or never dared to chase our outlandish dream, our lives would be different now.</p> <p><em>This is an edited extract from 'Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith' by Brandon Wilson. His other books in this series include: 'Along the Templar Trail', a Lowell Thomas Gold Award-winner for Best Travel Book, 'Yak Butter Blues', an IPPY award-winner, and 'Dead Men Don’t Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa'. Purchase a copy on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brandon-Wilson/e/B001JS4J0O?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1610446884&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><u>Amazon</u></a> or your favourite online seller or bookshop.</em></p> <hr /> <h3><strong>About the author</strong></h3> <p><em></em><a href="http://www.BrandonWilsonauthor.com" target="_blank">Brandon Wilson</a> is an author and photographer, explorer and adventure travel writer. Brandon has travelled to nearly one hundred countries and has trekked many long-distance trails, including the Camino de Santiago, Camino Catalan, Camino Aragones and Via de la Plata across Spain, and twice the St. Olav’s Way across Norway and Sweden.</p> <p>As well as being, the first Western couple to complete the 1100-kilometre pilgrim trail from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Brandon was the first American to traverse the 1850-kilometre Via Francigena from England to Rome. In 2006, he and his French friend re-blazed the 4500-kilometre route of the First Crusades from France to Jerusalem, naming it the Templar Trail, to establish it as a path of peace. Follow his adventures on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrandonWilsonauthorexplorer" target="_blank">facebook.com/BrandonWilsonauthorexplorer</a></p> <p><span style="color:#949e17;"><big><strong>Inspired to explore the Himalaya backed by 45+ years of experience pioneering treks? <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Himalaya" target="_blank">View our range of Himalaya treks ></a></strong></big></span></p> 50052023 Great Himalaya Trail Full Traverser: “Time for the Next Great Adventure”https://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/5364/next-great-adventure-great-himalaya-trailActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Himalaya,NepalTue, 08 Feb 2022 03:52:00 GMT<h3><span style="font-size:18px;">The best trek in the world!</span></h3> <h3><span style="font-size:14px;"></span></h3> <p><em>Editor's note: Tabea Wagner, 30, is about to set off on the best trek on earth. We spoke to her on the eve of her departure for the full traverse of the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Great-Himalaya-Trail">Great Himalaya Trail</a> in Nepal.</em></p> <p>Since I was a child I loved being in the outdoors. My parents told me that when I was in a bad mood they would just take me outside for a while and I would be cheerful again. When I grew up, I tried different outdoor activities such as kajaking, horse-riding, cycling, hiking, trail running and more.</p> <p>Although I still like all of these activities today, I came to realise that <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Trekking-Walking" target="_blank">trekking</a> opens the opportunity to go wherever you want. You start walking, put up your tent in any place you want, you have the possibility to stay or move on, and you have everything you need in your backpack. Sometimes you end up in an unexpected place. You meet great new people and see places you would not have dreamed of. The weather conditions may be wonderful or awful but you keep going anyway. Sometimes it is hard, but it is always fair. Sometimes you risk going too far or beyond your limits, but only if you do so you know how far you can go.</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><img alt="Archive image of Tabea on one of her previous long-distance treks" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639224" dynamiccroppedimage="1" flexibleaspectratio="16x9" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/TB-1639224-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/TB-1639224-###width###px.jpg" /></div>   <h2><span style="font-size:16px;">"Sometimes it is hard, but it is always fair."</span></h2> <p>So, in the last few years I made sure to do several long-distance trekking tours. Some examples are crossing the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Walking-Alpine" target="_blank">European Alps</a>, the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=gr20" target="_blank">GR20 in Corsica</a>, Rando-Lofoten in Norway, and three months on the Te Araroa in New Zealand. It got me more and more addicted to long distance hiking trails.</p> <p>Loving the mountains, <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Great-Himalaya-Trail" target="_blank">the Great Himalaya Trail</a> had always been in my mind. After having worked a lot in the last few years and having limited options because of the pandemic, I felt it was time for the next great adventure. I decided to make my dream come true and that’s when I registered at World Expeditions for the Full Traverse of the Great Himalaya Trail.</p> <p>As I have never been to the Himalayas before, it was important for me to join a professional expedition company. World Expeditions was exactly offering what I was looking for. So, now I am excited in a positive way to be part of this great adventure. To see the world`s highest mountains, remote landscapes, sleep in a tent and walk on and on every day. I am looking forward to meeting great people, make new friends and spend an amazing time in Nepal.</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639228" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Great-Himalaya-Trail/Full-GHT-2018-1639228-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Great-Himalaya-Trail/Full-GHT-2018-1639228-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639225" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/tb-archive-1639225-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/tb-archive-1639225-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639226" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/tb-tent-1639226-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/tb-tent-1639226-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639227" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/GHT---Makalu-Sherpani-Col-1639227-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Marketing-Images/World-Ex/GHT---Makalu-Sherpani-Col-1639227-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639229" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Great-Himalaya-Trail-in-Upper-Dolpo_-Nepal-1639229-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Great-Himalaya-Trail-in-Upper-Dolpo_-Nepal-1639229-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639230" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Great-Himalaya-Trail/Far-Western-Nepal-1639230-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Great-Himalaya-Trail/Far-Western-Nepal-1639230-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1639231" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="950" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Great-Himalaya-Trail/Thame-Monastery-1639231-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Great-Himalaya-Trail/Thame-Monastery-1639231-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <div> </div> <span style="color:#7f8c8d;">Words & non-Nepal images by Tabea Wagner, January 2023 </span> <hr />  <p>The <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Walking/Great-Himalaya-Trail-The-Full-Traverse" target="_blank">Full Nepal Traverse of the Great Himalaya Trail</a> 2023 starts on 26 February and finishes five months later, on 25 July. You can still sign up to join the full length, or a <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Great-Himalaya-Trail" target="_blank">section of your choice</a>.</p> <p> </p> 5364What I learnt trekking the Jatbula Trail and what I'd do differentlyhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/4903/what-i-learnt-trekking-the-jatbula-trailActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Australia, New Zealand &amp; the Pacific,AustraliaTue, 14 Sep 2021 02:52:23 GMT<p><strong>What is it like to take on a challenging multi-day hike for the first time? World Expeditions traveller Dragica shares her adventures from the trail – the good, the ugly and the unforgettable.</strong></p> <p>A quantum physicist, a mathematician, an accountant, a GP, her daughter and a public servant all walk into a bar… Okay, no they didn’t. They actually hiked the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-with-a-Full-Pack/Jatbula-Trail" target="_blank">Jatbula Trail</a>, an epic 62-kilometre backpacking journey, navigating the western edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment in Australia’s Northern Territory. </p> <p>This trip had been on my bucket list for many years and I’m not going to lie, I’m hardly an accomplished hiker – in fact, this was my first actual multi-day hike. I also hadn’t been camping in years and I tricked myself into thinking that walking the mostly flat Canberra paths in the dead of winter with a (much smaller) pack would be enough preparation. </p> <p>But absolutely nothing could prepare me for how intense the hike would be for me or how it would pulverise my absolutely filthy (I was cleaning dirt out of my toenails for weeks after), blistered and swollen feet. And yet, writing this while in lockdown I would trade my festy cankles to get back there in a hot second. </p> <h2>The rise and fall of the trail </h2> <p>A keyword that our guide Eric used was ‘undulating’ (I would hear this word over and over during the 6 days) and that’s exactly what it was — most days the trail was rocky, some days sandy, some days we walked in a bit of bog or marsh. Sometimes you’d get your foot stuck in the bog and one of your fellow hikers would have to yank you out by your pack and sometimes you’d walk through 10-foot spear grass, which would result in a head-to-toe body rash. Every day was both challenging and exhilarating. </p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="One of the many swimming holes on the Jatbula Trail | <i>Dragica Barac</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1016520" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Swimming-holes-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016520-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Swimming-holes-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016520-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Gain a deeper understanding of the local Indigenous culture with visits to ancient rock art sites | <i>Linda Murden</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1016523" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Ancient-Rock-Art-Jatbula-Trail-Nitmiluk-National-Park-1016523-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Ancient-Rock-Art-Jatbula-Trail-Nitmiluk-National-Park-1016523-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Carry a blister pack on the trail for long-distance hikes | <i>Dragica Barac</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1016521" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Blisters-and-bandaged-foot-on-the-Jatbula-1016521-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Blisters-and-bandaged-foot-on-the-Jatbula-1016521-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div>   <p>I’ve told most of my friends I wanted to quit after the first four kilometres, in reality, I wanted to quit after the first 5 minutes! Starting at Nitmiluk Visitor’s Centre just after lunch, a barge drops you off to the other side of the Katherine River (because y’know, crocodiles) and just jumping off and walking up the small embankment had me sweating. </p> <p>While it was the dry season (I travelled in July), make no mistake it’s still hot and my 15 kg backpack (with an extra two litres of water) might as well have weighed a tonne. <em>'Do people actually do this for actual fun?' </em>I kept asking myself. <em>'Why?' </em>Reaching our first pitstop at the Northern Rockhole provided relief from my backbreaking pack. (Have I mentioned that my backpack was really heavy?) </p> <p>With an undignified bellyflop into the refreshingly cold water, any possible thoughts of a Saltie making me their lunch was quickly forgotten. It helped that it was really picturesque!</p> <p><img alt="Swimming holes visited on the Jatbula Trail are high on the escarpment and far from any crocs  | <i>Dragica Barac</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1016525" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Swimming-holes-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016525-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Swimming-holes-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016525-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Crystal Falls </h2> <p>Completing the trail on day one was a definite highlight and reaching our final destination at Crystal Falls was magnificent because: <br /> (a) the trek was finally over for the day and<br /> (b) we had a piece of paradise pretty much to ourselves.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>The waterfalls are spectacular and should be on everyone’s bucket list. </strong></p> </blockquote> <p>When you’re sitting in the freshwater pool, listening to the water cascade around you, eating cheese and crackers it’s hard not to think you’re in some exclusive Outback eco Club Med resort – although it would have been nice to have a waiter or two serving up some well-earned margaritas! </p> <h2>Food to fuel the (ravenous) soul </h2> <p>During the days when I was struggling (okay, nearly every day!) there’s a couple of things that I thought focused on to keep me walking – like, food. <em>'What culinary speciality will Jess, Maggie and Eric concoct today? Will Eric actually fry the chorizo this time? Is there any 4-day old, creamed hummus left? Can I have and lick the wrapper of the melted chocolate this time?'</em> </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>The food was absolutely great but if I never eat another sun-dried tomato or shitake mushroom it’ll be too soon! </strong></p> </blockquote> <h2><img alt="Enjoying full-serviced meals on the Jatbula Trail | <i>Dragica Barac</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1016527" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Camp-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016527-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Camp-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016527-###width###px.jpg" /></h2> <h2> </h2> <h2>Jatbula Trail highlights: why it's a trip of a lifetime</h2> <p>There are so many highlights it’s hard to name just a couple, but here goes: the Jawoyn Aboriginal rock art at the Amphitheatre, a shaded monsoonal-type valley that almost tricks you into thinking you’ve been momentarily transported into a rainforest. </p> <p>Spotting the small and large Magellanic clouds in the crystal-clear night sky at 17 Mile Falls. Walking out at sunrise – #nofilter required – on our 16.5km hike to Sandy Camp Pool. Getting used to my ever-deflating sleeping mat. Bats peeing on my tent twice, at said Sandy Camp Pool. ‘It’s just Grevilia sap,’ Jess tells me the next day. Yeah, right. </p> <p><img alt="17 Miles Fall on the Jatbula Trail | <i>Dragica Barac</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1016518" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Jatbula-Trail-17-Miles-Fall-1016518-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Jatbula-Trail-17-Miles-Fall-1016518-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>The midnight runs over undulating (there’s that word again!) terrain in the moonlight to the drop toilet at least 150 metres away from camp when you’re absolutely busting. Lazing about like goannas on the rocks at Sweetwater Falls. Staring in awe at the full pink moonrise that same evening at Sweetwater Falls. </p> <p>Watching in wonder at the physical strength of Jess, Eric and rookie Maggie as they cart around 22 kilos of gear each, including most of the food, pots and pans and not complaining. </p> <p>Savouring the taste of fresh water and not needing an Aquatab to filter it. Soaking in the natural silence, knowing that you are far from what’s going on in the outside world, especially Covid. </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>The blissful realisation that you don’t need to constantly glance at your phone, doom scrolling because there’s also no service out there. </strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Feeling melancholy at the finishing line at Leliyn (Edith Falls) and then smashing down the best Barramundi burger ever at the kiosk. </p> <p><img alt="Eclectic night colours on the Jatbula Trail | <i>Dragica Barac</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="1016524" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Night-skies-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016524-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Night-skies-on-the-Jatbula-Trail-1016524-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>The natural wonder that is Arnhem Land. Summing up the Jatbula in a word: magical. </p> <h2>Things I realised with the benefit of hindsight: </h2> <p>• I regret not spending the extra hundred bucks or so and upgraded to an Osprey Aura Anti-Gravity suspension backpack. It seemed to be the one favoured by the more seasoned hikers on the trip, i.e. everyone else except me and I probably would have spent less time complaining to everyone within earshot about how heavy my pack was. </p> <p>• Also, actually practice with your bag at the 15 kg weight for at least 6 weeks beforehand. The guides redistribute the group’s food every morning, so your pack doesn’t get any lighter! </p> <p>• To make your bag lighter, you probably don’t need to pack 10 pairs of undies. Also, pack a book or kindle. Don’t pack both. • Buy that ugly, quick-dry, Leyland-brothers looking, wide-brimmed hat, with the matching ugly shirt. No one cares about <em>fashun</em> on the trail. </p> <p>• Pack the hiking poles. You’ll need them. Trust me. </p> <p>• A great tip I picked up from Jess was to drench my shirt and hat in the water to keep me cool during the rest of the hike. </p> <p>• You’ll drink more water than you ever thought possible, I topped out at 4 ½ litres in one day so I highly recommend packing a hydration bladder. Which I didn’t. </p> <p>• Why did I pack so many undies and not wine?</p> <p><em>Words by Dragica Barac who completed the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-with-a-Full-Pack/Jatbula-Trail" target="_blank">Jatbula Trail </a>in July 2021.</em></p> <p><strong><em>Drop a comment below and let us know what you learnt from a challenging hike you completed. And if you could do it again, what would you have done differently?</em></strong></p> <p>Looking to take up the Jatbula challenge? View the <a href="http://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-with-a-Full-Pack/Jatbula-Trail" target="_blank">trip details</a> and make sure you are well prepared for the adventure. The more training you do, the more enjoyable the trek will be! Check out these <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Blog/cross-training-for-multi-day-adventures" target="_blank">top tips when training for a multi-day adventure</a>.</p> <hr />4903Traveller stories: Why we all need to spend time in Nepalhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3752/traveller-story-nepal-everest-base-camp-tripActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Himalaya,NepalWed, 14 Apr 2021 04:44:00 GMT<p>There is something thrillingly unnerving about strapping on your hiking boots and walking out the door to head to a totally foreign country to take on one of the hardest things you’ve ever done. It was the adrenaline behind that thought that drove my split-second decision to make the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Everest-Base-Camp-Kala-Pattar" target="_blank">Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar trek</a> my honeymoon. Best decision ever.</p> <p>As an experienced long-distance walker and outdoor lover, I was fascinated by the “what ifs” and the “what the” that would come with <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/everest-base-camp-trek-guide" target="_blank">planning a trek to Everest Base Camp</a>. What I put a lot less research into, but what endeared me most, was the country and people of Nepal. It is a place that has left me feeling like I gave it my all – yet I fight the urge to return immediately as there is so much more to see and do.</p> <p>Granted, my three-week journey through Kathmandu and the trek to the foot of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Everest" target="_blank">Mount Everest</a> was a mere fragment of what this magnificent country and its astounding geographical and social diversity has to offer, but irrespective, I was definitely rewarded and drew a lot from the little time I was there.</p> <p>Kathmandu; an energetic, dusty, noisy, driven enigma left my new husband and I spellbound. We grew addicted to the buzz of life as we strolled the streets, getting lost in back lanes, dodging traffic to cross main roads and seeking solace from it all when we needed to recharge in one of the many great places to find carbs and a cold beer (we were making the most of our pre-trek bulking!). I had exhausted my quota of street-dog photos before we had even left the city.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>The unrelenting bustle of Kathmandu is a striking reminder of the scale of one small life in a city that works more than it plays.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>While the potential to overwhelm is looming, the relatability to a community with a never-ending thirst for improvement led me to reflect on my own drive. A drive that has led me to the depths of exhaustion and illness, a drive that forced me into years of rejuvenation and reinvention, a drive that is now subdued by a conscious understanding of the meaning of life for me – to enjoy, to wonder and to live in gratitude.</p> <p>The sleepy villages dotted throughout Sagarmatha National Park could not have been further from our metropolitan experience.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>Friendly teahouse staff; crisp, clean air; the gentle swaying of branches in the Himalayan breeze and the dotting of Rhododendrons as they came into bloom, which accentuated days spent in the wilderness.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Gravel, cobblestone, rock, sand, grass, ice underfoot and the ever-present rhythm of small rapids model the scenery as we weave our way across great rivers again and again while making our way up the valleys.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>There is nothing that can replace the restorative nature of time spent in the wilderness with good people, good food, a dose of camping and a friendly battle with Mother Nature herself.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>To walk alongside towering peaks and frozen waterfalls whilst keeping an ear out for the next hint of Zokyu or donkey bells – subtle and soothing in sound, yet a minor thrill to make way when on the mountainside of the track. To describe how satisfied I was in every moment would be impossible.</p> <p>I came to Nepal to test my ability to surrender to the entirety of another environment, to forget the many things that I am at home and the many things that occupy my thoughts; wife, sister, daughter, state manager, cancer survivor, athlete. These things seem to engulf our daily mindset unless we pay great mind to construct our thoughts.</p> <p>I was amazed at how easily the vastness of this great country swept my thoughts away, endearing me with the mystery of what lay behind every hill, peak, temple and building and engulfing every molecule of my body – demanding my presence in the here and now.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>My experience of Nepal was a perfectly timed reminder that just as in travel, in life we will never see, taste, touch or smell everything we yearn to experience.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The wandering souls of us adventurous people will always want to immerse ourselves more but, for now, I am satiated just enough to resist the urge to buy an international flight. Just for now.</p> <p><em>Words by Sally Dobromilsky</em><br />  </p> <p><big><strong>Inspired? <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal" target="_blank">View our range of Nepal treks ></a></strong></big></p> <hr />3752Honeymoon experience for adventurous couples: trekking in Nepal reviewhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3682/honeymoon-couples-adventure-nepal-trekking-reviewActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Himalaya,NepalWed, 10 Feb 2021 00:23:49 GMT<p><em><strong>Read about how a couple made their honeymoon into a bucket list experience in Nepal's Himalayas.</strong></em></p> <p>When Ben and I decided to make our <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Everest-Base-Camp-Kala-Pattar" target="_blank">Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar Trek</a> with World Expeditions our honeymoon we knew we were putting our adventurous faith in this company to give us the experience of a lifetime.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>We were looking for an adventure to match our marriage in magnitude and spirit. </strong></p> </blockquote> <p>From the moment we arrived in Kathmandu and were greeted by the first of many exceptional World Expeditions staff we knew we had made the right decision. Every single staff member that we met was refreshingly positive, so incredibly knowledgeable (a good thing when you find yourself in an exotically unfamiliar country), and clearly have our enjoyment and safety at the heart of all that they did.</p> <p><img alt="The beauty of Pashupatinath in Kathmandu | <i>Sally Dobromilsky</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="789835" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/The-beauty-of-Pashupatinath-789835-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/The-beauty-of-Pashupatinath-789835-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h3>Highlights From a Honeymooner’s Perspective: Travelling with World Expeditions Review</h3> <p>The comfort and luxury of the Raddison Hotel was an indulgent escape from the chaos of the local streets. Ben and I thrilled in the vibrancy of life around Thamel by day, retreating to the Raddison’s rooftop garden terrace for carb loading and honeymoon beers as a short-lived post-wedding celebration prior to the mind-blowing flight that is the transfer from Kathmandu to the trekking region.</p> <p>Landing in Lukla, alongside other groups of trekkers, it was immediately apparent that we were with a top-end travel company.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>The service that World Expeditions provides ensures that their clients are comfortable, satisfied and can focus on the adventure at hand as we knew our needs would be well and truly thought of. </strong></p> </blockquote> <h2>Nepali guides, porters and staff</h2> <p>Our guide, with over 30 years of trekking experience, instilled in us the same quiet confidence that he had already forged in our ability to enjoy our trek. Manzoor was the perfect coach for this adventure, striking the right balance of providing the facts and technical prep that we needed for every section of the trek, while also generously encouraging our individual journeys – personal challenges and all.</p> <p>No baggage (literally or figuratively) seemed too unwieldy for this man of the wild, who expertly helped each member of our small group navigate the glorious intensity of this mental and physical epic. The same can be said for the team that trekked with us; our Sherpa Dinesh, Sarder Padam, the kitchen crew and porters.</p> <p>Their warm humour, hospitality and general legendary natures have imprinted in my mind the camaraderie that is unique to those drawn to the Himalayas, and which I feel so privileged to have witnessed.</p> <h2>Travelling with like-minded travellers</h2> <p>While we were a small group, our chatter was mighty, and as we made our way through Sagarmatha National Park toward Mount Everest, we struck conversations with dozens of trekkers, comparing stories and sharing encouragement.</p> <p><img alt="Trekking with a dream team to Everest Base Camp | <i>Sally Dobromilsky</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="789833" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/EBC-trekkers-and-World-Ex-staff-789833-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/EBC-trekkers-and-World-Ex-staff-789833-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Staying in private eco campsites in the Everest region</h2> <p>While most folks thought we were crazy to be <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Thoughtful-Travel/Private-Eco-Camps-in-Nepal" target="_blank">camping in tents</a> most of the way, we were not so quietly confident that we were hands-down having <em>t</em><em>he best </em>experience.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>Arriving at camp at the end of a rewarding day on the track to a warm tent, with a bowl of hot water to wash the day away, a cup of tea and cosy dining rooms to sit and banter in was bliss. </strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Himalaya grade sleeping bags and comfortable beds gave all of us revitalising sleep night after night; let the chorus of impressive snoring be testament to the fact that we were all warm and snug.</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9" style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="embed-responsive-item" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tWyfIIa_ctU?rel=0&controls=1"></iframe></div>   <p>As we reached the highest altitudes toward the top of our trek, we took on the once-in-a-lifetime experience of sleeping in the tea houses. Let’s just say we were all so glad to return to camping again on descent!</p> <p>This trek is for adventurous souls who want to revel in playing with Mother Nature’s limits; however travelling with a company such as World Expeditions ensures that the challenges of the trek remain in the battle with body, mind and wilderness, not logistics.</p> <p><img alt="Magical Himalayan landscape on the Everest Base Camp Trek | <i>Sally Dobromilsky</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="789834" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Everest-Base-Camp-trek-landscape-789834-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Everest-Base-Camp-trek-landscape-789834-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p><em>Words by Sally and Ben Dobromilsky</em></p> 3682Cape to Cape Track: Hiking and cycling training tipshttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3656/training-tips-hiking-or-cycling-the-cape-to-cape-trackActivities,Cycling,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Australia, New Zealand &amp; the Pacific,Australia,Gear and Training TipsWed, 06 Jan 2021 00:36:22 GMT<p>Deciding <em>where</em> to travel is not always the biggest dilemma. Often, the crux is <em>how</em> to do it. Do you like the idea of blending cycling and hiking into one trip? On my visit to Western Australia, I chose to do just that as part of my exploration of the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-Hiking/Cape-to-Cape-Track-Walk" target="_blank">Cape to Cape Track</a>.</p> <p>Whether or not you plan to take on this iconic coastal trail, these training tips will help you best prepare for your next multi-day, coastal adventure on foot or by bike.</p> <h3>Why hike and bike?</h3> <p>If you choose to ride, you’ll benefit from covering long distances and no doubt seeing further, faster; but hiking can often take you to areas inaccessible by other means at a slower pace.</p> <p>This was the very question I asked myself ahead of my trip to Western Australia. I’d been invited to take part in the 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the Cape to Cape mountain bike race, a four-day event based at Margaret River. For the first time, the race would not trace the traditional linear route from Luuewin Lighthouse to Dunsborough township. Instead, they’d chosen to loop around the local vineyards and popular single-track trails.</p> <p>Keen not to miss the incredible coastal views and a chance to spot migrating whales in the distance, I decided to pack the trail shoes and extended my trip to include a three-day hike along the famous <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-Hiking/Cape-to-Cape-Track-Walk" target="_blank">Cape to Cape Track</a>.</p> <p><img alt="A cosy beach corner along WA's Cape to Cape Track | <i>Catriona Sutherland</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="775312" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Cape-to-Cape-Track-beach-775312-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Cape-to-Cape-Track-beach-775312-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>My trip down under was limited to 10 days – an ambitious timeframe coming from the UK! To make the most of it, I joined a team to wander the well-known route, covering close to 60 kilometres of coastal terrain. Quite the post-ride warm up! With a day to rest, I switched my hiking shoes for the saddle; this time to ride 230 kilometres of sensational singletrack.</p> <p>So how did I prepare for this multi-day, multi-discipline adventure? If you’re considering a hike and ride combination, then read on for my top training and preparation tips.</p> <h3>Prepare for the terrain</h3> <p>The Cape to Cape track is coastal and whilst it doesn’t gain much elevation, the terrain can be tough on your body, particularly your feet!</p> <p>Day after day, you’ll be tackling sandy tracks and long sections of beach, so you’ll want to condition yourself for the endurance required. Distances can reach 25 kilometres per stage, so you’ll need to be ready for multiple hours on the move.</p> <h3>Be beach-ready</h3> <p>The ideal way to condition yourself for the impending sand is, of course, to mirror this in your training hikes. Find a local beach if you live near to the coast, a lakeshore, or muddy ground, to emulate the sticky nature of the sand. If you stick to tarmac or hard-pack trails, you’ll gain miles but your muscles won’t be accustomed to the drag. Make sure to do long-distance efforts on this type of terrain to gain muscle memory and to be mentally ready too.</p> <h3>Dare to bare?</h3> <p><img alt="Enjoying a barefoot walk along the beaches on the Cape to Cape Track | <i>Catriona Sutherland</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="775311" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Cape-to-Cape-Track-WA-775311-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Cape-to-Cape-Track-WA-775311-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>You might prefer to shed the shoes and walk barefoot on the beach? I hiked a six-kilometre stretch with my boots dangling from my pack. Doing so is a great way to improve balance and posture – but I’d recommend making sure you’re prepared for the abrasion from sand.</p> <p>Take shorter strolls by the seaside or get used to barefoot on grass, or simply walking around the house. I found this a great method to toughen up the soles of my feet too.</p> <h3>Be bike prepared</h3> <p>When it comes to riding, preparation is also key. For the Cape to Cape, I researched the right tyre choice – your wheels are the contact point with the trail, so you have to be sure you’ve got the best tools for the job. Trails around the Cape to Cape are often dry, rocky and very sandy! Hiring a quality bike will make all the difference, and if you want to luggage transfers taken care of as well, turning to a trusted company like <a href="https://www.australiancycletours.com.au/our-services" target="_blank">Australian Cycle Tours</a> will take the hassle out of planning.</p> <p>Take your bike for a spin at your local beach if you have coastal access in order to get used to cycling on varying conditions. If this isn’t an option, cycling on wet mud and slicker conditions offer a similar feel and will help you to find the balance needed.</p> <p><img alt="Bike training for the Cape to Cape Track | <i>Catriona Sutherland</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="775313" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Bike-training-775313-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Bike-training-775313-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h3>Carry your gear</h3> <p>Whilst the guided routes on the Cape to Cape don’t require you to lug tents and sleeping bags, you’ll certainly be carrying a backpack with extra clothes, food and plenty of drinking water.</p> <p>During my hike, the storms set in, so don’t underestimate the amount you’ll choose to take with you – it might even include a swimsuit if the water’s not too cold! Ideally, you’ll be able to train outdoors, but if you’re adding mileage at the gym, consider wearing your pack during the session too. Step machines or treadmills can be a great way to squeeze in sessions around a busy work life.</p> <p>If you prefer carrying a lighter pack, opting for a <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?pageNumber=1&pageSize=6&sortMethod=durationLowToHigh&categories=AUS&searchKeywords=Cape+to+Cape+Track+western+australia" target="_blank">guided tour on the Cape to Cape Track</a> with a professional guide and support staff allows you to get an in-depth cultural exploration of the region with extra comforts.</p> <p><img alt="Resting at a beach along WA's Cape to Cape Track | <i>Catriona Sutherland</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="775314" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/beach-stop-c2c-775314-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/beach-stop-c2c-775314-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h3>Know your kit</h3> <p>Fitness is one element, but you won't go far by bike or foot if you’re uncomfortable in your kit. Whether it’s a new saddle, pack or shoes – be sure to log time with them so you don’t discover any unwanted discomfort on the trail. Equally, be sure to read the recommended kit list or research blogs from those with experience of the area.<br /> <br /> <strong>Hiking kit</strong><br /> Simulating the actual event is the best way to train – load up your pack and take it on your training hikes or even walks to and from work. Practice using a bottle or bladder for drinking and find out how easy it is to access your camera or snacks. This may seem mundane, but when you’re trekking day after day for multiple hours, you want to make tasks as simple as possible.</p> <p>As tiredness sets in, it can be easy to not eat or drink as much as you should, so being sure it’s of minimal effort to do so will help you as the days stack up.</p> <p>When it comes to hiking footwear, the Cape to Cape is ideally suited to a lightweight pair of outdoor shoes as well as gators – a truly useful aid to combat the infiltration of sand! Practice using these and don’t just throw them on the first day of the trek. Also, take a spare pair of socks. There are times on the path when your feet may get wet, so being armed with a dry set will help to avoid the onset of blisters.<br /> <br /> <strong>Cycling kit</strong><br /> For the bike, the same applies. You’ll be sweating from the heat and effort, so if you’re not used to wearing a pack on the bike, make sure to train with one. Another skill to perfect is eating on the move. When you’re riding long days in the saddle, a top tube feed bag is also a useful addition, so you don’t have to stop to eat or try and dig awkwardly into your back pockets.</p> <h3>Clock the kilometres: mileage munching</h3> <p>Clocking up the kilometres is the best way to prepare for endurance, but many of us have busy lives and have to save the big days for the weekend. Consider if you can walk to work? Perhaps you can get off the bus or train earlier and add some distance to your legs mid-week? Could you walk to work one day, then bike home? Trying to combine walking and cycling equally within your week will ensure you’re not focusing on just one area.</p> <h3>Repetition reaps reward</h3> <p>The key to multi-day is to replicate this repetition as part of your training sessions. If you only have one day to add in the big distances, consider splitting the time between the bike and the trail shoes. Find an off-road route that you can ride, rest, then hike. If you have more time, ride one day and hike the next. Getting your body used to waking up tired and having to go again, is as much a physical training exercise as a mental one.</p> <p>Good luck on the trail!</p> <p><em>Words by Catriona Sutherland, a UK writer and athlete who travelled on the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-Hiking/Cape-to-Cape-Track-Walk" target="_blank">Cape to Cape Track</a> in Western Australia. <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Blog/cross-training-for-multi-day-adventures">Read more cross training tips from her ></a></em><br />  </p> <p><em></em></p> <hr />3656Cross training for multi-day adventureshttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3657/cross-training-for-multi-day-adventuresAdventure Travel,Cycling,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Australia, New Zealand &amp; the Pacific,Australia,Gear and Training Tips,ActivitiesWed, 06 Jan 2021 00:15:56 GMT<p>Prepare for your next multi-day hiking or cycling adventure with these cross training tips and exercises from outdoor enthusiast, athlete and <a href="https://heroutdoorslife.com/" target="_blank">Her Outdoors Life</a> blogger Catriona Sutherland.</p> <h3>Cardio counts</h3> <p>When taking on a multi-day adventure, endurance is key, so clocking up kilometres can best prepare you for the long distances on the trail. Take a day out of your weekend to do a big hike, attempt a longer bike ride or throw in a 5K or 10K run mid-week.</p> <p>Set up a daily steps challenge to keep you goal-oriented throughout your week, then increase your kilometres or step count as you progress.</p> <p><img alt="Bike training for the Cape to Cape Track | <i>Catriona Sutherland</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="775307" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Bike-training-775307-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Bike-training-775307-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h3>Weights work wonders</h3> <p>Cardio isn’t the only key to endurance success. Time in the gym can do wonders for both cycling and long-distance hiking. Once a week, try to fit in a session using weights. Not everyone is comfortable pumping iron, so I’d also recommend a gym class, as this is great for professional guidance and motivation from those around you.</p> <p>Squats, lunges and sit-ups using hand weights are an excellent method of increasing strength.</p> <p>Core stability is critical to endurance longevity, so even if you can’t make a class, allow time at home to do this. Use your downtime efficiently, for instance, when watching a TV show or listening to a podcast, try planks sets to develop strength in your abdominal area. I’ll typically try 30-second intervals with short rests in-between.</p> <p>Set yourself a challenge each week and see if you can increase the time of each rep.</p> <h3>Climbing for cross training</h3> <p><img alt="Hit your local climbing gym to activate your leg muscles | <i>Catriona Sutherland</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="775306" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Bouldering-775306-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Bouldering-775306-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>If the regular gym isn’t your thing, then why not try climbing? On wet days or dark nights, I head to the climbing wall to mix it up. As well as arms as legs, this is an excellent opportunity to work your core muscles and balance too. I also find squeezing my feet into climbing shoes an ideal way to condition them too!</p> <h3>Allow time to recover</h3> <p>As you train for an endurance you’ll gather distance, but with that comes the need for recovery too. Planning in an easy week every third week is a good guide, so you don’t overload - risking injury or illness. Recovery doesn’t also have to mean complete rest either. Easy, short rides or walks are a good way to keep your body moving.</p> <p>To ease out muscles and reduce your risk of getting injured, a foam roller is an ideal aid to combat potential problems. I will make time at least once a week to roll out my calves, quads, lower back and the soles of my feet. As I travel regularly, I also take with me a smaller mini roller or ball, so I can make time during or between flights to keep my body moving.<br />  </p> <p><em>Words by Catriona Sutherland, a UK writer and athlete who followed these training tips on her adventure on the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-Hiking/Cape-to-Cape-Track-Walk" target="_blank">Cape to Cape Track</a> in Western Australia. <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Blog/training-tips-hiking-or-cycling-the-cape-to-cape-track">Read more hike and bike training exercises from her ></a></em></p> <p><strong>Let us know in the comments below, what's your workout routine when preparing for a multi-day adventure?</strong></p> <hr />3657Everest Base Camp trek highlights: My unforgettable momentshttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3654/everest-base-camp-trek-unforgettable-momentsActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Himalaya,NepalMon, 04 Jan 2021 05:22:45 GMT<p>It all starts so serenely; wandering along cobbled paths, gentling descending sloping stairs as we farewell Lukla and look eagerly ahead to what lies in the valleys and mountains in front of us.</p> <p>A passing donkey thrust into the face of a fellow trekker in an act of karma as the universe reminds her to slow down breaks an air of anticipation. Our small group muffle our laughter.</p> <p>Over the coming fortnight, we would all unknowingly forge the journey of a lifetime, each member of our team on a slightly different mission yet unified in our resolve: to see <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Everest" target="_blank">Mt Everest </a>and her <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Everest-Base-Camp-Kala-Pattar" target="_blank">Base Camp</a> with our very own eyes.</p> <h2>Comradeship</h2> <p>The camaraderie that grows from a journey shared is like no other. Different to that forged in the workplace, the sports team or the circle of childhood friends; we were all adventurers with a common goal and despite having no shared experiences, we were full of kindred spirits.</p> <p>There are countless moments where the solace of a person who was a stranger a few days ago becomes so fitting in the context of having shared this unique experience.</p> <p><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"> </carouselsource><img alt="Trekkers en route to Everest Base Camp | <i>Sally Dobromilsky</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="774796" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Crew-on-the-trail-774796-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Crew-on-the-trail-774796-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Perseverance</h2> <p>They say you must be tough to take on the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Everest-Base-Camp-Kala-Pattar" target="_blank">Everest Base Camp trek</a>, which is true in part, but more so because mental resolve is overwhelmingly the deciding factor in reaching the top. Going into this trek, I knew it would test me.</p> <p>I’m a survivor of cancer and while I beat my illness over a decade ago I continue to negotiate the ongoing side effects, which I see more as a dare to challenge than an impediment or reason to retreat. This made the moment when I stood at Everest Base Camp all the sweeter.</p> <p><img alt="Trekkers, Sally and Ben, in high spirits on the Himalayan trails | <i>Sally Dobromilsky</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="774794" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Everest-Base-Camp-landscape-774794-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Everest-Base-Camp-landscape-774794-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Achievement</h2> <p>I took in the crystal-clear view of the top of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Everest" target="_blank">Mt Everest</a> – which is rare during this time of year – as a big high five from Mother Nature to myself. The magnitude of the landscape surrounding Everest Base Camp, the formidable presence of the Khumbu icefall, and the dozen or so tents dotted amid the glacier were so much to take in.</p> <p>To walk amid this wilderness for days upon end felt like a privilege, especially after the demand of the altitude and unforgiving weather systems. We were visitors in Earth’s freezer and she was only permitting us to stay for a short while.</p> <h2>The locals</h2> <p>Those who call the Himalayas their home have adapted to the harsh conditions.</p> <p>Yaks, dzopkyo, donkeys and their herders are constantly passing us; bells gently ringing to alert us that they are here to bring more supplies that will sustain the villagers and help us and our fellow trekkers on our journeys.</p> <p><img alt="Yak sighting at Everest Base Camp | <i>Sally Dobromilsky</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="774795" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Yak-sighting-at-EBC-774795-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Yak-sighting-at-EBC-774795-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>School children cheerily zip down the paths at a pace much greater than our own and hotel managers wait until dark to light their fires. To them is it summer here, meanwhile we ate dinner with gloves on.</p> <p>You know it’s been a good journey when you can make an entire photo album purely from livestock. The majestic calm of the yaks enchanted me; their elaborately decorated collars, their voluptuous hair, their delicate steps, and the lucky ones sporting red and white earrings.</p> <p>Some would say they have more grace than those of us in our small group who hit the dirt often; of the hundreds of yaks I saw, none put a step wrong but of our nine travellers, it wasn't all gracefully sailing.</p> <p>While it all sounds poetic and scenic, there was also much grunting, puffing, tears and we held off on the beers.</p> <p><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Thoughtful-Travel/Private-Eco-Camps-in-Nepal" target="_blank">Camping with World Expeditions</a> brought even more legitimacy to the journey as we refused to retreat from nature, choosing to immerse ourselves in the wilderness of the Himalayas wholly.</p> <p><img alt="Morning views at our private Kyangjuma eco-campsite | <i>Kelvin Law</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="774793" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Morning-views-774793-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Indian-Sub-Continent/Nepal/Morning-views-774793-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>The <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Everest-Base-Camp-Kala-Pattar" target="_blank">Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar trek</a> is not a journey that you can wake up and decide to take on next Tuesday – although we did meet a few exceptional nomads who were doing just that. (But even these souls met challenges, however a donated pair of fresh tweeds instantly solved a week-long crisis for them.)</p> <p>This is the kind of trek that you minimise as much as you can upon approach and are astounded at the accomplishments within each moment, each hour, and each day. You have to really want it. And when you finish it, the feeling of accomplishment is awesome.</p> <p><em>Words by Sally Dobromilsky</em></p> <p><em></em></p> <p><big>Feel inspired? <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Everest-Base-Camp-Kala-Pattar">Begin your fully supported journey to Everest Base Camp with World Expeditions, pioneering adventures in the Himalayas since 1975 ></a></big></p> <p><big></big></p> <p><em></em></p> <hr />3654What I love about self guided walkinghttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3619/what-i-love-about-self-guided-walkingActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller StoriesTue, 17 Nov 2020 04:19:21 GMT<p>Nothing feels better than that first day out on the trail. You’ve left behind the city and all that comes with it; the crowds, the lights, the noises, and the hustle and bustle. You are free to forget about work; the deadlines, the emails and your 9 to 5 routine.</p> <p>There’s no room for any of that in the bush. You are too distracted by the beauty of where you are and the need to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It's truly an amazing feeling to know that for the next few days you don’t need an alarm clock, you don’t need a schedule. All you need to think about is getting from one campsite to the next. That is the beauty of a <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Walking-Self-Guided" target="_blank">self guided walk</a>, it opens you up to live life completely on your own terms.</p> <p>The other upside is that all the nitty-gritty details of organising transport, food, accommodation, route logistics and mapping were all taken care of beforehand. Meaning that you can simply focus on your experience ahead.</p> <p>Something I love to do when I go bushwalking on my own is to take my watch off – leave it behind completely. Why do I need a clock anyway? I can eat when I’m hungry, sleep when I’m tired and wake up to the sun. I take pleasure in the fact that I don’t need to set an alarm. Instead, I always try to position my tent so that I am facing the sunrise; there’s no better way to wake up than to the sunrise.</p> <p>A self guided walk gives you freedom. The freedom to walk at your own pace, stop when you want or keep walking as long as you want. You can spend 15 minutes getting that perfect photo of a beautiful wildflower, or just sit and look out and contemplate. There will be no one telling you that it’s time to leave or to hurry up because you are running late. No one telling you to stop and rest when you don’t need to.</p> <p><img alt="Walking self guided on the Overland Track in Tasmania" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="755890" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/TAS/Holly-Self-Guided-1.jpg-755890-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/TAS/Holly-Self-Guided-1.jpg-755890-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>Though you shouldn't worry about being completely isolated as you won’t be the only one out there doing it on your own. You will meet other people who are also enjoying the perks of a self guided walk. While you may not walk with them during the day, they will all be waiting for everyone to arrive safely at camp. It becomes a lovely little community with everyone looking out for each other, sharing some tea or some chocolate and lending a hand if something breaks.</p> <p>By the end of the week, you will have formed friendships with other hikers – who knows, you may have found a new hiking buddy for future adventures!</p> <p>There may be moments where you second-guess yourself on the trail, where you think, 'Maybe I can’t do this? Maybe I should have bought that other pair of boots or an extra layer of warmth or that flask of port?' By the end of the walk though, you will have had to motivate yourself, talk yourself through situations, saying, 'Hang on, I can do this!'</p> <p>Knowing that you made it all this way, relying on no one other than yourself, awards you with such a great sense of achievement you will be planning your next self guided adventure on the way back home.</p> <p><strong>Ideal for the confident and independent traveller with support in the background, self guided hikes are fun and flexible. </strong><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Walking-Self-Guided" target="_blank"><strong>Find your walk today ></strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Walking-Self-Guided"><button class="btn btn-borders world-ex mr-xs mb-sm" type="button">View self guided hikes</button></a><em></em></p> <p><em>Words by Holly Van De Beek, co-owner of Wild Island Adventure Hire. Over the past decade, Holly has been involved in the gear and outdoor industry in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, having walked almost every major trail.</em></p> 3619Rediscovering Cuba on an Adventure To Rememberhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3533/rediscovering-cuba-on-an-adventure-to-rememberAdventure Travel,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Central America &amp; Caribbean,ActivitiesWed, 26 Aug 2020 00:45:00 GMTJane went on a <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Cuba" target="_blank">World Expeditions tour to Cuba</a>, her birthplace, where she had a fascinating adventure rediscovering the history, culture, and passions of Cuba. Enjoy her story. <div> </div> <div> <p>I don’t think I would have ever gone to Cuba... if I hadn’t already been there!</p> <p>I was, in fact, born in Cuba, many decades ago, in what the Cubans call “the American Period”, to two British parents who decided that Cuba, with its’ warmth and a tropical lifestyle, suited them better than dreary, rationed, post-war Britain, and we left to come to Australia when I was only 4-years-old. So as tourism began to open up in Cuba some years ago, it became time to revisit and rediscover this vibrant and unique island that was my birthplace.</p> <div> <p><img alt="Explore the photogenic streets of Havana in Cuba" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="709145" dynamiccroppedimage="1" flexibleaspectratio="16x7" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Havana-Cuba-709145-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Havana-Cuba-709145-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>World Expeditions has a great <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Cuba/Walking-Day-Walks/Cuba-Adventure" target="_blank">12 day Cuba Adventure tour</a>, and my sister (also Cuban born) and I planned to arrive a couple of days early. Our first evening we strolled down the wide pedestrian footpath in the middle of the Paseo de Marti, accompanied by couples walking hand in hand, young people whizzing by on skates, the older generation taking a rest on strategically placed benches, down to the iconic Malecon.</p> <p>Havana’s seafront was heaving – everyone was out and about in the late afternoon sun. We ended up having dinner nearby in a small cafe, complete with a salsa band and dance floor. We were to discover bands and dancefloors everywhere!</p> <p>The next day was magic. We had come armed with a number of addresses of homes we had lived in as tiny children, and so we set off in the hands of an obliging taxi driver to see them for ourselves. We had lived in a flat close to the vast El Cemeterio de Cristobal Colon in Vedado, above a flower shop. The cemetery had been our playground and a flower shop was still there. We drove through the suburban (non-tourist) streets, encountering people lining up outside the small local markets to pick up their rations, with kids playing baseball in the narrow laneways, dilapidated buildings everywhere. There was music in the air and dancing in the streets. We purchased bright, naive style paintings in the local market. </p> <p><img alt="Local girls in Trinidad, Cuba | <i>Carlie Ballard</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="709146" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Local-girls-Trinidad-709146-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Local-girls-Trinidad-709146-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>For lunch, we enjoyed our favourite childhood meal, Cristianos y Moros – black beans and rice. We rode the elevator to the top of the fabulous Art Deco Bacardi building to see the length and breadth of Havana spread out below us. We admired the huge American vintage cars (many stopped in the middle of the road, with a pair of legs protruding as the driver tweaked an ailing and aging engine). We arrived sorrowfully at a large square, hundreds of locals dispersing, after a music concert – we had just missed it, but the music buzz was still there. We visited an art museum – Cuban art is bright, exciting, full of life, much of it also outside on the walls of crumbling buildings, alongside the propaganda slogans.</p> <p>Our hotel room in Havana Vieja, Old Havana, was above a narrow pedestrian lane, crowded with locals that Saturday night, shouting, singing, dancing, drumming, making music till the early hours of the morning. So, what with jet lag plus the party outside, and a non-functioning alarm clock, we slept past our tour group meeting time, to be woken by loud banging on the door from hotel management! Not a good way to start a tour! (we made sure we were always on time from then on). However, once we had got our act together, it was a great day visiting magnificently restored buildings and experiencing all that Havana could offer us, including the huge Plaza Revolution, which was being prepared for the huge crowds of people, come to hear Fidel Castro as they celebrated the Bay of Pigs 50th anniversary soon after.</p> <p><img alt="Local Cuban man riding his bike down the street | <i>Vanessa Dean</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="709147" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Cienfuegos_-Havana_-Trinidad-709147-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Cienfuegos_-Havana_-Trinidad-709147-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>The next day, in our fabulous minivan (supplied by China), we set off for the western end of Cuba. Suddenly, there was a screech and a crashing sound, we had collided with a vehicle hurrying to work. OK, so not heading west just yet then! Our driver spent the whole day at the police station while we did a quick whip around to help pay for the repairs. Our tour guide took us to Plaza Vieja, treated us to a hot beverage and went off to find a new vehicle and driver. And we had a fascinating few hours seeing how Havana residents lived!</p> <p>First, the older ladies came to do their outdoor exercises. Being so isolated from the rest of the gym obsessed world, there seemed to be a lot of floating around. So a couple of us joined in and showed them a few more up-to-date moves. They reciprocated by singing Happy Birthday, Cuban style, to my fellow passenger. Then came the kids doing their PE class, running up and down the square, jumping and shouting and generally having fun. All the time there were noisy road works, and water tankers buzzing around and nearby, a smelly public toilet, where, for a price, one could receive 2 small pieces of toilet paper to use. All in all, an experience so valued and one we could so easily have missed!<br /> <br /> <img alt="Young boy sitting in a car in Havana | <i>Vanessa Dean</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="709148" dynamiccroppedimage="1" flexibleaspectratio="16x7" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Cienfuegos_-Havana_-Trinidad-709148-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Cienfuegos_-Havana_-Trinidad-709148-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>When we did get going, I loved the beautiful Vinales area with its unusual topography, and tobacco farms – we visited a most interesting hand-rolled cigar making factory, Cuban cigars being state of the art! We enjoyed the best meal we had in Cuba – fresh lobster, in a tomato-based sauce, salads, the inevitable beans and rice, in the front room of someone’s home, now turned “cafe” (we had been warned that you don’t go to Cuba for the food, and they were generally speaking, correct!). We went offshore for a day to an island resort where I snorkelled amidst dying coral in choppy seas, and later kayaked in fresh winds that threatened to blow me out to sea. And we climbed a very steep path up to a cave which we explored with headlamps.</p> <p>At the centre of the island we were enchanted by beautiful countryside, including lots of sugarcane, coming to a national park (complete with its own band and mojito stand). In the hot humid sun, we set out on a long hike, accompanied by our local National Park guide, who filled us in with all the wonders of the natural world there- birds, plants, animals, butterflies etc. I was to have a first-hand experience of some of these wonders, as I fell heavily, and my knee swelled up alarmingly. He ran into the forest and returned with several large green leaves and lengths of vine, and proceeded to bandage my knee while telling me of the leaves’ therapeutic qualities. I have to say I inwardly rolled my eyes - but he was right and I was wrong. That bandage stayed put for the next two hours as we trudged on, and the swelling reduced.</p> <p><img alt="The crystal waters of the Caribbean Sea on the road to Trinidad | <i>Carlie Ballard</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="709149" dynamiccroppedimage="1" flexibleaspectratio="16x7" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Caribbean-Coast-Cuba-709149-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Caribbean-Coast-Cuba-709149-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>Trinidad, on the coast, with its cobbled streets, colourful buildings, markets, and ancient squares were fabulous. In spite of my crook knee, we danced the night way at an outdoor dance party, the music loud and insistent. Cienfuegos was a more dignified town, wide streets, old elegant palaces, shady squares - loved it. We swam at the Bay of Pigs while learning of its history and the upcoming anniversary. We visited another area of natural beauty for lunch and sighting of some spectacular hummingbirds. And we stopped at the shrine of the Virgen de la Calidad del Cobre, seen as the “Protectress of Cuba”, full of locals leaving treasured gifts in thanksgiving.</p> <p>We came finally to Santiago de Cuba, one of my favourite towns. Huge statues commemorating Cuba’s long and turbulent history (Australia’s short history since colonial settlement seemed so boring in contrast); streets teeming with people, eating, playing dominoes, dancing to the ubiquitous music; a museum with bullet-ridden walls, where the revolution started; walls covered in propaganda graffiti; the huge Castillo San Pedro de la Roca fortress guarding the bay; trucks, long buses, horses pulling their carts - all full of life, all vibrant, colourful, loud.</p> <p><img alt="Cuban man enjoying a Cuban cigar | <i>Vanessa Dean</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="709150" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Cienfuegos_-Havana_-Trinidad-709150-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-America/Cuba/Cienfuegos_-Havana_-Trinidad-709150-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>Our last night in Havana, my sister and I decided to walk, one last time, down to the Malecon, to see the sunset. There we were serenaded by another pair of musos of course (for a price, but we didn’t care)! A fitting end, I thought, to our return visit to a fascinating country and culture, our birthplace.</p> <div><em>Words by Jane Irwin.</em></div> <div> </div> <div><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Cuba"><button type="button">View all tours in Cuba</button></a></div> <p> </p> <p><em>Read more from Jane's travels:</em></p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.utracks.com/Blog/walking-without-regret-in-greece-macedonia" target="_blank">Walking without regret in Greece and Macedonia</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.utracks.com/Blog/walking-the-french-way-of-st-james-camino-traveller-story" target="_blank">Walking the French Way of St James Camino</a></p> </li> </ul> <hr /> <p><strong>Have you explored Cuba? What did you make of it? Let us know in the comment section below.</strong></p> <p> </p> </div> </div> 3533Traveller stories: Walking in Kakaduhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3416/traveller-stories-walking-in-kakaduActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Australia, New Zealand &amp; the Pacific,AustraliaWed, 06 May 2020 03:18:00 GMT<p>Although we’re collected from various hotels around Darwin early in the morning of Day 1 of our 6-day <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-Hiking/Kakadu-Explorer" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="Kakadu Walking Adventure">Kakadu Explorer</a>, it’s not until mid-morning – during the traditional welcome by the indigenous Wulna Aboriginal elders – that I wake up fully and excitement builds about the adventure ahead.</p> <p>As each of my trekking buddies bows their head to be sprayed with water, I feel like we’re experiencing something special together.</p> <p>As we get off the sealed roads travelling east in our specially modified 4WD van along the old Jim Jim Road, we pass wetlands, such as Red Lily Billabong. The anticipation builds as we arrive in the midst of Australia's largest land national park, about to see some of what makes Kakadu a World Heritage-listed international attraction.</p> <p>I’m impressed with my travelling buddies as, one by one, we prove our canvas tent covers on our pre-setup tents to allow a clear view of what promises to be star-studded skies. Even a dreaded cane toad hiding in the deep shade of one of the tents fails to bring on even a mild panic attack amongst our happy camper community.</p> <p>The afternoon's sunset cruise on the nearby Yellow Water billabong is the perfect way for us to see the wealth of wildlife all around us. We see brumbies, wallabies, salt water crocodiles (big ones!) and thousands of birds. There are magpie geese, brolgas, cormorants, pelicans and jabiru, Australia's largest flying bird. Our expert wildlife guide managed to convey his rapture in the surrounds, infecting us all with his enthusiasm.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/Portals/Australian Walking Holidays/LiveBlog/WP-Images/Barramundi_Creek_Kakadu-200px.jpg" variablesrc="/Portals/Australian Walking Holidays/LiveBlog/WP-Images/Barramundi_Creek_Kakadu-###width###px.jpg" width="664" /></p> <p>Home to our cosy campfire and a dinner of fresh, wild-caught, local barramundi on the BBQ, the biggest dilemma of the day looms – do we get to bed early to rest up for the long trek tomorrow or stay by the fire to watch for even more shooting stars?</p> <p>Most of us opt for the early night and we feel strangely alert and awake when the birds wake us much earlier than the traffic does in whatever city we've come from.</p> <p>After a relaxed breakfast, we drive to Nourlangie massif. This is where we begin our walk across the crest of the plateau. The walk reveals a diversity of habitats, from cool monsoon vine forests to rugged stone country. It gives us a view of what the landscape was like in ancient times. The escarpment we see today is the less eroded part of the original range.</p> <p>It's an active day – and hot – though no-one's bothered by it, we all look for some shade when we stop to hear about the rock art and what it signifies.</p> <p>As the day continues, the stunning waterfalls and gorges of Kakadu are welcomed by group with enthusiasm. Barramundi Falls is reached by walking through the monsoon forest, which opens out to deep plunge pool lined with blonde quartzite cliffs.</p> <p>I can't help thinking that the Gunlom plunge pools on top of the escarpment are better than any exclusive resort's infinity pool anywhere in the world. It's a stunning series of rock pools and waterfalls with views over some of the most amazing scenery in the Northern Territory.</p> <p>I skip showers on the last two days because I was in so much water that another water fix would have been redundant! It's a sure sign that I'm adjusting to life away from the city.</p> <p>I go to bed earlier than I do at home, get plenty of exercise and eat fresh, delicious food that I don't have to shop for or cook. All the while, I'm surrounded by a fun, interesting bunch of people in the surrounds of a world-class natural attraction.</p> <p><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=Kakadu" target="_blank"><button class="btn btn-borders world-ex mr-xs mb-sm" type="button">View all walking trips and treks in Kakadu National Park</button></a></p> <div> </div> <div>  <hr /></div> <div> </div> <div><strong>Experience Kakadu by Bike</strong><br />  </div> <div>Join the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Cycling/Top-End-Kakadu-Supported-Cycle">Kakadu Supported Cycle Tour</a>, a 5-day immersive experience of all of the Top End's highlights. Explore the backroads of Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks by bike, enjoy wildlife cruises, and hear about local culture from Indigenous guides. <strong><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Cycling/Top-End-Kakadu-Supported-Cycle">Find out more ></a></strong></div> 3416Hiking the Jatbula Trail: Northern Territory's must-do trekhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3413/hiking-the-jatbula-trail-northern-territorys-must-do-trekActivities,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Australia, New Zealand &amp; the Pacific,AustraliaWed, 06 May 2020 02:16:31 GMT<p>Looking for an active adventure in the Top End? The <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-with-a-Full-Pack/Jatbula-Trail" target="_blank">Jatbula Trail</a> in the Northern Territory's Nitmiluk National Park makes for the perfect tropical trek. Travel writer, Andrew Bain, shares his account.</p> <p><em>This story was originally published by <a href="https://www.traveller.com.au/hiking-with-waterfalls-the-jatbula-trail-through-nitmiluk-national-park-gky9km?utm_source=World%20Expeditions&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Jatbula" target="_blank">Traveller</a>.</em><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/dinky-di-aussies-how-slanguage-helped-form-a-new-national-identity-56145" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></a></em></p> <p>Three steps from my bed, the river has ballooned into a virtual billabong. Lilies bloom in purple glory around its banks and goanna tracks lead through the sand to the water.</p> <p>As evening approaches, the river settles to be as still as a painting. We're at a place called Sandy Camp and it's everything the name on the tin suggests – a soft bed of sand beside the Edith River that's home to one of the Northern Territory's most idyllic campsites. It's also a camp that's exclusive to bushwalkers because it can be accessed only by hiking the 62-kilometre Jatbula Trail through Nitmiluk National Park.</p> <p>It's our final night on the trail and tomorrow we have 14 kilometres and three swims still ahead. It's about as good as it gets on foot.</p> <p>Our journey on the Jatbula Trail began four days earlier, at the mouth of Katherine Gorge. As an armada of tourist canoes headed into the gorge, we were walking away from it, stepping through the savannah woodland that characterises so much of the Top End.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong><span style="color:#555555;">Running north from the gorge, the Jatbula Trail follows a course used by generations of Jawoyn people, tracing the line of the Arnhem Land Escarpment to Leliyn (Edith Falls). It's a trail that lives in the shadow of the famed Larapinta Trail out of Alice Springs, but has its own very distinctive appeals. </span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The trail's ascending scale of campsite beauty culminates at Sandy Camp.</p> <p><img alt="Relax in the splendid isolation of Sandy Camp Pool | <i>Larissa Duncombe</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="652729" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Jatbula-Trail-Trek-Northern-Territory-652729-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Jatbula-Trail-Trek-Northern-Territory-652729-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <div> <div class="panel panel--subscribe is_fm-newsletter-subscription" data-authentication-url="https://authman.f2.com.au/oauth2/authorise" data-channel-key="0CMkuHnBREgmo2Aj6oVgLQ" data-newsletter-env="prod" data-newsletter-id="10078" data-subscription-url="https://api.myfairfax.com.au/services/v3/newsletters/newsletterIdPlaceholder/subscribe" id="subscribe-newsletter"> <div class="content" id="newsletterSignUpContent"> <header class="header"> <h2 class="newsletter-icon">Take me to the river</h2> </header> </div> </div> <p>As Katherine Gorge falls behind us, the trail weaves between small rocky peaks. Fallen billygoat plums – a native fruit said to have more than 20 times the vitamin C of an orange – litter the track and the midday heat on the open savannah is intense.</p> <p>Within an hour, however, the trail turns into a break in the escarpment, where a large pool, Northern Rockhole, lies limpid beneath the cliffs.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong><span style="color:#555555;">If the Jatbula Trail has a theme, it is this: hot walking and cool swimming. Water is its defining feature. </span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>You think about it during the blazing-hot hours on foot, and you luxuriate in it each afternoon, with every campsite set beside a cooling (and crocodile-free) stream or pool.</p> <p>From Northern Rockhole, the trail ascends slowly through the escarpment, rising onto the "stone country" that so typifies Arnhem Land. Outcrops of sandstone run like welts through the dry land, and ancient rock art peeps from beneath overhangs and boulders. All around us are the orange flares of the woollybutt flowers – in the trees, where the flowers' appearance heralds the arrival of the dry season, and underfoot, where they've been shredded and tossed by t red-tailed black cockatoos.</p> <p>Days aren't long on the Jatbula Trail – campsites are typically 10 or 11 kilometres apart – and by mid-afternoon we're at our first camp beside Biddlecombe Cascades. Here, a creek falls towards the plain in a series of surges, creating a range of pools as it goes.</p> <p>The afternoon passes with cold water pouring over my shoulders. We sleep out beneath mosquito nets, savouring the fresh night air after the heat of the day. The sound of the cascades drifts through camp, and the near-full moon is like a reading lamp swivelling across the sky.</p> </div> <div> <h2>Natural gallery<br />  </h2> <p><img alt="Jawoyn Aboriginal Rock Art is found throughout the escarpment | <i>Anne Jordan</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="652730" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Aboriginal-Rock-Art-on-Jatbula-Trail-652730-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Aboriginal-Rock-Art-on-Jatbula-Trail-652730-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>Each day we rise before dawn and walk early, mitigating the heat. For long periods, the trail stays near the escarpment edge, cutting through savannah woodland that is at once beautiful and nondescript, with the orangey-pink trunks of salmon gums beaming in the sunlight.</p> <p>For 11 kilometres there's not a sign of water, until the trail descends to Crystal Falls, where a stream rushes through a gorge cut deep into the plateau.</p> <p>It's 1pm – the full heat of the day – and we are done. This is camp and there are hours to idle away in the cascades. By morning the creek resembles a cauldron, as steam pipes from its surface into the chill of the dawn air.</p> <p>As we splash across in our bare feet, we're setting off into a day with a familiar theme – the siren call of water – but also one with a difference.</p> <p>After two hours of walking, we come to the top of a gorge sliced into the escarpment. Known as the Amphitheatre, it's one of Nitmiluk National Park's prime rock-art sites and can only be reached on the Jatbula Trail. A set of metal stairs descends into the Amphitheatre, where a stream meanders through monsoon rainforest.</p> <p>Butterflies drift about and ferns feather down from the shaded walls. It's a cool natural shelter in a hot land, almost like a pocket of temperate Australia inserted into the Top End. Along the base of the cliffs striped with ochre deposits, a line of rock art depicts a trio of emus and human figures, including a woman dressed in her finery to attract a man.</p> <p><img alt="Exploring the magnificent Jatbula Trail" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="652731" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Jatbula-Trail-Trek-Northern-Territory-652731-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Australasia/Northern-Territory/Jatbula-Trail-Trek-Northern-Territory-652731-###width###px.jpg" /></p> </div> <div> <h2>Saving the best till last</h2> <p>Each day the setting for the campsites gets gradually more impressive and dramatic. This night, one hour of walking beyond the Amphitheatre, we camp at the head of 17 Mile Falls, where 17 Mile Creek plunges over 30 metres of sheer cliffs before meandering out of sight in a dark line of greenery.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong><span style="color:#555555;">From the cliff edge, a few metres from camp, it's like looking at a snapshot of nearby Kakadu National Park: red cliffs, a torrent of water, the yellow savannah plains below, the distant dark gulch of the Amphitheatre. And we have it to ourselves.</span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>For three days we've not seen another person. Nor will we see anybody the next day as we walk on to Sandy Camp. Not that we're entirely alone, for there are regular encounters with wildlife.</p> <p>Approaching lunch the next day we come to Edith River, our guiding line to the Jatbula Trail's finish, 20 kilometres away.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong><span style="color:#555555;">A wild pig snoozes in the long grass beside the track, scuttling away as we pass. Goannas soak up the heat of the day at the river's edge. In the middle of the track there's a buffalo turd the size of several house bricks, so fresh I now find myself walking with one eye cast watchfully over my shoulder.</span></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Along the banks of the river, the bush thickens. Pandanus leaves rustle in the wind, paperbark trees tower out of the swampy ground and a canopy finally shields us from the sun.</p> <p>After almost four days in the open grasslands of the savannah, it feels like stepping into a jungle. The Jatbula Trail's ascending scale of campsite beauty culminates at Sandy Camp, where the Edith River widens into its mercury-smooth lagoon.</p> <p>As I sit in the shallows, soaking the day from my body and mind, hundreds of tiny rainbowfish swirl around me. An egret perches on a nearby log.</p> </div> <div> <p>Tomorrow we will walk on, away from this Top End paradise and back towards civilisation. But tomorrow can wait.</p> <div style="background:#eeeeee;border:1px solid #cccccc;padding:5px 10px;"> <h5><strong>Experience it yourself</strong></h5> <p>Our 6-day full-pack expedition is ideal for both first-time and experienced bushwalkers. <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-with-a-Full-Pack/Jatbula-Trail" target="_blank"><strong>View trek ></strong></a><strong> </strong></p> <p>Combine the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-with-a-Full-Pack/Jatbula-Trail" target="_blank">Jatbula Trail</a> with a <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Raft-Canoe-Kayak/Katherine-River-Canoeing" target="_blank">Katherine River Canoeing</a> trip for the ultimate Top End wilderness experience.</p> </div> </div> <p> </p> 3413Best "feet up" travel photos from around the worldhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3395/best-feet-up-travel-moments-from-around-the-worldActivities,Adventure Travel,Photography,Trekking/Walking,Community,Traveller StoriesTue, 21 Apr 2020 02:59:00 GMT<p>Our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldExpeditions" target="_blank">Facebook community</a> have taken the #footselfie to new heights – from the Atlas Mountains' highest peak in Morocco, along China's Great Wall, to the base of Everest.</p> <p>We asked our followers to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldExpeditions/photos/a.207646989255012/3527893123897032/" target="_blank">share what their most memorable "feet up" moments were</a> from their past adventures and chose our favourite, which left us dreaming of where we could be right now. Which is your favourite?</p> <h2>Atlas Mountains | By Jake Shearer</h2> <p>A photo to take your breath away. Jake shared his stellar summit views from the top of Toubkal (4,167m) in Morocco's <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Morocco/Trekking-Hiking/High-Atlas-Trek" target="_blank">High Atlas</a> mountains.</p> <div> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper"><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Toubkal-summit_-High-Atlas-mountains_-Morocco-647702-1100px.jpg" /></div> </div> <div> </div> <h2>Kazbegi, Georgia | By Jaclyn Lofts</h2> <p>Pour us a glass of wine too Jac! Those valley views in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Georgia" target="_blank">Georgia</a> are definitely worth putting your feet up to admire, especially after a day exploring it.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Kazbegi_-Georgia-647703-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Everest region, Nepal | By Jen Cope</h2> <p>Jen enjoyed a well-earned rest day at our Dingboche campsite en route to <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/everest-base-camp-trek-guide" target="_blank">Everest Base Camp</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/_Rest-day_-in-Dingboche-on-our-way-to-EBC---May-2019-647704-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania | By Harry Ebsworth</h2> <p>A visit to Australia's island state is not complete without hiking to the iconic <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Australia/Trekking-Hiking/The-Overland-Track" target="_blank">Cradle Mountain</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="647734" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Cradle-Mountain_-Tasmania-647734-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Cradle-Mountain_-Tasmania-647734-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Antarctica | By Carrie Page</h2> <p>Adventurers with their feet up on a cruise to the breathtaking <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Antarctica" target="_blank">Antarctic Peninsula</a>. Definitely an experience of a lifetime!</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Antarctic-Peninsula-647706-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Karakoram, Pakistan | By Susie Godfrey</h2> <p>Imagine opening your tent to these views. Susie shared this beauty from her <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Pakistan/Trekking-Hiking/Ultimate-K2-Trek-Basecamp-Concordia-Gondogoro-La" target="_blank">K2 trek</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="647737" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/K2-trek-647737-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/K2-trek-647737-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>San Juan Island, US | By Tina Woodley-Roberts</h2> <p>Tina enjoyed time in the waters of Friday Harbour – it's island <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Raft-Canoe-Kayak" target="_blank">kayaking</a> at its best.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="647732" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Friday-island-kayaking_San-Juan-island-Friday-harbour-647732-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Friday-island-kayaking_San-Juan-island-Friday-harbour-647732-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Everest Base Camp, Nepal | By David Spiteri</h2> <p>An achievement worth jumping your heels up for after days of trekking at altitude to <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Everest-Base-Camp-Kala-Pattar" target="_blank">Everest Base Camp</a>. Nice one David!</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Everest-Base-Camp-647715-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Costa Rica | By Jim Porritt</h2> <p>Trekking in the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Costa-Rica" target="_blank">Costa Rican rainforest</a> affords a verdant nature escape worth stopping and capturing – even when on a Coast to Coast challenge.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Costa-Rica--Coast-to-Coast-challenge-647711-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Andes Mountains, Peru | By Armed Fourie</h2> <p>Now that's a quality tent view to wake up to! Armed took in this mountain spectacle on the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Peru/Trekking-Hiking/Salcantay-Trek-Machu-Picchu" target="_blank">Salcantay Trek</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Salkantay-Trek-647712-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Larapinta, Northern Territory, Australia | By Kath Miles</h2> <p>This picture conjures two words: celestial isolation. Kath appreciating the ancient Aussie landscape on the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/activities/trekking-hiking/larapinta-trail-treks-australian-walks" target="_blank">Larapinta Trail</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Larapinta_-NT-647730-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Mustang, Nepal | By Michelle Nicholas</h2> <p>Who wouldn't want to put their feet up, relax in their tent and just soak up the beautiful surrounds of the Himalaya's <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal-Regions/Mustang" target="_blank">Mustang</a> Valley?</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Mustang-Valley-647714-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Altai Mountains, Mongolia | By Allan Tipon</h2> <p>We just love this photo captured in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Mongolia/Adventure-Touring/Mongolian-Tavan-Bogd-Trek" target="_blank">Tavan Bogd National Park</a> en route to Malchin Peak.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/En-route-Malchin-Peak-in-Mongolia-Tavan-Boghd-National-Park-647721-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Chichén Itzá, Mexico | By David Spiteri</h2> <p>Visiting the ancient pyramids of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Mexico/Adventure-Touring/Highlights-of-Mexico" target="_blank">Mexico</a> with a fun travel photo to match.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="647738" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Chich_n-Itz_-647738-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Chich_n-Itz_-647738-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Snow Lake, Pakistan | By Piers Dumaresq</h2> <p>This glacial basin is just one of the wonderful nature escapes found in Pakistan's <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Pakistan" target="_blank">Karakoram range</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Snow-lake_-Pakistan-647731-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Gokyo Valley, Nepal | By Alison Kniha</h2> <p>More mountain magic in the Nepalese Himalayas. For Alison, her memorable adventure travel moment was admiring Everest from <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Nepal/Trekking-Hiking/Gokyo-the-Renjo-La" target="_blank">Gokyo Ri</a>.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Gokyo-Ri-looking-towards-Everest-647724-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>China | By David Spiteri</h2> <p>A walk along China's <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/China/Trekking-Hiking/Great-Wall-Trek" target="_blank">Great Wall</a> just isn't complete for David without an iconic "feet up" moment.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Great-Wall-of-China-647710-1100px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Blue Mountains, Australia | By Lisa Grant</h2> <p>A different sort of "feet up" moment, but a snug tent experience you've surely had. Lisa shares an amusing photo from her Six Foot Track adventure in New South Wales' <a href="https://bmac.com.au/" target="_blank">Blue Mountains</a> region.</p> <p><img alt="" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="647735" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="200" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Feet-up-in-tent-on-the-Six_Foot_track-647735-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Feet-up-in-tent-on-the-Six_Foot_track-647735-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p><big>Have a travel photo to share? Post your "feet up" moment <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldExpeditions/photos/a.207646989255012/3527893123897032/" target="_blank"> to our Facebook page.</a></big></p> 3395Stay safe, but keep dreaming BIGhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3378/stay-safe-but-keep-dreaming-bigAdventure Travel,Community,Traveller Stories,News,Thoughtful Travel,ActivitiesWed, 08 Apr 2020 01:07:00 GMT<p><em><strong>When reality gets too much, dreams help us to survive.</strong></em></p> <p>Who would have thought that we would be sitting here today in a world that changed overnight?</p> <p>Where today is an incredibly different today from yesterday, and where tomorrow still brings with it many unknowns.</p> <p>Some of us relish in the adventure, grabbing it with both hands, excited for the changes and adapting to the new reality to explore. Some of us struggle to adapt, living with the fear of the unknown, anxious, uncertain and wondering: what next? No matter where you sit right now on this current new adventure we are all in this together.</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#666666;">So take a moment. Breathe in. Sit back and dream for a moment of where you might want to go to next. </span></p> </blockquote> <p>It seems that as kids, we were better at dreaming than what we are now. We would go into our own world where we would think about who we would marry, what kind of house we would live in, whether we would have a cat or a dog, what we would do when we grew up, what kind of cake we would have for our birthday, and well, what exotic destinations we would travel to.</p> <p>For some of us, it was a rocket to the moon. For others, it was camping during the holidays along the river. No matter how big or small, we dreamed and for that moment; we escaped our reality. The game of life was ours and we could make it whatever we wanted.</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#666666;">As I sit and think about where to next, I think about the amazing trips of the past. That cycle trip down the Danube on a beautiful Spring day in Europe. Blue skies, and bitter ice-cold days with pelting rain. </span></p> </blockquote> <p>Cycling along one of the most well-known rivers in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Europe" target="_blank">Europe</a>. Peering over stone walls into village gardens, trying not to be nosey, but interested in what lay over that stone wall.</p> <p>Stopping for coffee and pastries at one of the many bakeries and patisseries along the way or my favourite, discovering the amazing flavour of poppyseed ice-cream which for a lover of poppyseed was heaven. Also discovering a new favourite soup, Baerlauchcremesuppe, (Wild Garlic Soup), all of the flavour, none of the pungency.</p> <p>Peering through stained glass windows of old churches and reading the headstones in the historic and gothic looking graveyards trying to work out their stories. And well, who could forget Vienna!</p> <p>Then there were those trips to <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Africa" target="_blank">Africa</a>. A real eye-opener and honestly, never really on my bucket list. From the best of the best on offer in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/South-Africa" target="_blank">South Africa</a>, including seeing the slum life of Soweto, delving into the history of humankind, sampling delectable South African wines and local produce in Franschoek, experiencing 5-star game lodges and drives in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=Kruger+National+Park" target="_blank">Kruger</a>, the native fauna of Grootbosch and much more. To 4WD game drives in the forests of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Tanzania" target="_blank">Tanzania</a> and the well know Ngorongoro Crater with wildlife everywhere you could possibly see.</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#666666;">Of course, one of the main dreams that became reality was <a href="http://worldexpeditions.com/Activities/Trekking-Hiking/Kilimanjaro-Treks" target="_blank">climbing Kilimanjaro</a>. Taking each step on that final night, in the pitch, black darkness, with not much left in the tank. Crying. Thinking what on earth are we doing. Eating gummy bears. </span></p> </blockquote> <p>But you haven’t seen a sunrise, until you are standing on the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Activities/Trekking-Hiking/Kilimanjaro-Treks" target="_blank">roof of Africa,</a> seeing it raise its head over the continent. Bringing with it the warmth and the utter joy that you need.</p> <p>Perhaps the adventure is in the mystery of the land and its people such as my trip along the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Silk-Road-Tours" target="_blank">Silk Road</a>. Stories vaguely recall from history lessons past, but nothing much known about the people or the landscape of these lands.</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#666666;">I learnt that trekking in the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Tajikistan/Trekking-Hiking/Fann-Mountains-Trek-Silk-Road-Cities" target="_blank">Fann Mountains</a> is by far one of the most scenic in the world. Stunning vistas. Crystal clear blue lakes. </span></p> </blockquote> <p>Amazing mountain surrounds from atop the high passes and incredibly friendly locals who pull up to your tent and you’re not entirely sure if they are out to rob you, or chat – chat it was in our combined Russian, Tajik and Croatian dialects. The people are incredibly friendly.</p> <p>Melons, cucumbers and tomatoes are a staple. But you will never have a peach as tasty as you will in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Uzbekistan" target="_blank">Uzbekistan</a>, nor see such intricate buildings and architecture.</p> <p>Some of us might want the rough and rugged. The untouched landscapes that are shaped by ice, wind and geology on a journey to the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Antarctica-The-Arctic" target="_blank">Arctic Circle</a>, where the weather is unpredictable and the wildlife even more so. The scenery changes on a daily basis.</p> <p>The journey onboard a small ship has a planned day to day schedule, yet the plan gets thrown out the window depending on what the day brings.</p> <p>Where you think you might see a Polar Bear, only to have the crew describe what you might actually see is just a cream dot in a ‘Where’s Wally’ type of photo. But where all your landings are aborted due to the abundance of Polar Bears.</p> <p>Where you experience them on ice on a perfectly blue sky day or see them on ice in full-blown blizzard conditions.</p> <p>Or witness a real take your breath away moment, seeing them feeding on a walrus carcass on land, whilst you sit in utter silence on a small boat, which bobs up and down as you try to take the perfect shot, careful as to not drop your camera or make a peep.</p> <p>Where nature owns the landscape and the itinerary.</p> <p>There is still so much on the travel dream list. The pyramids and ancient cities of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Mexico/Adventure-Touring/Highlights-of-Mexico" target="_blank">Mexico</a>, (as well as eating proper guacamole). The flavours and <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?pageNumber=1&pageSize=15&categories=PRT%2CESP&searchKeywords=camino" target="_blank">pilgrimage trails of Spain and Portugal</a>. A trek through the amazing mountains of the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=Canadian+Rockies" target="_blank">Canadian Rockies</a>. The wild landscapes and untouched regions of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Argentinian-Regions/Patagonia" target="_blank">Patagonia</a>. . . my list goes on and on.</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#666666;">We have never quite known what life is going to throw at us, and well, that is both the beauty and the adventure that is life. </span></p> </blockquote> <p>Sometimes we need the fantasy to survive the reality.</p> <p>So relax now. Take time to read that book, explore a country online, or learn a new language so that when I ask you in a few months time, you will be able to tell me: where to next?</p> <p><em>Published 8 April 2020. Words by Natalie Tambolash.</em></p> <p><em>This article is featured in <a href="https://adventuremagazine.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span style="color:null;">Adventure Magazine New Zealand</span></a><span style="color:null;">. </span><strong><a href="https://www.yumpu.com/en/embed/view/GSP4OkhNgIspeYiU" target="_blank"><span style="color:null;">Read the April 2020 issue online for free.</span></a></strong></em></p> <div style="background:#eeeeee;border:1px solid #cccccc;padding:5px 10px;"><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/keep-dreaming-big" target="_blank">Want more inspiration? Here are some indoor ideas for the outdoor traveller to keep the dream alive >></a></div> <p> </p> 3378A first-timer's guide to Ecuador & the Galapagoshttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/3297/traveller-story-south-america-travel-first-timeActivities,Cruising,Multi-Activity,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,South America,EcuadorFri, 14 Feb 2020 06:25:00 GMT<p>Generally, Janet and her three travel companions embark on one big holiday every two years. This time, they opted for a <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/South-America" target="_blank">South America</a> travel experience. For some of them it would be their first time, but none of them had been to <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador" target="_blank">Ecuador</a> or the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Galapagos-Islands" target="_blank">Galapagos Islands</a> before.</p> <p>Read on to get an idea of what their active trip, that started with a summit of Ecuador’s highest peak and finished in the waters of the Galapagos Islands shared with seals, was like.</p> <h2>How did you prepare for the first part of this trip in Ecuador?</h2> <p>The preparation was interesting and we really did start increasing our activity from about six months before the holiday in South America. Firstly, our daily morning 3-mile run up a substantial hill got longer and longer until we were running 5 or 6 miles a day, 7 days a week. In addition, there were plenty of sessions on the rowing machine or out on the river rowing in the afternoon during the summer months leading up to our <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador/Mountaineering/Summits-of-Ecuador" target="_blank">Summits of Ecuador</a> and <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador/Adventure-Touring/Galapagos-Bike-Hike-and-Kayak" target="_blank">Galapagos - Bike, Hike & Kayak</a> trips. <br /> To really boost our hill work we took a ten-day break in the Cairngorms to tune up - this was really useful and prepared us for walking six to eight hours per day carrying a backpack. We topped all this off by running the Henley Half Marathon in October.</p> <div> <blockquote> <p><strong>The best bit was when a seal actually came nose to mask with me; literally touched my mask and then swam around me like a cat winds its way around your legs.</strong></p> </blockquote> <h2><img alt="Rewarding walks in Ecuador | <i>Janet Dutton</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="610856" dynamiccroppedimage="1" flexibleaspectratio="16x9" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610856-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610856-###width###px.jpg" /></h2> <h2><br /> What were your expectations of the active part of your South America travel experience? </h2> <p>Some expectations of the <a href="http://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador/Mountaineering/Summits-of-Ecuador" target="_blank">Summits of Ecuador</a> part were exceeded and some were surprising. Everyone knows the weather in the mountains is fickle but it really is fickle in Ecuador, often experiencing four seasons in several hours. </p> <p><strong>Mist</strong></p> <p>We did have a lot of mist on the summits which was both a curse and a blessing. Not being a natural at heights and sheer drops I found it quite comforting not to be able to look down some of the drop-offs, but it did not lead to many beautiful shots of the surrounding mountains.  </p> <p><strong>Accommodation</strong></p> <p>The accommodation generally exceeded expectations and it felt like the hotels had been handpicked for their location and attractiveness. </p> <p><strong>Altitude Sickness & Acclimatisation</strong></p> <p>As a sufferer of altitude sickness, I was very concerned that I would step off the plane in Quito and 30 minutes later I would be laid up somewhere with a screaming headache. I was very, very surprised that I did not suffer at all until coming down from 4,000 metre on the trek – when I was not 100 per cent for literally one hour or so. Our acclimatisation plan to have a couple of extra days really did pay dividends. That extension was one of the highlights of the trip, we went north to Otovala and onwards to Kilatoa which were both interesting and enjoyable despite the weather (raining). </p> <p>The second bout of altitude sickness was at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Cotopaxi" target="_blank">Mt Cotopaxi</a> (5897m) and, in hindsight, if that had been just one or two days later, I would have probably coped much better. As it turned out the weather was horrendous on summit day and most trekkers turned back with just reports of a handful of people actually getting to the summit.  </p> <p><strong>Grade of the Trek</strong></p> <p>Generally, the trekking was tough, very tough in parts, and whilst we could keep going I could not meet the deadlines required for both ascent and descent on the mountains over 6,000 metres. I nevertheless enjoyed the trek to the refuge.<br /> You should prepare yourself for conditions outside of your control so don't get wedded to summitting every mountain as health and safety must be the first priority and hopefully some enjoyment too. One member of our party took on another volcano near Banos and perhaps that should be part of the itinerary as either a named trek or a backup if Mt Cotopaxi is not accessible.</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="The unique coastline of the Galapagos Islands | <i>Janet Dutton</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="610860" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610860-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610860-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Stunning Ecuador | <i>Janet Dutton</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="610861" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610861-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610861-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Meet giant tortoises on your Galapagos holiday | <i>Janet Dutton</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="610859" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610859-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610859-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="A misty day in the forest | <i>Janet Dutton</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="610858" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610858-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/South-America/Ecuador-_-Galapagos/Ecuador-Galapagos-Islands-Walking-Wildlife-610858-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 80px;"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>READ MORE: <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/2491/choose-the-right-activity-level" target="_blank">How to Choose the Right Activity Level</a></strong></span></div> <div style="margin-left: 80px;"><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong></strong></span><span style="font-size:16px;"></span></div> <div><span style="font-size:16px;"></span></div> <h2>What is the most memorable moment of your South America tour?</h2> <p>The snorkelling in Galapagos was just amazing and so was the flight between the islands. I was also taken with the giant tortoises, which were unbelievable and the seals sleeping on park benches everywhere. The water was cold, so whilst most people wore short wetsuits, I would recommend either taking your own or hiring a full wetsuit. The snorkelling was not for beginners as you had to be pretty self-sufficient and a competent swimmer. I also enjoyed the Devil's nose train journey to Sibambe in Ecuador.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador" target="_blank"><button class="btn btn-borders world-ex mr-xs mb-sm" type="button">View all Ecuador trips<em class="icon-arrow-right-thin"></em></button></a></p> <div> <p>I think the best bit was when a seal actually came nose to mask with me; literally touched my mask and then swam around me like a cat winds its way around your legs. I could feel her whiskers on my arms and legs and it was amazing. I was less sure about the five sharks that were basking three metres below us (which was fine) but then they all started to move in our directions, which caused some concern - we all froze until they passed by.</p> <blockquote> <div>Our acclimatisation plan to have a couple of extra days really did pay dividends.</div> </blockquote> <h2>How would you describe the trip in five words?</h2> <p>Once in a lifetime experience. . .</p> <h2>What point of advice would you give to other travellers that are thinking of travelling in South America? </h2> <ul> <li> <p>•    Ensure you are fit enough to enjoy the trekking, ours was graded exploratory trekking</p> </li> <li> <p>•    Don't beat yourself up if you don't make the summit of the mountains over 6,000m this is just two days of a long holiday, there are other mountains to climb</p> </li> <li> <p>•    If possible, plan in time for alternatives that are achievable, less subject to weather conditions and can be equally enjoyable</p> </li> <li> <p>•    Stay flexible, things will and have to change</p> </li> <li> <p>•    The guide knows best</p> </li> <li> <p>•    If you are not a strong swimmer and you are going to Galapagos, take some swimming and snorkelling lessons - you really don't want to miss out on this opportunity to swim with seals, turtles and sharks</p> </li> <li> <p>•    Anyone suffering from sea sickness should take appropriate medication for snorkelling trips as the boats are very fast and very bouncy</p> </li> <li> <p>•    Take good warm clothes and waterproofs</p> </li> <li> <p>•    We hired kit and it was of a very high standard</p> </li> <li> <p>•    Take a good number of small domination US dollar notes, they will be useful</p> </li> <li> <p>•    Some restaurants in the Galapagos wanted 7% extra for use of a credit card</p> </li> <li> <p>•    The tea is dreadful, if you are a tea lover take your own tea bags. There were not tea/coffee making facilities in any of the hotels (except Refuges)</p> </li> <li> <p>•    There are long periods driving between national parks, take some reading material</p> </li> <li> <p>•    In Quito, stick to the pedestrian areas as some parts of the city are quite heavily polluted </p> </li> <li> <p>•    Go to the Quito museum, it is free and first class - it explains the social, political and geographical history, there is also a good art section</p> </li> </ul> <p>Furthermore, when you are visiting several countries in <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/South-America" target="_blank">South America</a> in one tour, be fully aware you are constantly moving around. The longest we stayed in the same hotel was three days. Your packing has to be minimal and organised otherwise chaos will ensue. Take several sizes of rucksacks to accommodate differing needs, eg. a very big, medium and small rucksack. Pack light and be prepared to do laundry.</p> <h2>Where would you like to go next?</h2> <p><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Canada" target="_blank">Canada</a> is next on my list of places to visit.</p> <h2>Keen to explore South America as well? </h2> <p>Janet combined the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador/Mountaineering/Summits-of-Ecuador" target="_blank">Summits of Ecuador</a> and <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador/Adventure-Touring/Galapagos-Bike-Hike-and-Kayak" target="_blank">Galapagos - Bike, Hike & Kayak</a> trips with three of her friends.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Ecuador" target="_blank"><button class="btn btn-borders world-ex mr-xs mb-sm" type="button">View all Ecuador & Galapagos trips<em class="icon-arrow-right-thin"></em></button></a></p> <p>Other popular places to go to in South America include:</p> <ul> <li style="margin-left: 40px;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:14px;">•  </span><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Argentinian-Regions/Patagonia" target="_blank">Patagonia</a></span></li> <li style="margin-left: 40px;"><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Bolivia" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:14px;"></span></a><span style="font-size:14px;">•  </span><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Bolivia" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:14px;">Bolivia</span></a></li> <li style="margin-left: 40px;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:14px;">•  </span><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Peru" target="_blank">Peru</a> & the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Machu-Picchu-Inca-Trail" target="_blank">Inca Trail</a></span></li> <li style="margin-left: 40px;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:14px;">•  </span><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Costa-Rica" target="_blank">Costa Rica</a></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14px;"></span></li> </ul> </div> </div> 3297Silk Road journey in photos | Richard I'Ansonhttps://assets.worldexpeditions.com/Blog/PostId/2996/silk-road-in-photos-part-1-tashkent-samarkandAdventure Travel,Community,Traveller Stories,Destinations,Asia,Silk Road,Central Asia,ActivitiesTue, 29 Oct 2019 23:23:00 GMT<p>Voted by Lonely Planet as the best region to visit in 2020, Central Asia's <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Silk-Road-Tours" target="_blank">Silk Road</a> is one to put on your travel radar.⁣⁣ It also makes for an impressive photographic journey through the epicentre of Silk Road history.</p> <p>Award-winning travel photographer and best-selling author of <em>Lonely Planet's </em><em>Guide to Travel Photography</em>, <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=Richard+I%27anson" target="_blank">Richard I'Anson</a>, shares his destination highlights, the stunning images captured on his recent <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=i%27anson" target="_blank">photography tour</a> and the places he would return to in a heartbeat.</p> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#949e17;">It has such a rich and varied history centred on places with the most exotic sounding names like Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. It also feels like it’s still relatively undiscovered to mass tourism.</span></p> </blockquote> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="4x3" data-plugin-options="{'items': 3, 'margin': 10, 'nav': true, 'dots': false}"><img alt="Woman playing traditional instrument, Bukhara, Uzbekistan | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555783" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Woman-playing-traditional-instrument_-Bukhara_-Uzbekistan-555783-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Woman-playing-traditional-instrument_-Bukhara_-Uzbekistan-555783-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Pilgrims with traveller at Shah-i-Zinda, avenue of mausoleums, Samarkand | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555040" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Uzbekistan/_92I5843-Pilgrims-with-traveller-at-Shah-i-Zinda_-avenue-of-mausoleums_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555040-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Uzbekistan/_92I5843-Pilgrims-with-traveller-at-Shah-i-Zinda_-avenue-of-mausoleums_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555040-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Observe intricate needlework in Bukhara | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555042" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Uzbekistan/_92I6087-Needlework_-Bukhara_-Uzbekistan-555042-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Uzbekistan/_92I6087-Needlework_-Bukhara_-Uzbekistan-555042-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <p>From the architecture of Uzbekistan to the striking landscapes of Turkmenistan, each stop along the <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?&searchKeywords=Silk+Road" target="_blank">Central Asia Silk Road</a> journey turned heads.</p> <p>"Every city in Uzbekistan was centred around impressive buildings – mosques, medressas and minarets – great to photograph and to revisit at different times of the day," says Richard. "The Darvaza Gas Crater and Yangykala Canyon are two of the most dramatic and unusual landscapes I’ve seen. Combined with the fantastic camping experience we had at both places and being the only visitors there makes them a clear highlight."</p> <div class="dynamicImageWrapper" switchsource="image1"><carouselsource aspectratio="" data-plugin-options=""><img alt="Ulugbek Medressa, Registan, Samarkand | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555750" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Uzbekistan/_92I5537-Ulugbek-Medressa_-Registan_-Samarkand_-Uzebekistan-555750-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Uzbekistan/_92I5537-Ulugbek-Medressa_-Registan_-Samarkand_-Uzebekistan-555750-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Interior of the mosque in the Tilla-Kari (Gold-Covered) Medressa, Samarkand, Uzbekistan | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555737" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Inside-the-Medressa-structure_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555737-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Inside-the-Medressa-structure_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555737-###width###px.jpg" /> <img alt="Mir-i-Medressa, Bukhara, Uzbekistan | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555738" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Mir-i-Medressa_-Bukhara_-Uzbekistan-555738-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Mir-i-Medressa_-Bukhara_-Uzbekistan-555738-###width###px.jpg" /> </carouselsource></div> <blockquote> <p><span style="color:#949e17;">We had plenty of local encounters and they were always friendly. The locals were very welcoming and importantly, for my group, happy to be photographed.</span></p> </blockquote> <h2>Uzbekistan's architectural sanctuary</h2> <p>The contrasting desert and mountain landscapes against far-reaching and extravagantly ornate buildings is spellbinding, and the sheer grandness of the structures will make you feel impossibly small.</p> <p>Registan Square in Samarkand, in particular, is a remarkable maze of mosques, tombs, palaces, fortresses and medressas with distinctive azure roofed domes, majolica tiles, towering minarets, intricate mosaics and exotic bazaars. The people as well are friendly, engaging and don't mind taking a selfie or two.</p> <p>A cultural highlight for Richard was visiting Shah-i-Zinda or the 'Tomb of the Living King' and its avenue of mausoleums.</p> <p>"Architecturally the tombs are beautiful with intricate, colourful tilework, but the highlight for me and my group was that it is a place of pilgrimage, so it’s very active with local visitors paying their respects," says Richard. "The local visitors were very keen to interact with the group, take photos, selfies and talk."</p> <p><img alt="Pilgrims at Shah-i-Zinda (Tomb of the Living King) | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555782" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Pilgrims-at-Shah-i-Zinda-_Tomb-of-the-Living-King_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555782-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Pilgrims-at-Shah-i-Zinda-_Tomb-of-the-Living-King_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555782-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>A place he would return to capture again though? Samarkand. "I could always spend more time at the Registan," says Richard.</p> <p><img alt="Facade of the Tilla-Kari (Gold-Covered) Medressa at dusk in Samarkand | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555745" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Medressa-at-dusk_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555745-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Medressa-at-dusk_-Samarkand_-Uzbekistan-555745-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>First impressions of Turkmenistan</h2> <p>A country nestled between Uzbekistan and Iran, Turkmenistan, according to Richard, is one of the strangest places he's visited.</p> <p>"Particularly Ashgabat, with its white marble building, outlandish public buildings and major roads with hardly any traffic. We even had to stop and have the cars washed before we entered the city or the driver’s risked being fined," he says.</p> <p><img alt="Night views of the city of Ashgabat | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555744" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Ashgabat_-Turkmenistan-555744-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Ashgabat_-Turkmenistan-555744-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>Richard, however, did experience some issues when photographing in Turkmenistan, but nothing that spoilt the experience.</p> <p>"In Ashgabat certain government buildings were out of bounds, that’s not uncommon, but also, we were restricted in regional markets, which was more annoying and is very unusual," he explains. "We were even told we couldn’t photograph the impressive lobby of our hotel. They are still learning how to deal with tourists."</p> <h2>Camping by the Darvaza Gas Crater</h2> <p>A memorable experience, to say the least, is a visit to the Darvaza Gas Crater, also known as the 'Door to Hell'. Located north of Turkmenistan in the middle of the Karakym Desert, the crater is a vast, fiery pit that has been burning for around 47 years as a result of a collapsed natural gas pocket after a Soviet-era gas exploration. It's a truly spectacular sight and camping beside it makes for an unforgettable overnight stay.</p> <p><img alt="Darvaza Gas Crater at sunset | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555043" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Turkmenistan/_92I7474-Darvaza-Gas-Crater-at-sunset_-Turkenistan-555043-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Turkmenistan/_92I7474-Darvaza-Gas-Crater-at-sunset_-Turkenistan-555043-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>"It was great," says Richard. "We ended up staying in fixed gers/yurts, which were large, clean and comfortable and located within a 5-minute walk of the crater making access to the crater for our evening and morning shoots easy."</p> <p><img alt="Travellers enjoy the striking crater scenery | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555741" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Travellers-at-Darvaza-Gas-Crater_-Turkmenistan-555741-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Travellers-at-Darvaza-Gas-Crater_-Turkmenistan-555741-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <h2>Capturing the colourful shades of Yangykala Canyon</h2> <p>Heading east via the Balkan Mountains, Richard and his group journeyed to the magnificent Yangykala Canyons, defined by sheer cliffs of white, yellow, ochre, purple and red – the most beautiful colours unveiling themselves at sunset. The canyon's name is derived from the Turkem expression "yangi kala", meaning "fire fortresses" and is a dream location for photographers.</p> <p>"As with all landscape photography you want to be shooting in the first and last hours of the day when the amazing colours of the canyon are brought out," says Richard. "I’d also recommend shooting before the sun comes up when the light is even, and you don’t have to deal with harsh shadows and shooting into the sun so many more of the rock formations can be included in compositions."</p> <p><img alt="Turkmenistan's Yangykala Canyon at sunset | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555044" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Turkmenistan/_92I8133-Yangykala-Canyon-at-sunset_-Turkmenistan-555044-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Central-Asia-_-Middle-East/Turkmenistan/_92I8133-Yangykala-Canyon-at-sunset_-Turkmenistan-555044-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p>"I’d love to revisit Yangykala Canyon, it is quite a remarkable place."</p> <p><img alt="Camp at Yangykala Canyon, Turkmenistan | <i>Richard I'Anson</i>" class="responsiveImage" cropdataid="555747" dynamiccroppedimage="1" largestloadedsize="1100" src="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Camp-at-Yangykala-Canyon_-Turkmenistan-555747-1100px.jpg" variablesrc="/croppedImages/Blogs/WEX/Camp-at-Yangykala-Canyon_-Turkmenistan-555747-###width###px.jpg" /></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/Silk-Road-Tours" target="_blank"><button class="btn btn-borders world-ex mr-xs mb-sm" type="button">View all Central Asia Silk Road tours<em class="icon-arrow-right-thin"></em></button></a></p> <p><em>Images courtesy of <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?searchKeywords=Richard+I%27anson" target="_blank">Richard I'Anson</a> who led a special <a href="https://worldexpeditions.com/advanced-search?&searchKeywords=Silk+Road" target="_blank">Silk Road</a> photography tour.</em></p> 2996