National Geographic ADVENTURE

Best New Trips in the World: Exploring Laos's Northern Hill Country

2009-11-09T10:00:00-05:00

For our annual Adventure Travel issue, we scoured the globe to find the 25 Best New Trips in the World for 2010, complete with a Best Trips photo gallery. Today, we present Laos. The world's far corners are now well within reach. Laos: An Off-Limits Jungle Traveling in Laos has always meant either a quick jaunt to Luang Prabang (the former royal capital city) or a monthlong expedition into terrain that wasn’t always worth the trip—think mosquitoes and a hothouse climate. But a new lodge in Laos’s hill country, north of Luang Prabang, is ushering in a fresh era of tourism. Reachable via the Ou River, Muang La Resort and its fleet of powerboats have transformed what was once a multiday water taxi ride to the region into a five-hour cruise. Guests can book rooms directly with Muang La or leave the planning to Asia Transpacific Journeys, the first (and...

Aron Ralston's Survival Story Heading to the Big Screen

2009-11-06T18:01:24-05:00

Danny Boyle, the Oscar winning director of Slumdog Millionaire just announced his next project: a mountaineer epic about the Colorado-based climber Aron Ralston, according to Variety. Ralston, of course, is best known for cutting off his right hand after an 800-pound boulder fell on it while hiking Utah's Bluejohn Canyon in 2003. The movie, called 127 hours, will chronicle Ralston's struggle to stay alive. Variety says the script is likely to be penned by Slumdog screenwriter, Simon Beaufoy. —Laura Buckley

Best New Trips in the World: Track Lions in Kenya's Campi ya Kanzi

2009-11-06T10:00:00-05:00

For our annual Adventure Travel issue, we scoured the globe to find the 25 Best New Trips in the World for 2010, complete with a Best Trips photo gallery. Today, we present Kenya. The world's far corners are now well within reach. KENYA: Save the King! Lion kills cow, Maasai warrior kills lion. It’s a centuries-old conflict in the Kenyan bush. But in the past ten years lion populations across Africa have plummeted from 100,000 to 23,000, transforming the issue into a full-fledged crisis. Alarmed research crews have come to Kenya to study the cats and teach the Maasai ways to live with them harmoniously. But one conservation group is way ahead of the curve. Kuku Group Ranch, a 280,000-acre spread in the Chyulu Hills of southern Kenya, is entirely owned and operated by the Maasai themselves. And so far they’ve had dramatic success with their cat-protection efforts: In a...

New Trip: Private Safari Tracking Gorillas and Rhinos in Rwanda and Kenya

2009-11-05T17:35:15-05:00

As of today, Baobab Expeditions (see our rating of the company) is offering an 11-day private gorilla and rhino safari in Rwanda and Kenya, led by the most impressive of experts: Dr. Clare Richardson, president of the venerable Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. An authority on gorilla research, she'll take you mountain gorilla tracking and score you rare access to Karisoke Research Center, the only gorilla research center in the world. Then it's on to Kenya, where 30-year safari guide veteran Lynne Leakey will take you to two different nature conservancies in search of endangered black and white rhinos. "What breaks or makes a good safari is the guides," says Baobab founder Richard Pfaffli. "On this adventure, you'll have an inside track to wildlife conservation." The ultra-luxury trip is limited to 12 people per expedition, and only three groups are going out in 2010 (February 3 -13, June 6 -18,...

Best New Trips in the World: Hike Ireland's Northern Coast

2009-11-05T10:00:00-05:00

For our annual Adventure Travel issue, we scoured the globe to find the 25 Best New Trips in the World for 2010, complete with a Best Trips photo gallery. Today, we present Ireland. The world's far corners are now well within reach. Ireland: Northern Ireland, Finally Even if Ireland’s north coast weren’t the setting for Country Walkers’ new trek, the trip would still be one of a kind. Few walks pack as much history, geological drama, and fine whiskey into a single weeklong route. Hikers spend their first three nights based at Bushmills Inn in County Antrim, once a layover for horse-drawn coaches en route to Bushmills Distillery (licensed by King James I in 1608). Sample a dram from the bar’s private reserve, or hold out for a tasting with the distillery manager. From the inn you can hike the Giant’s Causeway, a collection of polygonal stone “pillars” created by...

Best New Trips in the World: Hike and Kayak in Iceland's Nature Reserve

2009-11-04T10:03:06-05:00

For our annual Adventure Travel issue, we scoured the globe to find the 25 Best New Trips in the World for 2010, complete with a Best Trips photo gallery. Today, we present Iceland. The world's far corners are now well within reach. Iceland: Into the Arctic Circle At first glance, the fjord-y, fragmented northwest corner of Iceland looks like a country apart. And in some ways it is. It was here, in the Westfjords, that medieval outlaws came to board ships bound for unknown lands, and where winter conditions still keep neighboring farmers from visiting one another. Today, intrepid hikers are starting to explore the region’s signature draw, Hornstrandir Nature Reserve; next summer, Explorers’ Corner will become the sole outfitter to approach it just as the Vikings did—by sea. The itinerary is flexible by design: Campsites can change depending on the whims of the group, and you’ll have the option...

Throw Down Your Heart: Bela Fleck Finds the Banjo's African Roots

2009-11-03T19:27:52-05:00

American banjo virtuoso Bèla Fleck is known for bringing his instrument across genres. Today you can watch him bring it across the Atlantic and back to its beginnings in his new DVD. Fleck and Sascha Paladino's documentary, Throw Down Your Heart, chronicles the making of Fleck's latest CD as he travels Africa in an attempt to bring the banjo back to its African roots. The film focuses on music, but there's a taste of African landscape and culture too. Fleck's adventure takes him to Uganda, Tanzania, Gambia, and Mali, with stops ranging from tiny rural villages to large cities. Whether searching for the roots of your favorite instrument or a glimpse of an endangered gorilla, you can explore the continent, too. Check out our favorite African adventures here.—Greer Schott

Elephants or Sharks? Pick Which Young Explorer Gets NG Funding

2009-11-03T11:30:22-05:00

We don't normally advocate for armchair adventures over the real thing, but when the National Geographic Channel's Expedition Week starts up November 15th, we highly recommend a snagging a front row seat. You'll be searching for Amazon headshrinkers and tagging great white sharks...from the comforts of your living room. And, for the first time, you can help pick which conservation-focused expedition National Geographic will sponsor next. The Contenders: Filmmaker Trip Jennings and Photographer Ben Horton. Trip Jennings wowed us in 2008 with his first descent down the unexplored Pandi River on New Britain Island near Papau New Guinea (which made him one of our Adventurers of the Year). Now, the former pro-kayaker is moving his attentions towards dry land. Specifically, the forests around the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Elephant poaching is at an all time high since before the ivory trade was banned in 1989. Jennings' proposed Ivory Scat...

Enter to Win: The Ultimate Chile Getaway

2009-11-02T14:33:54-05:00

Rated as one of our Best Adventure Travel Companies On Earth, Explora has impressed us with its luxury eco-adventures throughout South America (think hiking through an Atacama moonscape by day, sipping Chilean wine in an open-air hot tub by night). Their Easter Island expedition even made our list of Best Trips last year. But for those on a budget, these dream destinations remained just that. Until now. In celebration of Explora's 20th birthday, the outfitter is giving away an 11-night trip for two to Chile, touring the dramatic landscapes of San Pedro de Atacama, Torres del Paine National Park, and Easter Island. Just join Explora's Facebook and Twitter communities by April 15, 2010, and you'll be automatically entered to win a chance to eat, stay, and explore for free! For more, visit Explora.com

Best New Trips in the World: Bike France's Pyrenees

2009-11-02T11:57:46-05:00

For our annual Adventure Travel issue, we scoured the globe to find the 25 Best New Trips in the World for 2010, complete with a Best Trips photo gallery. Today, we present France. The world's far corners are now well within reach. France: Tour des Pyrenees If the gods were cyclists, you can rest assured that there would be more mountains like the Pyrenees. The 11,000-foot peaks separating France from Spain are laced with hundreds of miles of paved roads winding past medieval villages and stretches of high-alpine wilderness. For the past half century, cycling fanatics have been completing the Raid Pyrénéen, a hundred-hour cyclathon across the range on a fixed course. But other than Raid crews (and, of course, the annual swarm of Tour de France riders) the Pyrenees are mostly crowd free. “One of the big advantages to this area is that there are very few cars,” says...