Global Travel Guide 2009: Ultimate Adventures

Bhutan
The Laya Trek

On this demanding Himalayan trek you’ll make your way through farmland and forests to rugged, high-alpine pasture and across head-spinning mountain passes. Along the way, you’ll see the ancient dzongs (fortress monasteries) that once guarded the routes into Tibet, and remote settlements like Laya village, for which the trek is named. You’ll camp beneath the peaks of Chomolhari and Jitchu Drake and, at the end of it all, you’ll descend the magical Punakha Gorge to soak in the hot springs of Gasa. This is the best way to see the once-forbidden kingdom of Bhutan.

KE Adventure Travel
Phone: 888-630-4415
Length/Departs: 19 days/Apr., Sept., Oct.
Accommodation: Hotels, lodges, camping
Price: From $5,195 US (land only)
Difficulty: Challenging

Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey
Middle East Adventure

This exciting overland journey combines the best of the Levant into one action-packed month. You’ll begin in the fabled land of Egypt, where you’ll gaze awestruck at the Sphinx and Great Pyramid, ride a camel across the dunes to the abandoned Monastery of St. Simeon, explore Karnak and the subterranean tombs of the Valley of the Kings, and climb Mount Sinai in the footsteps of Moses. In Jordan, you’ll snorkel in the Red Sea before moving on to explore the lost city of Petra with its monumental stone facades. In Syria, you plunge back into the Crusades at the massive hilltop castle of Krak des Chevaliers. Finally, in Turkey, you walk through the bizarre rock formations of Cappadocia. The lands of the Middle East are a palimpsest containing layer upon layer of civilizations, and on this journey you’ll uncover them all.

Intrepid
Phone: 866-360-1151
Length/Departs: 28 days/Feb.-Nov.
Accommodation: Guest houses, camping, overnight train, felucca
Price: From $2,475 CDN (land only), plus additional local payment
Difficulty: Moderate

Italy
Highlights of Sicily Walk
This independent walking tour of Sicily and its surrounding islands takes care of the details so you don’t have to. Your route is planned to hit the most fascinating natural and historical sites, and your rooms are pre-arranged at inns and hotels along the way. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other, and pause every once in a while for a swim. This journey takes in the best of Sicily, an enchanted isle of turquoise seas, secluded beaches, medieval churches and ancient hill villages, spiced with Mediterranean cuisine and wines. The place is truly a walker’s and a history lover’s paradise.

BREAKAWAY ADVENTURES
Phone: 800-567-6286
Length/Departs: 8 days/Apr.-Oct.
Accommodation: Inns
Price: $2,457 US(land only)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Morocco
Camel Trek
Experience the Sahara as you sail over dun-coloured dunes on your very own ‘ship of the desert.’ The centrepiece of this trip is a four-day camel trek along the desert’s edge, from the caravan town of Zagora to the dune sea of Erg Chebbi. You’ll also cross the High Atlas Mountains, explore mud-and-clay Kasbahs and Berber villages, hunt for bargains in the labyrinthine medina of Fès, dine in the old town of Marrakesh and marvel at the Roman ruins of Volubilis (an important archaeological monument). On this journey, you’ll understand why Morocco has long been considered the most exotic of destinations.

MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK
Phone: 888-831-7526
Length/Departs: 14 days/Jan.-Mar., Oct.-Dec.
Accommodation: Hotels (9 nights), camping (4 nights)
Price: $4,595 to $4,895 US(land only)
Difficulty: Moderate

Ecuador
Andes to the Amazon
You’ll mountain bike through Andean villages and hike around the crater lake at Cuicocha. The hiking continues at Papallacta, where you’ll cross a high-mountain nature reserve. A bike plunge down Andean switchbacks will take you through layers of cloud forest to the steamy Amazon region. You’ll tube down the Arajuno River, barrel through the Jatunyacu’s whitewater and then visit the waterfall region of the Pastaza river gorge. Your journey ends on the slopes of Cotopaxi.

BIKEHIKE ADVENTURES
Phone: 888-805-0061
Length/Departs: 10 days/year-round
Accommodation: Hotels
Price: $2,199 US (land only)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan
Mountain Mayhem

Spin your wheels through one of the world’s great mountain ranges, the Tien Shan, on this adventure in remote Central Asia. You’ll pedal across the vast rolling steppes of the Turgen River Gorge region before making a five-day crossing of the high passes of the Zailiysky and Kungey Alatau mountain ranges, camping beside glacial rivers. You’ll wind up in the Karkara Valley, where you’ll take in two days of heli-biking—a helicopter transfers you to peaks high above camp, then you begin your white-knuckled descent.

KE Adventure Travel
Phone: 888-630-4415
Length/Departs: 15 days/Jul.
Accommodation: Camping (11 nights), hotels (2 nights)
Price: $2,795 US(land only)
Difficulty: Intermediate

Papua New Guinea
The Kokoda Track

Papua New Guinea was one of the world’s last contacted places. Even today, its interior valleys reportedly hold tribes who are totally oblivious to the existence of the outside world. That wild spirit still prevails in its culture and landscape. You’ll cross the central spine of Papua on foot, following a route that existed long before European contact. This same route was used by the Japanese during the Second World War in their efforts to launch a ground attack against Australian troops stationed in the PNG capital of Port Moresby, and the history of that offensive will form one of the narratives of your hike. This is a very demanding trek, with long days of hiking through lush tropical forest, many creek crossings and steep hillside ascents and descents.

Peregrine Adventures
Phone: 888-238-2887
Length/Departs: 13 days/May-Sept.
Accommodation: Hotel, camping, village huts
Price: $3,695 CDN (land only)
Difficulty: Challenging

Nepal
Khair Lake: The Untrekked Annapurnas

Himalayan peaks and an engaging village culture have long made Nepal a prime trekking destination. This journey will take you off the well-trod trail and into a remote section of the Annapurna range. You’ll hike through peaceful Gurung villages nestled deep in the mountain’s embrace, and spend sunny afternoons watching the constant interplay of light and shadow on Annapurna South and Tukche. As you ascend through a glacial bowl surrounded by waterfalls, you’ll make your way steadily to 4,800 metres. Your goal is Khair Lake, a site of Hindu summer pilgrimages, and a holy place dedicated to Shiva. The scenery will stun you into silence, but it’s the smiling Nepali people that you’ll remember long after the ache in your weary legs has faded away.

Myths and Mountains
Phone: 775-832-5454
Length/Departs: 20 days/Mar. and Oct. ACCOMMODATION: Camping
Price: $2,295 US (land only)
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging

MALAYSIA
Mount Kinabalu Climb
A climb up Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia at 4,101 metres, is a rite of passage for most travellers to Malaysian Borneo. It isn’t a technical climb, but the extreme heat and humidity can be taxing even for the strongest hiker. The view from the peak is its own reward, however, with sightlines across eastern Borneo and even to the Philippines. But your adventure doesn’t end with the climb. The World Heritage Site of Kinabalu National Park is a botanical paradise, home to an array of tropical bird species, the pitcher plant and the Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower. A park naturalist will lead you on walks through the region so you’ll come away educated as well as suitably exhausted.

Kumuka Worldwide
Phone: 800-517-0867
Length/Departs: 3 days/year-round
Accommodation: Guest houses
Price: $840 US(land only)
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging

New Zealand
South Island Explorer
New Zealand may just be the adrenaline junkie’s dream country and this trip will show you why. From hikes around the cloud-piercing peak of Mount Cook and manic bungee plunges in Queenstown, to kayaking and scuba diving through the fjords of Milford Sound and crampon-clad hikes across the Franz Josef Glacier, you’ll cram in more action than you can shake a trekking pole at. You’ll also have (some) time to relax, whether that means soaking up the silence of the Southern Alps beside a glacial lake, or soaking up the local brew at a west-country pub.

The Adventure Travel Company
Phone: 888-238-2887
Length/Departs: 15 days/year-round
Accommodation: Hotels, camping
Price: $2,570 CDN (land only)
Difficulty: Moderate

Afghanistan
Wakhan Corridor and Afghan Pamir

The Wakhan Corridor, that odd, thin bit of Afghanistan squeezed between Pakistan and Tajikistan, is one of the world’s least-visited places. A relic of the Great Game, the 19th-century struggle between Great Britain and Russia for control of Central Asia, its extreme isolation has made it a closed world of its own. You’ll trek the length of that stunning geographical and cultural landscape, a place few outsiders have ever seen. You enter this world through a pass in the silent snow-peaked walls of the Pamirs, and begin trekking along a valley rich in wildlife, such as Marco Polo sheep, Siberian ibex and snow leopards. You’ll hike high barren uplands and cross lush seasonal meadows, and you’ll also cross paths with Kyrgyz nomads in their summer camps.

Geographic Expeditions
Phone: 800-777-8183
Length/Departs: 24 days/Aug.
Accommodation: Hotels and camping
Price: From $12,595 US (land only)
Difficulty: Challenging

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