There are a few countries that offer great adventures. They are the most attractive tourist destinations for those who crave adventure. Equipped with mountains, lakes, coastlines and other natural resources, these places are perfect for adventure excursions.

1. Croatia:

Croatia has a wide variety of terrains. There are highlands and flat plains. There are low mountains and water bodies. It has many nature parks, national parks and special ranges. You could have all kinds of adventures there. Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, adventure racing, camping, skiing, spelunking, sailing, fishing, kayaking and canoeing are some of the things you can enjoy while in Croatia.

2. Norway:

Norway is a wonderful place to enjoy all the winter sports. There is snowboarding, tobogganing, down-hill and cross-country skiing and ice-fishing among many others. If you’re not into winter sports, then you can always head to the mountains and try hiking, cycling, trekking and summer skiing. Water sports are also in abundance here. Norway has a rich wildlife too.

3. Nepal:

Nepal is best known for Mount Everest. It houses eight of the tallest peaks of the world. The mountain sports are a part of the country’s culture and mountaineering, trekking and climbing are extremely popular among the natives and tourists alike. There are also national parks, game reserves and safaris that will take you into a rich wildlife. You can also enjoy paragliding, bungee jumping, hot air ballooning and rafting.

4. South Africa:

South Africa is a favourite spot for adventure lovers. There are coastlines that will cater to your love for water sports. And there are mountains that will provide adventures on land. South Africa has the highest commercial bungee jump in the world that is a 216 meters drop. It also boasts the highest abseil that is 112 meters high.

5. Switzerland:

Switzerland is one of the hot-favourite tourist spots for lovers of winter sports. It offers all the attractions including snowboarding, ice climbing, skiing, dog sledding and tobogganing. Read the full story

What could be better than stepping around with dozens of sea birds, and those humble marine iguanas having prehistoric looks? Galapagos yacht cruise simply takes you to the world of imagination, the fantasy of following the Charles Darwin’s footprints and his renowned theory about the wonders of Mother Nature.

The experience of the cruise can’t be put into words and is beyond once imagination. To live in an 8-day Galapagos cruise is one hell of an adventure which no one will regret for sure.

Packages ‘Rutahsa Adventures’ Provides

There are a number of reasonable packages which Rutahsa Adventures is providing in order to book eight day/seven night cruise for Galapagos Islands. Rutahsa Adventures uses captivating long journey yachts Cachalote I, Beluga, and Angelito. Furthermore, they book, the beagle, Sea Cloud, Diamante Sagitta, and Samba yachts, which are provided by Andando Tours.

The cost of the cruise as well as that of the airfare from the initial main land differs according to the seasonal demands.  The two months of May to June and from September to October comes under the ‘low season’. For instance, the low season of 2005, issued rates on the Cachalote I and Beluga were $1619 and $2259 respectively ($2179 for cabins 6 & 7) per person.

Similarly, in case of 2005 high season, (i.e. except the months of May, June, September and October) the Cachalote I and Beluga rates were $1799 and $2510 ($2420 for cabins 6 and 7) per person. Hence, Rutahsa Adventures are providing 10 percent discount for the booking of the cruise.

Air fares from the source, i.e. Ecuador to the destination Galapagos vary with low and high seasons. So, the finest thing would be to enquire for a price quote for the dates, specifically one wish to take a tour.

The Complete Cruise Packages

As mentioned before, the complete cruise packages generally consist of.

• Eight day/ seven night cruise on the yacht
• Provided with the airfare from the mainland to the destination, i.e. Galapagos Islands
• The complete meals
• Visit to the bilingual national park naturalist-guide, including the services
• Lodging for the whole two nights in Guayaquil or Quito
• Depending on the yacht selected for the trip, season, and port of entry into either Quito or Guayaquil.

Prices that are not considered and included in the package are:

• The bar services in the cruise
• US-Ecuador-US meals in Quito or Guayaquil
• Tax of $25 (Ecuador exit tax)
• Entry ticket for Galapagos National Park ($100)
• And tips provided for the guide and yacht squad.

Tourist with finite time

There are some short term travelers too, for them; there is a complete package of five days-four nights cruises. Although if one wants to get the full entertainment out of the cruise trip as well as to value the wonders of the Galapagos Island to the fullest, a week long cruise is highly recommended, but for limited time travelers, the five day packages are always welcomed.

Illustration of Galápagos Islands cruise journey

Presented below is the sample of the Galapagos Islands cruise journey for the complete eight days. (The real itinerary for the Cachalote I, 2003)

Day 1

The fun filled journey starts from a flight from Quito to Baltra Island, i.e. Galapagos Islands; Cachalote and I were boarded. Read the full story

If you are a free soul traveler and don’t like being tied to a group to make some real fun during traveling then you can make real travel plans for you. You can find many programs that are designed for independent travelers to make your travel unforgettable. If you are considering visiting Ecuador this time then you can find many suppliers of adventure and other cultural travel services.

When Deciding Ecuador Tour

When you decide Ecuador tour you can consider many things to do in Ecuador like alpine trekking, soft adventure excursions, short cultural trip, mountain climbing adventure and a lot more. You can have all these facilities booked for you in advance by contacting any travel provider. What you will have to do then is to arrive in Ecuador, relax in your room and enjoy all these activities whenever you want. You can search your destinations in Ecuador and have them booked in advance with a reliable travel service supplier.

Ecuador Short Cultural & Soft Adventure Trips

Following are some of the best travel tours that you can enjoy in Ecuador:

Otavalo Countryside Tour

The total length of this tour is 3 days and 2 nights. Each day you will have a chance to experience different activities. On day one a bilingual driver will pick you in a private bus from Quito and he will take you to a great landmark of Ecuador i.e. Mital del Mundo. This is one of the highlighted monuments in Ecuador. You will then be traveling to the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. During this travel you can experience wonderful views of snow-caped glacier Antisana Volcano. That private bus would take you to the Termas Papallacta where a number of hot spring spa is available. You can enjoy an unforgettable afternoon there bathing in hot pools and enjoying bright sun with cool breezes that come from mountains. IF you don’t want to experience these thermal pools then you can enjoy hiking or horseback riding in the mountain valley. You can enjoy spa in the evening after a great afternoon of riding or hiking. You next destination will be a small hotel in the springs.

One day two, your guide will take you to the stunning province of Imbabura where there us a peaceful lake named Laguma Cuicocha. Here you can enjoy hiking along the trail around the top edge of the volcanic opening. Presence of beautiful flowers and scenic views would be great enough to revive your inner self. The night will spend at Hosteria Chorlavi.

One day three, which is the last day of your trip your guide will take you to the colorful Otavalo Mercado de ponchos. This popular artisan’s market is offering a lot more than ponchos. You can buy a number of things here like alpaca sweaters. However, to buy at good price you should be a good bargainer. On the last day, your guide will drop you back in Quito at your hotel.

An Amazon Basin Experience

The length of this trip is 5 days and 4 nights. On day one, your trip organizer will send a guide who will pick you from Quito. He will take you to the upper regions of Eastern Cordillera of the Andes from where he will take you to the Amazon Basin close to the town of Misahualli. There will be great scenic places for you to teat your eyes during this journey.

On day two and three you will be staying at Cabanas Alinahui that is a relaxing camp on the banks of the tranquil Rio Napo that is a main tributary to the river Amazon. Here you will be spending two days of your tour and you will be exploring the Amazon jungle. You can enjoy guided jungle hikes to witness the unique vegetation of this jungle which is illustrated with lianas, bromeliads, philodendrons, orchids and giant ceiba trees. There is a hospital in this jungle that looks after injured animals and you can meet animals in this hospital. You can also enjoy exploring the river by taking ride in the dugout canoe. The trip to Amazon jungle is available with variable options depending on the local conditions and interests of travelers. Cabanas Alinahui is operated by the program named the Jatun Sacha Biological Preserve, so when you stay here it means you are contributing to this program and helping them to preserve the biodiversity of Amazon.

Read the full story

If you love adventure travel and do not care much about travel warnings issued by US and other governments, Cambodia should be your next destination. Cambodia is situated in South East Asia, between Vietnam and Thailand.  Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s capital in every sense of the word. The city is so rich in culture and tourist attractions that it can keep you busy for more than  a week.

But if you have only a weekend to spare,  we recommend that you should take a early flight to Phnom Penh in on Friday afternoon and  enjoy Saturday and Sunday packaged tours of the city and then take a late night flight on Sunday night back to home. This  way you will enjoy a great weekend tour of the city.

If you are  have only one place to visit in Phnom Penh, It has to be the Royal Palace. It is a complex of buildings constructed a century ago for King of Cambodia.  It was also a venue of his court and a symbol of his kingdom. The Royal Palace and attached ‘Silver Pagoda’ compound has several buildings, structures and gardens that are all located within 800  meter square walled grounds. The Compound also overlooks a riverfront park.

Read the full story

Every year in Europe so many new hostels open, because of that they are always having tough competition amongst them. It’s easy to find hostel in any city of Europe, but to find best one from so many hostels in any city is difficult.

We had searched and made a list of 17 hostels in Europe, which are the best ones. We wont guarantee that you will like it or not because every human haves his own choice. But we think that by booking our mentioned top hostels you will have a fascinating stay in Europe.

1 – St. Christopher’s at The Winston, Amsterdam

The Winston is famous in top Dutch city. Located in the heart of Amsterdam between Dam Square and Red-Light District. The hostel haves well furnished neat and clean 30 private rooms, a private beer garden, and their well-known nightclub. The local artists decorate all of its 30 private rooms.

It haves Amsterdam’s one and only Belushi’s bar with great food and drinks, also haves a nightclub.

2 – Albareda Youth hostel, Barcelona

This is the newer hostel in Barcelona got fame so rapidly from that it can be known easily that they will be doing right to establish more their hostel. That youth hostel is located in the Sants-Montjuic district, in the famous Avenue Paral.lel. The hostel staff is nice and friendly. The facilities are clean, and free Wi-Fi.

Surroundings of hostel haves best place to go out the coolest bars, clubs and restaurants are only few steps away from hostel.

Read the full story