Looking for an exhilarating and challenging quickie summer escape? Consider Canadian Mountain Holidays acknowledged world’s leading heli-hiking operator for 35+ years. When the powder poufs and the ski season closes, CMH offers “Summer Adventures,” an invigorating menu of stellar guests leading inspirational 3-day trips. July and August 2013.
Set amid North America’s most spectacular mountains in the southeastern quadrant of British Columbia, this is the perfect program for adventurous solo travelers.
Chop Chop. Thrilling helicopter transport to and from the lodges, in and out of the most gorgeous peaks and valleys.
Days are spent heli-hiking, mountaineering, rappelling, climbing, and/or swimming in glacial lakes in small groups. Or for the less intrepid: leisurely guided walks through mountain meadows carpeted in wildflowers and Jacuzzi tub soaks. Each evening, back into the comforts of the lodge, listen to one of the guest speakers’ dramatic presentations and dive into the excellent meals served family style at communal tables. Similar interests and shared experience prompt an easy camaraderie and good cheer.
Who’s onboard?
A renowned anthropologist, ornithologist, botanist, chef and photographer.
- Dr. Cam Gillies – Ornithologist, photographer and a keen birder who has traveled and birded his way through much of North and South America. July 12-15, 2013
- Wade Davis – National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence – who will enthrall guests with his acclaimed Massey Lecture, “The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World.” July 21-24, 2013
- Brian Keating – Adventurer, explorer and global environmentalist. Host of his own show on the Discovery Channel joins his wife Dee to lead an entertaining (and sometimes hilarious) Family Adventure for kids of all ages. Superb storytellers, their tall and true tales are CMH highlights. July 21-24, 2013
- Peter Potterfield – Outdoor Adventure Journalist and Photographer leads guests on lodge-to-lodge adventures, sharing stories and photos from his world travels in the evenings. August 11-17, 2013
- John Ash – Chef/owner of his beloved Santa Rosa, CA restaurant, an original culinary star in Northern California wine country with his focus on local, seasonal ingredients and local wines. August 26-29, 2013
There’s still time to sign on. For more details please click directly: http://www.canadianmountainholidays.com/heli-hiking/trips/speakers.
Saddle up to ride in Iceland, the ancient Viking landscape and home of the free-roaming, talented Icelandic horse. Ride with the wind through glacial gorges, past rugged fiords, active volcanoes, thundering waterfalls, lava fields, steaming hot springs, and along smooth beaches framed by the Atlantic Ocean along trails known only to locals.
Off trail, participants will sail out to sea to visit the bird cliffs, visit the shark museum in Bjarnarhöfn, and explore the colorful, historic western fishing village of Stykkishólmur. Back in Reykjavik, the world’s northernmost capital, adventurers will enjoy a rousing “Viking Feast celebratory farewell dinner, and spend a relaxing afternoon soaking in the warm, mineral-rich waters of Iceland’s famous “Blue Lagoon” Hot Springs and Spa.
Although the snow leopard numbers are relatively high in this area, actual sightings are not frequent. Most important though, Olaf says, “We may or may not see one, but being in its habitat, finding signs of its presence, and learning firsthand about the efforts of global conservation leaders and traditional nomads to save the legendary feline, is worth the endeavor…”
The Costa Rica based 
“Our goal is to attract discerning interns who can help us ensure that we deliver that perfect blend of sustainable hospitality and luxury,” says Hans Pfister, co-founder and president of the Cayuga Collection. “Every year, we welcome young interns who work hard on our programs; but now we need a well-travelled person or couple who can test our blend of high-end service and responsible tourism.”
Interns will be asked to write about their experiences on Cayuga’s blog as they ‘work’ through the amenities with an eye to evaluating and improving the rooms, bungalows, casitas or villas; the daily meals; tours and activities such as rainforest and waterfall hikes, canopy tours, river rafting, horseback riding, mangrove kayaking and surfing; spa and wellness services, cooking classes, dance and Spanish language classes.
In the “
On the border of Spain, with the great spiky Pyrenees mountain range as backdrop, the Midi-Pyrenees is an area characterized by magnificent architecture, medieval villages, river valleys, rolling farmlands, and food that is fabulous as only the French can deliver. Ultimate perk of this trip: Aurélie will introduce you to the beloved local chef with 30 years experience tucked under his apron, Jean-François Martin who will open up his restaurant’s kitchen to teach you a trick or two about his exquisitely healthy “market” cuisine during hands-on classes.
A visit to the Marché Victor Hugo, one of the largest indoor food markets in France with over 100 shops, offers mounds of farm-fresh produce. Aurélie will also lead you through an unmarked door, upstairs, where five small and very lively restaurants serve the freshest food in Toulouse. Set side by side, lunch-goers must walk through each one, checking the large chalkboard menus of specialties to get to the right one – and she knows which one that is! The menu stars here are home-cooked cassoulet (a slow-cooked stew of white beans, sausages and duck or goose confit) and Mediterranean-style grilled fish.
In Liguria, northwestern Italy, there are 30 superb coastline miles between Portofino and Cinque Terre, perhaps the loveliest of Italy’s thousands of miles of beach. It is here that the Apennine Mountains drop a thousand feet straight down into the turquoise Ligurian Sea. Small, colorfully painted homes cling to the rugged cliffs. Ancient olive trees dot the terraced hills framing the inlets, harbors, bobbing boats, vineyards and scrub – barely accessible even by foot.
A sea kayak is about 18-19 feet long and carries one or two paddlers. Adventure kayaker Grant Thompson, founder, welcomes novices, preferably those with muscles. He calls kayaking a “cadence” type of sport, like cycling or cross-country skiing, where one becomes immersed in rhythmic movement as opposed to having to exert a great deal of strength. From the water, participants will enjoy a unique view of this intensely dramatic and intricate coastline.
As you and your small group (12 max) paddle south along the coast of Cinque Terre (“five villages”) there will be plenty of breaks to enjoy short hikes into vineyards and olive groves. Visiting the car-free fishing village of Vernazza will be a satisfying treat, sampling warm focaccia bread, sipping the vino delle Cinque Terre, and hiking in ancient Phoenician ruins.
The land of Ethiopia, rich in natural, cultural and religious treasures and centered on the crossroads between North Africa, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa is consistently hailed as a must-see destination. Its 2,500 years of documented history (and 1500 years of Christian observance) has been ruled by a dramatic progression of warlords, emperors, and kings. Ethiopia’s 80 distinct ethnic groups each contributes to the rich cultural stew of life today which abounds with colorful ceremonies, traditional and sacred music, dance and theater.
ET African Journeys
The trip will also take participants to see 1,700-year old stelae (obelisks), St. Mary Zion Church and the Sanctuary Chapel, the reputed resting place of the biblical Ark of the Covenant in Axum near the Eritrean border. In Lalibela, built as a “New Jerusalem” by Emperor Lalibela in response to the Muslim capture of Jerusalem in 1187, the trip will visit some of the twelve UNESCO-designated subterranean churches cut from red volcanic rock – still places of active worship and pilgrimage destination.
Academy Award-winner and famed documentarian, Ken Burns, creator of The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The National Parks and most recently, The Central Park Five, is partnering with
“So many of the things that have shaped America are also reflected in baseball, from race relations to women’s rights to multiculturalism,” Burns has stated. “And baseball reveals the best and the worst in us while ultimately celebrating the human spirit. Baseball is about greed and scandal, but it’s also about teamwork and poise under pressure. It’s about sorrow and disappointment, but it’s also about perennial optimism and hard-won triumph. Baseball is truly a mirror in which we can all see pieces of ourselves and our own experiences reflected.”
Perks of the event include: meeting former Major League players and enjoying talks by baseball experts such as historian and author Daniel Okrent, creator of “fantasy baseball” (prominently featured in both of Burns’ baseball films.) Another perk? Getting to meet baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, nicknamed “Knucksie” for his killer knuckleball. Meet outfielder Doug Glanville, Tom Heitz former Hall of Fame Librarian; and a former member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Tauck CEO Dan Mahar says, “Ken’s broader perspectives on America, gained through all of his films, allow him to view the sport within the larger context of American culture and history.”
Patagonia, a word that conjures remoteness … jagged snow-peaked mountains, glacial lakes, vast scrubby brush, brooding pampas, galloping horses, deep silence and Bruce Chatwin’s best-selling travel meditation on the “end of the world.” Patagonia beckons with a distinct hint of eternality.
Venture with Celine Cousteau into the private Melimoyu Reserve, a one-of-a-kind glacial bio-haven, home to a variety of flora and fauna not found anywhere else on earth. Wild and beautiful. Set on the Gulf of Corcovado, Melimoyu’s rainforests, waterfalls, ice-covered mountains are all home to rare and unique species of animals and birds, such as Darwin’s frog, Magellanic penguins, pumas, pudú (an endangered miniature deer), gigantic blue whales, fur seals, and sea lions.
La Estrella is their luxuriously rustic ranch in the Valle California Reserve, set along the river in the Andean foothills. The expert expedition team welcomes only 12 guests at a time, with a menu of experiential treats: horseback riding, river fishing in the pristine El Tigre River, hiking, kayaking, float trips, mountain biking, and limitless bird watching.
A new 8-night trip in Jordan, offered locally by Terhaal can be booked in the U.S. via Tennessee-based 
Departing from Amman, the hilly capital, travel by mini bus and 4×4’s with some good walking prospects en route. Although one cannot sink or swim in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea, one can float and read while bobbing on the surface. In the Red Sea resort city of Aqaba, there’s time for snorkeling and sun.