We’re celebrating 16 years of Outlook Traveller with a bunch of great travel ideas for you. These
Try volcano boarding in Nicaragua, ride all day across snow terrain with huskies in Finland, snorkel with sharks in Mexico, fly across Kenya in a biplane or explore Mayan caves in Belize…here’s a list of adventures that will give that extra boost of adrenaline to your inner adventure junkie.
1. Volcano boarding on Cerro Negro, Nicaragua
When the active volcano Cerro Negro (literally, black hill) erupts, it emits ash, not lava. And imagine a 167-year-old ash-covered hillside—courtesy of many ash eruptions—that you can slide down on. This unique sport, known as volcano boarding, is best enjoyed at this particular Central American volcano. You trek up the 728m hill to the cone, from where the three-minute-or-so long downhill slide starts, touching speeds of nearly 100kmph. Nicaraguan tour operator Vapues Tours offers a volcano-boarding group excursion that includes transportation, training and gear (from $25 per person; volcanoboard.com). Cerro Negro is about 24km from León, Nicaragua’s second largest city.
2. Husky tour in Finland
Imagine exploring Finland on a sled pulled by agile and strong huskies. Artisan Travel has designed a seven-night ‘Wilderness Winter Husky’ tour. It includes husky safaris across the pristine Pallas-Ylläs National Park, where you’ll be riding with your pack all day across snow-terrain filled with beautiful forests, routes and frozen lakes. The icing on the cake are the Finnish wilderness cabins where you will spend the safari nights. Of course, caring for your dogs and their needs will also be an integral part of the experience. (From €2,095 for two, December onwards; rate includes meals, accommodation, return flights from London to Kittilä, transfers, instructors and guides and cold weather clothing; artisantravel.co.uk/holidays/husky-safariholiday) Arctic Sled Dog Centre, from where the journey begins, is near Kittilä Airport in Finland.
3. Swimming with sharks in Mexico
Think shark and danger is the first word that pops up in one’s head. But not at Xcaret Park, an eco-archaeological park in Cancun, Mexico. Here, nurse sharks have been trained by experts and one can swim with them. The ‘Sharks! Interactive Adventure’ experience includes briefing, performance by trainers, shark interaction and, of course, supervised snorkelling sessions. This 40-min experience is also child-friendly (minimum age 8; $59 per person, includes snorkelling gear; xcaret.com/swim-with-sharks. php). Cancun, located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, has an international airport.
4. Biplane ride across Kenya
Remember those biplanes from Tintin comics and Looney Tunes cartoons—the ones with a front propeller? What if you could go on a safari in one of them above the African jungles? Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, a 62,000-acre wildlife sanctuary, provides the opportunity to do just that. Lewa Wilderness Lodge claims to operate the only such service in Africa—where you and your partner can hop onto an open-cockpit biplane driven by an ex-crop-dusting pilot who knows his way around flying at low altitudes and providing a breathtaking experience; lewawilderness.org. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is 198 km from Nairobi International Airport.
5. Horse safaris in Kenya
How about experiencing the Kenyan wilds on horseback? Borana Lodge, located in Kenya and equipped with eight gorgeous cottages, offers ‘riding safaris’. You could choose for these custom-tailored experiences to last anything between one and 10 days, but that’s not even the best part—you spend your nights either fly camping in one of their community-owned lodges or in the cabins by Lake Rutundu, located on Mount Kenya’s slopes. Bonus: A horseback safari is a great way to spot animals as they are likelier to approach a horse easily, unlike a vehicle; borana.co.ke/activities/riding-safaris.html
6. Mayan cave exploration in Belize
There’s a lot of enigma surrounding the Mayans—their script, complex calendars, mythological legends and immense astrological and mathematical knowledge are all reasons enough to arouse interest. Perhaps there’s even more to uncover in their cave systems? Caves Branch Adventure Company allows one to spend a day exploring a Mayan cave in Belize, Central America. The excursion begins with a 40 min hike through a jungle, followed by an exploration of the actual cave chambers, which contain millennia-old fire pits, earthen pots, bowls, relics, glyph writings and even skeletons of people once sacrificed…yikes! $85 per person, taxes extra; includes lunch, helmet, headlights and water; cavesbranch.com/belize-mayan-cave-tour
Artisan Travel
Belize
Borana Lodge
