Fiji Cruise

I'm growing sick of the months of grayness and now that summer is only a few months away I'm getting itchy to start being outside and I've been finding myself fantasizing about tropical islands thousands of miles away from this rainy state.

DREAM ADVENTURE NUMBER 18: Tui Tai Cruise in Fiji



"You'll spend most of your time wet on a Tui Tai cruise. From snorkeling to sea kayaking, there's hardly a water sport you can't do from the deck of the 140-foot (43-meter) boat, called the Tui Tai. Back onboard, hit the spa or watch paradise glide by from the floor-to-ceiling window of your cabin or from one of the on-deck lounges. Four luxe staterooms have iPod docking stations and queen-size beds; the other eight rooms are slightly more modest and have double beds."
*National Geographic 



This cruise would be one of the most luxurious getaways of my life... but every fucking thing is included in the price; every drink, any activity you wanna do, even diving lessons, every meal, spa treatments, massage done to the sound of a cascading watefall, a morning yoga class on the top deck, kayaking in a volcanic carter... I bet that week would be some of the most fun and easy-going 7 days of my life. It's really expensive for a cruise, at $3,900 per person for the cheapest double bed room, certified scuba classes, PADI diving courses, plus tourism tax but it must be a fucking amazing experience. 5 nights runs you about $3,200. Not doing the scuba and PADI course will save you between 800 to 1,000 bucks. Those are just the regular cruises. Now I am not even going to get started with the honeymoon resort packages of 5 days on the Tui Tai and 5 days at an amazing resort in Fiji... http://www.tuitai.com/honeymoon_packages.php



Each cruies only has 22 guests and 18 staff members. Tui Tai is the only luxury-adventure ship operating in the Pacific Cultural Triangle, providing guests a remarkable look at three distinct cultures that history and circumstance have put together within a nearby triangle of islands. In addition to visiting islands where indigenous Fijians live, Tui Tai sails to islands where Polynesians and Micronesians were relocated after World War II, and where the villagers live in their historically natural ways. Only the Pacific Cultural Triangle offers adventurers a chance to experience such strikingly different cultures and histories during a one-week visit.

Check out their website and fall in love... http://www.tuitai.com



Ahhhhh all these bright beautiful pictures uplifted my spirits.

greatest raft adventure in the USA!

DREAM ADVENTURE NUMBER 17: Raft the Grand Canyon


Endless in scenic wonder, rich in Native American history and loaded with fun and adventure, Western River Expeditions' Grand Canyon rafting tours are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Exploring the Grand Canyon by river is an experience unlike any other. Discover hidden waterfalls and paradisiacal side canyons - areas of Grand Canyon National Park that are accessible only by river. Listen to the sound of the mighty Colorado River as you lie down under a blanket of innumerable stars each night after your Grand Canyon rafting experience. Watch the morning sun cast its warm glow through towering canyon walls. Discover the rush of excitement from legendary Colorado River whitewater. Escape completely on a worry-free vacation with no schedules and no stress - where time stands still. -Western River Expeditions


Plus a photo gallery from Western River Expeditions that only adds to the already burning desire to raft the Grand Canyon.



A couple sample iteneraries from OARS.com:

Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek

Lees Ferry to Whitmore Wash

Side Canyon Hikes
Each day varies, but on an average you'll spend 3-5 hours per day on the boats, with the rest of the time hiking and exploring side canyons, eating, or just relaxing in camp. The easiest hikes are no more difficult than negotiating a few yards of beach sand or stepping over a few rocks. Others may go for several miles over a rough trail, climb steeply up a hot hillside, require the use of both hands over awkward boulders and demand caution as you totter on a narrow trail above a steep cliff. Our guides are happy to help novices with hand and footholds and reassurance. Many times their helpfulness enables the timid and inexperienced to get to special places that many other groups pass by. All hikes are optional. The side hikes take you into the true heart of the canyon that can only be reached by hiking from the river and shouldn’t be missed. -OARS.com

I've read the spring and fall are the best time to partake on this rafting adventure.

-Video from OARS.com

Zambezi River/Victoria Falls

DREAM ADVENTURE 16: Raft the Mighty Zambezi River!!

"White water rafting on the Zambezi River. This is an absolute gem of a trip - featuring big white water, spectacular African scenery and warm sunny weather! One of the many highlights is bobbing around at the base of the magnificent Victoria Falls - definitely one of the more dramatic places on this planet to begin a 7 day river adventure. Your following days are spent challenging some of the most awesome rapids with names like 'Oblivion' and 'Stairway to Heaven' while your nights involve camping on expansive beaches of white sand, gin and tonic in hand listening to the noises of wild Africa. And after completing one of the most exhilarating adventures in the world, you can head off to sample the wildlife viewing that this region is famous for."
*WaterByNature.com

WHEN: August through November



Itinerary posted from WaterByNature.com:

DAY 1: Arrive Livingstone, sample the beauty of the Victoria Falls and then a chance of doing a sunset cruise on the gorgeous Upper Zambezi, before returning to our hotel.

DAY 2: We start the trip beneath one of the Seven Natural Wonders Of The World, Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders) and take on some of the best rapids on the planet. Stairway to Heaven, Devils Toilet Bowl and Star Trek... are just a few!



DAY 3: We load the rafts with all our food and equipment for the rest of the trip and take on exhilerating rapids such as Creamy White Buttocks, the Mother and OBLIVION!

DAY 4: Amazing sights of Fish Eagles amidst other great rapids, Open Season, the Narrows and one of our favourites, Upper Moemba! This is a great adrenaline rush to end the day.

 DAY 5: We portage the rafts around Lower Moemba and the Chabango Falls, then load up again and run the amazing rapid, Ghostrider!

DAY 6: Yay! Its layover day! On a stunning remote sandy beach a chance to relax, swim or try your hand at kayaking!

DAY 7: A great mellow day to relax on more gentle water, take in a few waves and lie back and enjoy the scenery and wildlife.

DAY 8: A gorgeous overnight camp gives rise to the gorge opening out and us rafting amongst hippos and crocs! We pack up the gear and take a spectacular 40 minute helicopter flight through part of the gorge and over the spectacular Victoria Falls arriving back to our lodge on the banks of the Zambezi. You have done one of the best river trips in the world.

DAY 9: A chance for some last minute shopping before your flight home.



Dude, aren't these the most epic rapid names you've ever heard of?!?!




DREAM ADVENTURE 16 1/2: VICTORIA FALLS

Plus isn't Victoria Falls absolutely jaw-dropping?!?!!?!?
No wonder it's a World Heritage site. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest. This claim is based on a width of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) and height of 108 meters (360 ft), forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world.

Boat the Nile

DREAM ADVENTURE NUMBER 15: BOAT UP THE NILE

November to April
5 days approx time



One of the most popular cruises is from Luxor to Awan. You can take a cabin cruise which is basically a floating hotel or if you want a real experience sail in a felucca (traditional wooden sailboats) which would enable you to sightsee at a whim rather than being constrictied to travel intenerary.

I just think it would be cool to sightsee around one of the oldest civilizations of the world and the longest river in the world. Ancient Egypt always fascinated me from learning about it in sixth grade.

Some sights to see along the way include: "Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes, [is] the world's greatest open air musuem; a stunning ancient Egyptian art collection. There is the stupdeneous Karnak Temple, the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon; with statues more than 50 feet high. At the great lock at the Esna, the Nile is trasnformed to chaotic water bazaar as the garrulous traders in rickety boats besiege the river traffic, proffering scarves, trinkets and souvenirs. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best preserved temple in Egypt, and on the riverbank at Kom Ombu a temple with beautiful relief carving stands as wonderrous reminder of the antiquity of this land. The charming southern city of Aswan is a riot of new impressions -- the vivid colours and smells of the souks, the tall graceful Nubian townspeople, the Nile at its most picturesque -- all swaying palm trees, golden dunes and white-sailed fellucas. Here the river is studded with numerous beauitiful islands. Elephantine, the largest, is one of the most ancient sites in Egypt. Just upstream is the first of the NIle's six huge rapids, the High Dam and Lake Nasser..."
*501 Must-Take Journeys. London: Octopus Publishing Group Lmtd, 2008.

blue mountains in australia

DREAM ADVENTURE NUMBER 14: hike the six foot track to the Blue Mountains



Not too far from Sydney, Australia lays the Blue Mountains that actually do look blue due to the mist caused by the eucalyptus trees. The whole trail is 26 miles in length starting from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves. Along the way expect to see beautiful valleys, canyons and wildlife. Especially during dawn and dusk, you may be able to see wallabies, kangaroos, possums, gliders, rosellas, lorikeets and lyrebirds; among the amazing sights of the fauna. Also on the list of things to see are the Cox River -- which you cross by a suspended footbridge and of course the limestone formations of the Jenolan Caves. The best times to go are between March and May and September through November. The journey takes about 3 days (plus an additional couple days to look around the caves) and there are lots of campsite locations along the way.

You can even rent horses, rockclimbing, rent bicycles and there's apparently a few festivals and events at different times of the year... one that sounded interesting was the Georg Mertens’ cello concerts in the Jenolan caves.

The whole Blue Mountains Area become a World Heritage site in 2000. The area totals roughly 10,000 square kilometres, including the Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd, Wollemi, Gardens of Stone, Yengo, Nattai and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks, plus the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve.

The reason why this site was chosen to be included on the World Heritage list is quoted below:
“ "Criteria (ii) and (iv): Australia’s eucalypt vegetation is worthy of recognition as of outstanding universal value, because of its adaptability and evolution in post-Gondwana isolation. The site contains a wide and balanced representation of eucalypt habitats from wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as localised swamps, wetlands, and grassland. 90 eucalypti tax (13% of the global total) and representation of all four groups of eucalypts occur. There is also a high level of endemism with 114 endemic taxa found in the area as well as 120 nationally rare and threatened plant tax. The site hosts several evolutionary relic species (Wollemia, Microstrobos, Acrophyllum) which have persisted in highly restricted micro sites."