Tuesday, February 19, 2013

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Vacation adventure companies, find a suitable for you

For most of us, the time of book, plan and execute a holiday adventure, while giving our busy lives is impossible border, reason why we have holiday adventure companies to do it for us. With this in mind how one know which company to choose? Adventure holidays are high-risk ventures, of course, opting for an agent simply because it has the lowest prices perhaps it is not the best idea.

The first thing which I recommend is to ask around. Perhaps you know of someone who has traveled overseas with the aid of an adventure company, one that they speak highly of and recommend. If you don't know of someone whom you can ask then try looking around the internet or sign up to a website forum such as the Lonely Planet forum to ask for advice. Be sure to make your requests from several sources as although the majority of members who participate in website forum discussions do so out of their good will, there are always the small percentage who may be recommending 3rd party companies for commission.

Another idea is to call your local travel agents and ask if they have any recommendations for you. Travel agents take a large amount of commission but only if you use them to make bookings, their wealth of information is free until this point. Call them up or even better if you have time visit them during your lunch break and ask about their adventure holiday options. Also request any pamphlets and fliers they may have as almost always these will have website addresses written on them. This is one of my preferred options as very few travel agents would risk using 2nd rate adventure companies for chance of ruining their reputation within the industry. Be warned though, that prices may be significantly higher when using a big company.

Alternatively, you could just not do any planning at all and just land in your location of choice, unknown to what you will do, see or achieve. Use reviews from travel guides for smaller travel agencies within the places you wish to visit and just travel there however be sure that you have a quality travel insurance cover if you wish to do this!

In conclusion, whichever method you choose you should always remember to trust your instincts, if you feel like someone is getting the better of you then they probably are.

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Adventure Holiday Companies - Booking and Preparing for Your Trip

A safe, fun and memorable adventure holiday is becoming an increasingly popular way to spend vacation these days and the possibilities are endless. You can undertake the adventure on a solo journey, bring your spouse along or even take the whole family. Almost all adventures you could think of are available in some form or another, such options can include sailing a small yacht across the Mediterranean sea, riding ATV's through Kakadu National Park in the Australian outback, renting a deserted island from local indigenous people off the coast of Panama or hiking to the Lost City in the jungles of Colombia. Of course, none of these options would be as safe as visiting Disneyland but by undergoing a little preparation and following several guidelines risks can be brought to a minimum, allowing you to return home and spend the next few months bragging about your adventure to your relatives, friends and colleagues - with every right to do so.

Adventure Holiday Companies - Booking and Preparing for Your Trip

Booking your adventure holiday can seem like a daunting task at first, with so many things to consider. One has to worry about company reputation and whether they follow necessary stringent procedures in order to make your trip not only safe but enjoyable. Being squashed into an overcrowded minivan for 8 hours on the mountainous peruvian roads is no fun and not worth saving a few dollars, believe me.

Adventure Holiday Companies - Booking and Preparing for Your Trip

Ideally your booking should be made through a larger recognized company which must protect it's reputation, as opposed to smaller companies whose issues may fly under the radar as they are not well established. Any company you do choose, make sure to perform a Google search and look for people's reviews to find out about how their experiences were. Unfortunately there are a large amount of shady characters in this industry so 'winging it' is just not a good idea.

Planning your trip should be fun, this is actually one of my favourite parts of travel. I love using tools such as Google Maps and Google Earth, viewing photos of certain locations on Flickr and reading about other peoples experiences on web forums. These are all great ways to know what to expect upon arrival and also, if visiting a 3rd world country it's a fantastic way to familiarise yourself with many common scams, such as taxi drivers overcharging foreigners or people exchanging false local bills for your currency. Ask lots and lots of questions, you will be surprised at what you learn, not only about location but also which gear to bring or which airline is best.

Also, something which I view as a necessity is an insurance policy but be careful, these can become very expensive very quickly! Know exactly which activities you will undertake and create your policy specifically for these however allow yourself the ability to include more during your trip in case you encounter something you wish to do at a later date. Compare prices with other companies, don't necessarily use the insurance offered by your adventure holiday company as they receive a large amount of commission.

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Trip to Argentina is particularly interesting for travellers in search of adventure. Iguazu tropical heat to frozen glacier southern ice fields, active travelers can find a variety of free activities that explore this great country. In particular, Patagonia tours offer fun for the whole year. In winter, the region is home to ski resorts and in summer, Patagonia has volcanoes, glaciers, lakes, rivers and mountains all present challenges for adventure small towns, tours and attractions it is definitely worthwhile to explore.

adventure travel argentina

In the surroundings of Bariloche area incorporates the possibility of adventure Patagonia tour. This city is becoming a destination of travel of top Argentina between the domestic and foreign tourists who are attracted by the activities of the Lake and the mountains in the summer, which runs from December to March in this hemisphere. Bariloche is on the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake, one of the largest lakes in the region, and the implementation in Earth scene to practice water sports such as jet ski, windsurfing, sailing, fishing and kayaking. The surrounding hills are ideal for trekking in points as (mounts) Bell, Otto and Tronador hills. Well-marked trails lead to the desert of the Madonna of the mountain, where travelers can practice mountaineering or rock climbing.

The nice thing about Bariloche is that winter brings a whole different set of adventures. At Cerro Catedral, travelers interested in winter sports can practice skiing, snowboarding, and various other snow sports at one of the top ski resorts in South America. The surrounding region also boasts other top resorts at Chapelco and El Bolson.

Further south, options for Patagonia tours continue. El Calafate and El Chalten serve as base towns for all sorts of adventure. A principal attraction is the Perito Moreno Glacier, which can be accessed as part of a day trip from El Calafate. One here, travelers can continue up to the face of the glacier on a boat tour, trek on top of the glacier, or merely observe from a safe distance the wondrous sight of chunks of ice falling into Lake Argentino.

Around El Chalten, travelers interested in trekking will find a bounty of opportunities. The most popular trek is to the iconic Mount Fitz Roy, but there are other surrounding peaks worth checking out and the landscape of rivers, lakes, streams, and forest is simply sublime. Horseback riding is an alternative way to explore this part of Argentina. From El Calafate and El Chalten, further travel can be arranged west into Chile (Torres del Paine National Park) or east to Rio Gallegos, Ushuaia, and the Beagle Channel.

Animal volunteer programs in Ecuador

The Ecuador is small. Especially compared to the size of some of the other Nations down in Latin America (ahem...) Argentina). It is about only the size of the State of Colorado of the United States, but somehow this small country offers an impressive impact with Amazon jungle, mountains covered by snow, active volcanoes and stunning coastal surroundings within a short bus ride away; And of course all the different possibilities for voluntary go right on its side.

1. Hacienda Tranquila

Encounter the isles that influenced Charles Darwin's research and altered the face of scientific research. Hacienda Tranquila is just one of the handful of grassroots volunteer options on the Galapagos islands. Most of the volunteer work is reforestation and natural and organic agriculture(which includes obtaining milk from their very own cow! yummm). The hacienda also operates a fantastic horse-therapy method, so volunteers will be able to assist the local handicapped group and care for some charming horses. Hacienda Tranquila is situated right on San Cristobal isle, which provides volunteers with an excellent opportunity to check out all that the Galapagos has to present. Volunteers may only remain here for a maximum of 3 months owing to the National Park permit limitations of the Galapagos. Volunteering fees are approximately 150 dollars per week, and do not incorporate travel to the Galapagos, or entry into the park.

2. Merazonia

Reside and work in one of the planets lushest jungles: the Amazon rainforest. Volunteers at Merazonia will have the opportunity to work with a wide range of monkeys such as: Capuchin, Tamarin and Wooly monkeys ad well as unique birds such as parrots and macaws, numerous small mammals and a few felines! The workday generally will last from 7:30 am to 3pm. The work is very physically involved, including a lot of cleaning, creating new tracks and enclosures and arranging meals for the animals; but volunteers will also have a good deal of free time to rest, check out the forest, or go swimming in some magnificent waterfalls. Volunteers are situated in a dorm style house that holds up to 8 volunteers; next to the restroom with eco-friendly compost toilets and hot showers! Volunteers may remain at this project for as long as they desire. Merazonia does ask for a fee of 120 dollars per week for the first 2 weeks, weeks 2-6 are 100 dollars per week, and any weeks following that are 80 dollars.

3. Andean Bear Conservation Project

The objective of the Andean Bear Conservation Project is to protect the vulnerable andean bear from annihilation by way of in field research and rescue and release plans. Volunteers may either help in the field or in the rescue program. Not many details are offered for volunteering on this job, so volunteers may contact them at volunteer@andeanbear.org for more info on rates and housing.

4. Guayabillas

Situated in Ibarra to the north in Ecuador Guayabillas is an outstanding center that homes 3 Galapagos tortoises, 2 lions and as assortment of monkeys, parrots and sloths. This program is very grounded and enables volunteers to see all facets of the rescue and release program. Volunteers may go with the owner to the market place to get food for animals, go alongside on the trip when the animals are introduced into the jungle and of course oversee their day-to-day care. Host families are offered for volunteers, or they may possibly stay at the center (provided there is space available). All food is provided as well.

Top 5 tourist information tell Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon: the product of hundreds of millions of years of geological changes, culminating in the creation of one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Few people are aware of the magnitude of its National Park, which occupies an area of more than 434 km; over twice the length of Wales. Here, let's take a look at some of the National Park more tempting of hiking trails:

1 Hermit Trail

The path of the Hermitage was founded by Louis d. Boucher, a local resident, who created the Boucher trail and was an important member of the community, the South end. This trail begins and ends at the hermit Trailhead, located at an altitude of 2,024 metres, before quickly descending to an altitude of 884 meters Creek hermit. Here, visitors can observe some of the best views, without interruption to the sunset in the Park as a whole, although during the summer may walkers arrive there first to ensure the best viewing points.

2 Rim Trail

The path of the edge is a relatively simple way and has a variation of only 200 meters of altitude. This is much more suitable for winter hiking, when routes are largely inaccessible. Much of the route contains modern apartments and visitors can enjoy magnificent views of the inner Canyon. However, during storms, the area is very exposed and potential visitors should consider removing the local weather forecast before embarking on the road.

3 Grandview Trail

Created by mining of copper Peter Berry, hikers in the Grandview trail are received from the Supai group, accompanying them at the Horseshoe table. Under the table of la Herradura is the cave of the domes, which is known for its striking limestone formations, many of which have been developed over thousands of years. The route is one of the steepest hikes in the Park and is recommended only for experienced hikers.

4 North Kaibab Trail

Any great travel guide canon will agree that one of the tougher trails is the North Kaibab Trail. The route is 45 km and descends nearly 1,800 meters. The trip begins near the waterfall near Roaring Springs and ends at the Colorado River. For less experienced hikers, however, the return trip to simple four miles from Supai tunnel or the return trip of 1.5 miles per Coconino Overlook should be more than enough to capture the intense beauty of this road.

5 Bright Angel point Trail

This is one of the easiest and is perfect to catch the sunrise and sunset over the barrel. The route can be completed in as little as 10-20 minutes and start a log shelter before continuing for approximately 0.8 miles. Along this narrow path, walkers can see the Kaibab limestone and enjoy fabulous views that extend to the peak of San Francisco North Flagstaff.

The Grand Canyon: A desert landscape with jewels to discover

It would take years, if not decades, even the most ambitious Explorer put fingerprints on every trail in the Grand Canyon National Park. In fact, this vast desert contains many more routes, some of which have remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years.

Colombia - Travel to Tayrona National Park

The National Park Tayrona in Colombia is 34 km from the city of Santa Marta, on the Caribbean Sea. The Park was the home of the Tayrona indigenous people. The Park includes 12,000 hectares of land and 3,000 hectares of sea. The Park stretches along the Caribbean Sea and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There is an incredible amount of biodiversity within the Park.

Colombia - Travel to Tayrona National Park

A popular way to view the park is by trekking through the park and visiting the various sites along the way. There are accommodations for sleeping and eating along the way. The main sites are Canaveral, Arrecifes, La Piscina, and El Cabo. They are all breathtakingly beautiful. To enter the park, one has to take a bus or a taxi from Santa Marta to the park entrance. The first site in the trek is La Piscina, about a one and a half hour walk.

Colombia - Travel to Tayrona National Park

La Piscina is a beach within the park. The water part of the beach is well protected and is relatively calm, therefore it has adopted the name La Piscina, which means the pool in English. La Piscina is a great place for the family to take a swim without the worry of currents and large waves. Therefore this is a favorite site for families to visit.

Arrecifes is another beach location. It is a particularly gorgeous beach. At Arrecifes there are dangerous currents in the sea, so swimming is not allowed, but the viewing is fantastic. That makes this site more desirable to view and take pictures.

Canaveral is a popular location to visit because it is the only site in the park that is accessible by car. At Canaveral there are some excellent costal views and there are also some archeological sites to see. Canaveral is usually not viewed on a trek through the park, but best visited by a short bus ride.

El Cabo is the most beautiful beach with its amazing rock formations, and it is the most crowded. The water currents are not too strong there, so it is safe for swimming. El Cabo is a beach that is the most photographed.

There are accommodations for sleeping and eating along the trek, including camping. The food and the drinks within the park are generally more expensive.

Colombia has many national parks that are very memorable experiences and wonderful places to visit. The Tayrona National Park has some of the most pristine beaches of the Caribbean. That makes this park a very popular attraction for Colombians and tourists alike. The national parks of Colombia are preserved and protected by the government of Colombia. If one is visiting Colombia, the Tayrona National Park is a must see attraction.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Unless the Lord Builds the House

This week Teri and I joined about 3500 others from around the world for the 61st annual National Prayer Breakfast. It was great to get to know the Oklahoma delegation (mostly from Tulsa it turns out) and to connect with an eclectic group of business leaders, politicians and spiritual leaders who have come together to lift up the name of Jesus and to come together for prayer for our country. How great to be in one place with a wide community of believers from all over the world. Here are a few of my takeaways from the actual prayer breakfast and from some of the events surrounding it.

The first observation I would make is that in Washington D.C. there is an overwhelming sense of unshakeable and unrelenting power. When you walk among those gigantic marble buildings with their huge pillars and Greco-Roman statutes looking down from above, you get the idea they will stand forever. They seem unmoveable and steadfast. Of course this is exactly what they are meant to communicate and there is a sense that as Americans we want to believe in the stability and sustainability of our institutions. But there is also the unsteady sense that the government "by the people and for the people" can easily become more about power and less about people. The architecture here in Washington communicates bigness and therefore by contrast communicates how small you are in comparison.

But our founding fathers mistrusted the power of government as a matter of philosophical conviction and first hand experience. George Washington put it succinctly,

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence - it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearsome master.

His words are both a warning and a lesson.

The warning is that each of us as citizens has a responsibility to participate in our government so as to keep it in check. "A democracy is dependent upon an informed electorate" Dr. Benjamin Carson reminded the audience on Thursday morning at the main event.

The lesson is that there is no guarantee that our personal freedoms will always be preserved. The role of government is to protect and insure individual liberty and to uphold the rule of law. When government functions in this way it is an enormous blessing. When it fails to do this it is a horrible curse. The reason government is a dangerous servant is because it is by it's very nature hungry for power. It has an enormous appetite that can seem impossible to satisfy. Scripture teaches us to have both respect and fear for government.

There is a warning found in the story of the Israelites. The original migration of the children of Isaac into Egypt was to seek protection, security and grain. But it only took a few generations before the entire nation was living in slavery. The Bible is warning us that a just and orderly government that protects and feeds it's people may only be a few generations away from becoming it's fearsome master.

But just as our government can become a fearsome master, it can also become a worthless servant. We had dinner on our last night with a pastor from Liberia Africa who gave me a succinct and dramtic illustration of this very truth. He told us that his country was originally founded by freed slaves who desired to bring biblical principles to bear on a new country in their homeland. But in just one generation the government had become so corrupt a civil war broke out and large numbers of people were swept into the violence. This tiny African nation has been plagued by one inept government after another resulting in civil wars, violence, pestilence and death.

The pastor came from a poor family that lived in a remote village. His single mother did what she could to protect her children but in the end she was beaten to death by revolutionaries while her children were off at school. As he talked of the horrors he and his family has suffered I couldn't help but think of what a wonder it has been to live in a place where I have never felt the unsettling fear that my government was not functioning to the degree that it could hold up the rule of law. It is truly a precious gift that must be protected and valued.

As Christians we are to seek to spread the gospel and to bring about His redemptive work to those who are weak and powerless. But we are also to remember that we are stewards over what God has given us as citizens of this country.

The second observation I would make is that the genius of our government is not so much in it's structure but in the process that keeps it in check. Our governmental system is absolutely dependent upon an electorate that is both educated and moral. Walking around the halls of congress and in the library of congress I was struck by all the symbols representing the philosophies and ideals that have shaped our understanding of justice and morality.

For instance, there are 33 relief portrait plagues that surround the hallowed hall of the House of Representatives each representing various men of history who have influenced the formation of our system of law. In the front of the room above the elevated desk of the Speaker of the House is the marble engraving "In God We Trust".

Each of the engraved portraits are profiles facing toward the center of the room, all looking toward the center portrait. The center portrait is the only one that is not a profile but is looking forward toward the front of the room, facing the speakers chair. It is the face of Moses.

The affect of the symbolism of the design of the room is clear: all of our laws have emulated from the Ten Commandments.

The architects and designers of this grand hall had a core belief as did the architects of our constitution that this republic could only thrive if those who participated in it had a moral conviction that was guided by a strong belief in a higher authority. Without a strong sense of morality and divine goodness there is no particular reason to conform to societal law.

Much more important than the laws written into constitutional archives and congressional records, are the laws that are written onto the human heart that coincide with our understanding of His sense of justice and truth. (Jeremiah 31:33)

Because I had spent some time in the weeks prior to my trip to Washington touring around ancient Roman ruins all over Israel I had a unique historical context. The empire of Rome once seemed to be indestructible, immovable and unchangeable.

But today those ruins are a testimony to the frailty of human institutions. The Roman empire was conquered not by military might but by moral decay. So walking among those magnificent buildings and looking up at those tremendous symbols of our nations splendor and might with the memory of ancient Roman close at hand I couldn't help but think of Psalms 127:1:

Unless the Lord builds the house it's builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stand guard in vain.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Vacation adventure companies, find a suitable for you