In the northwest corner of Costa Rica, tucked just under the southern border of Nicaragua, is the province of Guanacaste — a place of volcanoes and rainforests, rivers and beaches, classic colonial architecture and extreme water sports. Covering almost 4,000 square miles, the province has much to offer visitors; here’s a guide of ten awesome …
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The Great Pacific Northwest Road Trip
I love a good road trip. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of setting off to some distant place, knowing it will take you days to reach it, not knowing what adventures await you along the way. There are many reasons I enjoy living outside of the US, but few places can rival my homeland’s …
Camping in the Okavango Delta with Acacia Africa
The Okavango Delta is an aberration of Nature — a river delta which never reaches the sea. Instead, the waters of the Okavango drain into the arid plains of the Kalahari Desert in northwestern Botswana — creating a lush and fertile haven for all manner of flora and fauna. We arrived at Maun, the access …
Exploring Chobe National Park with Acacia Africa
After leaving Livingston, Zambia and the rain-deprived, but still splendorous Victoria Falls behind us, our Acacia Africa tour group crossed into Botswana via the Kazungula ferry and made our way to Kasane to explore Chobe National Park. With nearly 12,000 square kilometers of protected area, the largest elephant population of any national park in Africa, …
Exploring Vardzia Like a Local
When my Georgian friend, Nino, was recommending things for me to do, see, and devour in Georgia, exploring the ancient cave city of Vardzia (ვარძია) was at the top of her list. Primarily constructed in the 12th century and the seat of power of the legendary King (Queen!) Tamar, Vardzia was abandoned during the Ottoman …
Hiking to Udziro Lake
My time in Georgia is drawing to an end. Three months, you might think, is sufficient time to spend in such a small country, but you’d be wrong. There are so many hikes I won’t have the time to do, so many places I won’t have the time to visit. All that means, though, is …
Trekking from Shatili to Omalo
Half of my initial attraction to Georgia grew from the pictures of mountains I saw — the regions of Kazbegi, Svaneti, and Tusheti. When I booked my ticket here from Korea, my ambition was to hike for months, exploring all the back-country hiking routes I could find and chronicling the experience. But life has a …
Climbing Mount Aragats
There’s too much snow. It’ll be too cold. The weather won’t be good this week. You’ll shoot your eye out… The reasons why I shouldn’t have gone to Kari Lake and Mount Aragats were many. All of the above (save one, can you guess which?) were offered up, and I was so close to scrapping …
Trekking to the Hidden Monasteries of Garni
Sometimes you don’t plan on visiting a destination. Sometimes you get struck by a flash of inspiration, and your feet wander of their own accord. That’s what happened this week when I trekked through the mountains outside of Yerevan, exploring the hidden monasteries of Garni. Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast …
Hiking to Gelersen Gorersen in Sheki
The town of Sheki has been controlled by many powers in the 2,700 or so years it’s been a major settlement. Persians, Albanians, Georgians, Arabs, Mongols, Russians, Soviets, and Azeris have all had a stake here, and the treasures that Sheki hides bear proof to that diverse heritage. One such remnant, the fortress of Gelersen …