Swap civilisation for this epic sailing tour of Canada’s Haida Gwaii archipelago. The adventure kicks off with a scenic floatplane flight to your schooner, Passing Cloud, which awaits you on the northern fringe of the reserve. The indigenous Haida people thrived here for more than 14,000 years and you’ll learn about their culture while exploring the ancient villages nestled among towering cedar and spruce trees.
The archipelago is also a marine wonderland. Spot sharks, dolphins and humpback whales in the pelagic zone. Kayak the glassy waters of Burnaby Narrows in search of sunflower stars, moon snails and decorator crabs. Look out for sea lions and orcas at Cape St James. Back on dry land, sink your toes into the sand and tide pools before boarding your floatplane once more for a final glimpse.
Enter the maelstrom of India’s wildest rafting adventure in one of the world’s most inaccessible regions. Fair warning: for the faint of heart this ain’t. From Delhi, you’ll spend a couple of days overlanding through villages and tropical cloud rainforest to Purang, a region alongside the border of India and Nepal. Here you’ll prep your gear (and your mind) for negotiating rapids from classes three to six.
Now, all that’s left is to take the plunge. Tumble down the foaming torrents that have carved out the centuries-old rock of remote hillsides, fringed by tribal settlements and abundant rainforest, and bob through vast gorges like Marmong, which can only be accessed by raft. Laze away the evenings at your riverside camp, lulled to sleep by the babbling waters you’ve just plunged down.
A referee who dresses like a Shinto priest officiates proceedings, as a shrine hangs over the ring. Two enormous half-naked men clap their hands to summon the gods, sip sacred water and throw purifying salt into the ring before they grab, grapple and throw each other to the mat. Any guesses? Yes, this is sumo wrestling and no trip to Japan would be complete without checking it out.
The Japanese national sport of sumo wrestling has remained virtually unchanged for 2000 years. Originating in the Edo period and steeped in Shinto tradition, it first emerged as entertainment for the gods to honour the spirits and ensure a bountiful harvest. The traditions, culture and etiquette were shaped by travelling samurai mercenaries, known as ronin, who competed for a bounty. By the early 1600s, official sumo rules were introduced as were the first professional sumo wrestlers. Not much has changed today, including the ‘boys only’ rule – sumo still only allows men to compete and the dohyo (ring) is considered a sacred place.
There are no weight restrictions for competitors, which means someone like Mr Bean could be wrestling someone like Andre the Giant. As a result, gaining weight plays a significant part in a winning strategy. Wrestlers bulk up on a diet of chankonable, a stew made up of a protein (chicken, beef, fish or tofu), vegetables (potatoes, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms and radishes) and broth. The average competitor’s weight in the top makuuchi division of professional sumo is 160kg. Currently, the heaviest sumo wrestler still active is Kenho Mitsuo who weighs in at a modest 250 kilograms and is only 180 centimetres tall. Ouch!
In keeping with tradition, sumo wrestlers (known as rikishi) must always wear traditional dress even when out in public, and style their hair into a symbolic chrysanthemum shape, the symbol of the Emperor in Tokyo. And don’t be surprised if you see a sumo wrestler munching on a chicken wing or two on the train or taking a taxi – they’re forbidden to drive a car.
Sure, you may have sauntered in the temperate, tropical waters with humpback whales in Australia or Hawaii but swimming with orcas dwarfed by imposing glaciers and surrounding Norway’s icy oceans is next level exhilaration.
Both swimming with orcas and the Northern Lights are two experiences that usually feature at the top of most people’s bucket list and now you can get ‘twofer’ with eco-tourism company Majestic Whale Encounters who are offering both experiences in November.
The expedition starts as travellers embark the MS Stonstad, where six days are spent sailing through the stunning surroundings of the Norwegian Fjords before taking to the water to freely swim alongside the largest of the dolphin family – orca whales. Onboard the MS Stonstad passengers can treat themselves to a soak in the hot tub or enjoy the comforts of the central heating whilst waiting for a glimpse of the enchanting northern lights before disembarking at the town of Tromsø.
Once on land, guests will have the opportunity to participate in a husky safari and reindeer experience before retreating to the quaint cabins nestled at the base of Tromsø’s breathtaking mountains for a warming aquavit, seagull egg, or tørrfisk (dried cod).
The Majestic Whale Encounters’ Norway tour package includes six days onboard with all transfers, meals, orca swim, reindeer encounter, husky safari, Northern Lights tour and three nights accommodation in Tromsø. Get packing!
When you slide into Cenderawasih Bay from the inflatable Zodiac, the first thing you’ll see is the colossal gaping mouth of the world’s largest fish. Those formidably sized jaws – they look big enough that one enthusiastic inhalation will suck you into the shark’s gullet – belie the gentle nature of these docile giants.
Finning alongside bespeckled creatures the size of a school bus is an extraordinary moment to treasure forever. Fishermen from Kwatisore village have developed a relationship with the whale sharks that congregate year round in this bay in West Papua.
The giant fish are attracted to the bycatch from the fishermen’s bagan platforms – they’re like large anchored outrigger boats – where nets are lowered each evening to lure bait fish with bright lights. Fishermen believe the whale sharks bring good fortune and reward them with anchovies when a catch is particularly successful. Working with the World Wildlife Fund, fishermen record daily sightings to help monitor the sharks’ numbers and identify any potential threats.
Because these are wild creatures whose appearance is not guaranteed, this long-term relationship between whale sharks and fishermen improves the opportunity for Coral Expedition guests to swim with the largest fish in the sea. You’ll be wowed by the experience.
More than 40 years ago, one Kenyan family decided to do something practical for the threatened wildlife of its country and so the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was born. As well as full range of conservation projects, the trust runs one of the most successful elephant rescue and rehabilitation programs anywhere in the world. To date, the carers have raised and re-introduced to the wild, more than 240 elephants and about 17 rhinoceroses.
Not surprisingly, visiting the orphan babies – some of them have lost their mothers to poaching, others have been found down wells – is one of the most popular attractions in Nairobi. Each day, for precisely one hour at 11am, guests are invited to see them drink their milk and have a mud bath.
It can all get pretty messy and noisy. The babies trumpet to one another, flop into the red pool and spray the mud over themselves and whoever happens to be standing nearby. During the whole adorable event, there’s commentary from one of the keepers about the work of the trust.
You might do a double take when you first spot the Bush Rover Company’s luxury mobile suite.
Forget soggy canvas tents, unzippable sleeping bags and drab cabins, the Bush Rover comes equipped with a stunning elevated bedroom and balcony, tasteful wood-panelled bathroom (complete with bath) and spiral staircase, as well as solar power to full hot water, lights and power sockets – you’ll need to recharge your camera batteries, after all.
This go-anywhere LandRover comes fully functional and equipped to ensure a luxurious and unforgettable African safari. But when its not traversing the vast plains of the Serengeti, rumbling through the Ngorgongoro Highlands or attempting crossings at the mighty Grumeti River, its transformation into a chic rooftop dwelling is something to behold.
Unlike fixed camps and lodges, the Bush Rover can move as often as the wildebeest migrate. The camp simply folds up and moves to the next exciting Serengeti destination leaving no trace.
The Bush Rover Company allows you to experience a safari without limitations – you can be as flexible as you want and, most importantly, you don’t have to return to a base camp at the end of every day.
Given the opportunity to cover so much more of the African landscape than on a traditional safari, you can head into isolated, remote pockets of the wilderness that aren’t normally visited. Everything is then packed up with the vehicle and carried on to your next destination, which could be anywhere along the Tanzanian migration route.
It’s the closest thing you may ever get to a sleepover with lions, elephants and wildebeest!
When it comes to Finland, ski slopes and saunas are two things that are synonymous with the territory. But what about a sauna, built into a gondola floating above a snow-slathered mountain? Throw in some heavy metal music and traditional karelian pies (they’re filled with rice or mashed potato normally and topped with hard-boiled eggs), and you have yourself the ultimate Finnish experience.
Get your Finn on at Sport Resort Ylläs, where snow bunnies can unwind in the Ylläs 1 Gondola after a day carving up the slopes. The world’s first suspended sauna cruises a two-kilometre line, treating up to four riders at a time with 20 minutes of spectacular views of Lapland’s powder-white landscape.
Skiers looking for extra respite should book a two-hour package and soak in the outdoor hot tub at Café Gondola 718 (where there’s another sauna if you haven’t got sweaty enough), situated on the mountaintop. It can be enjoyed privately by up to a dozen guests.
As Coral Adventurer drops anchor off Syuru village, the ship is surrounded by war canoes paddled by standing warriors dressed in full tribal regalia. Once feared for their cannibalism – they purportedly used human skulls as pillows – their gesticulating towards guests is more friendly than formidable.
On its Papua New Guinea circumnavigation, Coral Expeditions includes a visit to Syuri village using the ship’s specially designed Xplorer tenders to take passengers ashore. The women of the village welcome guests with a traditional dance before travellers are invited into a longhouse to view the artworks for which the region is famous.
Located on the flood-prone delta of Asewets River, buildings are constructed on stilts a couple of metres above the ground and are connected by elevated boardwalks. Negotiating the rickety ladder-like steps into the longhouse requires steady concentration. The striking artworks of the Asmat have found their way from the coastal villages of New Guinea into art collections and museums in New York and Amsterdam. These elaborately stylised wood carvings, artefacts and shields are highly prized for their exquisite motifs honouring Asmat ancestors.
Later, guests explore the town of Agats, a former mission station, where the Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress showcases a large collection of antiquities. There’s also the chance to purchase exquisite artworks direct from the craftsmen at the village of Syuru.
It’s something of a rite of passage for those who cruise to Antarctica. Generally, leaving the decks of the ship would mean rugging up and donning a waterproof top layer. But adrenaline junkies on board do the exact opposite when they choose to take the polar plunge.
There’s no dipping your toes to test the temperature. No wetsuits to offer a hint of resistance to the cold. Participants are simply tied to the deck then it’s one, two, three and in for all those who choose to take the polar plunge.
Of course, everyone who has chosen to stay warm(er) and dry gathers on the deck with their cameras, giving the atmosphere a definite buzz.
What to expect? Well, your heart will be pounding in anticipation then seconds after hitting the water you’ll feel as though all the air has been pummelled out of your lungs. Then you’ll be heading straight for the ladder out since the water in these southern parts is usually about –2ºC.
Grab a towel then head straight for the hot spa and contemplate your next icecapade. When the ship arrives at Deception Bay, there’s the chance to leap into this sheltered harbour from the shore.
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