Vacation spot For Adventure Travel

“You will find something far greater in the woods than you will find in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you will never learn from masters…”

My trip to Ranthambore national park in Rajasthan, India (IUCN Category ll) was an experience which confirmed the above. Ranthambore National Park is one of the oldest and most renowned national parks in Northern India. The park is located in the Sawai Madhopur district of the state of Rajasthan. Being considered as a former hunting ground of the Kings of Jaipur, today the Park is a major wildlife tourist attraction spot, though plagued by ailments like poaching and habitat destruction.

Ranthambore National park is spread over an area of 1,334 sq km, along with its nearby sanctuaries – the Mansingh Sanctuary and the Kaila Devi Sanctuary which serve as vital buffer areas and provide corridors for animal movement. The park lies at the edge of a plateau, and is bound by the Banas and the Chambal Rivers. It is named after the historic Ranthambore fortress, which lies within the park. The core park covers an area of about 400 km�. The park is famous for its tigers and is one of the best locations in India to see the majestic cat in its natural open habitat. Other wild animals include the leopard, blue bull, Indian wild dog, wild boar, sambar deer, hyena, sloth bear and spotted deer. It is also home to a wide variety of flora, birds and reptilian species. A good time to visit Ranthambore National park is in November and May. The nature of the dry deciduous forests makes sightings more common during this period.

A major attraction in the park is tracking the tiger on safari rides. Rides are carried out at two different times of the day. Each ride lasts about three hours. The core park area has been divided into several zones and the safari vehicles go on one of these zones. Other sites of interest include the majestic fort, built in the 10th-century, towering the park area. It stands at a height of 700 feet above the surrounding plain. Inside the fort, there are three red Karauli stone temples devoted to Hindu Gods – Ganesh, Shiva and Ramlalaji. Padam Talao is the largest of the all the lakes located inside the park, and the beautiful red sandstone Jogi Mahal is located at the very edge of this lake. A gigantic banyan tree, considered to be India’s second largest, is in the garden of the Jogi Mahal.

A visit to Ranthambore National Park is a delight for every wildlife and nature enthusiast. The time spent watching tigers walk around in utter fearlessness, down the golden meadows and thick bushes is priceless, and worthy of being explored at least once in a life. You can spend as many days tracking and feasting your eyes on the beautiful tigers and become completely absorbed in the tiger’s habitat, but time constraints enabled us to take only four game drives over three days. Each game drive to the park began with high expectations and ended, almost always, in unexpected encounters and stories for the travel diary. In the forest, as in life, when you want it most nothing shows up and when you least expect it, a surprise awaits you at the next turn…

The tranquil peace which encompasses you as soon as you enter the Park is enough reason for any wildlife adventure lover to keep coming back. And then when you hear stories of poaching, habitat destruction of cattle grazing and human-animal conflict it leaves you disturbed.

It disturbed me enough to visit Mr. Fateh Singh Rathore, former Field Director of the Park, a famous Tiger Conservationist, but foremost a wildlife lover. He runs an NGO- Tiger Watch in Sawai Madhopur located just five miles away from the Park entrance. He works with the government and local community to preserve the tiger habitat and save the cat from being poached. He explained that “Saving the tiger is of utmost importance as the tiger is an apex species. This means that if you save a predator species like the tiger who is on the top of a very large ecosystem you automatically save the entire eco system which supports the tiger. You are saving the land, water, flora, fauna and the delicate balance which naturally exists in nature.” Tiger Watch has played a key role in providing alternative means of livelihood to local hunting tribes. The organization takes responsibility for educating children by setting up free schools and medical care for them so that they are dissuaded from hunting for easy money. Some are being trained as tour guides in the park and others support and participate in the growing tourist industry of the region. They are made aware that the tiger, due to its innate charisma, draws people from all over the world to their region and the protection of the forest is only going to enhance their own quality of life and that of their future generations. As Mr. Rathore puts it, “In wilderness lies preservation of the world…”

For adrenaline junkies, there are several destinations in the Caribbean that will be “must visit” destinations. Adventures range from zip lining through the rainforest canopy to caving through miles of underground tunnels and caverns to rock climbing on vertical rock faces surrounded by jungle. And if that’s not enough to keep you going, what about some of the most challenging hiking and mountain biking, white water rafting and river kayaking, and scuba diving in wrecks, through undersea caves, down vertical coral faces and amidst volcanic ruins and landscapes?

Costa Rica. A country that is covered almost entirely in rainforest with many zip line adventures, challenging caving with qualified guides and hiking on rugged mountains through virgin rainforest.

Dominica. A very mountainous rugged country comprised of several volcanoes, one of the highest fresh water lakes in the world, a boiling lake and hiking with qualified guides that will challenge even the fittest and most accomplished of hikers. Explore Morne Diablotins (4747 ft) on a multi-day hike not for the feint of heart. Scuba dive on volcanic landscapes in the Scotts Head Marine Park.

Jamaica. A well known and popular destination for beaches, but the island is also home to white water rafting expeditions, caving, hiking and mountain biking that will satisfy the cravings of even the most avid adventure tourist. Explore the mountains of Cockpit Country, mountain bike in the Blue Mountains, caving trips to the Deeside Roaring River Cave at certain times of the year only if you pass the physical requirements and restrictions, or explore the more accessible Peterkin Cave.

Guyana. An oft forgotten country when it comes to adventure, but Guyana is home to some of the largest and wildest rivers in the world. Multi and single day hiking and wildlife watching tours to Kaiteur Falls, Baganara Island, the Rupuni and the interior will satisfy adventure travelers. Travel on foot, horseback or 4 wheel drive vehicle. Tours to Mount Roraima, Orinduik Falls and Lethem, plus river trips, camping trips and fishing trips on the Essequibo River.

Belize. Thought of mainly as a destination for scuba diving in the Blue Hole, beach vacations to Ambergris Caye or visits to the rainforest and Mayan ruins, Belize also offers incredible caving, hiking, kayaking and scuba diving – the vertical walls of the Blue Hole are enough to intrigue any scuba diver. Multi-day and single day hiking trips in the rainforest and to Mayan ruins, plus kayaking on fast flowing rivers and zip lining through the rainforest canopy are enough to satisfy traveling adventurers.

Renowned and respected world travel guide Lonely Planet has ranked Uganda the best travel destination for the year 2012. Uganda was ranked ahead of the likes of Myanmar, Ukraine, Jordan, and Denmark.

Lonely Planet collected lots of ideas from travellers, bloggers and tweeters from which they generated a list of countries. Countries chosen are said offer a range of experiences to travellers albeit a few shortcomings like the less than satisfactory infrastructure and seeming tense political atmosphere after the just concluded presidential elections for the Uganda’s sake.

From the collected ideas, the top ten ranked countries were then voted for by a panel of travel experts at Lonely Planet and Uganda happens to be at the pinnacle of this list. The ranking was based on factors such as topicality, excitement, value and the special x-factor for a particular country.

Measuring almost the same size as Great Britain, Uganda passes for the most beautiful and diverse nation on the African continent. The country boast of a range of unique attractions and with the rapidly expanding tourism infrastructure and the much improved political stability, Uganda is turning out to be a haven for travelers.

Uganda is the entire Africa in one small package. What you find in the different parts of the African continent you find it all here in Uganda. At a glance you find the smallest of sunbirds iridescent in the dawn light, the enormous clumsy yet silent elephant disappearing like a vapor behind the trees, the naughty chimps crashing about the forest canopy, the Mountain Gorilla chewing thoughtfully in the bamboo thicket.

This lush tropical country is the source of the longest river in the world, the Nile. The mighty Nile twists its way North like a flickering ribbon, through arid semi-desert with scattered rocky kopjes. It is in Uganda where the savanna meets the huge Lakes of East Africa, and where snow capped mountains bear down on expansive jungles.

Snow capped peaks, tropical, sandy, fresh water beaches, and beautiful jovial faces all over the place. All that and more is here; Uganda is a feast for all the senses.

Declared by legendary British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill as the Pearl of Africa, it is little wonder Uganda is now the number one travel destination in the world.

The other ranked countries among the top ten travel destination for the year 2012 include:

2. Myanmar, 3. Ukraine, 4. Jordan, 5. Denmark, 6. Bhutan, 7. Cuba, 8. New Caledonia, 9. Taiwan and 10. Switzerland.

Wildlife Diversity
Corbett National Park is well-known for its population of tigers. Wildlife enthusiasts have a lot to explore here. As well as the royal animal, there are lots of other species that say in the dense forest of this eco park. While exploring the park inside a jeep safari, you will sometimes begin to see the Asian Elephants wandering about here and there. You will also spot different types of deer as well as antelopes. The Leopard also resides within the tropical jungles of Corbett. Many primates such as the langur etc. live in plenty here. The nation’s park serves to be a great place to go for the bird watchers too as there are different types of birds residing here. Typically the most popular reptiles of India such as the King Cobra could be spotted here easily.

The Tropical Appeal
Apart from varied animal species, the park is popular worldwide for that stunning beauty of its widespread greenery and large quantity of plants found here. It houses very rare types of plants. Some are unique so much in fact that they are not present in every other lands. You must capture their pictures in your camera like a memory of this adventurous India wildlife holiday. The Jim Corbett National Park is an immensely diverse biome ecologically. In addition to the rare flora and fauna found here, the park also offers many rivers along with their tributaries flowing through it.

The Corbett Experience
You’ll want watched wildlife adventures on-screen within the convenience of your homes, but experiencing and enjoying the thrills in a national park is an experience that is among its very own kinds. The structured management system of the Corbett Tiger Reserve had put into its popularity. Vacationers love to come here over and over. In your Corbett tour, you may enjoy your remain at any of the several resorts that are constructed around the park. These resorts are equipped with impeccable amenities and services. They offer a very comfortable stay. Many of these wildlife resorts have affordable packages in tie-ups with reputed travel operators. The Corbett tour packages could be customized according to your individual needs in budget. Just let the agent know your specifications and you will get a tour option that meets your interest completely.

Corbett tours are actually an experience of a lifetime. You’ll love the risk of viewing the best of incredible India so closely. The tour guides which will accompany you on your tour are highly trained and fully experienced wildlife experts. They’ve immense knowledge about the park and its resident’s histories.