Adventure Travel in Indonesia

Although the wily jungles of Indonesia are slightly tamer than the days of the Borneo headhunters, there are still many options for the modern day thrill seeker. Whether trekking in the jungles and mountains of the vast archipelago, diving in some of the most biologically diverse waters in the world, or visiting with some of the few remaining tribal groups in the world, Indonesia can still live up to its unfettered past.

From the snow capped peaks of Papua to the smoking volcanoes of Java, Indonesia presents any trekker with a wide array of choices, regardless of skill level. The further a field you plan to go, the more valuable you will find using a tour agency to arrange your trip. Tour agencies often get better deals on national airline tickets and can arrange for transportation and accommodation in areas where such amenities are scarce. Papua, the easternmost province of Indonesia, is unfortunately experiencing periods of civil unrest, so be sure to get updated information if you plan to set off there. The snow covered Carstensz Pyramid, locally known as Puncak Jaya, is the highest mountain in Papua. Please note - the trek up Carstensz Pyramid is for the experienced climber. For those looking for something challenging, but without the need for carabineers, try the third highest peak in Papua, Trikora Mountain. Indonesia requires all trekkers in Papua to obtain a climbing permit, usually arranged by your tour company. Trekking can be combined with a visit to one of the few remaining tribal groups on the island to experience first hand the wonder of what it means to live off the land.

If you like diving, the blue waters of Indonesia, teeming with marine life of all shapes and colors, are not to be missed. Some of the best diving in the world is found in Indonesia and options come in all price ranges, from a quick dip off the coast of Bali to a two week liveaboard that will take you to areas otherwise inaccessible. Among the most popular dive spots for those wanting easy access, as well as beach resorts, is Bunaken Island off the coast of North Sulawesi. Bunaken has suffered some damage to its coral reefs from blast fishing, but much is still alive or recovering through the efforts of local conservation groups. If you prefer a liveaboard, there are many operators to the Komodo Islands, Sulawesi's Wakatobi and Lembeh Strait, Flores, and Alor, to name a few. Shop around for the best price and definitely check up on the company or you might find your accommodations less than desirable. Once you get in the water though, expect to be awed by teeming barracudas, colorful cuttlefish, and mantas.

For the eco-tourist, the options are endless. From orangutan spotting and jungle trekking in Kalimantan to Komodo Dragon watching on the shores of Komodo, options vary by budget and time frame. The orangutan population continues to dwindle every year and some of the money garnered from eco-tourism goes to support foundations and local groups that work to save them. Although the number of visitors is limited each year, tour companies can arrange a visit to the famous rainforest study area of Tanjing Putting National Park and Camp Leakey in Kalimantan (formerly Borneo). A visit to the Ministry of Forestry's feed station might earn you the chance to interact with the orangutans directly. Accommodation and transportation are best arranged beforehand as flights can vary throughout the year. Another popular ecotourism destination is Komodo National Park which includes the three large islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Padar as well as several smaller islands. A visit to this area can be combined with a dive trip as the waters in the reserve are home to an estimated 900-1,000 marine species. The Komodo Dragons themselves, giant monitor lizards, are relatively easy to spot, but you're guaranteed to find them safely with the help of a guide. Accommodation in the National Park is rustic, but the staff is friendly and the food is decent. Foregoing the beaches of Bali may not be easy for some, but the treasures of the other Indonesian islands are not to be missed.

Adventure Travel An Exciting And Enthralling Experience

You often hear people talking about adventure travel and that makes you wonder as to what adventure travel actually is. It is something by which u can add adventure and fun to your life. So before going for an adventure travel, you must know what it is. Adventure travel doesn't mean that you have to endanger your life for your trip to be called adventurous!

The term adventurous is a concept that is not defined physically when you talk about adventure travel. This concept is defined psychologically. Different people have different definitions of adventure. Earlier adventure travel meant going abroad or just traveling to different places. However, its definition has changed today. Adventure travel is when you experience an event rather than being a mere spectator in your travels. It is actually living in the present and experiencing the place and not just sight seeing.

Adventure is different for everyone. What may appear adventurous to you could be totally boring for someone. And that is reason that there are so many options available if you want to go for adventure travel. You can choose the one which suits you, and more importantly the one which excites you! White water rafting or kayaking can be fun for someone. On the other hand camping in an interesting place can de defined as adventurous by some people. Hot air balloon ride may sound boring to you but it can be the perfect adventure travel for some.

Adventure travel is when you get yourself involved in an enthralling experience. It includes boating, kayaking, hiking, sky diving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, sailing, bicycling and much more! You should not indulge yourself into any form of adventure travel in which you are not comfortable. The level of risk in your travel is defined by you just like term adventure is defined individually. Adventure travel is getting yourself engaged into a new experience but make sure that you are totally comfortable in what you are doing.

You can choose a tour if you wish to go for adventure travel. Such adventure travel tours are available for couples and families. But don't worry in case you are single, adventure tours are also available for you. So you can make a plan for an adventure tour. You can choose a tour which suits you best. These tours usually have two groups of people. One group goes on sight seeing and visits their areas of interest, whereas the other group involves itself in adventurous activities. Of course the type of activity depends on the tour which you have selected.

It is a misconception that adventure travel is only for the younger people. You can indulge yourself into it irrespective of your age. Adventure travel is enjoyed by one and all. It's not uncommon to see an old couple getting engaged in adventurous activities. Having worked hard throughout their life, they want o experience something new and enthralling. You can meet people from all quarters of life in adventure travel. Now, meeting different people from different backgrounds can itself be very adventurous!

You can choose an adventure travel which excites you. It can simply be going out of the country to some distant place or maybe engaging yourself in bunjee jumping. Whichever activity you choose, just make sure that you are comfortable in it, for there will be no fun and no adventure if you are not comfortable!

General Tips For Your Adventure Travel

Adventure travel is an interesting exploration of a remote destination with a group of adventurers. People who crave for amusements find it to be wonderful. Everyone cannot go for adventure travel. More interest and dedication is the key to have a wonderful adventure travel. Also Travelers have to consider their safety. They need to be ready to face any kind of dangerous moments during their travel. It means, they have to be ready with required precautions.

My friends, I would like to share few adventure travel tips that I learnt from my travel experience.

Generally, travelers prefer exploring beautiful landscape, fascinating foreign culture or unusual wildlife. A safari Jeep or dugout canoe would probably used for traveling. Sometimes group of travelers have to travel by foot since the area may be remote and no vehicle can be accessed. Hence, physical fitness is significant for any kind of travel.

Here are the tips to take a wonderful adventure journey:

1. Choose your adventure destination according to your physical condition. Many companies sponsor travel adventure packages. Choose wisely according to your budget. There are three type of adventure destinations. You can take easy adventure traveling, medium adventure and difficult adventure.

2. One of the good ideas is talk to the people who had many adventure travels. They will help you with nice travel destination that you may not have heard. Also they can provide you unbiased information.

3. The travel practice varies in different travel destination. For instance, how you can handle the trash and Garbage on a camping trip. Likewise, you need to know the practice of the destination you are going to visit. Prepare according to your travel destination

4. Do not dump everything and carry. I will suggest you to keep a simplified luggage.

5. The best dress that fits during adventure travel for woman is long loose skirt

6. Food is important. We cannot survive without a proper food. Your energy level will go low if you did not take proper food. You cannot expect more facilities in your travel destination. It is good to take a batch of trail mix. It is a tasty high-carbo concoction provides high energy. It provides you physical stamina along the trail.

7. Do not use perfume or cologne if you are traveling to forest region. Animals can recognize the unusual scents miles away
You can simply mix chocolate covered raisins and dry roasted peanuts and have.

8. Drink a lot of liquid varieties. Do not let yourself to be dehydrate. It is obvious that the tropical or desert climate make you worse.

9. Keep a copy of all your travel documents. You can scan them and have them in your email as soft copies. It will be needed if you lost any of them.

10. If you are traveling to high elevation, learn about the altitude sickness and take appropriate prescription. When you ventured above 8000 feet, you are possible to get altitude sickness. In such cases, prescribed amount of drug Diamox could help you.

I am sure that your trip leader or travel company will help you with all the usual tips about your luggage, precaution injections, travel documents etc.

Adventure is a wonderful thing in life. You should never miss to take adventure travel in your life time. Many people searching for adventure in the outdoor world. The truth is our life provides more exciting moments than any adventure destination could provide.

Tracy Barb has written many travel guides. GuideGecko is an online travel bookstore provides Singapore travel guide and you can download travel guide in PDF format at best price.

Adventure Travel Ideas for the Family During Spring Break

This week my daughter came to me and announced that, it was time to start planning for a spring break vacation. I thought really. Already? She apparently needs a break from the rigors of school. Then it occurred to me that I too need a break from the rigors of work and a little R and R is just the ticket to rejuvenate the both of us. I asked her had she thought of a few destinations that might be interesting and to my dismay; she produced a list of places she'd like to go. I have to tell you I was impressed that a 15 year old would take such initiative and put together a well thought out and researched list of destinations. I guess she really is learning something in school!

We are a family of RVers and campers. We enjoy adventure travel and the great outdoors and to that end, most of the destinations on her list fell into the camping arena. Whether we rent a vacation home or RV, we like the homey feel of having our own things along with us. Not to mention if we left my daughters four legged BFF behind she'd have a fit! While my daughters list was extensive, I choose a few places that I thought would be a great deal of fun and thought I would share them with you.

Kissimmee and Orlando, FL

While we live in Miami Florida, we have never been to this part of the state. Like most children, my daughter was excited about going to Walt Disney World, Epcot Center and Universal Studios. After a little research of my own, I discovered that this part of Florida has some of the best RV parks in the country, all within a couple of miles from the main attractions. At less than $30, a day to rent an RV site this destination made the top of the affordable vacation list.

Stone Mountain Park, GA

I was surprised to see this destination on the list. Not your typical kid destination but then again my daughter is no typical kid. I think what really attracted her to this destination was the very cool Swiss type cable car that takes you to the summit of Stone Mountain. From the top, (a mere 825 feet above ground) you have an incredible view of Confederate Memorial Carving.

Grand Canyon, AZ

Believe it or not, this adventure travel family has never seen the Grand Canyon. It's hard to believe that this natural wonder has never made the list of places to vacation. RV parks are plentiful here and certainly offer all of the conveniences of home but with a spectacular view. Something that we are both interested in seeing is the impressive Skywalk. The Skywalk projects out some 70 feet above the canyon and features a glass floor. Talk about adventure!

Well with all of these destinations, I'm sure we will be able to find something incredible to do. I think I'll put my daughter in charge of the family vacation planning because she did a fantastic job!

Ronald Silbermann has a combined, extensive work experience in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa. He has made a mission out of introducing the American Adventure Traveler to all this country has to offer for a fun-filled vacation of heart-stopping adventure experiences. Rentzio is the premier aggregator for rental agencies and individual owners to rent out RV's, motorhomes, trailers, snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, bikes, watercraft and vacation homes.

Family Adventure Travel Holidays Along the Nakasendo Highway

If you can find a place prettier than the Nakasendo Highway to see Japan, I'll eat my hat. For those of you who think that's an easy bet, you've never seen the Nakasendo Highway-which isn't full of Toyotas (or any other Japanese-branded car) on some fast-lane speeding asphalt. Oh no, the Nakasendo Highway isn't really even paved for some of its 534 kilometers.

Oh, this scenic route isn't for the faint of heart-a walking route this long couldn't be. But, think about it for a minute; thousands of people have come this way for hundreds of years. That's a lot of history under your feet, wouldn't you say?

The bigger question would be, where were they going-or where were they coming from? It depends on which way you're traveling-the route could start or end in Kyoto, making the start or end destination a place called Edo. Perhaps you've heard of it by its more modern name, Tokyo.

Surely you know Tokyo wasn't always a mega-city full of cars and people and skyscrapers. And once you've gotten outside the city you'll see the Japan of yesteryear. So, to quote the still popular philosopher, Confucius-a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step (or, something to that fact).

Whew, good thing you aren't going that far. But there are some 67 towns and 69 rest stations that you'll hit along the way, so if you do get tired there are plenty of places to stay. Don't worry about getting lost; there are both modern and historic mile markers throughout the entire route.

Throughout the centuries, the Nakasendo Highway has been very popular with the ladies. One of the reasons is that it doesn't really cross any water. However, that doesn't mean you won't find any babbling brooks and postcard perfect waterfalls (like the one found just to the west of Tsumago-juku) along the way.

Ladies, don't you just love that kind of stuff?

Japan's Nakasendo Highway is great to do as a family, if only for the fact that you can really get to enjoy each other as you amble along little country lanes. No television, no Nintendo games, no iPods, or other electronics that could distract you from the southern Japanese Alps off in the distance.

Don't panic, you're only in the shadows of the mountains-even if its name Nakasendo means "central mountain route". At most it should only take but a few hours to walk between towns and rest areas, and that's including time to gasp at the natural scenery.

Some might say the best part of the Nakasendo is along the Kiso Road, a region that's believed to be the best preserved of this thousand year old route. You can debate that all you like, but the entire thing is one big history and culture lesson. I mean, this road was once heavily traveled by the Shogun-a fun fact that the boys in your family might find interesting.