Mountains, canyons, plateaus. Rivers, lakes, oceans. Towers, bridges, castles. Such things possess a certain grandeur, naturally, but when it comes right down to it, they are, after all, inanimate objects, at least measured by human standards of time and space. Mount Everest may be growing several inches per year, but the great peak is still, for all intents and purposes, of the same shape, and in the same place, as before. And so it will be on the day you die.
Thus, during this, the great finalizing month of December, we bring you, o intrepid wanderers, a list based not on the inert, the insentient, the dead. This month, indeed, is all about life. Without further ado, we give you the TOP 7 ANIMAL ADVENTURES...
ANCIENT BEAST
{
OTHER THINGS TO DO
+ Whitewater rafting
+ Hiking
+ View ancient rock art
+ Visit still-standing early homestead cabins
+ Camping
}
Alive, these creatures would have earned our top spot. We feel, therefore, that dead they are at least deserving of number seven: DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT, straddling Utah and Colorado, boasts one of the world's greatest natural collections of dinosaur bones anywhere. The park is home to many hiking trails, presenting the headstrong wanderer with many opportunities to spot dinosaur remains (a.k.a. fossils). The main fossil wall, temporarily closed from the public at the time of this writing, holds captive within it over 1,500 dinosaur bones. Part of what has preserved the dinosaurs here at Dinosaur National Monument is the area's unique geology, which exposes the many rock layers' textures and colors.
NO JEEPS HERE
TOP WALKING SAFARIS
+ Luangwa Valley (Zambia)
+ Matusadona (Zimbabwe)
+ Selinda Reserve (Botswana)
+ Kruger National Park (South Africa)
Raise the ante (and the adrenalin) a bit and forsake a jeep in favor of your feet--on A WALKING SAFARI. We recommend South Africa's Kruger National Park, but there are many other walking safaris out there. It's a completely different experience being on your feet in the middle of African big game country. Following carefully in the footsteps of the heavily armed guide in front, the adventurer will be led through brush and scrub into the very wilderness that the metal walls of a safari jeep are meant to protect you from. The most important thing to remember: set up your mosquito netting in the morning; if you wait, you'll find your bed covered with every kind of beetle imaginable, and probably a scorpion or two. Good times.
THE PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR has earned our fifth spot. Celebrated annually in the small desert town of Pushkar in the Indian state of Rajasthan, the event attracts camel owners from all over India, and even a few from as far away as Afghanistan. All in all, over fifty thousand camels converge on the dunes outside of Pushkar, mostly to be shown off or traded, but also to be raced! And while it's true that camels steal the show, twenty to thirty thousand horses also make their way to the fair to compete on the large racetracks constructed on the fairgrounds. Picture this: you're riding a camel, looking out over the sandy Rajasthani desert, the tall, skinny, temple-topped Pushkar hills rising up behind you, while tens of thousands of camels and horses mill about in a mass in front of you, their numbers extending, seemingly, to the hot, shimmering horizon itself. Definitely Top 7 finalist material.
FIFTY THOUSAND HUMPS
For the special, snake-loving breed, there is a place in Malaysia where you can literally worship the legless critters. THE TEMPLE OF THE AZURE CLOUD, or "Snake Temple," as it is commonly called, is a 150-year-old edifice built in honor of a Buddhist monk who reputably enjoyed healing powers. According to local tradition, the monk provided refuge and protection to the snakes of the jungle. Long after his death, the temple was constructed--and immediately upon completion, say the locals, hundreds of pit vipers from the wilds outside of town made their way, voluntarily, into the building. The priests swear that the incense smoke pervading the inside of the temple renders the snakes harmless, but we still strongly recommend you don't pick them up... Be sure to bring an egg or two, as the locals do, to offer the slithery serpents.
TRACKING THE MOUNTAIN AND LOWLAND GORILLAS of central Africa's vast forests and jungle-covered mountains have seized our third spot. The backdrop behind any excursion to see these amazing creatures is a sad one; where once thousands of gorillas roamed, now only several hundred remain. AJ strongly urges that any adventurer seeking a sighting of these mighty primates carefully research the company through which he/she organizes the trip to ensure the highest eco-friendly operation possible--and several commendable eco-tours do exist in the region. This is no walk in the woods; indeed, the temerarious trekker will often be forced to make his way through thick, thoroughly moistened flora while laboring across muddy tracts of jungle. At some point, though, the professional tracker will stop, and the traveler's small group will freeze. The tracker will point, and there, through the trees, just a few feet from where you stand, a family of gorillas, larger than you had imagined, will be chewing away on some random assortment of vegetation. It will be a sublime moment.
TRACKING GORILLAS
Speaking of primates, the heart of mostly unexplored Borneo is home to a large primate of its own. At number two, we give you THE RED APE TRAIL, a ten-day trek through
{
GETTING TO THE TRAIL
Make your way to Kuching, the capital of the East Malaysian State of Sarawak, on the western coast of Borneo. From there it's a four-hour bus ride to the trailhead.
}
completely remote jungle in western Borneo. A jungle-seasoned Iban guide will take the awless adventurer deep into one of the wildest places left on the planet, and said adventurer will be faced with tropical downpours, river- and stream-crossings, leeches (especially if it rains, and it most probably will), high temperatures and humidity levels (this is the equator), strenuous mountain terrain (lots of up and down), often muddy conditions, snakes, and a complete lack of amenities (read: complete lack). Food is carried into the jungle and prepared in typical jungle fashion: over an open fire. Along the way, the tireless trekker will be drilled in the art of orangutan tracking. Chances are good that dozens of orangutans will be spotted and observed in this, their natural habitat. Apart from the red apes, Borneo is home to scores of mammal and bird species found only here. While on the island you may see several types of monkey, spiders (including tarantulas), hornbills, kingfishers, lizards, turtles, even Asian elephants. Travelers beware: the Red Ape Trail is for serious trekkers only. There's no turning back once you begin, barring some sort of serious medical emergency.
When one ruminates over the most dangerous of animal encounters, the Great White certainly springs to mind almost immediately. But there is another deep-sea predator, less known--but more terrifying. Our top spot is dedicated to the handful of divers who seek A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH "RED DEMON" GIANT SQUIDS (DOSIDICUS GIGAS). If you aren't careful, these colossal, tentacled, fast-moving killers will take fist-sized chunks out of you then come back for more. And you won't be dealing with just one; they travel in groups of between a dozen to hundreds--and they'll all want a piece of you. We strongly recommend that the journeyer not try this alone. Go with a professional crew that has experience with these animals and can provide you with anti-squid armor (seriously, that's what they call it). All descriptions of monsters aside, the Red Demons--all ten tentacles worth--are incredible animals, and being able to watch them stalk their prey, feed, and even interact with you is an experience wholly worthy of this, Top 7's hallowed number one slot.
Alive, these creatures would have earned our top spot. We feel, therefore, that dead they are at least deserving of number seven: DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT, straddling Utah and Colorado, boasts one of the world's greatest natural collections of dinosaur bones anywhere. The park is home to many hiking trails, presenting the headstrong wanderer with many opportunities to spot dinosaur remains (a.k.a. fossils). The main fossil wall, temporarily closed from the public at the time of this writing, holds captive within it over 1,500 dinosaur bones. Part of what has preserved the dinosaurs here at Dinosaur National Monument is the area's unique geology, which exposes the many rock layers' textures and colors.
Raise the ante (and the adrenalin) a bit and forsake a jeep in favor of your feet--on A WALKING SAFARI. We recommend South Africa's Kruger National Park, but there are many other walking safaris out there. It's a completely different experience being on your feet in the middle of African big game country. Following carefully in the footsteps of the heavily armed guide in front, the adventurer will be led through brush and scrub into the very wilderness that the metal walls of a safari jeep are meant to protect you from. The most important thing to remember: set up your mosquito netting in the morning; if you wait, you'll find your bed covered with every kind of beetle imaginable, and probably a scorpion or two. Good times.
THE PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR has earned our fifth spot. Celebrated annually in the small desert town of Pushkar in the Indian state of Rajasthan, the event attracts camel owners from all over India, and even a few from as far away as Afghanistan. All in all, over fifty thousand camels converge on the dunes outside of Pushkar, mostly to be shown off or traded, but also to be raced! And while it's true that camels steal the show, twenty to thirty thousand horses also make their way to the fair to compete on the large racetracks constructed on the fairgrounds. Picture this: you're riding a camel, looking out over the sandy Rajasthani desert, the tall, skinny, temple-topped Pushkar hills rising up behind you, while tens of thousands of camels and horses mill about in a mass in front of you, their numbers extending, seemingly, to the hot, shimmering horizon itself. Definitely Top 7 finalist material.
For the special, snake-loving breed, there is a place in Malaysia where you can literally worship the legless critters. THE TEMPLE OF THE AZURE CLOUD, or "Snake Temple," as it is commonly called, is a 150-year-old edifice built in honor of a Buddhist monk who reputably enjoyed healing powers. According to local tradition, the monk provided refuge and protection to the snakes of the jungle. Long after his death, the temple was constructed--and immediately upon completion, say the locals, hundreds of pit vipers from the wilds outside of town made their way, voluntarily, into the building. The priests swear that the incense smoke pervading the inside of the temple renders the snakes harmless, but we still strongly recommend you don't pick them up... Be sure to bring an egg or two, as the locals do, to offer the slithery serpents.
TRACKING THE MOUNTAIN AND LOWLAND GORILLAS of central Africa's vast forests and jungle-covered mountains have seized our third spot. The backdrop behind any excursion to see these amazing creatures is a sad one; where once thousands of gorillas roamed, now only several hundred remain. AJ strongly urges that any adventurer seeking a sighting of these mighty primates carefully research the company through which he/she organizes the trip to ensure the highest eco-friendly operation possible--and several commendable eco-tours do exist in the region. This is no walk in the woods; indeed, the temerarious trekker will often be forced to make his way through thick, thoroughly moistened flora while laboring across muddy tracts of jungle. At some point, though, the professional tracker will stop, and the traveler's small group will freeze. The tracker will point, and there, through the trees, just a few feet from where you stand, a family of gorillas, larger than you had imagined, will be chewing away on some random assortment of vegetation. It will be a sublime moment.
When one ruminates over the most dangerous of animal encounters, the Great White certainly springs to mind almost immediately. But there is another deep-sea predator, less known--but more terrifying. Our top spot is dedicated to the handful of divers who seek A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH "RED DEMON" GIANT SQUIDS (DOSIDICUS GIGAS). If you aren't careful, these colossal, tentacled, fast-moving killers will take fist-sized chunks out of you then come back for more. And you won't be dealing with just one; they travel in groups of between a dozen to hundreds--and they'll all want a piece of you. We strongly recommend that the journeyer not try this alone. Go with a professional crew that has experience with these animals and can provide you with anti-squid armor (seriously, that's what they call it). All descriptions of monsters aside, the Red Demons--all ten tentacles worth--are incredible animals, and being able to watch them stalk their prey, feed, and even interact with you is an experience wholly worthy of this, Top 7's hallowed number one slot.