Travel off the beaten track and experience

On the evening after my caracal walk, I got to meet another caracal. A tiny caracal cub had been rescued. I assume the mother had been killed and the poor defenceless cub was left an orphan. The cub was so young, it hadn't even opened its eyes. A few of us volunteers were fortunate enough to hold the little cub before it was wrapped in a blanket and taken to be bottle-fed. That evening, we had an activity booked - shooting a tranquilizer gun to tranquilize a paper cheetah. One at a time, we tried shooting a board which had the drawing of a cheetah on. The aim was to hit the cheetah in the hind leg. This is the ideal spot to hit the animal as it's away from precious organs but is close enough to the main body of the animal to actually have an effect on it. The gun was heavy and it was hard to look through the crosshairs at exactly the right spot. I fired and was close but not close enough. My dart had hit the paper cheetah in the groin - oops! Not the m...

We’re sharing our report of our Mount Kilimanjaro on the Lemosho Route for 7 days/6 nights. Check out our trip report for the final stretch of our journey on Days 6-7. Refer to:  Trip Report Days 1-2; Trip Report Days 3-5 Related post: Why Mount Kilimanjaro is Awesome and Challenging Day 6 – January 3, 2017 Summit Day was similar to running a marathon: You have a hard time sleeping the night before due to the excitement and anxiety. Once you start the race, you feel strong and run/sprint past everyone. The pace is blowing away what was done in training. In the middle of the run, the pace slows down due to the cockiness of running fast in the beginning and you wonder why you put yourself through torture. Once you cross the finish line, you’re over the run and vow never to do another one. After some sleep and rest, the high endorphins kick in and you instantly want to sign up for another one. What a slow climb up the mountain. Hundreds of people walked up, and we lo...

We’re not ready to say goodbye to summer just yet – we’re still squeezing in every beach bar getaway possible – but with fall on the horizon, it’s not a bad idea to start thinking about what’s on deck for a little end-of-year adventure. Virtuoso tapped into its data warehouse of $49.5 billion in travel transactions to analyze this fall’s best vacation spots for American travelers, based on future bookings. The overwhelming find: Travelers want to discover somewhere new, favoring under-the-radar spots in Europe, adventurous locales in less-visited South American countries, and more. We divided fall’s trending vacation destinations into two lists: a Hot 10 ranking of emerging places with the largest year-over-year percentage increase in fall travel bookings, and one showcasing the most popular destinations based on booking data – aka the classics. Check out the full lists below – and happy travel planning! The Hottest Fall Vacation Destinations for 2019 Plaza Independencia in Uruguay...

Underwater Waterfall, Mauritius. The remote island in the Indian Ocean, 2,000 km (1,200 mi) away from Africa, is a very attractive tourist destination. The underwater waterfall, located on the southwestern shore, might serve as a signature of Mauritius. It isn’t an actual waterfall, but an optical illusion: the sediment of sand and silt create this dramatic site. The reason for this is that the island is relatively new and a formation of it is still present, causing an underwater slope. Why to go there? The tourists are offered to relax in the white sandy beaches and enjoy the warm water, explore the mountains, a reef and underworld world. When to go there? The weather is pleasant and beach-friendly all year round. How to get there? Get there by plane to Mauritius Airport. Visit: Mauritius Tourism Stay at: One&Only Le Saint Géran, Four Seasons Resort Mauritius, Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa, Maritim Hotel Mauritius Photo by Unknown Photo by Unknown Photo by U...

  That’s me! I stood up! by Alyssa Ramos WEDNESDAY PM Wednesday was my fourth day in Muizenberg , South Africa , and the day that the unthinkable happened. After volunteering at Christian David Primary School , I hopped into Karl’s van along with the rest of the volunteers like usual, except for one that wasn’t usually there. Mr. TDH. He had mentioned that the IVHQ  Surf Program volunteers alternate volunteering in the Sports Program twice a week…so that wasn’t the unthinkable part. (If you missed who Mr. TDH is, check out My Week in Muizenberg Day 1). The unthinkable part was that he (and an awesome girl from Australia ) somehow convinced me to go surfing in the freezing cold and rainy weather. I was about as thrilled as a cat doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge , but how could I possibly say no to surfing in South Africa ? I had about five seconds to grab my laptop, GoPro , phone charger, and change of clothes before I was rushed out the door of the...

Monday Afternoon Karl picked us up after volunteering at school and dropped us back off at the IVHQ volunteer house after dropping off a few others staying at different houses along the way. One of the older volunteers (and by older I mean in volunteer weeks, not age) offered to take us to Checkers – the main grocery store chain in Muizenberg, and although my inner sorority girl was perfectly fine with the pre-scheduled meal plan served at the house, I decided to take a stroll into “town” anyway. I ended up finding a cheap little clothing store next door to it where I bought a much-needed pair of boots for only 250 ZAR ($25 USD) and a little knit head warmer for my icicle ears. If you go to South Africa during winter, you will wear the same boots, and you will love them dearly. When the guys were done shopping, we took a walk down to the beach where the volunteers in the afterschool surf program were just starting lessons. Wore my boots every day…even slept ...