Adventure Magazine: November/December 2000 @ nationalgeographic.com

November/December 2000

Adventure-Travel Portals

In the last ten months five major adventure-travel portals have appeared on the Internet.

With searchable databases of tour operators and articles, as well as chat rooms and bulletin boards, these Web sites provide both information and inspiration. They also enable travelers to make bookings, research visas and vaccinations, and buy gear—all in one place. Here's a rundown of the portals.

Note: All rates in U.S. dollars.

iExplore.com

Special Focus: General adventure travel, with an emphasis on high-end guided trips. A recent search for Kenya safaris yielded 30 excursions that ranged in price from $1,600 to $8,000 for a week to ten days (not including airfare to the safari's starting point). The majority of the Web site's offerings cost between $2,000 and $5,000.

Getting Around: An intuitive portal to navigate. When searching for biking trips in Africa, for example, the screen lists trips and operators, prices, and a chart rating the physical, mental, and technical difficulty of each outing. That starter page links to other pertinent information, including customer evaluations and vaccination information.

Expert Advice: Staff members spend several hours interviewing each tour operator listed on the site. Clients can call 800 439 7567 [U.S. and Canada] to speak with a travel consultant.

Savings: If a customer finds a lower price for the same trip elsewhere, iExplore will match it or refund the difference.

Adventureseek.com

Special Focus: Mid-price guided excursions. The site recently listed a mountain biking trip to China that costs $3,395 for 21 days.

Getting Around: Straightforward navigation system; outfitters offering similar trips are shown on the same page, which enables users to make at-a-glance comparisons.

Expert Advice: Staffers vet tour operators with detailed interviews before listing them. Clients can get advice from live consultants online, or by calling 800 934 1126 [U.S. and Canada]. Occasionally, however, you are referred directly to tour operators.

Savings: The site offers a frequent-traveler program called AdventureMiles, in which members earn points toward discounts on gear and travel for booked trips. Participation in the community section—for example, posting photos from your travels—is also rewarded.

GORP.com

Special Focus: The veteran outdoors site launched its adventure-travel portal last February, concentrating on budget travelers. A recent search on Kenyan safaris departing from Nairobi turned up an outing for just $485 and four other excursions for less than $1,000. The site also provides in-depth coverage of domestic travel. When I went looking for a weekend escape from my San Francisco home, I came across 25 ideas.

Getting Around: GORP's clean design makes it convenient to browse the site's library, which contains the largest amount of original content on any adventure portal. Articles are integrated with information on tours and other data. A newsletter alerts readers to periodic sales and special deals.

Expert Advice: Clients can call travel consultants toll-free at 877 440 4677 [U.S. and Canada].

Savings: The site recently offered $100 off a $700 multisport trip in Colorado and 500 frequent-flier miles for selected trip bookings.

Away.com

Special Focus: Ecotourism and cultural trips. A recent search yielded 124 learning vacations.

Getting Around: The site publishes a daily e-mail newsletter that contains updates on season-specific activities and events around the world; a weekly bulletin lists new ideas for customizing and personalizing outfitter trips.

Expert Advice: Travel consultants are available to advise on trip destinations offered at the site. Call 800 643 5630 [U.S. and Canada].

Savings: As with other portals, sales are posted on an ad hoc basis. The specials section lists discounted trips (recently, 10 percent off a trek in Peru and a two-for-the-price-of-one nature cruise in the Galápagos Islands). If you book late in the year, you can sometimes pay the current-year price for a trip that's scheduled to depart in the next year.

ZuluSports.com

Special Focus: Adventure-sport enthusiasts who like to travel. The site features 15 activities, ranging from snowboarding to surfing, in 25 destinations worldwide.

Getting Around: Organized by sport into subportals that can be bookmarked, allowing users to return daily to check developments.

Expert Advice: Its database of outfitters and guides does not include evaluations.

Savings: The site does not offer special deals.

—Lisa Tabb

The 25 Greatest NEW Adventures in the World

What's going on in adventure travel? Plenty, and here are 25 freshly minted excursions to prove it. Read about the adventures in the new issue. Link to essential outfitters below.

Our second annual roundup showcases the world's most exciting never-been-there, never-done-that trips—mountain biking in Mongolia, sailing among Indonesia's islands, rafting wilderness rivers in Canada and Bolivia. The trend is toward more challenging and athletic itineraries, such as tackling a multisport workout along Chile's Futaleufú or skiing to the North Pole.

Outfitters are also getting bolder about venturing into borderline areas that can flare into headlines (see our online forum: Haven or Hellhole?). The timid stay home; the adventurous go forth—vigilant but undaunted.

Note: All rates in U.S. dollars.

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Ethiopia
Grand Canyon Suite
OUTFITTER: Mountain Travel Sobek; Telephone: 888 687 6235 (U.S. and Canada); www.mtsobek.com
LENGTH: 22 days
DATES: September and October 2001
RATES: From $3,690, departing from Addis Ababa.

Gabon
Seeking Ian's Apes
OUTFITTER: Discovery Initiatives, in England; Telephone: 44 1285 810621; www.discoveryinitiatives.com
LENGTH: 14 days
DATE: May 2001
RATES: $4,536, departing from London

Kenya
High in the Saddle on the Chyulu Trail
OUTFITTER: Hidden Trails; Telephone: 888 987 2457 (U.S. and Canada); www.hiddentrails.com
LENGTH: Eight days
DATES: June and December 2001
RATES: $2,400, departing from Nairobi

Yemen
The Ancient Land of Incense
OUTFITTER: Alpine Ascents; Telephone: +1 206 378 1927 (U.S. and Canada); www.alpineascents.com
LENGTH: 15 days
DATE: October 2001
RATES: $3,400, departing from Sanaa

Zambia
Dark Side of the Moon
OUTFITTER: Steve Currey Expeditions; Telephone: 800 937 7238 (U.S. and Canada); www.expeditioncompany.net
LENGTH: 18 days
DATE: June 2001
RATE: $8,000, departing from Johannesburg

Top

ASIA

Indonesia
Lost (and Found) at Sea
OUTFITTER: Asia Transpacific Journeys; Telephone: 800 642 2742 (U.S. and Canada); www.southeastasia.com
LENGTH: 22 days
DATE: July 2001
RATE: $8,500, departing from Manado

Mongolia
Wheeling in the Hood
OUTFITTER: Boojum Expeditions; Telephone: 800 287 0125 (U.S. and Canada); www.boojum.com
LENGTH: 15 days
DATE: August 2001
RATE: $2,300, departing from Ulaanbaatar

Nepal
Sacred Waters
OUTFITTER: Mountain Travel Sobek; Telephone: 888 687 6235 (U.S. and Canada); www.mtsobek.com
LENGTH: 18 days
DATES: March to April 2001; October to November 2001
RATE: $2,790, departing from Kathmandu

Tibet
Rafting a Hidden Himalayan River
OUTFITTER: Earth River Expeditions; Telephone: 800 643 2784 (U.S. and Canada); www.earthriver.com
LENGTH: 17 days
DATE: October 2001
RATE: $5,100, departing from Chengdu

Top

CANADA

British Columbia
Kayaking in Luxury off Vancouver Island
OUTFITTER: Butterfield & Robinson; Telephone: 800 678 1147 (U.S. and Canada); www.butterfield.com
LENGTH: Six days
DATES: June, July, and 2001
RATE: $3,450, departing from Vancouver.

Northwest Territories
Exploring the Big Empty
OUTFITTER: River League Wilderness Rafting Expeditions; Telephone: 800 440 1322 (U.S. and Canada); www.riverleague.ca
LENGTH: 12 days
DATES: August 2001
RATE: $3,700, departing from Norman Wells.

Nunavut
Ellesmere's Tragic Shores
OUTFITTER: Whitney & Smith Legendary Expeditions; Telephone: +1 403 678 3052; www.legendaryex.com
LENGTH: 14 to 21 days
DATES: July and August 2001
RATE: $4,000, departing from Resolute Bay.

Top

LATIN AMERICA

Belize
Mayan Caves of Wonder
OUTFITTER: Slickrock Adventures; Telephone: 800 390 5715 (U.S. and Canada); www.slickrock.com
LENGTH: Five days
DATES: January to April 2001
RATE: $895, departing from Belize City

Bolivia
Andean Outback Trek
OUTFITTER: Explore Bolivia; Telephone: +1 877 708 8810; www.explorebolivia.com
LENGTH: 14 days
DATES: March 2001
RATE: $3,150, departing from La Paz

Chile
New View of the Futaleufú
OUTFITTER: Earth River Expeditions; Telephone: 800 643 2784 (U.S. and Canada); www.earthriver.com
LENGTH: 11 days
DATES: January and February 2001
RATE: $2,900, departing from Puerto Montt

Ecuador
Freewheeling Down Volcano Road
OUTFITTER: KE Adventure Travel; Telephone: 800 497 9675 (U.S. and Canada); www.keadventure.com
LENGTH: 16 days
DATES: December 2000 to January 2001; August to September 2001
RATE: $2,665, departing from Quito

Mexico
Wet and Wild in Oaxaca
OUTFITTER: Expediciones Agua Azul; Telephone: +1 208 863 1100; www.aguaazul.com
LENGTH: Six days
DATES: November 2001
RATE: $1,449, departing from Santa Cruz Huatulco

Panama
Kayaking the Chiriquí Rivers
OUTFITTER: Nantahala Outdoor Center; Telephone: 888 662 1662 (U.S. and Canada); www.nocweb.com
LENGTH: Nine days
DATES: November and December 2000 and 2001
RATE: $1,450, departing from Panama City

Top

EUROPE

Greece
Afloat on a Wine-Dark Sea
OUTFITTER: Trekking Hellas, in Greece; Telephone: +1 30 1 3310323; www.trekking.gr
LENGTH: Nine days
DATES: June to September 2001
RATE: $955, departing from Athens

Georgia
Europe's Forgotten Range
OUTFITTER: Geographic Expeditions; Telephone: 800 777 8183 (U.S. and Canada); www.geoex.com
LENGTH: 17 days
DATE: July 2001
RATE: $3,990, departing from Tbilisi

Romania
Galloping Into a Strongman's Lair
OUTFITTER: Boojum Expeditions; Telephone: 800 287 0125 (U.S. and Canada); www.boojum.com
LENGTH: 15 days
DATES: September 2001
RATE: $2,550, departing from Bucharest

Russia
Skiing to the End of the Earth
OUTFITTER: Alpine Ascents; Telephone: +1 206 378 1927; www.alpineascents.com
LENGTH: 20 days
DATE: April 2001
RATE: $9,500, departing from St. Petersburg

Switzerland
In-line Skating Through the Alps
OUTFITTER: Zephyr Inline Skate Tours; Telephone: 888 758 8687 (U.S. and Canada); www.skatetour.com
LENGTH: Seven days
DATES: June, August, and September 2001
RATE: $1,765, departing from Visp

Top

OCEANIA

Australia
Queensland's Eco-Challenge Lite
OUTFITTER: Eco-Challenge Adventure Travel; Telephone: 800 803 9010 (U.S. and Canada); www.ecochallenge.com
LENGTH: Ten days
DATES: April, July, August, and October 2001
RATE: $2,141, departing from Cairns

Fiji
Paddling Where Kayaks Dare Not Go
OUTFITTER: Earth River Expeditions; Telephone: 800 643 2784 (U.S. and Canada); www.earthriver.com
LENGTH: 14 days
DATES: January 2001
RATE: $2,900, departing from Nadi

Top