Published May 2, 2004 12:00AM
|
Outside magazine, February 1996
The Outside Trip-Finder: Asia and the Pacific By Kathy Martin AUSTRALIA: Sea Kayaking the Great Barrier Reef The Route: A three- to eight-day Coral Sea paddle along the coral atolls and palm-fringed islands of the Queensland coast, with overnights in beach camps and time to snorkel the reefs and bushwalk the cays When To Go: April-October Difficulty: Easy to moderate Travel Advisory: Pack a wide-brimmed hat, some long-sleeved T-shirts, and the stongest sunscreen you can find. Austrailia ranks first in the world in incidence of skin cancer. High/Low Points: Drifting into the shallows to see two-foot-wide giant clams clinging to the coral Suffering from a bad case of hot hands after a brush with fire coral Luxe Factor: Camping; Tourist hotels Outfitters / Departures / Price Absolute Asia / on demand / $400-$845 Down Under Answers / 36 / $360-$820 Mountain Travel-Sobek / 4 / $1,590 Outer Edge Expeditions / 9 / $1,750 Pacific Exploration Company / 13 / $675 BHUTAN: Trekking the Sacred Valleys of Bumthang The Route: A two- to three-week trip to the Land of the Thunder Dragon, including five to nine days of trekking in the bamboo and rhododendron forests of Bumthang, with visits to villages, temples, and forts When To Go: March-June, September-December Difficulty: Moderate Travel Advisory: Thanks to strict tourism controls, you’ll fork over higher fees than you would trekking in Nepal–about a third of your trip cost goes directly to the Bhutanese government. But you won’t see packs of tourists on your trek. High/Low Points: Watching masked dancers whirl at one of many sacred festivals Not being allowed to enter many of Bhutan’s temples, which are usually off-limits to non-Buddhists Luxe Factor: Camping, Rustic lodging Outfitters / Departures / Price Bhutan Travel / 3 / $2,750-$3,490 Geographic Expeditions / 2 / $3,195 Himalayan High Treks / 1 / $2,950 KE Adventure Travel / 1 / $3,200 Snow Lion Expeditions / 5 / $4,200 Top Guides / 2 / $3,990 Classic INDIA: Tracking Tigers in the National Parks The Route:A 12- to 21-day wildlife safari in search of Bengal tigers, gibbons, sloth bears, and 370 species of birds in India’s famed game parks, such as Ranthambhore, Bandhavgarh, and others When To Go: January-June, October-December Difficulty: Easy Travel Advisory: Unlike on East African safaris, you won’t find herds of animals spread across the plains. Indian wildlife is much more elusive and difficult to see in the dense jungles and forests. High/Low Points: Spotting one of only 40 Bengal tigers in Ranthambhore National Park lounging on ancient temple ruins Playing chicken with kamikaze truck drivers on the two-lane highways near Delhi Luxe Factor: Camping, Rustic lodging, Tourist hotels Outfitters / Departures / Price Destination Himalaya / 4 / $2,850 International Expeditions / 6 / $4,098 International Ventures Ltd. / on demand / $3,195* Myths and Mountains, Inc. / 1 / $2,395-$3,075 Nature Expeditions International / 3 / $2,890 Top Guides / 2 / $3,590 INDIA: Mountain Biking the World’s Highest Passable Roads The Route: A ten- to 20-day bone-jarring ride up gravel passes and down the mostly paved mountain switchbacks of Ladakh, Sikkim, or the Garwhal Himalayas, where you’ll take in views of the tallest mountains in the world from as high as 12,000 feet When To Go: May-September, November Difficulty: Strenuous Travel Advisory: Book your flights into Delhi, Leh, or Darjeeling early and leave yourself extra time for chaos at the airports during the July-August trekking season, when planes are grossly overbooked. High/Low Points: Screaming down a 20-switchback, 5,000-vertical-foot descent Getting grounded by a wayward monsoon (it happened in ’95) Luxe Factor: Camping, Rustic lodging Outfitters / Departures / Price Asian Pacific Adventures / 3 / $3,701 Bike Treks International / 2 / $3,100 Destination Himalaya / 1 / $2,700 Force 10 / 1 / $1,400 Himalayan Mountain Bikes / 2 / $2,000 KE Adventure Travel / 2 / $2,495 INDONESIA: Sailing the Nusa Tenggara Chain The Route: A five- to 17-day island-hopping voyage aboard a tall-masted schooner or ketch to idyllic atolls east of Bali, including Flores, Rinca, and/or Komodo, home of the ten-foot lizard and the barking deer When To Go: Year-round Difficulty: Easy Travel Advisory: Scheduled itineraries are maddeningly flexible due to winds, treacherous currents, or invitations to attend native cultural ceremonies. Relax–you’re in the islands. High/Low Points: Toasting your crewmates with the fermented juice of island palm trees Finding yourself in the path of a 300-pound Komodo dragon doing 30 miles per hour on two legs Luxe Factor: Boat accommodations Outfitters / Departures / Price Adventure Center / 4 / $1,640 Bolder Adventures / 7 / $1,250-$3,395 Forum Travel International / 31 / $745-$2,895 Geographic Expeditions / 1 / $3,290 Maluku Adventures / weekly / $625-$2,125 Wilderness Travel / 3 / $1,995 NEPAL: Trekking to Makalu Base Camp and the Arun Valley The Route: A three- to four-week journey through seven ecosystems in Nepal’s newest national park to a high camp on the fifth highest mountain in the world. Some outfitters trek from Makalu to the Everest base camp. When To Go: October-December Difficulty: Strenuous Travel Advisory: The Makalu trek doesn’t carry the same icon value as Annapurna or Manaslu, but it’s known as one of the most difficult hikes in the region (8,000 feet of vertical ascent) and one of the most beautiful. High/Low Points: Ogling the singular view of four of the five highest mountains in the world from the Makalu base camp Being turned back on day six by bad weather and deep snow Luxe Factor: Camping Outfitters / Departures / Price Geographic Expeditions / 1 / $3,000 Guides For All Seasons / 1 / $2,450 Himalayan Travel / 1 / $2,950 Journeys International / 2 / $2,195 Maluku Adventures / on demand / $1,115-$1,550 Snow Lion Expeditions / 1 / $3,600 New PAKISTAN: Climbing Nameless Tower in the Karakoram The Route: A six-week big-wall ascent of the soaring stone and ice of Nameless Tower, one of the Trango group spires, via the Kurteka Loretan route. The Towers are a staple for world-class climbers, but this is the first commercial climb. When To Go: July-August Difficulty: Strenuous Travel Advisory: Although the Kurteka Loretan route is rated 5.10-plus, it’s relatively straightforward and the difficult stretches are fixed. However, you need to be a competent rock climber with big-wall experience. High/Low Points: Bivouacking four to five nights on the tower on a portaledge at 18,000 feet Sitting through the obligatory, propagandistic Ministry of Tourism briefing Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging Outfitters / Departures / Price Mountain Madness / 1 / $18,000 New TIBET: Riding Horseback on the “Mysterious Plateau” The Route: A 20-day excursion into the newly opened Tibetan prefecture of Diqing, an autonomous region along the border of China and Myanmar, where you’ll ride through deep canyons and wildflower grasslands on a 9,000-foot plateau When To Go: June-September Difficulty: Moderate Travel Advisory: Beginning to intermediate riding skills are fine. You’ll spend four to six hours per day at a trot or a canter on a traditional cavalry saddle. The horses are tough and small–only 14 hands high. High/Low Points: Befriending the noble nomadic Khampas, who spirited the Dalai Lama out of Tibet Enduring the two-day cage-rattling bus ride on earthquake-prone dirt roads to Diqing Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging Outfitters / Departures / Price Boojum Expeditions / 2 / $4,000 UZBEKISTAN: Rafting the Chatkal River The Route: A 15-day, technical, Class IV-V run through three deep gorges in the snow-covered Tian Shan Mountains of central Asia, including optional side hikes to high alpine lakes and visits to isolated Muslim settlements When To Go: September Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous Travel Advisory: This area is so remote that immediate evacuation is practically impossible in case of a medical emergency. But the river guides are trained as wilderness first responders, and there is usually a doctor on the trip. High/Low Points: Catapulting through Waterfall, Red Upset, and four other big rapids–all in a raging one-mile stretch Bathing in frigid streams for more than a week Luxe Factor: Camping Outfitters / Departures / Price Mountain Travel-Sobek / 1 / $3,150 VIETNAM: Hiking among the Sapa Hill Tribes The Route: A five- to 16-day rural trek through the terraced hillsides, rice paddies, and maize and orchid fields of northwestern Vietnam, including visits to Hmong, Muong, and Thai villages When To Go: Year-round Difficulty: Easy to moderate Travel Advisory: Though not required for entry into Vietnam, an immune globulin vaccination for hepatitis A is strongly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High/Low Points: Watching Hmong tapestry weavers practice their intricate 2,000-year-old craft Getting stuck at the airport behind greenhorns who haven’t obtained their strictly required visa Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging Outfitters / Departures / Price Asian Pacific Adventures / 7 / $1,650 Bolder Adventures / on demand / $750 Geographic Expeditions / 1 / $2,190-$2,490 Himalayan Travel / 8 / $895 Journeys International / 32 / $650 Maluku Adventures / on demand / $1,115-$1,525 * Includes airfare from U.S. See also: Trip Finder Directory Copyright, 1996 Outside Magazine |