After three days in Ho Chi Minh City, we were more than ready to replace the cacophony of horns and motorbikes with nature’s symphony, so we took a local bus 4.5 hours north to Cat Tien National Park. It is a large area of protected lowland tropical forests whose floral and fauna diversity has been recognized by the World Wildlife…

Continue ReadingBiking into the Jungle at Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam

Iguazú Falls is one of those visceral awe-inspiring experiences that everyone should experience once in their lifetime. The earth’s largest waterfall (closely contested with Victoria) has a wingspan of nearly three kilometers (1.8 miles) of pummeling cascades, which are stitched together on the Brazil/Argentina border. It is ringed by luscious subtropical rainforests teeming with flitting colorful butterflies, melodious birds and…

Continue ReadingA Powerhouse from Pachamama: Iguazu Falls

With rugged Scottish Highland resembling landscape and mystical forests, entering the trails of Las Cajas National Park is like penetrating another world. It has lush beds of moss and succulents, rolling green peaks, countless reflective lakes, and knobby gnarled trees that fell out of a storybook. And, at only 45-minutes from Cuenca, it’s easily accessible by any bus from the main…

Continue ReadingThe Mystery of Cajas National Park, Ecuador

How did we afford a safari on our budget of $50/day? In short, we didn’t. We knew from the beginning of our travels that in Africa, we’d have to loosen our purse strings a little. Despite assumptions however, safaris can be a lot more affordable than people think. In our case budget friendly camping safaris can be planned in advance…

Continue ReadingOn Safari: Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater

So much of the incredible Rocky Mountain landscape is designed for superlatives. From the rugged solitude of Kootenay, to the stunningly hypnotic colors of the lakes of Banff, to plentiful waterfalls of Yoho, to touring along the Ice Fields Parkway on our way to Jasper, the highest parkway on the continent, we knew a trip to the magnificent national parks…

Continue ReadingThe National Parks of the Canadian Rockies: Kootenay, Banff & Yoho