Your adrenaline’s pumping, heart racing, mind going a hundred miles a minute as you rush down a river full of white rapids and tough maneuvering. Or that’s how your next extreme summer trip could be spent if you decide to go whitewater rafting. It’s a trip that can be one of the most extreme activities or it can be one of the most laid back and relaxing trips.

Whitewater rafting provides a different type of experience for those looking to try something new this summer. For those that have experience with whitewater rafting and are looking for some of the best places to go extreme whitewater rafting, check out this list of great places to try out.

One of the world’s most popular whitewater rivers is Middle Fork, Salmon River in Idaho. It offers rapids up to Class IV and includes alpine and forest scenery. You’re almost guaranteed to see wildlife along the trip as you battle the river. This river has areas that can be rafted with little experience and a guide along to help because it offers a good variety of river classes.

Deschutes River in Oregon offers up a river that is full of chutes and falls, providing a great time in extreme water. The most thrilling section is known as the Elevator Rapids and in between the river there is rock formations made of hardened lava flows, providing rafters with a unique and enduring experience. This river has higher class levels and is not very well suited for beginner rafters.

The Colorado River, which goes through Colorado, Utah and Arizona, has a variety of class levels to offer all skillsets. This is a must-raft destination for anyone that wants to experience whitewater rafting; it goes through Moab and Grand Canyon, two of the world’s largest showcases for beauty. This area of rafting is so popular that spots fill up a year in advance.

Whether you’re looking for extreme, top of the line rafting, or you’re just looking for a mellower, easy going rafting trip, whitewater rafting can provide a great summer vacation activity. Whitewater rafting is an ideal trip for groups of people that want to spend quality time outdoors enjoying the flowing rivers and fresh air.

About the Author:

Western River Expeditions is pleased to bring you this article on whitewater rafting. Western River has a number of rafting trips to offer, such as Grand Canyon white water rafting, and Idaho rafting trips. If you are interested in learning more, check out their website today.

So a couple of years ago I was travelling through South-East Asia and I was in Thailand enjoying Thai New Year. For anyone who doesn’t know what that means we’re talking giant water gun fights throughout Thailand, its completely mental. You spend your days recreating ‘The Unit’ while drinking plenty of beer and whiskey…epic! Anyway so during this I got chatting to one guy who I’d had a particularly awesome water fight with and he started to explain to me about Laos. In all honesty I knew of the country but had never considered going there; Vietnam was a more desirable destination. So as we chatted he started to really sell it to me; it’s cheaper than Thailand and Vietnam, less spoilt and more importantly it has tubing!

What is Tubing you ask..

Now I was completely oblivious, as I’m sure you are reading this, to what that the word tubing even means but that’s where, hook line and sinker, I was convinced to head straight to Laos. Tubing involves being given a rubber ring in the village of Vang Vien before by tuk-tuk you are taken miles upriver. When you’ve gone far enough from the town you simply get out and jump in the river and float downstream. Now for anyone who has ever been to Laos it’s staggeringly beautiful almost like in Jurassic Park when the helicopter is flying by the waterfall. Your jaw just drops as you float at a pleasant pace admiring the stunning scenery, which is only half of the deal though! As you get further down river a series of bars, swings and zip wires come into view and this where the fun really starts.

My Own El Dorado..

As you approach these wooden structures ropes are slung out and you are pulled ashore. A shot or beer is placed in your hand and the party begins. Music is playing, girls are in bikinis everywhere and you have swings into the water that range from 10-30feet. Now I know this sounds insane and I’m not going to lie; it is pretty dangerous, but wow! This is basically backpacking heaven. Where can you find an activity as completely brilliant as this? If you get bored of one bar or swing you just float on down to the next one. This you can do all day for many days it’s that good. Occasionally you will find a slightly larger bar and by the banks of the river there will be a full on rave taking place on the bank of the river. Honestly, forget the full moon parties in Thailand, this is happening everyday!

Expense

Want to know the most ridiculous part of the whole deal? It costs less than 5 dollars to do this. That gets you the rubber ring and tuk-tuk ride and while the drinks are technically being sold you get enough free drinks to ruin a bodybuilder. So if you’re thinking of going anywhere this year head to Laos. You can do anything and everything just remember one thing; know your limits! There aren’t lifeguards but everyone keeps an eye on each other.

This is a unique experience in a unique country don’t miss out!

Written by Annabel, an Event Manager at Chillisauce, that specialises in organising Hen Nights through out the UK

If adventure sports are your thing then Peru certainly has a lot to offer. With beautiful coastline, jungles and mountains, it’s a paradise for those with an adventurous disposition. Outdoor activities include river-running, paragliding, rock climbing and scuba diving. Here’s our short guide to some of the best adventure sports locations to for holidays in Peru.

Surfing in Lima

Lima, the capital of Peru, has 250 kilometres of beaches with great surf break. For beginners, Redondo and Makaha beaches are perfect. More experienced surfers may prefer La Herradura and experts will want to hit up the waves at Pico Alto, if the swell is big it produces one of the largest, most terrifying waves in South America. Caplinas, which is right next to the city, is a very rapid wave and again only very experienced surfers should attempt – however owing to it being close to shore – this break is perfect for watching pros strut their stuff.

Altogether, Lima has surfing options for everyone from beginners to the pros and while something of a tourist trap, Waikiki, a beach near Miraflores  is perhaps the best place to start out, as it welcomes inexperienced and experienced surfers, has regular waves and a sandy bottom.

Rafting on the Urubamba River

The winding Urubamba River is a headwater of the Amazon River and a great rafting spot. Guided options included one, two and three day trips that cover the three most exciting sections of the river.

A trip will usually start with easy rapids, which are good for gaining experience or retraining beginners. However, during the dry season, the rapids will be low and can be a bit too slow for those with more experience – despite this it is always important to get to know the people in your raft and ensure that you have confidence in them with the bigger stuff to come.

The Urubamaba’s second section is the most popular section, as it has some fast rapids. However, individuals who are new to the sport should still be able to handle the trip, particularly after they’ve acquired some experience on the easier rapids upstream. Here, you can hit rapids that range from bumpy grade two to a foaming grade five monster, depending on how far down you go.

Another section of the river can take participants closer to Machu Picchu and is only available to experienced white water rafters, as near constant, fast white-water and very large rapids should not be attempted by inexperienced rafters.

If possible it’s really worth making a trip on the Urubamba River during the wet season, when the water is higher so the rapids are faster but not necessarily more dangerous. If you travel with a guide, you may hike to notable locations nearby.

Hiking the Colca Canyon

The Colca Canyon is the deepest canyon in the world, at about double the depth of the Grand Canyon in the United States. While it may not have the sheer sides of its US counterpart, it is a superb location for hiking. There are a number of guided tours but it’s worth bearing in mind that the hikes are tough, the ascents and the descents are hard on your body – so you need to be in good shape. The Colca Canyon is also the prime spot for seeing the Andean Condor, as it will often soar on thermals created by the canyon in the early mornings – although unfortunately it is now considered to be a near threatened species – in part due to loss of habitat.

Adventure sports are at their finest in Peru. The country’s varieties of settings make it ideal for people who enjoy the exhilaration of a thrilling, breath-taking sport.

Jonathan is a keen travel blogger who enjoys nothing better than writing about his holidays in Peru and elsewhere

Juneau is a fascinating city, surrounded by vast mountains and glaciers on all sides. It is the most frequently visited city in Alaska and is located in a stunning location on a narrow salt water channel. Virtually all of the cruises to Alaska will stop off in Juneau, so we have put together a guide on the Top 3 Shore Excursions on offer to all cruisers visiting this brilliant city.

1. The Mount Roberts Tramway

The Mount Roberts Tramway, despite being one of the cheapest options, is one of the most exciting shore excursions in the whole of Alaska. As you depart your cruise ship, you will be collected by a tram close to the docks before being whisked high up into the amazing mountains that overlook the city! Here you will have a chance to follow one of the various hiking trails and take in the fantastic views and scenery. Suitable for people of all hiking abilities and experience, this wonderful excursion is sure to live long in the memory.

2. Mendenhall Glacier River Rafting

The Medenhall Glacier River Rafting is an ideal excursion for those of you who are heavily into incredible wildlife and amazing scenery. Visitors are always promised an unforgettable experience, whether you are a beginner or an experienced river rafter! After departing the cruise docks, you will be taken on a very short bus ride to the base of the immense Medenhall Glacier, via the visitor’s centre. Upon boarding your river raft, you will set off on a trip down the Medenhall River and travel past the amazing face of the Glacier!

3. Helicopter Flightseeing and Glacier Trek

The fantastic Juneau Helicopter Flightseeing and Glacier Trek is suitable for people of all experience levels. Beginners are always welcome, with an orientation session that teaches all of the required skills provided before you start. Before being allowed to spend time on top of a glacier, exploring it up-close, you will first be taken on an aerial tour of all of the Glaciers, looking down on them from a helicopter. After this you will be provided with full ice-climbing equipment and an ice axe for your hands on, breathtaking Glacier experience!

 Written by Ellis Green of LoveCruise.co.uk, a UK Cruise company specializing in Alaska Cruise Deals and Cruises from Barcelona

Imagine coming upon a pride of lions striding in their majestic way or the fierce eyes of a tiger watching you from behind the bushes or even a gazelle speeding past you – all in real life.  So pick up your camera and visit these destinations to get acquainted with the other half of the world’s population.

Kenya

1. Watch the annual migration of the wildebeest during July and August at Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. This moving sea of herbivores crosses over open savannahs and river in millions – a sight to see from a distance.  The animals return to Serengati in October or November after feasting on the Masai Mara grass.

Masai Mara is bursting with other animals like leopards, gazelles, zebra, lions, hyena, cheetah, jackal, giraffe, impala, bat-eared foxes and rare sights of the shy black rhino.  You can feast your eyes on these collections at ease if you are here during the yearly wildebeest migration.

Zambia

1. The “walking safari” at the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia may leave you gasping for more such heart fluttering experiences.  The vehicle safaris will take you past swamps filled with hippos, crowned cranes swooping low over the grassland, antelopes grazing languidly, baboons taking cover and large herds of elephants noiselessly walking by.  This place is believed to be populated by more than 60 species of animals and about 400 kinds of different birds – quite a concentration of wildlife in one area.

India

1. The snow leopard is a rare carnivore to be found in the high altitudes of Ladakh in India.  The distinct alpine atmosphere of Ladakh houses some more rare animals, birds and flowers.   Patience and some trekking can reward you with sightings of ibex, wild yak, blue sheep, and bharal and at a lower height you may even come across the musk deer.    If you are a bird watcher you are in the right place because here you may never want to put down your binoculars.  Watch out for the Bactrian magpies, grey tits, kite, kestrel, Turkoman rock pigeon, finches, larks, desert wheateaters and black necked crane, bar-headed geese and ducks near the lakes.

1. Ranthambore National Park in India is an extensive wildlife sanctuary.  Tigers are its most popular inhabitants and often sighted even during the day time.  It is not rare to see a mother tiger tending to her young ones out in the open or stalking her prey silently.  Since tigers are hunting you will get to see many smaller mammals roaming the green stretches of this park; and don’t forget to look up into the trees for a variety of colorful birds.

Argentina

1. For marine wildlife close to the shore come to the Peninsula Valdes in Argentina, a world heritage site.  The shoreline has gulfs, rocky cliffs, shallow bays and lagoons.  You will also find sandy dunes, small islands and pebbled beaches.   The southern elephant seal has the highest population here compared to the rest of the world and it is increasing.  The southern right whales have found these shores to be the safest for mating and giving birth.  You can watch the southern sea lions in great numbers over here, as they too find this spot safe for breeding.   Watch the local orcas hunting the young sea lions and elephant seals by snatching them off the shallow surf.  The Magellan penguins live here in large numbers as well.

About The Author: Elias Cortez is a freelance writer and the editor of www.topnetbookpicks.com – a website which provides detailed reviews and information for popular netbook models such as the nb305-n310 and the top netbooks for 2011.

Tourists are queueing up to visit the world’s first hotel with a millions stars.

Monika Fritz came up with the idea after cutting a hotel shape into her wheat field – and then putting beds in the middle giving guests an uninterrupted view of the heavens – and what she estimates is at least 1 million stars or more.

But she says: “Although some people are rather sceptical, the breathtaking view at night makes it worthwhile to visit.

“The air is always fresh and there is no street lights around here so nothing to disturb the view of the heavens.”

The price for one night at the hotel located outside the German city of Bad Kissingen varies between 3 and 7 Euros – which Monica says is not one bad value for a millions star rating.

The kind of lane we dove up, except this one is less steep

Part 1 of the tour covers Stara Zagora to Bojenci.

We arrived at Bojenci at about 8pm. By the way if you are traveling along the same route (see the map on the right) make sure you drive all the way to a village called Donino before you make a turning off the main road or you risk taking a very long way round. Believe me.

Bojenci is certainly a unique place to stay. The village is intentionally kept as though it was stuck in 1900, all the buildings including new ones have to be built in the  style of the time which is combination of a dark timber frame with stone walls close to the ground, white plaster on higher floors and slate roofs. The reality is that I suspect there are no permanent residents that live there,  most of the buildings are either guest houses, rental properties, restaurants or cafes which despite their external appearance are all modern inside.

When we got there we had to find the apartment we had rented, it took some roaming around aimlessly before we settled on asking at the tourist office. Based on their instructions we were soon trying to drive up a tiny stone covered country lane that was so steep it took a good deal of burned rubber and three attempts to get up it. Luckily I quickly learned how to negotiate that particular ramp and didn’t get stuck there again! The trick was to get enough speed along one tiny country lane and then pull a sharp right, up another tiny country lane so that the momentum got us past the steepest bit. I couldn’t help feeling that it probably wasn’t the safest thing to be doing given that all around us there were either trees, precipice type descents or stone buildings… Anyhow, we eventually settled into our room, took a shower and hit the village (on foot, of course) in search of a well earned, no expenses spared meal.

The next morning we got to see the village in bright sunlight for the first time, it was a true picture of tranquility. The houses were spread around the end of a forest covered valley so that the peaks of the mountains rose above them on three sides. The thick vegetation was alive with the sound of birds and no doubt many other animals, we later spotted a toad hiding in long grass. As we explored we found that there where a number of footpaths leading off into the green wilderness. One of them was marked with the word ‘Tryavna‘, a town that was on our itinerary for the next day, it must have been a 2 to 3 hour hike from Bojenci.

The monastery with the rock face where the cave is in the background

By early afternoon we were off again to visit the Bacho Kiro cave. The mouth of the cave was located on a shear rock face close to a stream. To reach it we had to walk from the car park through the grounds of a monastery, along a foot path and across a couple of bridges all of which was well accustomed to visitors. When we entered the cave the brightness and temperature from outside all but disappeared. The cave quickly opened up to be very high, quite wide and covered with interesting rock formations. There were some exhibition boards with information about archaeological finds and a map of the cave itself which showed that it was very deep and had a complex network of interlocking passages and dead ends. You really needed a guide to explore the cave properly but there was a shorter route which was visitable without one. The route went into the mountain to a point where we had to climb upwards to a large room, apparently the room has such good acoustics that it has been used for classical concerts in the past. From there the ascent continued through a tight gap that lead to another smaller room high above and connect to the passage below.

The visit to the cave and the monastery took a large bite out of the day and we chose to head back to our base camp in Bojenci for a quick dip in the pool at our residence and some intense relaxation.

The final part of our tour had culture at it’s heart at Veliko Tarnovo and Tryavna.

The road to Shipka, the church is just visible in the distance.

Earlier on in the summer we decided to go on a 5 day driving tour of Stara Planina, the Balkan mountain range in Bulgaria (see the map on the right). We planned for an easy drive with at most a couple of hours behind wheel per day so that we could spend most of the time exploring the country. It just so happened that our starting and ending point was Stara Zagora, a town right in the middle of the Bulgaria.

The mid morning start saw us head north on the motorway in the direction of one of the towns closer to the mountains, Kazalnak. We made good progress because of the lack of traffic and the good condition of the road – something that was consistent throughout the trip, I’m glad to report. Apparently Kazalnak doesn’t have much to offer and we were told to avoid it if possible as it would just slow us down so we didn’t turn off the motorway until after we had passed it, at a village called Dunavtsi. From there it was a drive through rural farmland, on a mostly straight road lined with poppies and other flowers all the way to Shipka, our first stop.

The Russian style church at Shipka

Shipka is right at the foothills of the Balkan mountains and it’s famous for a huge Russian style, memorial church with gold plated, onion shaped domes. The church sits upon a small plateau on a south facing slope, high enough for the gold of it’s domes to be seen glimmering in the sun from a great distance. We noticed it a good 20 minutes before we got there which was a welcome appetiser before the main meal. The church itself was impressive in size with intricate workmanship and the excellent state of repair both inside and out. In the basement was an exhibition about it’s history: it had been donated by the Russian state to Bulgaria and construction had started in the last years of the 19th century, recent enough for photographs of the various stages of the build to be exhibited. The grounds around the monument were equally beautiful and well kept. Above all, what I noticed was the tranquility and the feeling of being so close to nature while wandering around the garden that surrounded the building. At the back of the church, in the shade of some tall trees there was a secluded bench which was perfect to take in the view of the church’s deep red walls contrasting against the backdrop of green, forest covered mountains while listening to the casual conversation of the birds above.

It was hunger that snapped us back into reality. The situation was remedied by a quick ice cream at the cafe in front of the church and then we set off again on our journey. The next stop was a museum village called Etera, in the vicinity of Gabrovo. From Shipka the road climbed steeply to a mountain pass after which there was a much more gentle, meandering descent down the other side. There are two things that I want to point out here, the first is the abundance of vegetation bursting from the mountain side. I’m not exactly horticulturally inclined but the number of tall bushes covered with little white flowers was enough for me to ask what they were; elderflower (of course, how could I have not recognised them). The second thing was that our car had a thermometer that measured the outside temperature. From the church to the top of the pass the temperature had dropped by 7 degrees centigrade.

Bridge into the heart of Etera

As I said, Etera is a museum village. It has been constructed alongside a healthily flowing stream by reproducing buildings from many of the villages in Stara Planina, in such a way as to demonstrate what traditional village life used to be like. All the buildings were in working order and had a function. For example there were a number of water mills fed from a traditionally built canal, one with a griding wheel for wheat, one with a flywheel used to sharpen knives, one connected to machinery for spinning cotton and so on. We also came across an old school, a church, a tannery, houses and various shops all in working order with artisans making and selling their wares. One of the larger buildings housed an exhibition of local shepherd lifestyle on one floor and a big fine art exhibition on another. Actually there was loads to see and do at Etera and on top of that the setting was great.

We could have spent more time there but we were on a mission. As we sat down on a stone wall munching away on an improvised and very late lunch that we bought from the village bakery, we hatched the plan to get to our destination for the day, Bojenci.

Here is part 2 of the tour, Bojenci and Bacho Kiro Cave.