The idea of swimming with whale sharks made me nervous. I wanted to, a lot, but I couldn’t forget my bizarre reaction to a spinner dolphin in Costa Rica a few years ago. I was afraid I’d humiliate myself again. At the time, I’d been completely and utterly irrational. I was in the water near […]
28
Jan
Jan
The Big 5 in Kenya has drawn animal and photography lovers for decades. I’ve been to the country four times on safari and loved every minute of it, but on my most recent trip, I explored facets of the country’s culture and wildlife I’d never experienced before. Over 5 days, I spent time in Nairobi, […]
06
Jan
Jan
You’ve been dreaming about going to Kenya wildlife safari. Good choice. There’s no better time to go. Kenya Airways now has a direct flight from New York to Nairobi, which means the usual 22-hour journey, including a layover, is now a 14-hour direct flight. Trust me, even though it’s still a long-haul it’s so much better than going […]
01
Jul
Jul
I’m trying desperately to pull on a 7mm wetsuit but it’s clinging to me like a surgical glove. We’d been warned it would take some effort but it’s so absurdly difficult that the other women in the dressing room and I can’t stop laughing. I’m convinced there’s a hidden camera and we’re being filmed for […]
05
Feb
Feb
He looked at us with a mischievous grin and then said it, the phrase we’d learn to finish for him. The phrase that Juan—one of two local naturalists on our Amazon River Cruise in Peru with International Expeditions’ —would say every time we began a new adventure. “My friends, you’re not going to like this … […]
16
Jan
Jan
It was mid-morning when we arrived at Sky High Mountain Ranch for our dog-sledding adventure in Whitehorse Yukon about 20 minutes from downtown. A sea of magnificent pines bordered a large lake shining silver in the sunlight. Everything glistened topped with four inches of freshly fallen snow as if straight out of a fairytale. We […]
02
Jan
Jan
She’s walking straight at us. Her long, powerful strides putting her well within the 50 meters (164-foot) safety range. Even if I could run, what’s the point? She could outpace me in seconds. I look down the line of fellow photographers to where Andy McPhearson and Rob Watson, two of our three Churchill Wild guides, […]
04
Aug
Aug
I opened the door of the tiny plane and hopped out, sinking into the wet snow up to my shins of the Kaskawulsh Glacier. Squinting behind my sunglasses, I scanned the sea of snow-covered peaks glistening against a blinding blue sky. We were completely alone. Tiny specs of life standing in the middle of the Yukon’s […]
Ever thought about taking a hot air balloon ride? Floating above an exotic destination with vistas that take your breath away? You should. No matter how many adventures you embark upon, you’ll never forget a ride in a hot-air balloon. There’s no feeling of speed or ascension. You glide. It’s as if your basket is […]
22
Jun
Jun
After five days exploring the depths of the desert, it was surreal to wake up to the smell of water. Outside, the Kunene River separating northern Namibia from Angola rushed westward at the foot of my private deck on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. I was a guest of Serra Cafema, the last stop […]