“Here they come!” Racing toward us was a huge pod of dolphins eager to play in the cruise ship’s bow waves, their dorsal fins slicing through the Sea of Cortez like hot knives through butter. Propelled by the swell, they weave in and around each other with the deftness of a con man’s shell game. […]
22
Apr
Apr
There are moments when the stars align and everything comes together and this is one of them. Above us, lounging in the crook of a sprawling jackalberry tree, an adult female leopard is bathed in golden light and to my delight, she knows how to work the camera. I can tell, it’s going to be […]
18
Mar
Mar
As the sea lions swim past me––banking, rolling, diving, zooming around in loop de loops like Hotwheels on a track––I am sure of one thing, even if this UnCruise adventure sucked (which it doesn’t), the trip would be worth it for this one hour. The Island of Los Islotes We are at the base of […]
03
Mar
Mar
It’s mid-morning, and I’m crossing the long, raised boardwalk leading to the island, my excitement building with each plank left behind. I’ve come to Duba Explorers Camp in Botswana, part of the Great Plains Conservation portfolio, one of the best camps in the Okavango Delta, and one of my first stops on an eight-day safari. […]
01
Mar
Mar
I was about to embark on the second half of my Holland America Alaska Land and Sea Cruise Adventure—the “sea” portion of my journey––and I all I could do was gape at the 10-deck Westerdam rising above the Seward pier. In the cruise industry, the Westerdam is considered a mid-sized vessel and carries a maximum […]
08
Feb
Feb
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 … […]