Past editions of Off the Radar can be found at www.travelofftheradar.com. If you have a great company you'd like us to consider for Off the Radar, send an email to editor@traveloffthveeradar.com. |
We were impressed how many of you recognized the Dogon Dancer from Mali – the prize goes to Will Heyniger, from Washington, D.C..
Do you know the name of these locks in Panama? Be the first to send your email message with the correct answer to editor@travelofftheradar.com and we will reward you with a 10% discount on a stay at the Red Frog Bungalows in Bocas Del Toro, Panama!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Off the Radar survey last month! We received an overwhelming response, and all of your suggestions and comments will be very helpful as we continue to redesign Off the Radar. The winner of the survey drawing is Rogier Gruys, who will receive a t-shirt and Eagle Creek bag. Thanks again for participating!
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1223 St. Francis Dr, Suite A,
Santa Fe, NM 87501
©2008 Xola Consulting, Inc.
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The legendary Nile, the longest river in the world, holds a special place in many people’s imagination. It flows from its source at Lake Victoria and thunders down Bujagali Falls where it reaches Jinja, Uganda’s second largest town.
Jinja is where you can begin a run on this grand river. Adrift has been leading rafting and trekking trips in the area for over a decade. From their base camp, crash your way down the Class V rapids of the White Nile - don’t worry there are no crocodiles or hippos in this part of the river!
Try combining a rafting trip with a trek in their 16-day itinerary. This includes seven days of hiking through the lush and misty tropical forests of Africa’s highest range, the Rwenzoris – the Mountains of the Moon. Overnights along the way are spent in mountain huts deep in the forest. With the expert assistance of your guides, try climbing the highest summit, Margherita Peak at 5109 meters. You’ll also have a chance to trek through Kibale National Park, the rainforest home to chimpanzees and a variety of rare birdlife.
Contact Adrift at +44 01 1488 7152 or visit www.adrift.co.uk for more information.
Winter in Yellowstone is a spectacular season to view the frozen landscape and wintering wildlife. Join Taylor Outfitters on a four-day Winter Wildlife Watch and Cross-country Ski Trip on the Northern Range of Yellowstone National Park any time from December, 2008 -February, 2009.
Travel through the Lamar Valley and Northern Range in the early morning and watch the wolf packs hunt their prey in full view from the ski trails. Our friends have seen elk, bighorn sheep, bison, otters, coyotes and wolves along the Northern Range. In addition, the Lamar Valley is a birder’s paradise of raptors including bald and golden eagles, numerous hawks and owls.
During the day, cross-country ski or snowshoe in Slough Creek, Blacktail, and Tower Falls; hike the area’s trails, and explore the impressive Mammoth Hot Springs. On a clear night, bundle up for a moonlight hike or ski.
Tory and Meredith Taylor have led many natural history tours in Yellowstone and the surrounding national parks for more than 25 years.They've been leading the Winter Wolf Watch trips ever since the effort to recover wolves to Yellowstone began ten years ago. Taylor Outfitters practices low impact trail tours, wildlife watching, and "Leave No Trace" wilderness-use ethics.
For more information call Meredith Taylor at 307-455-2161 or email: metaylor@wyoming.com
Check out Delhi to Dublin - a Canadian group who truly bring East and West together in their unique fusion style, using traditional sounds of dhal, fiddles, and sitars. 
Check out some of our favorite reads for a deeper perspective about the places and subjects covered in this edition of Off the Radar:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Ishmael Beah was a 13-year old boy in 1993 living in Sierra Leone when he was forced into the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) after his village was burned to the ground. Over the next two years, Beah and the other boys lived in starvation mode, and spent their time watching Rambo movies, sniffing cocaine mixed with gunpowder, and committing mass slaughter. Most child soldiers don’t ever make it out of these situations alive, but with some luck, fortitude, and the grace of the UNICEF, Beah was able to escape and emigrate to New York to start life anew. In March, 2007 I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Beah over lunch and was completely captivated by his story and passion for improving conditions in his country. His book is a rare and mesmerizing account of what it is like to be one of those too-numerous child soldiers in Africa. Equally important, he shows us that children who have been traumatized by war-and turned into the most soulless of killers-can also, with help, have their humanity restored. Ishmael Beah is living proof of that, and this memoir is already considered a classic. --- Paige Stringer
Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison
Peter Allison left Australia at 19 to backpack through Africa. What started as a one-year vacation turned into seven years of guiding safaris, and a truckload of experiences to share. In each stand-alone chapter, he tells his stories in the comfortable, warm and entertaining manner that puts you right next him around the campfire. Allison describes hilarious interactions with his customers, and brings his experiences in exotic African locations to life, but is at his best when he’s reflecting on the magnificent animals of his workplace.
Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone by Douglas W. Smith and Gary FergusoN
The extermination of the wolf in most of United States in the same decade that they are reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park makes for an extraordinary story. Smith and Ferguson provide a fast-moving, insightful read about the legacy of the wolf in our country. They discuss why the issue of wolves is so divisive, how the plan to bring them back into Yellowstone was formulated and executed, and offer a fascinating account of how the reintroduction of the wolves into Yellowstone has revitalized the natural environment of that park. This book should be on the list of anyone interested in wildlife conservation.
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Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum
Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, Education and Cultural Center, is dedicated to connecting people with 20,000 years of Native American cultural expression, and encourages responsible environmental action based on respect for nature. MKIM celebrates the astounding diversity indigenous to this continent with a tribute to a North American Indian culture still very much alive today. The museum stresses the ancient connection that these Indian cultures had with their environments, including their ability to draw from nature all the essentials they needed to survive. Celebrate the Harvest Moon Festival in September. Located in Warner, NH. See www.indianmuseum.org.
Lalibela, Ethiopia
Catch a 1 ½ hour flight out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Lalibela and drive to its monastic settlement of unbelievable rock-hewn churches. A destination for travelers and pilgrims since the 16th century, Lalibela is the holiest site in Ethiopia – itself the first country to adopt Christianity in the 4th century. Many of Lalibela’s historic buildings take their name and layout design from buildings in Jerusalem and this small town is among the most important religious locations in the Christian world. Hire a certified local guide, and explore some of this UNESCO World Heritage site’s 13 intricate rock-hewn churches, each carved entirely within the granite rock hillside with their roofs at ground level.
Sleep at the Tukul Village hotel, overlooking St. George’s church, and turn in early so you won’t be bothered by the 4:30am call to church. Around 6, when the sun begins its slow ascent, make your way back to your favorite church to witness hundreds of people dressed entirely in white following prayer rituals that date back over 600 years.
Catch the mid-morning flight back to Addis, and you’ll be sipping your double macchiato in Addis before lunchtime. All this historical adventure for less than 300USD (less than 150 if you’ve got an Ethiopian residency permit...)
- From Zachary Tobias in Addis
Note from OTR editors: The famous Ethiopian Lucy fossilized skeleton is coming to Seattle in October as part of the west coast premiere of Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia. www.pacsci.org/lucy/
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