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Two corrals closed. The giant tortoises can be observed from the viewing platforms.

Galapagos Travel: Rules for Galapagos Visitors, a Good Time for a Good Reminder

Last month, the Galapagos National Park Service announced they are closing visitor access to two of the tortoise corrals at Santa Cruz’s Fausto Llerena Tortoise center — due to some irresponsible behaviors by, reportedly, both some select travelers and naturalist guides. Behaviors reported include littering and violating the park’s rules against touching and coming within two meters of the animals. It was also reported that visitors were observed walking on [...]

 

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357 dead sharks found on board illegal fishing vessel - photo courtesy of the Galapagos National Park

Galapagos Travel: Illegal Fishing Vessel Caught in the Galapagos

Earlier this week the Galapagos National Park and the Ecuadorian Navy seized a boat that was illegally fishing in Galapagos Islands marine reserve — the boat was longline fishing in the protected waters for sharks and swordfish. Sadly, 357 dead sharks were found on board the boat. The species found were: 286 bigeye thresher, 22 blue sharks, 40 Galapagos sharks, 6 hammerhead sharks, 2 tiger sharks, and 1 mako shark. [...]

 

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Enter to win over $400 of Eagle Creek gear

Post this Eagle Ray Video to Win Eagle Creek Gear

UPDATE 6/27/2011: WE HAVE A WINNER!! Congrats to Charles Wood — Charles’ name was randomly selected from those who enter, and gets to walk away with the great Eagle Creek gear! Many thanks so all who entered, and stay tuned for more great giveaways. 1. Post this blog or video to your Facebook page anytime between June 10, 2011 and June 26, 2011. To post the video copy/paste this URL [...]

 

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Gabs enjoying the Morpho Waterfall on our mother-daughter trip to Costa Rica

Costa Rica Travel Video: My 12 year old and I take on the Morpho Falls

Earlier this year, I had the rare opportunity to travel with my 12-year-old daughter, Gabs, to Costa Rica. Exclusively a mother-daughter trip, all other siblings, husbands, grandparents, friends and what-have-yous were strictly instructed they were NOT invited; this was a trip just for Gabs and I. We didn’t waste a moment of our 8-days away, traveling through this beautiful country on a Beaches and Rainforest trip. We ascended to the [...]

 

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A Parrot at Yasuni Nacional Park

Amazon Travel Video: Parrots at Yasuni Clay Lick

Adventure Life traveler, Julia, returns home from a trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon with this clip from the Yasuni Clay Lick. Located along with Napo River, this is one of the most accessible licks in the Amazon. Hundreds of parrots visit this lick each day. This is a very popular stop for guests of Sacha Lodge — just short canoe trip from the lodge down the Napo River. The park [...]

 

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A penguin searches for pebbles on the rocky shore

Antarctica Travel Video: Leave the Pebbles for the Penguins

A little reminder in the principles of Leave No Trace is always a good idea. This short video from my last Antarctica trip provides just that. Although a tiny pebble might seem insignificant, they are incredibly coveted by Antarctica penguins — penguins make their nests from small pebbles, that are not always easy to come by in the snowy, stark environment. Seen here in a short clip are Gentoos (and [...]

 

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Looking for whales from the zodiac

Minke Whale, Meet Antarctica Travelers

Hey — remember that time we were in Antarctica and that minke whale decided to swim over to our zodiac, give it a little nudge and dive underneath before meandering on its way…? Antarctica travelers have a close encounter with a curious Minke whale off the coast of the Peninsula. Unlike the other wildlife of Antarctica, whales do not breed in the region. However, they do take advantage of the [...]

 

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Endemic Galapagos Hawk -- The lava lizard didn't stand a chance. Photo by Jennifer Crossman

Galapagos Travel Update: Good Riddance to Invasive Rats

As part of an ongoing commitment (and battle) to eradicate invasive species on the Galapagos Islands, partner organizations including the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and Galapagos National Park (GNP) are once again attacking the invasive rat population of the Galapagos Islands. The rats causing all the trouble were first brought inadvertently to the islands in the 17th century as stowaways on ships. Rats have been successfully removed from other islands; [...]

 

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Adventure Life traveler, Doug McCallum, assists biologists at the Pacuare Reserve

Featured Trip: Protecting Leatherback Turtles in Costa Rica

The Trip: Turtles and Rainforest 8-day Costa Rica Tour The Pacuare Nature Reserve, or Reserva Pacuare, was established by the Endangered Wildlife Trust in 1989 and protects 800 hectares of lowland tropical rainforest and 6 km of deserted beach on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. The special mission of the reserve has been to protect the Leatherback Turtles, which nest along its beach – one of the most important nesting sites [...]

 

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Penguins on Petermann Island

Great Antarctica Discount. Book by Sept. 30th, 2010

Book by September 30, 2010 to save 30% off an 11-day polar voyage onboard the Antarctic Dream. This discount applies to the November 7, 2010 departure. Here’s a beautiful clip of an Antarctic Dream expedition to give you an idea of what you might expect during a trip to the Great White Continent. Click here for details on the expedition and discount. The month of November (late Austral spring and [...]