I'm no diver and not much of a swimmer - but if you're like me, have courage and follow this advice for sately snorkeling the Blue Hole in Dahab, Egypt.
Wonders
Natural Beauty & Human Achievement
Adventures of trekking with a mule to the ruins of the last Inca Kingdom of Vilcabamba in the Espiritu Pampa of Peru.
Traveling the Srinagar-Leh Highway. Travel photo-story and advice for the journey into the Himalayas. Built by the military, this is the only road linking isolated Ladakh with Jammu and Kashmir states.
Luxor can be painful beyond the ancient beauty - scammers, hawkers, gigolos and inflated prices. But it doesn't have to ruin your trip - try these tips!
Don't follow your David Attenborough urges on Komodo Island... or else. Also, travel advice to Komodo Island in 2023.
Sudan's pyramids are older than Egypt's and there are more of them! But the pyramids at Meroe are much smaller. Still, you'll probably be alone & in awe.
The temples at Angkor are the most famous in the world, but how many people have heard of nearby Koh Ker? Check them out and enjoy the ruins without the crowds.
In 400-year-old Yongtai Ancient city - a ruined frontier fort on the Silk Road - remains a village of soldier-descendants, herding goats and sheep amid the arid surrounds of this turtle shaped fortress.
Rostov Veliky is a fairytale beauty of domed churches and castle towers near a lake about 200 kilometers from Moscow.
Hathor is a goddess of many things within the ancient Egyptian story. To visit this amazingly preserved temple at Dendara, alone, is wondrous.
Travel advice & pics for backpackers hiking Mount Sinai in Egypt. Consider climbing during the day, allowing 3 hours - with plenty of rest and photo ops.
Discovered in 2005 and yet 5000 years old, Las Geel is one of the world's greatest prehistoric art sites.
A volcanic eruption left haunting ruins of human occupation at Whalers' Bay on Deception Island in Antarctica.
Hiking Albania's Accursed Mountains? Check-out my experience of hiking from Valbone to Theth - awesome - in this travel advice blog + video.
Van-camping in China, near Jian at Wandu Mountain City ruins, amid the valley of nobles tombs at the ancient capital of the Korean Goguryeo Kingdom.
Exploring the ancient megaliths of Bada Valley at Lore Lindu, whose origins remain a mystery. Yet, their styling is similar to ancient relics in Laos and Colombia.
On the edge of the Sahara in Algeria, five ancient fortified villages in the M'zab Valley preserve a unique Islamic culture lasting more than 1000 years.
Amid the northern mountains of Ethiopia the historic capital of castles at Gondar was once known as the "African Camelot".
Traveling to the amazing wind-sculpted formations for an overnight stay in the White Desert of Egypt is best done from Bawiti (Bahariya oasis), rather than in Cairo.
Memories of backpacking around Syria, talking my way into Syria by getting a visa on the border, exploring ancient sights while hitchhiking the desert, and visiting a restricted military zone on the Israeli border, and more.
Travel advice + inspiration for horse trekking in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan to the high altitude Ala Kul Lake.
Back in 1989 ... I simply walked into the entrance of Petra, Jordan, paid my fee, and wandered in with a sleeping bag under arm.
The hike thru rainforest to the volcanic crater lake of Laguna Chicabal takes about 2 hours. But don't expect to swim as it's the sacred center of the Mam Maya cosmos.
Acknowledged as the "worlds oldest observatory", Zorats Karer is a 7500-year-old stone circle often-called the Armenian Stonehenge.
Visiting the ancient stone towers of Mestia - lost amid mid-winter snow, drinking with locals, surrounded by the high peaks of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia.
A gigantic, stone face is half-buried at the ancient Pipil site of El Baul. Today, it's lost amid sugarcane plantations.
Sudan travel advice for taking the ship from Aswan in Egypt, across Lake Nasser to Wadi Halfa, then traveling to sights on route to Dongola. In Summer. HOT.
Impressions of crazy love amid a surreal past - MesoAmerican ruins of the Maya and others.
Within the Kaluts region, you could be forgiven for wondering if you've stumbled into a lost city - as miles of eroded sand towers & blocks stick out of the desert.
Dominating the plain of Saqqara is King Djoser's step pyramid. It's a place you can ponder the ancient past in silence and get away from excessive tourism.
Staying at the cave house village of Lijiashan during winter 2011 and a revisit there in summer 2020.
Watching the crazy antics of whales, sea elephants and penguins in Patagonia at Valdes Peninsula, Argentina.
In 1994, I hitchhiked to the remote rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, where in Medieval times they were called “The Jerusalem of Ethiopia”.
The night hike up Kawah Ijen to Indonesia's famous blue-flame volcano, complete with green crater lake and workers extracting sulphur amid toxic smoke.
Jaw-dropping views on the North Korea border - visiting Changbai Mountain & stunning Heaven Lake.
Djenne is famous for its surreal mud mosque that dominates this ancient trading town, once an important stop on the Trans-Saharan route and today's Monday Market is also a must-see.
Monumental stone ruins are rare in southern Africa. Yet in the highlands of Zimbabwe, these awe-inspiring ruins rival the Inca sites of Peru.
Back in June 1994, the temples of Angkor were deserted and quiet as the Cambodian civil war continued...
Following the gorgeous Swahili Coast of Kenya, visiting beaches and islands, ancient Islamic ruins and Portuguese forts. Plus encounters with naughty monkeys.
Living on high mountain slopes, the Chachapoyas were known as the cloud people of Peru. And at the center of their world, the mighty ruins of Kuelap.
