8-day, 7-night safari, Dec. 7-16, 2014. Highlights: In Bujumbura, Burundi, cultural tour/Livingstone-Stanley Monument/Rusizi National Park, home to hippos and crocodiles/Karera Falls/Gitega National Museum/Gishora Drum Sanctuary/in Rwanda, Kigali Genocide Memorial/Akagera National Park game drive/gorilla trekking at Ruhengeri National Park. Land, from $2,807.
Augustine Tours (P.O Box 2344, Bujumbura, Burundi; phone +257 22 27 80 00).
Hikers in Iceland can enter the massive, empty magma chamber of the dormant volcano Thrihnukagigur, which rises 100 feet above Bláfjöll County Park and last erupted 4,000 years ago.
From May 15 to Sept. 30, five tours a day are led by 3H Travel (phone +354 863 6640). On a 50-minute “moderately difficult” hike, the group walks two miles across hilly and uneven but mostly level lava fields; the last 10 minutes to the top of the volcano are the most challenging.
At the mouth of a new extension of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Falkirk, Scotland, two 98-foot-tall horse head sculptures, called The Kelpies, opened to the public in April at The Helix outdoor recreational area. Made of stainless steel and weighing 300 tons each, the sculptures were built by artist Andy Scott.
Guided tours of The Kelpies operate daily and cost £4.95 (near $8) adult or £3 child. Buy tickets at www.thehelix.co.uk (under “Plan your visit,” click on “Book Kelpie tickets”) or phone +44 1324 506 850.
“Volcano boarding” is riding a sled down the ash slope of Cerro Negro near León, Nicaragua. Thrill seekers are driven to the volcano and climb with their boards for about 45 minutes up the ash-and-gravel slope to the top. Wearing coveralls, gloves and goggles, they sit or stand on plywood sleds and descend about 1,500 feet at speeds up to 50 mph.
Ecuador’s Tungurahua Volcano, 85 miles southeast of Quito, erupted on Feb. 3 and weeks later was still spewing ash, though the eruptions were much smaller and fewer in number. With rains expected in early spring, the surrounding area is at risk of mudslides of loose volcanic ash.
Off the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, western Canada, the new Glacier Skywalk opens May 1, 2014. A path has a series of stations explaining the Sunwapta Valley’s geology and history. Visitors then reach the U-shaped Skywalk, which juts out 98 feet from the cliff face. Through the glass floor of the open-air walkway, visitors can gaze down 918 feet to the valley below, which holds the 125-square-mile Columbia Icefield.
Skywalk is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in May; 9-6 June, July, Aug.; 10-5 Sept., and 10-4 Oct. 1-19. Entry, CAD24.95 (near $22) adult, CAD12.50 child.
12 days, 11 nights of coach touring, hiking and paddling. July 14-25, 2014. Highlights: In Oslo, Bygdøy open-air Norsk Folkemuseum/hike Brithorn Mountain/in Lom, 12th-century stave church, Norwegian Mountain Museum/three nights at mountain lodge/full-day hike in Jotunheimen National Park/from Flåm, kayak to Undredal to sample goat cheese/kayak Nærøy fjord/ride Flåm Railway from Flåm to Myrdal. Land, $4,200. Single supp., up to $500.
Scandinavian Experiences (Lerum, Sweden; phone +46 709 265745).
by Arthur Hanna, Contributing Editor
As I boarded my flight from New York’s JFK to Medellín, Colombia, little did I know what fantastic experiences would be in store for me.
(2nd of 3 parts on Cuba)
This pristine, nature-infused land of mystery was the eastern Cuba I had envisioned in planning my spring 2013 return visit to the long-forbidden island. The isolated Baracoa region was the focus of the second leg of my hosted journey with the Grand Circle Foundation. I was part of a small group of nine enthusiastic adventurers traveling under the US government’s “People to People” program.
Lahemaa, meaning “Land of Bays,” is the crown jewel of Estonia’s national parks. After a July ’08 visit, my wife, Kathy, and I wish to return to this wonderland of stony, unspoiled coastline and inland forests teeming with wildlife. The largest national park in Estonia, it covers 280 square miles and features sleepy villages, restored manor houses, 14 lakes, eight rivers and four waterfalls.
HARVEY HAGMAN