Nature

My wife, son and I rode the Glacier Express (www.glacierexpress.ch) from Zermatt to St. Moritz, Switzerland, on June 2, 2008, and we were planning on renting a car in St. Moritz to drive to Bolzano and Lago Maggiore in Italy.

Our AAA travel agent advised us that the train would not arrive in St. Moritz until 5 p.m. and that the Hertz rental agency, located about five miles from the train station, closed at 5:30. I decided that it would be close, but, since Swiss trains are “never late,” we could make it.

My wife, Dorothy, and I were trying to decide which tour company to take for a tour of the Chilean fjords and Patagonia.

Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise, as my husband, Gerald, and I, found while traveling Jan. 24-Feb. 2, 2007, with Caravan Tours (401 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; 800/227-2826, www.caravantours.com). Our tour cost $995 plus $99 for insurance (land only).

Our group of 43 toured in an air-conditioned bus with reclining seats and a toilet on board. We rotated seats daily and there was extra space as well. Most meals were buffet, with a big variety of fresh fruit, juices, vegetables, meat and fish.

Dear Steve, do you know of any U.S. tour operators that have tours to Pumalín in Chile, that conservation land a USA couple bought in order to halt its development? — Mark S. Sommers, Dorchester, MA

Dear Mark, Pumalín, a vast, privately owned nature park comprising 800,000 acres of virgin land, is located about 70 miles south of Puerto Montt. It is owned by Americans Doug and Kristine Tompkins, who own, in total, about two million acres of property scattered around Chile and Argentina.

by Jay Brunhouse

The people of Java and Bali are warm and very friendly — and suffering severely from the lack of tourism. However, tourist areas are not crowded, the exchange rate is most favorable, and prices are very reasonable if not actually low. Consequently, I heartily recommend Indonesia as a prime destination for the soft-adventure traveler.
I took the 15-day “Java/Bali Overland” tour, April 3-18, ’06, offered by Adventure Indonesia (Wisma 31 Kemang, Third floor, Jl. Kemang raya 31, Jakarta, Indonesia; phone 62 21 7182250/56 or visit www.adventureindonesia.com).

Trucks, lined with tourists sporting assorted hats like exotic crested birds, raced jeeps to the gatehouse in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India. After securing route assignments, the drivers fanned out like beaters on a tiger hunt over dirt roads pockmarked by monsoon rains. My daughter, Anna, and I were among the lucky few in a jeep.

The following is a list of notable waterfalls overseas that I have visited over the years. Each is worth seeing. If you’re traveling to any of these areas, you might want to plan a stop.