Planet of Escapes There are hundreds of other great trips, apps, and lodges out there, but the 50 winners of our 2014 Awards have them

Snorkeling all beat. in Belize Now get going. by tim neville and stephanie pearson

52 outside magazine outsideonline.com 53 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W

Tour of ­Flanders

Orval Abbey, Belgium

Patagonia dispatches Awasi by horse

dispatches

destinations Best New Lodge vanilla oil. From $2,100 for South destinations three nights, all-inclusive;columns Lab rat Water awasipatagonia.com Caye Winner columns Lab rat

FOB Awasi Runner-Up

PatagoniaFOB Lodge, Chile Mallard Moun- 1 It’s not hard to find a 1tain Lodge, great lodge near Torres British Columbia del Paine National Park The sweetest lodges are Tuamotu Islands with a and its larger-than-life remote yet right on top 180-square-mile lagoon scenery. It is tough to of great adventure. The twinkling in the middle. find your own private Mallard, reached by a The choicest views villa, though. The recently 25-minute helicopter are from the 24-suite, opened Awasi Patagonia flight over four roadless 13-bungalow Pearl Beach Lodge has 12 of them, valleys in the ­Canadian Resort on the southern each equipped with a hot Rockies, is a prime exam­ end of the atoll (from tub overlooking Laguna ple. The solar-powered $626 per night; spm dispatches Sarmiento and the Sierra wooden hut sleeps eight hotels.com/resort/ Contreras mountains. in summer (seven in Best Beach the shoreline, snorkel at tikehau). Fly directly from The modern glass-and- ­win­ter) and provides destinations night, and, if you’re lucky, Tahiti’s Fa’a’a airport,

wood villas come with easy access to high- dispatches dive with whale sharks then rent an overwater Winner columns Lab rat a 4x4 and a guide to alpine trekking through off a nearby atoll. The bungalow with a glass help you explore the meadows and across South Water Pelican Beach Resort is floor panel and watch

600,000-acre park how- mountain streams. Caye, BelizeFOB one of just three on angelfish swim past. destinations

ever you choose, be it In winter, the eastern There are hundreds of the island and has eight dispatches on a rigorous hike to look slopes fill up with powder beautiful cayes along 1sandydispatches cottages, four Best Foodie for a nandu (an ostrich- for backcountry skiing Belize’s Caribbean coast. ­kayaks, and acolumns sister propLab rat - Destination like bird) or a horseback along the lonely Alberta Our pick is South ­Water erty on the mainland— destinations destinations

ride through the park’s border. From US$1,700 Caye, east of Dangriga— which makes transfers columns Winner Lab rat rugged hills. Come home for four days, a guide, a 15-acre island inside the easy (from $369; pelicancolumns Lab rat to feast on scallop car­ and all meals; canadian country’s largest marine FOB beachbelize.com). Flanders

pac­cio or salmon with adventurecompany.com reserve. You can paddle and Wallonia,FOB FOB Belgium Runner-Up 1 Most European tours 1 1focus on Italy’s Chianti Strategy Tikehau Atoll, Get There First Tahiti or France’s Beaujolais. Central Asia is largely off the tourist map due to security issues. But one coun- Sometimes called the That leaves Europe’s beer try is safe and primed to break out: Kazakhstan. “There are deserts, forests, and Pink Sand Island because capital—not to mention mountains, and much of it is empty,” says Kazakh climberD enis Urubko. Whether it’s of the color of its shores, meals like wild boar and mountain-biking 10,000-foot Tien Shan passes, searching for snow leopards in the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature ­Reserve, or floating theI li River, there’s enough adventure Tikehau isn’t a beach so venison for dinner, cro-­ to keep you busy for months. Go with one of World Expeditions’ 15-day mountain- much as a ring of them— quettes for lunch, and, of

biking trips (from $4,190; worldexpeditions.com). a Tahitian atoll in the course, a waffle or eight RATH. TONY CORNFORD-MATHESON; ALISON WAELE/CORBIS; TIM DE (2); PATAGONIA AWASI OF COURTESY LEFT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE STOCK. GRABOWSKI/GALLERY MIKKEL PAGES: PREVIOUS

54 outside magazine 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50. 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N

Running the Dolomites The Inn of the Five Graces, Santa Fe FOOD

Ghernacia seven days; holimites k hut .com). You’ll combine the at breakfast—for the Gulf best of the Alta Via 1—a rest of us. The guides at Coast classic north-south trail Massachusetts-based oyster through the heart of the Ciclismo Classico Dolomites—and the stitched together a more rugged Alta Via 2, ; HERBERT LEHMANN/STOC ; HERBERT nine-day, 250-mile spin a five-stage, 75-mile through Flanders and route on singletrack. Best Guide: FAMILY holimites

Wallonia that takes you biglakeguideservice.com), You’ll cruise through

dispatches of past World War II sites, where you can cast for alpine valleys in Fanes- Kasey Austin, moody castles, and the and gloriously irrever- redfish and then blacken Sennes-Braies National Austin canals of Bruges, with ent foodies in America. it on the grill. Park and stay in places Adventures dispatches destinations courtesy dispatches TURF: Yellowstone and plenty of stops along the For a DIY gourmand’s like the ­Ghernacia hut, Grand Teton National way at places like Orval ramble, there’s no place Best Trail Running which serves hot homecolumns ­- Lab rat Parks; Alaska, South Abbey, one of just ten better than Louisiana. destinations made tortes. Dakota, South America, destinations Trappist breweries left Start at Lake Charles, and Europe Winner columns Lab rat columns FOB Cred: Yes, she’s young, in the world ($4,495; Lab rat about 250 miles west of dispatches Runner-Up just 25, but Austin ciclismoclassico.com). New ­Orleans, and piece Dolomites, Italy ­started tagging along together stops along the Outfitters around the 1 FOB Santa Fe, on multi­sport trips with

FOB Runner-Up Seafood Sensation route, world are starting to New Mexico her father, Austin- a collection of nine Cajun stringdestinations together self-­ 1The high desert around Lehman cofounder Dan Southern 1restaurants and seafood guided, lodge-to-lodge Santa Fe is braided with Austin, at the age of six to help enter­tain the shacks (visitlakecharles trail-runningcolumns trips. “TheLab rat warm arroyos, high- Louisiana clients’ kids. By 16, she’d Étouffée. Gumbo. .org). Big Lake Guide idea is to organize trips alpine singletrack, and learned an essen­tial Jambalaya. Oysters ­Services rents homes in areas where support buff trails just beyond secret: “If you can make on the half shell. And on the shores of Calca- is not ­really necessary,” the downtown adobes. the kids happy, then their parents will be the most enthusiastic sieu Lake (from $225; FOB says Tullia Caballero Augi, Get your legs under you happy.” Austin, also the director of S-cape Travel, with loops along the VP of operations, has which offers outings Dale Ball complex, where a degree in elementary AUSTIN; KASEY OF COURTESY PHOTO; PATITUCCI SCHAFFER; GRAYSON

across Europe. Our 1 well-marked trails let you education, can fix a and favorite hot spot? The piece together runs of brake or a flat tire, and Strategy Dolo­mites of northern any length. Then head can whip up feasts. CAUGHEY CAUGHEY Tread Lightly Italy. You’ll find 10,000- high into the Sangre de And she’s funny. “I take C With more than 100 organizations that monitor chocolate Clif Bars, foot spires, rollicking Cristo Mountains for sustainable travel practices, it’s more confusing roll them into elk-scat than ever to navigate the difference between green trails, ­supreme land- an 11-mile run from the shapes, and scatter and greenwashed. Our advice: start with the Global scapes, and cushy huts Santa Fe Ski Basin to them on the trail. Then I Sustainable Tourism Council (gstcouncil.org), the within solid running Lake Peak and down pick one up, explain the inter­national umbrella organization that creates distance. Go with Italian ­Raven’s Ridge, much of it difference between elk best-practices criteria for sustainability. Anyone and bison scat, and eat outfitter Holimites, which above 12,000 feet. Crash accredit­ ed by the council—from individual hotels it. Everyone freaks out.” to entire regions, like Botswana’s Okavango Delta—­ arranges ­lodging, airport at the historic Inn of the Book Her: austin receives a seal that looks like a footprint, a sure sign transfers, and extras like Five Graces (from $500; lehman.com

that the council’s standards are being met. morning yoga ($1,760 for fivegraces.com) and walk HANNAH M LEFT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE

56 outside magazine 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W

Fogo Island Inn, New- foundland

SUPing Moraine Lake, Oregon

the Baja Peninsula. Rent a board from Harker Board Company (from $8 per around the c­ orner to the Lobster hour; harkerboardco Pink Adobe for margari- picnic .com) when you fly into

tas (thepinkadobe.com).dispatches La Paz, then drive to your base camp at a two- Best SUP Getaway Fogo’s room casita at the Playa destinations dining Frambes Lighthouse room

columns Resort in Mulegé (from Winner Lab rat $150; mulege.org), and Bend, Oregon paddle into the sunrise Best Guide: Cycling A funny thingFOB hap- on glassy-flat seas that dispatches Marcello pened in Bend recently: southwest of town, offer and is located near 15 see dispatcheslittle morning wind. the town, long a hub 1prime flatwater pad- craft breweries. You can Bonini, for skiers and climbers, dling under the icy gaze sample most of their Best New Hotel Ciclismo destinations became a certified SUP of 9,065-foot Mount offerings at the Lot, an destinations Classico dispatches columns TURF: Italy Lab rat boomtown. The sport is Bachelor (board rentals, open-air food-truck columns Winner Lab rat Cred: A masseur, so popular here that you $45; supbend.com). court and beer garden. sommelier, and former can build your own board Or head to River Bend Fogo Island Inn, half-Ironman national

FOB with Eager Beaver Surf Park and work your way Runner-Up Newfoundlanddestinations FOB ­champion, the Italy- Company (from $1,600; downstream through the This 35,000-square- based ­Bonini learned 1 how to cycle before he eagerbeaversurfboards Old Mill ­District, where Bahía Concep- foot, year-oldcolumns inn looks 1 Lab rat could write. “Mar- .com). The reason for the plans for a new white­ cíon, Mexico like a wooden space cello has consistently surge is simple: variety. water park are under For oceangoing purists, cruiser, with sleek rows received the highest The Cascade Lakes of way. The Tetherow Hotel Bahía Concepcíon has 30 of windows cantilevered ratings from guests for 15 years,” says Ciclismo the Deschutes National (from $149; ­tetherow miles of calm waters on FOB above 420-million-year- Forest, about 30 miles .com) opens in April the Sea of Cortez side of old rock. The 29 modern founder Lauren Hef- feron. Despite all the suites were built with praise, the 48-year-old the goal of keeping the1 ­Bonini, who has led region’s economy alive close to 100 trips, is Strategy (most of the wares inside humble. “Whatever I Go It Alone are loc­ ally made). You learn, I try to share, and people on a bike have Tired of group dynamics but still want the expertise of an outfitter?Y ou’re in luck. can hike ­nearby trails, or Companies are increasingly finding ways for guests to travel solo. WC ­Adventures to listen. They can’t has an entire line of self-guided walks, like Spain’s Camino de Santiago, and the hotel can hook you run away from me,” ­arranges all accommodations, some meals, luggage transfers, detailed routes and up with locals to fish he says. Among other maps, and emergency support ($3,598 for nine days; cwadventures.com). With for cod or trout, learn trips, Bonini is the UK-based Audley, you pick a country, they put you in touch with a certified country to plane a wooden ship specialist for Ciclismo’s 11-day, 350-mile Bike specialist, and the two of you hammer out an itinerary within your budget, traveling hull, or go searching for with or without an in-country guide (audleytravel.com). Experience Plus Bicycle Across Italy. Tours has built up such an extensive library of itineraries and contacts around the whales, caribou, or ice- Book Him: ciclismo globe that they offer private dates for a group of eight or more at the same price bergs. From US$600 per classico.com

as their standard departures (experienceplus.com). night; fogoislandinn.ca BARRY PADDY FRADKIN; ALEX BONINI; MARCELLO OF COURTESY ROEMER; TYLER FRADKIN; ALEX LEFT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE

58 outside magazine 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W54.0000°N 60 intheraw.com). boost ($4;twomoms bar Raw Cranberry Nut 3. kindsnacks.com). and walnuts ($1.50; peanuts, cashews, mix of almonds, a honey-sweetened ­V 2. ($3.25; theprobar.com). that’s ameal initself almond-butter bar Blast, anorganic 1. three of our favo on travel days. mos E Healthy Snack ottish S H S Terminal 3, nergy bars are the anilla Almond bar, c ProBar Whole Berry ighlands an Francisco Two Moms inthe Kind Madagascar packs animmunity

t efficient outside magazine

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2014 outside travel awards

FOB $240; juvet.com your homebase. From 15 minutes away from Trollstigen Plateau, just glaciers, andskiingthe Valldøla River, trekking theClassIII–IV mountains, fishingor abundant adventure: Then there’s thearea’s Norway’s Valldal region. fjordlands of western to asteep hillside inthe with glass walls anchored nine detached cabins The digs here are Hotel, Norway Juvet Landscape ­ inthe ­spe Runner-Up dispatches ctacular enough— destinations FOB columns Tafjord destinations Lab ra columns 1 t

Lab ra 1 t food, and incredible have winding roads, great peaks in the Carolinas The swath of 6,000-foot Mountains Blue Ridge worldwide.com). $1,777; mountainbike evening for pints (from ping into villages each blast alongthetrail, pop - take you onaseven-day H&I Adventures will by speedboat.) Wilson’s ing pointfor day two is way to access thestart- rugged areas. (Theonly of thecountry’s most the year—traverses some Scotland’s 2012pubof the Applecross Inn, Apple from Bonar Bridge to 155-mile-long journey an epicnew route. The track ribbonsto map trails andother single- getting lost onsheep friends spenttwo years Wilson andhisfat-tire biking addict Euan Scottish mountain- Scotland Destination Best Bike Runner-Up Winner dispatches dispatches ­cr oss—home of 125.0000° W18°02’27”S141°24’34”W18°0’50.21”N87°55’51.74”W51°0’0”S73°0’0”W FOB FOB destinations destinations

columns columns

Lab ra Lab ra 1 t 1 t $2,798; backroads.com). the shuttle vehicle (from logistics, from hotels to and let themhandlethe trip with Backroads Tours Owl. Or joinanoutfitted Greenville gastropub the Thirsty Monk, or southto lina, with apitstop atthe to Asheville, NorthCaro- through themountains rides—and pedal north Hincapie’s favorite area units programmed with bike service andGPS style hotel with on-site .com)—a European- $295; hoteldomestique Hotel Domestique (from at George Hincapie’s ers Rest, South Carolina, trip by staying in Travel- Piece together your own rivals anything overseas. views. Inother words, it plug-in stations with free furniture, andlaptop ing, comfortable lounge circadian-adaptive light- with natural-feeling wall, anda waiting area an internally illuminated rooms, a yoga studio with to private changing square feet, have access gates, covering 65,000 sengers attheten United pleted in January. Pas- boarding area was com- tional Airport’s Terminal 3 of SanFrancisco Interna- $138 millionrenovation The LEEDGold–certified, rancisco ­T ­Int San Best Airport Winner erminal 3 erminal 3 dispatches ernational, F ­ FOB M S destinations ountain- c otland biking biking

columns

Lab ra 1 t Juvet U. ent said: “ W of and border offi difficulty withsoldiers talk his group out of any humor, andhisability to knowledge, hissenseof cultural, andhistorical skills, hisgeographical, ality, his for his engaging person - 29 years. “ Corridor, for thepast Afghanistan’s dangerous areas, like E H and freighters at18. working oncruiseships wander s C and the TURF: Asia, Africa, ­Ge Koutsaftis, Vassi C Best Guide: Boo with any other leader.” says aftis, 61, started x clients to remote and red e’s been guiding ul anderlus S G .–educated Kout eo oEx k D tural : H on E Athens-born, ­ ing theglobe x’s travel blog, M im

G I V iddle ’ll never travel t. t. As onecli- eorge, editor : geoex.com assi W ­ cials, is famed E akhan as G t

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ROB HENERSON/GETTY; ANDY MCCANDLISH; COURTESY OF VASSI KOUTSAFTIS; COURTESY OF SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W

King able research vessel, is penguins, South ideal for couples or fami- Georgia lies with dual agendas. Island After a four-day crossing of the southern Atlantic from Montevideo, Uru- guay, the ship arrives at King Haakon Bay, where the group splits in two: Skiers start a four-day, 25-mile retracing of Best Guide: Shackleton’s cross- Heli-Skiing ing. Those remaining Lel Tone, on board explore Prion Chugach ­Island, breeding ground Powder fordispatches the wandering alba- Guides and tross, and Salisbury Plain, Tordrillo the island’s second-larg- Mountain destinations est king penguin breeding Lodge TURF: Alaska ground. From $9,300;columns Lab rat Cred: Raised in polarexplorers.com Switzerland, Tone, 43, bases out of Squaw

FOB Valley, in Lake Tahoe, Runner-Up California, where 1 she is a ski patrol- An albatross East Greenland ler and avalanche Winter Expedi- forecaster. She has tion, Icelan- also taught 200 dic Mountain avalanche-awareness Guides workshops; skied backcountry in the This is a rugged, chilly, Sierras, the Olympics, crazy ski expedition. But the Cascades, and there’s no better way the Alaska range; to experience Arctic life notched a ski descent and Inuit culture than on off the Fuhrer Thumb on Mount Rainier; and Wi-Fi. To earn its LEED a new 19-day, 170-mile Prion climbed up and skied certification, the soar- ­Island, nordic ski journey across down Denali. “Lel is ing space uses on-site South the Ammassalik region revered in an industry photovoltaic energy and Georgia of eastern Greenland. dominated by men,” is outfitted with terrazzo Most locals here still says Nick Thomson, owner of Chugach tile made from recycled hunt seals, fish, and use Powder Guides. “Not dispatches glass, recycled-content dogsleds as their primary just because she’s carpet, and wood certi- water use by 51 percent, way to Antarctica, but form of transportation. a strong skier even fied by the Forest Stew- a fleet of four electric- it shouldn’t be. Guides Skiers will pass by 6,000- by the highest big- destinations ardship Council. It’s so and propane-fueled and naturalists are foot granite peaks, mountain standards, and not just because Zen you won’t even mindcolumns Lab rat operations vehicles, more intrigued by this traverse ice fields, cross she is one of the most a flight delay. and native landscaping. 1,450-square-mile island from island to mainland certified and experi- Bonus: Jackson Hole and its 1,445 recog- villages on thick ice, enced ski-safety ex-

FOB Runner-Up now has direct flights nized species, including and camp under the perts in the field.I t’s from 12 major airports, hundreds of thousands Northern Lights between because she shows Jackson Hole 1including LAX, JFK, and of king penguins, than its stays in village communal up with an infectious enthusiasm for what Seattle-Tacoma. icy neighbor 800 miles houses. Best of all, the Airport, dispatches she does every day.” Wyoming south. Add mount­ ains, locals supply drippingly Book Her: chugach There are few more Best Polar Trip glaciers, and the Shack­ fresh halibut. $5,560; powderguides.com

destinations ­stunning arrivals than le­ton mystique—the fjallaleidsogumenn.isdispatches skirting the Tetons to famous explorer crash- the Atlantic coast of Winner columns Lab rat land here. The airport is landed his lifeboat at Best Desert Trip Namibia and is among also LEED Silver certified South Georgia King Haakon Bay in destinations the most beautiful and energy efficient, with 1916—and South Georgia and isolated places on Island andFOB columns Winner Lab rat daylight sensors that the Shackleton is downright sexy. Polar earth, with huge dunes cut energy use (already Crossing, Polar 1Explorer’s surprisingly Namibia and deserted beaches.

70 percent green power) Explorers ­affordable (for polar The world’sFOB oldest des- Even better, almost no by 18 percent, plumbing South Georgia is consid- trips) 18-day expedition, ert, the Namib, runs for one visits. The reason?

fixtures that reduce ered a stopover on the based out of a comfort- nearly 1,000 miles along 1Outfitter Uri Adventures LANTING/GETTY IMAGES/FRANS MINT PHOTO; ALEXANDER/ARCTIC B&C FLAGG; KEOKI LIODDEN/NATURFOKUS; JØRGEN OLE LEFT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE

62 outside magazine 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W

Coastal sand dunes, Namibia

Off-roading

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destinations

columns Lab rat Andes views has one of only a few Namibia

FOB permits to access much Runner-Up of it. It’ll get you your own $98;dispatches caballocampana

1 orbis 4x4, and you and a small Oregon .com), where you can c / ­caravan will spend six Desert Traildispatches hike, bike, and horseback- destinations days off-roading for More than half of ­Oregon ride over the Yanuncay

columns shepherd 466 miles from the old is high desert, with River—all just 15 minutes Lab rat

German settlement rainbow-hued buttes, destinations from the city center. lizzie of Luderitz to Walvis scratchy canyons, and

Bay. You’ll rumble deep so few people that state FOB columns Lab rat Runner-Up through the Namib health officials still call glyphs near Hart Moun- past martian dunes and parts of it frontier. Thank- tain National Antelope in Pahoa, 1 centuries-old shipwrecks fully, the newly minted, Refuge, hot springs in the Ecuador Hawaii on the coast. From $702; 800-mile Oregon Desert Alvord Desert, and nativ­ e When you go to Hawaii, FOB uriadventures.com Trail takes you past petro- redband trout in the miles south of Quito, you expect great access ; CHRISTIANE BIEDERBICK (2); BIEDERBICK ; CHRISTIANE Owyhee River (onda.org). looks like a sleepy colo­ and a mellow vibe. It

Focus on the 62-mile- nial city, but it’s the doesn’t get much more urora a

1 / long section through gateway to a massive chill than Pahoa, a town Strategy the Owyhee’s northern pile of fun. Cojitambo, of under a thousand isakova Plug In canyonlands. Load up 20 miles north, has more people near the eastern

on supplies in Boise and than 160 rock-climbing point of the Big Island. nadia Every year, a new site or app promises to ; revolutionize travel—but few have staying camp at Leslie Gulch, on routes, from traditional Stay at Hale Moana

power. These are the three most promising getty the southern end of Lake lines to sporty 5.14’s on (from $220; bnb-aloha / digital tools we’ve found. Owyhee. From there you 500-foot-high volcanic .com), and set out to Trip.me: This Berlin-based site lets you design your own packaged tour in 29 countries by connecting you can swim through slot walls. Cuenca itself has explore black-sand directly to locals. Pick a place and a budget, ­explain canyons in the summer Class II floating along beaches and volcanic photography what you’d like to do—guided or not—and a local and look for bighorn the Tomebamba River caves, hike to burbling ­expert will tailor a trip to your specs within 48 hours. sheepdispatches on the ridgelines. through downtown, and lava and geothermal arrow

It’s Bentley attention at Subaru prices. y nearby Cajas has trails, pools, or snorkel with sea Yomads.com: The site offers adventure trips exclu- Best Adventure Hub like the six-mile Parada turtles and dolphins— sively to the sub-40-year-old set looking to travel with david destinations an international group seeking active expe­riences. Patul, that climb to ne­ arly often before your first

Itineraries include holes to make room for à la carte columns 14,000 feet. Go with bite of morning mango. Winner Lab rat add-ons, like an afternoon of hiking or rafting or time South Expeditions (from Arrange everything from to linger in, say, Cambodia. Cuenca, $1,693 for three days; surfing to mountain Dict.cc: This simple, reliable app includes free down- loadable dictionaries in 25 languages, with crowd- EcuadorFOB travelecuador.­com) or biking with Island Jane sourced definitions to make sure you’re using the right This Andean town of DIY and stay at ­Hacienda Eco-Tours (islandjane

Albanian word for “breakfast.” (It’s mëngjes. ) 330,000, located 270 1Caballo Campana (from ecotours.com). LEFT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE

64 outside magazine 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W

Chilko River, Grand St. British Bernard Pass Columbia

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Best River Trip Columbia, where there’s Rafting art. Outfitter Go Wild destinations a collection of elevated the Chilko supports DIY missions -style tents linked on the river with equip- Winner columns Lab rat by hanging walkways. dispatches ment, transfers, tips, and Chilko and From there, you’ll set a guidebook showing

ChilcotinFOB off on a six-day trip awesome

Rivers, through some of the destinations spots. From US$158; Alps lake continent’s most rug- gowild.com.au British 1 dispatches Columbia ged peaks and clutch dispatches columns Lab rat Roam’s 120-mile trip rapids—including Lava on the Fraser. The July the Grand Canyon, The Best Family Trip down the Chilko and Canyon, the longest 19 excursion features Emerald Mile, between destinations destinations Chilcotin Rivers begins stretch of commercial Outside contributing edi- bites of campfire cana- Winner columns Lab rat on a dirt road deep in the whitewater in North tor Kevin Fedarko reading pés. From US$2,995; columns Lab rat FOB Coast Range of British America—to a take-out from his book about iroamtheworld.com Grand St.

BernardFOB Pass,

FOB

Runner-Up 1 Switzerland ; Switzerland is a great 1

Strategy 1 urora Ord River, place for the whole a / Australia family, because it’s easy

Go Wild ller have long been big business in Africa, but these days observing wildlife is The Kimberley region of to get around, the food becoming a staple of the adventure-travel industry all over the world. “Interest in all northwest Australia is is incredible, and the AHNMü destinations for wildlife viewing is growing significantly,” says ChrisB reen, founder an immense, hard-to- scenery is even better. b of Wildlife Worldwide, an agency that specializes in bespoke safaris. For our money, reach plateau of flaming The cherry on top: pup- these four new trips are the most surprising and exciting on the planet.

Howl at the moon. On a three-day WildSweden trip, between January and March, red rock and booming pies! Wilderness Travel WILFRIED ; guests track wolves through the Bergslagen forests on cross-country skis. Spend canyons. It’s also home has a ten-day trip that evenings relaxing in the seven-room Pensionat Udden B&B on Lake Storsjön. $821; otion to one of the most excit- crosses over the Grand M motion wildsweden.com

ing canoe trips we’ve St. Bernard Pass, home and

Chase butterflies. Colorado-based Natural Habitat Adventures has been a leader and encountered. The upper to the famous rescue in wildlife trips since 1985. Each January to March, it leads a six-day adventure on stills Ord River is the only dogs. The outfitter has a

foot and horseback into the forested Sierra Madre of central Mexico looking for stills

monarch butterflies in their wintering grounds­. The cloud is so thick you’ll hear waterway in northern special permit that lets

them flying overhead. $2,995; nathab.com Australia that’s free of the kids hike with them tandem tandem Play reindeer games. More than 100,000 caribou from Alaska’s iconic Porcupine the notoriously vicious for a few hours before / Herd amble across the 19.3-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge every sum-

saltwater crocs. (Their continuing past 12,000- bailie mer. The problem: finding them in all that expanse. ArcticW ild runs five-day camp- more docile “freshie” foot peaks and through

ing trips that plop you down close to the herd with help from bush pilots who scout stin ju

the refuge first. $5,000; arcticwild.com cousins won’t cause you hidden patches of edel- ; Explore an island. After 30 years of civil war, outfitters are at last discovering much hassle.) Fly into weiss. Plus, the distances getty what Sri Lanka has to offer: an astounding array of wildlife that’s been largely Kununurra, a rugged are short-leg appropri- / left alone due to the lack of development during the conflict. A trip through sisti

outpost near Darwin, and ate: you’ll walk no more Yala National Park on the southeast coast is like an African safari, but with coral reefs and beaches. Look for elusive leopards dozing in the trees, ravenous ele­ paddle for three days and than five hours a day, and phants, and testy crocodiles on trips with Eco Team Sri Lanka. From $300 per day; 34 miles past waterfalls, there’s a shuttle option ancesco

srilankaecotourism.com jabirus, and ancient rock if that’s still too much BAILIE/ JUSTIN LEFT: TOP FROM CLOCKWISE fr

66 outside magazine dispatches

destinations

51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W columns Lab rat

FOB Runner-Up The Wild 1 Atlantic Way, Ireland The newly established Wild ­Atlantic Way is a 1,491-mile collection of driving routes from Best Guide: Donegal to Cork’s rug- Safari ged ­western shore. Our Thuto favorite stretch is the Moutloatse, 400 miles from Sligo to Wilderness Galway on the Conne- Safaris mara Coast. Make stops TURF: Southern Africa to sea-kayak past 16th- Cred: Botswana-based century castles, swim in Moutloatse will get you seriously close to the bay of Keel Strand on wildlife. The son of a Achill Island, or forage for South African orni- cockles near Killala Bay, thologist, Moutloatse, a protected area packed 32, grew up paddling with aquatic life. Stay the Okavango Delta, climbing mountains, Vdispatchesia Dinarica in an ocean-view suite and walking into the at the Doonbeg Lodge dens of large carnivores. for early-morning walks In his 13 years guiding destinations for the kids (or Mom on the beach (doubles, he has a perfect safety Yellowstone record, despite regular and Dad). From $5,895;columns Lab rat Summit $533; doonbeglodge wildlife run-ins like a wildernesstravel.com Day, Via .com). ­Arrange hikes, bike Dinarica surprise meeting with rentals, and kayak tours a leopard on a walk- FOB through Wilderness Ire- Runner-Up ing safari. “Thuto is an land (wilderness­ireland accomplished naturalist with a broad knowledge okic Yellowstone 1 .com), or hire Vagabond­ of birds, mammals, and Bozeman, to surf the coast (from elma

reptiles, and plants,” ; Montana $1,230; vagabondtoursof says Grant Woodrow, Southwest Montana has ireland.ie). dispatches Wilderness Safaris’ stock

plenty of kid-friendly Botswana managing director. “He also has activities—and almost Best Airline allery g

destinations a larger-than-life per- / all of them are within can become junior rang- Route check, sonality and transforms

Bosnia miciu a short drive of great ers while learning about Winner columns Lab rat each game drive into a lodges. Spend a few days geysers and wolves on fun, vibrant, informa- eliseo ; at the 12-room Gallatin ranger-leddispatches hikes. Alaska tive, and life-changing

wilderness experience.”dispatches River Lodge (from $300; FOB okic Airlines grlodge.com), where Best New Trail For six years in a row, Moutloatse’s favorite

destinations trips? “To go out with elma ; families can take free fly- Alaska has had the 1guests in the middle of casting clinics, mountain- highest customer-­ columns Winner Lab rat nowhere, cook food on destinations safaris bike eight gentle miles satisfaction rates on an open campfire, swim of doubletrack through Via Dinarica, J.D. Power’s survey of all in the Okavango Delta, and spend time fishing. columns Lab rat Sourdough Canyon, or the BalkansFOB major U.S. carriers. Even Those safaris blow me ilderness W

raft over Class III rapids The Dinaric Alps have old routes from Slovenia better: its flights landed ; away,” he says. in the Gallatin River. After 8,000-foot stegosau- 1to Albania and follows an average of 52 seconds Book HIm: wilderness getty that, head to Yellowstone rus spines, fairy-tale the highest peaks. Hire a early. The fleet of 133 safaris.com / FOB National Park, where kids meadows, and stone guide and take three days planes take ­climbers to popovic guesthouses. Decades to walk the 40 miles of conflict made them from Bosnia’s 6,900- 1 Best Luggage tough to experience, foot Prenj Massif to Vran vladimir : The 102-liter Eagle but the area is amping Mountain (from $50; Strategy left Creek ORV Trunk up its tourist offerings, viadinarica.com). You’ll Make a Playlist op

30. For our review, t and access is improving wander over the 7,310- The best way to preserve vacation memories? Local and a look at three music. Download the Shazam app before your trip. It

on the new Via Dinarica. foot Cvrsnica Mountain from runners-up, turn to will identify the songs playing around you during your page 114. Our favorite stretch: the and stay in huts like the and build an unforgettable playlist of Hindi funk > 600-mile White Trail, simple but warm Vilinac or Swedish death metal to blast on your commute

which stitches together Mountaintrail Lodge. back to work. Free; shazam.com clockwise

68 outside magazine 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W 54.0000° N 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 51°0’0”S 73°0’0”W

Beach riding, Sumba Island

Padar Island, Indonesia

dispatches Best Guide: Anchorage, surfers Best Splurge crowded? Get dropped Trekking Offshore, destinations to Zihuatanejo, and ski- off on a nearby deserted Indonesia Dawa Temba

ers to Salt Lake City, to columns island for the day—with Winner Lab rat Sherpa, REI name just three of the the food and drink of Adventures 99 dispatchesdestinations it serves. Secrets of the your choice, of course. Broken Shaker Bar, free TURF: Mount Everest Base Camp If yours isn’t among Archipelago,FOB $125,000 for six people; weekend-detox yoga Cred: If you want

them, try sister airline Indonesia geoex.comdispatches across the street. Open- destinations to trek to Everest III Horizon Air—every flight When you spend big— 1 ing on-site soon: the Base Camp and get

includes a free Alaskancolumns Lab rat really big—on a trip, Best Deal Annex, an organic res- ­immersed in Sherpa

destinations cannon

beer. ­alaskaair.com you want a one-of-a- taurant serving a rotating culture, Dawa Temba’s . w kind experience with menu of fresh, in-season your guy. The former Winner columns Lab rat Buddhist monk lives at FOB personalized attention fare.dispatches thefreehand.com brown

Runner-Up 11,500 feet in Namche ; that gets you far from Freehand Bazaar, Nepal, and

Copa Airlines 1civilization. For example, Miami HostelFOB Best Mountain Trip his father, Ila T­sering Being based in Panama sailing through Indonesia It’s hard to believe destinations Sherpa, was a mem- xpeditions City has a distinct ad- aboard a 130-foot schoo- this funky hostel in a ber of the 1963 Ameri- 1Winner columns Lab rat

can Everest Expe­ ; REI E vantage: Copa Airlines ner. With three king-bed rehabbed 1930s art deco dition. Since 1999, can fly almost anywhere cabins, the brand-new building, a block from Shivling, stock

Dawa Temba has led

in the Americas using Si Datu Bua is more an the 27th Street beach in India FOB most of REI’s 19-day treks to Everest Base

smaller 737s without a elegant teakwood base South Beach, can offer Most Himalayan expedi- allery g layover. That makes for camp than a boat. On such cut rates. Dorm tions head to Nepal. But 1 Camp. (He has never / climbed the moun- cheaper flights and more GeoEx’s new 11-day trip rooms with eight single India has more than a turek tain.) “I still use my of them. Want to head to through the Komodo bunks and two private third of the range, and not religion for my trek- Manaus in Brazil? Most archipelago, guests swim bathrooms start at $19, nearly as many tourists. king job—­especially michael other airlines will take with pygmy seahorses in king-size rooms with The best way to see it is the patience,” says ; you through São Paolo Komodo National Park, private baths at $95, and with Mandip Singh Soin, 50-year-old Dawa getty / or Rio. With Copa, you’ll hike to the high point both include breakfast. a guide who ­arranges Temba. According to z REI Adventur­ es’ Justin have only one four-hour of pink-beach Padar There’s free Wi-Fi and an logistics for mountain- yilma Wood: “Dawa Temba’s

leg from Panama City. Island, and explore hilltop outdoor pool, kiteboard- eers Conrad Anker and an

world, like his heart, is t The airline sends three villages on Sumba, an ing ($299 for three Jimmy Chin when they’re open to all who visit.” : left of its 737s to Los Angeles ultra-remote island in the hours), surfing ($60 per in the country. Soin’s Ibex Book Him: rei.com/ op t each day and has part- middle of the country. hour), and stand-up Expeditions organizes adventures

nered with United, so it’s You’ll encounter dragons, paddleboarding ($55 per trips, ranging from mel- from >To see Dawa Temba’s easy to connect on your monkeys, and some of hour) at the beach, and, low treks through the favorite gear, turn to next South American the world’s most vibrant after a night of too many Gobi Desert to life-list- page 111.

adventure. copaair.com coral reefs. Still too mezcals at the hostel’s worthy ­expeditions up clockwise

70 outside magazine 51°0’0”S 73°0’0 2014 outside travel awards 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W 18°0’50.21”N 87°55’51.74”W 125.0000° W 18°02’27”S 141°24’34”W

Flume Trail, Lake Tahoe

Best Guide: Whitewater Jorge Esquivel, Roam ­Adventures, Bio Bio Climbing Expeditions India’s in the Collegiate Peaks. perfect for just about Himalayas Worldwide Stay at the log cabins at every outdoor pursuit. TURF: Alaska, British Vista Court Cabins (from It’s surrounded by 18 ski Columbia, Colorado, $60; vistacourtcabins resorts, myriad hiking Chile, Peru, Argentina, .com). From there you trails into the west-side Italy, Zimbabwe, Tanza- nia, Bhutan, and Nepal can head to 14,421-foot Desolation Wilderness, Cred: Many Western dispatches Mount Harvard on day the technical, 14-mile- outfitters rely heavily one, reload with a green long singletrack Flume on local guides to run chile omelet at the Trail on the east side, and their trips. Nominated by destinations ­mountains like 21,467- monolith’s rock and ice. Ever­green Cafe the next long stretches of surpris- two companies as their top guide for his skills foot Shivling—the From $3,900; ibex columns Lab rat morning, and then bang ingly solitary beaches— at whitewater paddling, so-called Matterhorn of expeditions.com out 14,204-foot Mount like famously remote his salsa dancing, and the East in the high- Princeton (maps and info Skunk Harbor—from his calm demeanor in

FOB treacherous situations alpine playground of the Runner-Up at thetrailheadco.com).dispatches which you can launch a Gangotri Valley, head- kayak or sailboat or go on and off the water, Esquivel started guiding waters of the Ganges. Buena Vista, 1Best Lake dispatches for a swim. Lake Tahoe is at 15. Now 34, the Costa destinations On the 30-day trip, you’ll Colorado also hardly a secret, but Rica native and 2003 trek along the sacred Almost smack dab in the there’s a way to get your Winner columns Lab rat freestyle kayaking cham- Bhagirathi River, visit the middle of Colorado, the own slice of the Sierra pion has a deep under- white-marble Gangotri tiny town of Buena Vista Lake Tahoe, oasis.destinations Avoid the gambling standing and respect for rivers, from Zimbabwe’s Temple, and scan ridges has all the Centennial CaliforniaFOB masses at Crystal Bay Zambezi to Chile’s Fut- columns Lab rat for herds of bharal moun- State’s best adventure, Sitting at 6,225 feet on the north end and aleufú. He approaches tain goats. Then comes without the crowds. It’s and ringed by the Sierra 1stay near Truckee at the even the most intimidat- the hard part: 15 days to also the ideal place to go Nevada, the country’s Cedar House Sport Hotel ing Class V situations acclimatize and make a peak-bagging for some of largest alpine lake (191 (from $190; cedarhouse with a calm that puts technical attempt at the the nine epic fourteeners square miles) is freak­ishly FOB sporthotel.com). The everyone at ease. He speaks three languages, owners have plotted out studied at Le Cordon new custom escapes,1 Bleu in Chicago, and providing the gear, can grill anything over an open flame, includ- Strategy food, maps, and guide (if needed). Sample ing full pork racks, goat, and lamb. “He makes Go Dark itinerary: hike 8,742-foot Digital detox has become so popular, it was added to theO xford Online Dictionary all the guests feel safe, last year. Looking to get offline?O penSignal.com has a comprehensive database of Martis Peak the first day; appreciated, and better nicks worldwide cell-phone towers, cellular networks, signal readings, and Wi-Fi points. mountain-bike the Flume about themselves,” says Marc Goddard of Bio Bio

Type in your zip code, city, and country name, and you’ll get a map of the best— Trail, with a cool-down alex ; and, by default, worst—connectivity spots in your area. Or just pick one of these dip at Secret Beach, on Expeditions. “But there is one characteristic that rela­tively reachable dark spots: 1) Anywhere below the rim in the Grand Canyon. day two; then wind down The deep chasms block signals from the park’s lone cell tower. 2) Shasta Trinity sets him apart. He is the meagher

­National Forest, in Northern California, is a rare signal-free zone in the Golden with a mellow kayak nicest guy in the world.” or stand-up paddle on State. Camp at the Mary Smith Campground on Lewiston Lake with views of the Book Him: roam colin ; Trinity Alps (17 tent-only sites, $11; 877-444-6777). 3) On the East Coast, head to day three (prices vary adventures.com; chin the Baker Pond in Maine’s 100-mile Wilderness. The hike-in site, operated depending on activity). bbxrafting.com by the Appalachian Mountain Club, comes with a canoe and sits near a pond full of SUPers: time your trip for jimmy brook trout ($10; outdoors.org). 4) Sign up for Rogue Wilderness Adventures’ four- >For a list of Esquivel’s : day Digital Detox trip on Oregon’s Rogue River, where guests camp on the banks the Ta-Hoe Nalu Paddle favorite gear, turn to left

for two nights in comfortable tents, followed by a night at rustic Paradise Lodge Festival, August 15–17 page 112.

($1,129; wildrogue.com). No Instagramming allowed. (tahoenalu.com). from

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Mount Rainier summit with RMI

past 18 years. Founder Mike Brcic frequently embarks on virtual “listening tours,” polling past clients for feedback. Results have included Squam Lake adding yoga, hiking, and rafting for non-riding partners, as well as gen- dispatches raised $4.4 million for the tler itineraries—like the American Lung Associa- brand-new 11-day tour

destinations tion in its Climb for Clean along the Royal Road Mountain- biking Peru Air fundraising campaign of Brazil, which fol- columns Lab rat and, since 2009, when it lows colonial-era roads launched its Responsible along a 125-mile tropical railtrail.com). No matter “The first question Climbing Initiative, has stretch from Ouro Preto

FOB Runner-Up how you choose to we ask when we’re hiring donated $50,000 to to Paraty ($2,701; sacred tackle Squam, your guides is, ‘Do you like to local environmental and rides.com). Sacred Rides Squam Lake, 1evening entertainment climb?’ ” says Whittaker. outreach initiatives. also hopped on the New Hampshire consists of deciphering “The second question Another reason RMI social-networking wagon

Nothing spells summer loondispatches calls. is, ‘Do you like people?’ tops our list, though, is early, and clients can like a quiet cabin on a And the third is, ‘Do you that it’s always coming now customize their trips lake, and for that sort of Best Outfitter like people enough to be up with epic new trips, by creating a personality leisure, it’s hard to beat destinations tied to them in danger- like 2014’s 11-day Alaska profile on its site, adding 6,791-acre Squam. Base ous places where you Mountaineering Seminar options to an existing Winner columns Lab rat yourself at one of the could both die?’ ” RMI has in the Alaska Range. With itinerary, then making the 60 rustic cottages at RMI safely led 90,000 clients a two-to-one climber-to- profile public to attract

century-old Rockywold ExpeditionsFOB on more than 240 trips guide ratio, the team will like-minded riders. The Deephaven Camps, There are a lot of com- around the world, from fly into the Pika Glacier continual innovation which offers family-style petent mountaineering 1four-day climbs of Mount to honedispatches skills in Little works: the company has meals served in a post- companies, but only Rainier to decades-long Switzerland, an area with seen 80 percent revenue and-beam dining hall, one was founded by the pursuits of the Seven some of the most classic growth every year for destinations tennis on clay courts, a first family of American Summits. Its secret? yet ­approachable terrain the past four years. Brcic

four-mile out-the-back- alpinism. Washington- Guides work extensively in the state ($3,850; columns Lab rat also puts in the legwork getty door hike up 1,260-foot based RMI has been the with clients pre-trip. “For rmiguides.com). to ensure his trips are / West Rattlesnake Moun- gold standard since 1969, some, we’re their first- culturally and environ-

FOB

tain, and kayak, canoe, when it was started by time mountaineering mentally sensitive. But decision Runner-Up Sunfish, and rowboat climbers Jerry Lynch and experience,” says Whit- the real reason they’re snap rentals (from $3,160 Lou Whittaker—twin taker. “They don’t know Sacred Rides 1exploding? Says Brcic: ; per week; rdcsquam brother of Jim Whittaker, what glacier glasses or A ten-day, 11,500-foot “People are realizing how .com). For an overview the first American to gaiters are, and they descent on Peruvian incredible it is to see expeditions of the Lakes Region, try summit Mount Everest. don’t have a 700-fill singletrack on the old another country on a rmi

the new inn-to-inn bike Forty-five years later, down jacket with a hood.” Incan Trail network. Eight mountain bike.” ; tours along the 59-mile Lou’s son Peter, who Guides send out weekly days of yoga, surfing, and

Northern Rail Trail, which began guiding at 16, runs training e-mails and a on the barham

stretches from Lebanon the company, employing gear rundown outlining Pacific coast of Mexico. dan to Boscawen (prices a roster of more than clothing and equipment A weekend skills camp in Best Camera : left vary; bikethenorthern 100 elite guides, including for each trip (which cli- Fernie, British Columbia. The Olympus op t Dave Hahn (Everest sum- ents can rent or buy from This is just a sampling of OM-D E-M1. For our review, and a look

mits: 15), Melissa Arnot Whittaker Mountaineer- the itineraries Toronto- from For more travel strategies, at three other stand- go to outsideonline (Everest summits: 5), ing, next door to RMI). based mountain-biking outs, turn to page 108. .com/travelawards. and Brent Okita (Denali In the past 26 years, specialists Sacred Rides

summits: 21). the company has also has been crafting for the > clockwise

74 outside magazine