Category: Walking

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Activity Beach California Camping Sun USA Walking

California

If California were a nation in its own right, as of 2020 it would have the 5th largest economy in the world. North to south the state is 770 miles long and the east to west its 250 miles across. That means there are plenty of roads to travel during a fly-drive holiday to California. California offers the visitor a multitude of destinations from cities to National Parks, from beaches to mountains.

Golden Gate Bridge – California – USA

Planning your road trip as a loop up means that you can start wherever you can find the best deal on flights and car rental. For example at the time of writing flights to San Francisco are being offered at half the price of that to Los Angeles from the UK.

These are a few suggestions of what to include on your road trip. The Pacific Coast Highway. The Highway is not a distinct road as such but part of the SR 1 route, which is just over 650 miles long. It has several portions designated as either Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), Cabrillo Highway, Shoreline Highway, or Coast Highway.

Bixby Bridge – California -USA

We have or will cover the major cities in other posts. So today we will focus on three National Parks: Joshua Tree, Death Valley and Yosemite.

Joshua Tree National Park is located in south-east California. It contains parts of two deserts, the Mojave and the Colorado and this is what makes the park so attractive to visitors. Its not like a visit to the Yorkshire Moors. Desert weather can change very quickly, prepare for your trip. The park gets its name from the trees found in the Mojave desert. Its possible to see a wide variety of deserts animals but its actually at night that the majority of them are active. For the active ones amongst you, there are opportunities for hiking and climbing.

Joshua Tree – California – USA

Death Valley National Park straddles the California/Nevada border to the east of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is the largest national park in the contiguous United States as well as the hottest, driest and lowest of all the national parks in the USA. On July 10, 1913, the US Weather Bureau recorded a high temperature of 56.7 °C in Death Valley. This temperature still stands today as the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth.

SR 190, the Badwater Road, the Scotty’s Castle Road, and paved roads to Dante’s View and Wildrose provide access to the major scenic viewpoints and historic points of interest. In addtion there is an additional 350 miles of unpaved roads that can be accessed by a 4×4.

Dante’s View – Death Valley National Park – California – USA

Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984 the Yosemite National Park can be found in northern California. Yosemite is characterised by Yosemite is by its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia trees, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. The park contains 20% of all the species found in Calfornia, inclduing 160 rare plants species. The park can get very busy in the summer and traffic congestion can be a problem. However once parked there are over 800 miles of trails to walk and see all the wonderfall sites.

Cathredral Rocks – Yosemite National Park – California -USA
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Activity Beach Caribbean Cayman Islands Diving Ecotourism Sun Walking

Cayman Islands

If you are heading for the Caribbean then you are almost certainly heading for a beach to relax on, and the Cayman Islands certainly have those. According to some, the beaches here are amongst the best in the world. With the average temperature in the Cayman Islands of 28°C, it’s perfect for all year-round destination. January is the coolest month with temperatures around 25°C. Still warm enough to sit outside.

Cayman Islands

With enough diving sites for each day of the year, there are diving experiences for all ages and abilities. The islands are widelayWidely recognised as the birthplace of recreational diving, exploring the underwater world around the Cayman Islands is not to be missed. There are diving experiences on offer for all ages and abilities with qualified instructors on hand for those wanting to learn. With crystal clear waters you can expect to see colourful, abundant marine life, trenches, chasms and wrecks. If you do not dive, there are schools offering tuition or you could try your hand at snorkelling just off shore.

Barracuda – Cayman Islands

Not keen on putting your head under the water. There is plenty to do on the surface of the water, sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking and kitesurfing are all available.

There are several land based activities to enjoy in the Cayman Islands. The main island of Grand Cayman is fairly flat and its possible to follow the Mastic Trail which is well signposted and guided tours are available. The Mastic Trail is based on a traditional footpath that had fallen into disuse. In 1994 and 1995 it was restored and reopened as a 4 km walking track that passes through the Mastic reserve (a mainly forested area), traversing the central part of Grand Cayman from south to north. The southern part includes a 170 m hand-built rock causeway, known as the “Mastic Bridge”, through black mangrove forest.

Blue Iguana -Cayman Islands

Other activities such as bird watching at the islands’ sanctuaries to kayaking through mangroves; learning about different flora and fauna. Naturalists will love the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park where the rare, indigenous, Blue Iguana roams and marvel at the spectacular stalagmites and stalactites of the Crystal Caves are all available.

The most popular acitivity for visitors to the islands is a trip to Stingray City where you can see, touch, and even hold a stingray! The “city” is a sandbar near a channel in Cayman’s barrier reef. Historically, fisherman used to come to the sandbar to clean the fish they had caught throughout the day. They threw the unwanted bits overboard, which started attracting stingrays. Eventually, this practice grew and became a tourist activity.

Stingray City – Cayman Islands
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City Heritage Indiana USA Walking

Indiana

We want to visit Indiana and in particular the state capital of Indianapolis. The most famous event in the Indianapolis year, is the Indianapolis 500 motor race, which including practice and qualifying takes up most of the month of May.

The Greatest Spectacle in Motorsport.

If you are contemplating attending next year’s race, it might be wise to start making plans now, and book your flights, hotel and race tickets. Compared to the price of tickets for say, the British Formula One Grand Prix, tickets for the Indy 500 are very reasonable. Tickets for a practice day start at $10, whilst general admission on race day starts from $35 and reserved seats from $50.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indiana – USA

If you don’t manage to get to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for race day then a visit to the track museum is still a must for any motorsport fan. The museum has one of the largest collections of racing, antique and classic cars in the world including 30 that have one of the Indy 500. Treat yourself to the 2 hour private golf cart tour for just $20. (All prices are correct at the time of writing July 2021).

Central Canal – Indianapolis – Indiana – USA

After you have been to the track you may well be asking what else is there to see and do in Indianapolis. The answer is that there is plenty. Check out the White River State Park. Here you will find 250 acres which contains the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians, the Indiana State Museum, a zoo, a canal with gondolas, Indianapolis Indians baseball, an IMAX cinema, an amphitheatre, the NCAA Hall of Champions and the Indiana Cultural Trail, plus many cycling and walking trails.

White River State Park – Indianapolis – Indiana – USA

If you are taking children, then do not miss out on a visit to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. It is reputedly the largest museum in the world devoted to children. It us rated as one of the best museums in the USA. Founded in 1925, it has almost half a million square feet of exhibition space and includes an outdoor sports area, where children can try out amongst other things, basketball, golf and pedal race cars. The museum is designed to be as hands-on and inactive as possible.

For history lovers, there are museums and several memorials in the city commemorate armed forces or conflict, including the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza. Indianapolis is the home to the largest collection outside Washington DC of monuments dedicated to veterans and war casualties in the USA.

Indiana World War Memorial Plaza – Indianapolis – Indiana – USA
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Activity Central America City Costa Rica San Jose Sun Walking

Costa Rica

Over the past few years Costa Rica has become an increasingly popular tourist destination. It’s not difficult to see why. It seems to have it all. Rainforests, beaches and volcanoes are just the start. Costa Rica literally means “Rich Coast” and most tourists will base themselves on the coast. With its many soft sandy beaches and swaying palms you might be forgiven for thinking that you were in paradise. With 800 miles of coastline adjoining the Pacific and the Caribbean you are sure to find one that suits you.

Sandy Beach – Pacific Coast – Costa Rica

Home to over 20 National Parks, Costa Rica has really developed itself as an Ecotourism destination. The Corcovado National is internationally renowned for its biodiversity and visitors can expect a wide range of wildlife including all four Costa Rican monkey species. Costa Rica is the first tropical country to have stopped and reversed deforestation.

White-headed capuchin Monkey – Panama

We like volcanoes here at Travellogs, especially when they are connected with thermal spas. There are 6 active and over 60 dormant volcanoes in Costa Rica. You could do worse than stay somewhere like the “Royal Corin Thermal Water Spa and Resort. The hotel consists of just 54 rooms with great views of the volcano and a less than 5 minute walk from the Eco Termales Fortuna thermal pools.

EcoTermales Fortuna – Costa Rica

Amongst those volcanoes is Arenal Volcano, about 56 miles northwest of the capital city of San Jose. The volcano is 5,358 ft (1633 m) high. After being dormant for many years it erupted in 1968 destroying a nearby town. It continued to erupt until 2010 since when it has been dormant again. It is one of the countries’ most popular tourist destinations and is very popular with hikers.

Arenal Volcano – Costa Rica

In those many National Parks you will find over over 500,000 species of animals, including scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, colourful butterflies, humpback whales, iguanas, sea turtles, and sloths.

According to the Happy Planet Index, Costa Rica is ranked as the Number 1 happiest country in the world. It states “Strong social networks, investment in health and education and a deep connection to nature may help explain why Costa Ricans are happier and live longer than the residents of most rich nations. A national commitment to environmental protection and use of renewable energy also keeps Costa Rica’s Ecological Footprint small.”

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Activity Camping Hiking Uncategorized Walking

Grand Canyon, AZ

The Grand Canyon is over 270 miles in length, at some place up to 18 miles across and a mile deep.  Located in Northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is managed by the US National Park Service and is an officially designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Grand Canyon – Arizona – USA

Around 6 million visitors will head for the Canyon and yes it can get busy, but the majority of those will head for the Southern Rim.  Here you will find the Grand Canyon Village and the Bright Angel Trail.


Grand Canyon Village holds some of the best scenic overlooks in the park, including Yavapai Point and is the focal point for most people who are visiting the Southern Rim.  From here you can access the many activities on offer, including helicopter tours, horseback rides, a scenic train ride, and mule trips. If you are planning to hike and camp, then you will need to purchase a permit.  Most of the trails are permit free if you are just hiking for the day.

Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

The Bright Angel Trail in one of the most popular trails and originates in Grand Canyon Village and descends 4380 feet down to the river.  It is regularly patrolled by Park Rangers so help and assistance is never far away should you need it.  You don’t have to walk the whole thing, you could turn round at 1.5 or 3 miles along the 9 mile plus route if you just want to hike just for a day. Should you choose to do the whole trail, then you will need to camp or rent a cabin at the bottom.  It takes a good 5 or 6 hours to hike and its slower coming up than going down.

Grand Canyon – South Rim, Arizona, USA

For visitors who aren’t up for a hike into the canyon and driving round winding roads and seeking out parking space and finding change for the parking fee sounds like stress. You might be better off relying on the park’s free shuttle buses, they transport visitors along the rim of the canyon, stopping at many vantage points, giving you great views along the ways. Many of the restaurants in the area also have fantastic views of the Canyon.

Whilst the Southern Rim is open all year, the quieter Northern Rim is only open for the summer. The Northern Rim is where you will find hardy campers and hardcore hikers.  There is a lodge and one camping ground.  If you are not a hiker, then you can take the scenic Northern Rim drive which includes a visit to Point Imperial which is the highest point of the Northern Rim at 8,803 feet.

Grand Canyon – North Rim, Arizona, USA