Exploring beaches & trails near Victoria, Vancouver Island
Saanich Inlet Flying into south Vancouver Island, on British Columbia’s west coast, I can hardly contain my excitement. When I see the Gulf Islands, the aerial view shows gradual and abrupt dark rock outcrops, where the sea meets the rugged coast, then green beyond and it is then that I am thrilled to be returning to a place of spectacular ocean vistas and ancient moist rainforests. After our arrival, near Swartz Bay on the Saanich...
TRAVEL FEATURE: The Island of Bonaire
The island of Bonaire, about 38 by 4 km in size, sits 80 km off the north coast of Venezuela, in the South Caribbean. Originally a submerged coral reef, over time, its undersea remnants have pushed up and out of the sea fostering a limited flora and fauna, yet below surface, it is an undersea paradise. Snorkelers and divers come here for the warm turquoise waters, around 28 C, and the variety, over 350 species, of marine life. The...
Pursuing wilderness in Canada’s western Rocky Mountains
Few places can match the allure of Alberta’s majestic vistas, mountain peaks, glaciers, rivers, evergreen forests and unique wildlife. Banff National Park, an outdoor paradise, draws millions of visitors annually. It’s one of my favorite places to visit for its natural wonders and a playground for outdoor experiences, set among a backdrop of spectacular mountain scenery. Waterfall near Johnston Canyon Driving the Trans Canada Hwy....
Mongolia … vicariously!
Since my Grade 8 speech on my life’s ambitions, I have always wanted to go to Outer Mongolia. Well, last year my husband, David Dorward, did get to go as a volunteer with a Canadian government agency, so I at least got the benefit of vicarious enjoyment! It is everything you do and do not expect, and a country that will surprise you, he says. SOME BACKGROUND We think of Mongolia as the land of wide-open spaces and few people. It is...
TRAVEL FEATURE: The Daintree Rainforest, Australia
Paradise & Peril In Australia’s Ancient Daintree Rainforest In my quest to discover unique wilderness habitats, upon visiting Australia’s biologically alluring Daintree rainforest I am fascinated with its unusual foliage and terrifying creatures. Located in Queensland, north of Cairns, this narrow belt of land, about 1200 km in size, is mostly inaccessible as it’s hemmed in by the steep Great Dividing Ridge to the west and blue...
TRAVEL FEATURE: Suspended on Water
Killarney’s world of wind and waves over rock. Written & Photographed by: Cynthia Percival, Wilderness Traveler Favourite summer memories are of swimming or venturing out on the water in my canoe or kayak. Over the years when cottage life became too busy, it became my quest to find places of solitude and tranquility, where I could authentically observe nature and be surrounded by its raw majesty. When I discovered the remote...
TRAVEL FEATURE: Scotland’s beckoning Western Isles of Mull & Skye
Never far from the sea, the habitat on the western isles thrives on continuous moisture. It’s cloaked shades of lush green that peek out from the ever-changing mist, give the landscape of these mystic isles a romantic appeal. Along the coast are constant soothing winds, a rhythmic ebb and flow of waves and an air that is alive with the music of sea birds. While you may spot long horizontal islands greying into the distance, many are...
A Day at the Races
I’m usually not one to “tell tales out of school”, but this one I think I can share. My father always wanted to own horses. Just before he fell ill, he was making plans to return to Canada, purchase some land, and fulfill his dream of being a horse owner. There have been many things I’ve been able to do as his daughter that would lend themselves to experiences he never got to have. However, I never thought that fulfilling his dream of...
TRAVEL FEATURE: Meanderings & Wanderings in the Highlands of Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Be it the historical battles for supremacy, the allure of its people, the exhilaration of its mountain scenery or the romance of its castles, Scotland will embrace you in its magic of curiosity, intrigue and wonder. To accurately appreciate the breadth of Scotland’s history, let’s start back when its oldest habitation, a place known as Skara Brae, was discovered around 1850, on the shores of the Bay of Skaill, Orkney Islands. When...
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