"One Norwegian explorer discovered the New World 500 years before Columbus. Another was first to cross Greenland by land. In 1911, a Norwegian was first to the South Pole, and in 2006, a fellow countryman nailed history’s longest solo and unresupplied ski journey, 3,000 miles across the South Pole region. Who are these people? When the opportunity arose to visit Oslo and Bergen, and as a passionate, long-time enthusiast of historic exploration, I jumped at the chance to determine why Norway is home to the world’s greatest explorers." Jeff Blumenfeld takes us on an armchair tour of Norway and the country's famous adventurers.
"Our VW van spits gravel left and right as we breech the beginning of the Transpantaneira Highway, marked by a rickety and rustic Old Corral-style archway announcing the start of this 145km-long raised dirt road that penetrates deep into the Pantanal to Porto Jofre, an end-of-the-road hamlet where nature and man collide in rustic jungle camps and a wildlife lodge or two. My eyes are on the lookout for the prize: Jaguars." Top travel writer Kevin Raub takes us on a journey through Brazil's Pantanal, the largest contiguous wetland in the world!
"With its blue mountains plunging to patches of indigenous fynbos and wrinkly lines of vine-clad trellises, exploring the Winelands inevitably involves crossing a mountain pass. Driving from Stellenbosch to the upmarket town of Franschhoek takes you over the Hellshoogte (‘Hell’s Height’) Pass, which was forged by elephants and later named by weary ox-wagon drivers." Read more from local Cape Winelands travel writer James Bainbridge and see what makes this region the perfect stop off on a Best of South Africa adventure.
European adventure expert Anne Wood take us through a living painting of colors and light on Iceland's Víknaslódir Trail, named one of the "25 Most Beautiful Treks in the World” by National Geographic. Located in the northeast, the Víknaslódir Trail is a path that leads hikers across the peaks and valleys of Iceland’s remote and windswept eastern fjords. Just be sure to check your 5 stars at the door!
What happens when the Latin America adventure team is given free rein to come up with a new trip that will knock your socks off? They come back with an epic route through Jeinimeni National Reserve, and create this incredible video, filmed by our Patagonia guides—and featuring Senior Mountain Guide Andres Bozzolo. What started off as an intriguing destination has, for the Mountain Travel Sobek team, become a must-do for 2017. Be prepared to be amazed.
