nature Archives - Hike Bike Travel

Ilsa Del Coral Offers Swimming, Paddle Boarding And Snorkelling

6 Ways to Reconnect with Nature in Riviera Nayarit

With lush rainforests and steep mountain backdrops greeting you in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, you might feel you’ve landed in Costa Rica but this destination is considerably closer and has much to offer the nature lover. A 300-kilometre coastline sweeping north of Puerto Vallarta along Banderas Bay is the centerpiece of Riviera Nayarit. There are several luxury resorts so you don’t need to suffer but the slower pace offers more chance for discovery and chances to…

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Book Review: 110 Nature Hot Spots in Manitoba & Saskatchewan

The book 110 Nature Hot Spots in Manitoba and Saskatchewan will forever change your perception of the provinces. I don't know how many times I have heard the comment - there is nothing to see or do on the prairies. Guess again. Both provinces are home to rich eco-systems. You just might have to look a little harder than in the Rockies. To that end Jenn Smith Nelson and Doug O'Neill, two talented Canadian travel…

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A Day Trip from Amman to the Azraq Wetland Preserve

“There’s nothing there” some told us. “Just flat desert.” However, after having our fill of culture for a week we wanted to get a little taste of Wild Jordan and were not to be deterred from visiting the AZRAQ WETLAND PRESERVE. We had not seen very many bird species in the previous week and quite frankly I was feeling a little demanding about getting some birding in. As a bonus, there was a UNESCO site…

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Hiking in Hong Kong: Your Ticket to Nature and the Outdoors

Asia, Hiking
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Look out your airplane window as you fly into Hong Kong and you can't help but be wowed by the density of development and the sheer number of skyscrapers packed into a space the size of six Washington, DC's. But what most people don't realize is that Hong Kong is more than a big city. It's an archipelago of 236 islands and islets - and a hiker and nature lover's paradise. While locals are very…

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125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta

It took 15 months to give birth to my second book - 125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta - The Best Parks, Conservation Areas and Wild Places, co-authored with my friend Debbie Olsen, who in fairness wrote a whole lot more of the book than I did. I swore after my first book I'd never write a second. It's just like babies; you forget about the sleepless nights, the lack of free time, the bleary…

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Looking for the Wild Things on a Campbell River Marine Wildlife Tour

If you need a nature fix, Vancouver Island and the Discovery Islands off its east coast are an ideal destination. The ocean here is known for its wild currents, whirlpools and standing waves. It's also an area that is spectacularly good for viewing seabirds and marine life. A three hour wildlife tour run by Painter's Lodge takes you from Campbell River down the length of Quadra Island through the Penn Islands, then north to Sonora…

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Why You’ll Want to Visit Hendy Woods State Park

With trees as tall as skyscrapers and an understory of primeval ferns, a hike in Hendy Woods State Park just outside of Boonville, California will leave you with a sore neck from staring up for so long. On the soggy day that we visited, we had the entire park to ourselves. We elected to do a loop hike in the Big Hendy area - a great choice as it turned out. From the minute we…

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Can Hiking With a Grizzly Bear Expert Make the Wild Cool Again?

Can real turtles compete with ninja turtles when it comes to garnering people's attention? I hadn't given it much thought until I had the chance to hear Casey Anderson, host of National Geographic WILD series at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. "My goal is to make wild cool again," said Anderson as he kicked off a ninety-minute presentation on this experiences with captive animals and as a producer of several wildlife shows. Thirteen years ago,…

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The Top 5 Outdoor Adventures in Prince George

Few towns throw down outdoor adventure like Prince George. Yet, the small northern B.C. city doesn’t get the hype it deserves on the western Canada scene. I had passed through town a few times before, once on the way to paddling the amazing Bowron Lakes Circuit—an epic paddle through 116-kilometre chain of lakes, waterways and portages just a couple hours north of town. But it still took until a recent May visit to open my…

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Elk Island National Park: 5 Fantastic Things You’ll Want to Do

When you need a break from the city, nothing beats a visit to a national park to recharge your soul. Humans need to reconnect with nature for their mental and physical well-being. For anyone living in Edmonton, they are lucky to have Elk Island National Park practically on their doorstep - a great destination to renew, reconnect with nature, relax and have fun on a sandy beach by a lake. Elk Island National Park has been…