Nakuru, Naivasha and Nairobi National Parks - Kenyan Staples

If you are going to visit Kenya you absolutely have to make sure and set aside time for Nakuru, Naivasha and Nairobi National Parks. Although these areas are urban by African standards, they are a must see for visitors to Kenya. Each place has a unique perspective to give modern African living. You can get a good mix of the urban with the allure of safari elements like being able to see a real animal preserve without venturing too far out into the bush or the jungle. In fact, you will get so many perspectives on Africa in these Kenyan regions that you will go home with a really good knowledge of the rest of the continent.

Nakuru, Naivasha and Nairobi National Parks all have their own charm. For instance at the Nairobi National Park you will feel like you are on an actual safari far out and away from the city when in fact you are minutes from an urban capital city. It is a truly fabulous dichotomy to take in. One hour you can be enjoying and African cosmopolitan moment and the next you can be viewing big game. You can be meeting the locals in the city at coffee shops and meeting the locals out in the plains of the park. The only difference is the ones in the parks will have paws and claws!

Visiting Nakuru, Naivasha and Nairobi National Parks will give you a very diverse view of Kenya without having to travel far from any of the cities. Nakuru is a bird watchers paradise and of the three areas is indeed the place to see your favorite exotic African feathered friends. There are over 450 species of birds including flamingos. You can expect to see just about every terrestrial and water bird Africa has to offer. You can also see 56 different types of animals including rhinos.

Nakuru, Naivasha and Nairobi National Parks offer a plethora of safari opportunities not seen in other areas of Africa. Being able to take everything in such a small area is truly a luxury, and being able to take your own refuge in an urban setting after a day of safari can be a very relaxing and interesting experience. Let's not forget to describe Naivasha. If you are really into exotic flora and fauna then this will be your favorite of the three areas that is for sure.

Michael Theys

http://www.africafreak.com

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Spotting Corporate Adventure Tours in Hills

In the new age, world is coming up with a lot of needs which continuously keeps on increasing with enhancing technologies in the world. Similarly, as a lot of adventure spots are discovered in India, the additional need of adventure tourism is generating in a human mind. Looking at this desire, a lot of companies have taken up the charge of organising corporate adventure tours for their employees and have chosen numerous camping and adventure points in the country to fulfill the purpose.

With the motive of taking a big corporate team on an adventurous trip, Shivpuri, situated near Rishikesh stands as a best option. The companies operating in Delhi, find it a cheap and best stress relieving option for their employees. Pleasant camping added with adventurous river rafting lures a lot of youngsters in current times and hence, the corporates are also getting pulled towards this alternative.

Further, the option of Kanatal grab eyeballs when it comes to a camping trip along with numerous adventurous activities. Based in Uttaranchal, Kanatal offers a big space for camping as well as the adventure sports like trekking, rappelling, rock climbing and valley crossing. This is the one and only reason that so many corporate adventure tours are being organised at this place and no company is bothering about the expenditure to avail this experience.

The option of camping in Manali is not much famous but, a lot of corporates take this road in order to fulfill the desire of reaching a magnificent camping spot. Along with the adventures of river rafting, para gliding, valley crossing etc, many companies also organise the training workshops for 'art of living' and 'team building' for their employees in Manali.

As the two important things, strong team and enthusiastic employees are needed in a company, the corporates are not hesitating in walking through the road of corporate adventure tours. The popularity of these packages can also be judged by the leads generated by a lot of websites offering the similar packages.

Hence, there is no doubt that with the enhancing popularity of adventure sports in the country, the demand for corporate adventure tours is soaring to new heights.

Vxplor is an adventure group offers Corporate Outing, adventure trips, weekend trips, adventure events like Rock Climbing, Rafting, Camping, Rappelling, Caving.

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Gallatin River rafting with Geyser Whitewater

Gallatin River whitewater rafting near Big Sky Montana and West yellowstone

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Crater Lake National Park - The Gem Of The Pacific Northwest

Crater Lake National Park is a gem of the Pacific Northwest. It is located in south central Oregon in a sparsely populated area and it truly is in the middle of nowhere.

That's what makes visiting Crater Lake all the more an adventure. You are not going to get to Crater Lake unless you make it your purpose to get here. The closest airports are in Klamath Falls (60 miles from the park) and Medford (80 miles from the park).

But getting there is well worth your effort!

Few places on earth create such an overwhelming awe from observers, however Crater Lake National Park certainly does. Even in a region that boasts many natural and volcanic vistas, the only description for Crater Lake is incredible.

You may have heard about the deep blue color of the lake, but words can never prepare you for the first breathtaking look from the edge of this 6 mile wide crater or caldera which was caused by the eruption and subsequent cave in of Mt. Mazama a few thousand years ago.

My most vivid memory of Crater Lake is finding various overlooks along Rim Road that encircles the park. One spot in particular has an incredible overlook that you can walk out on that isn't much wider than 3 or 4 feet. The thing that makes this spot so awesome is that the 3 foot wide path out to the overlook drops off steeply more than 1,200' in some places.

Sorry I won't tell you where this secret spot is, I'm going to let you find it all on your own. However, you will certainly know it when you get there!

Much of the year Crater Lake is snowed in. The area around Crater Lake receives some of the heaviest snowfall in the country, averaging an astonishing 533 inches per year.

For a brief time each year, Crater Lake National Park emerges from this winter freeze to bask in the summertime sun. If you visit early in the season you may be surprised by the amount of snow which remains long into months which are considered early to mid-summer in most parts of the nation. Because of these harsh and often unpredictable weather patterns, most park roads are closed even through the late spring.

Crater Lake is host to a vast array of activities. While enjoying the natural scenic wonders, park visitors may hike in old growth forests, participate in a variety of interpretive activities, camp out or stay in an historic hotel, or even cross-country ski during the very long eight month winters which are experienced here in the Cascade mountains.

If you are planning to visit Crater Lake there are only two campgrounds in the park that have a total of 216 tent sites. Spaces are available on a first come first serve basis as reservations are not taken in the park.

If you love the outdoors and are especially fond of our nation's National Parks, you don't want to miss the incredible beauty that awaits you in Crater Lake National Park.

Alan LeStourgeon operates a vacation rental web site where you can find comfortable cabin rentals, recreational and hiking vacation information and information about log cabin furniture.

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Comal White Water or More Blue Green

White Water on the Comal river in Central Texas is more of of toobers paradise than a rafter or kayaker's dreamland, but for a fun and relaxing family adventure I highly recommend the trip. For the second time in the last two years my family and I spent a few days partaking of fun, water and sun in and around New Braunfels, Texas on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers. Day one was spent on the Comal floating gently down the lazy 72 degree water from Prince Solms Park to the Rockin R take out. I have always rented tubes from Rockin R for as long as I can remember Rockin R claims to have been established in 1979, so maybe that first time I went to Camp Warneke it wasn't called Rockin R, but it sure seems it was on the same corner. Though Camp Warneke is no longer, the signs along the river still point to a simpler time when multi-million dollar water parks didn't dominate the landscape of New Braunfels.

Rockin R does a great job of shuttling around the huge qualities of toobers in old airport rental car shuttles who enjoy the relaxing beer soaked float down the Comal. Tubes can be rented with or without bottoms and don't forget your cooler float. Ours came complete with a nice little Texas flag painted on the front of our cooler.

Our first day on the Comal was later voted as the family favorite. The relaxing float which started just above Prince Solms park in Landa Park featured four trips through the tube hoot for my son and I. It wasn't until the third trip through that I noticed that the park was closed and there were No Trespassing signs everywhere. Opps! On the forth trip the rest of the family finally braved the light rain having waited out all the thunder, lighting and most of the heavy rain under the large oaks on the shores of the Comal in Landa Park. To tell the truth I was more than a little apprehensive this labor day weekend as scattered thundershowers followed us the entire vacation. They say lighting never strikes twice, but I wasn't in the mood to tempt fate as I was shocked by a lighting surge the previous week working at my computer with my hand resting on the mouse. My pinky may never be the same again.

Our first trip with the entire family down the Comal was as a classic. Exciting start and a smooth, relaxing finish. The urban Comal River is 2.5 mile in length and is one of the largest springs in Texas with 8 million gallons of water flowing through every hour. The water is pure, clear and cold, and a constant 72 degrees. The calm cool waters of the Comal in Landa Park are created by a small dam to the right of which is the mild adrenaline rush of the dam's S shaped spillway called the Prince Solms Park Tube Chute.

After the mild adventure of the tube chute at the start we had a incredible day on the water given the fact that we only had two beers in the cooler. A tactical mistake given the cases of beer that toobers consume during the course of any given day on the Comal River in Texas. On a side note the beer at the Rockin R was, lets say priced like a piece of plywood in Florida this hurricane season on the black market.

At the end of our trip, Rockin R's exclusive exit was where our crew and toobs were graciously hoisted from the water by the Rockin R staff. At the top of the stairs our Rockin R cruise director asked of our future intentions to float the river. The Rockin R will haul you from the finish line to the start from sunup to sundown. The family decided to have another go at the river after lunch. With tubes loaded in the trailer our old rental car shuttles vinyl cover seats served as our latest venue of relaxation. Several dads with water guns provided the entertainment spraying innocent bikini clad women from the bus windows as we made our way back to the Rockin R store on Liberty Street. The gang decided on Pat's Place for some old fashion burgers and iced tea from mason jars as the lunch de jour. After a satisfying meal and great service our only compliant being they had no outdoor full service deck, we headed over to the corner store to pick up some reasonably priced refreshments. Having fully stocked the expedition, we took the shuttle back to our starting point in Landa park. This time we all took the refreshing plunge into the cool waters of the Comal quickly and rafted up for the descent down the tube chute.

Our final trip through the tube chute stared the same as the last, but my ten year-old daughter who was tied off with her grandmother broke away and got caught up in the whirlpool action just behind the dam. She couldn't get back across the main outflow of the spillway, and couldn't grab the high bank wall to get back to the steps just behind the dam. She made several attempts just below the park rangers un-watchful eyes before I yelled and motioned to her to stay put in her tube. I waded back upstream on the opposite bank and dove into the main current of the tube chute which sent me rocketing across the river to the opposing shore. As I neared the high concrete embankment, I jumped and grabbed hold of the wall only to be swiftly washed off by an influx tubers and the surge of water preceding them. Trying to keep my head above water I got a very nice shin rash from the sharp concrete wall foundations as I grabbed for the stair rails and my second attempt to get out of the swift currents. Finally with a new found respect for the tame waters of the Comal I headed up stream on the opposite bank to assist my daughter. Having heeded my advise she was resting near the wall in a clam area where the top of the wall was just out of her reach. Laying down she handed me her tube and I pulled her out of the water for the brief trip on the walkway back downstream. As I ambled, fairly exhausted, past the park rangers I gave them the quizzical eye as if to say, "where the hell where you."

The remainder of the float downstream I was amazed at the stupidly of jumping into the gushing confluence of the dam's spillway as I consumed a refreshing Mexican import. Kids being kids, my son and I tried our hand at standing on our tubes in the calmer and deeper sections of the Comal as our thoughts turned toward our next adventure at the Texas Ski Ranch.

What to Expect:

When you go to tube chute, on the Comal expect the ride to be swift, you should wear water shoes or rafting sandals to protect your feet from the concrete and uneven river bottom - the rocks and steps are covered in algae and are slippery. You can go through the tube chute as many times as you want and with a tube outfitter shuttle float the Comal several times in a day. The tube chute is not recommended for weak swimmers or children under 6. The remainder of the 2.5 mile river is pure family enjoyment. The crowd can be load and rowdy at times including some beer bong drinking college students in the shallows on long the way. So be sure to avert the eyes if some beer drinking young lady should flash the cheering crowds. You will be floating through the lush backyards and urban parks in the town of New Braunfels, so if you need to exit the river for any reason make sure you are not trespassing as the landowners are not tolerant due the the aforementioned beer drinking crowds. The Trip is a definite must do if in central Texas in August. On the up side, this is not the Schlitterbahn, this is what inspired the Schlitterbahn. My 14 year old son after a day at America's favorite water park (we got waited in line for the MasterBlaster for 1:43 minutes starting at 10:26 am and we were off the ride at 12:11) and a day on the Guadalupe pronounced the Comal his favorite.

For more information about family adventure travel visit http://www.advenquest.com

Website: http://www.advenquest.com

BJ Baker is an avid outdoor enthusiast who currently resides in The Woodlands, Texas. As a child, BJ traveled the world with his family on excursions to The Far East, including Japan, China, Bangkok and other parts of South East Asia, as well as Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. Old fashion load up the Buick trips throughout most of the USA and frequent trips west to the Rocky Mountains on snow skiing trips have left an indelible impression on BJ. Still roving the world and instilled with a love for travel and adventure, today BJ is the owner of several adventure and travel websites. [http://www.placestosleep.com], http://www.vacationresorttravel.com, http://www.advenquest.com, and http://www.snow-skiing.com.

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