Plants & Animals

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The Tomb was the Excuse: A Camino Lesson in the Vineyards of La Rioja

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Discover how a local grape farmer’s skeptical take on the Camino de Santiago reveals the trail’s true history. Join us for a walk through La Rioja's vineyards to learn why the "tomb as an excuse" fueled a Golden Age of pilgrimage.

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Lake Manyara: A Good Park for a Safari Start

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Is Lake Manyara truly the home of tree-climbing lions? Explore Tanzania's hidden gem and discover why this bird-watcher's paradise is the perfect safari start.

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The Serengeti and Beyond: Starting an 8-Day Northern Circuit Safari in Tanzania

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From the disbelief of a recovered suitcase to the roar of a Land Cruiser engine, our journey through Tanzania’s famous Northern Circuit is finally underway. Destination: Bush Country.

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The Last Full Night: Resting at 13,000 Feet

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Explore the beauty of Mount Kilimanjaro from Karanga Camp. Follow along as we recharge at 12,992 feet, observing glaciers like "icy fingers," moorland chats, and the surprising sounds of John Denver drifting through the East African clouds.

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Critically Endangered: The High-Flying Griffon Vultures of the Serengeti

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Meet the bird that can fly at 36,000 feet! From its 'gut-of-iron' to its unique oxygen-moving blood, discover the incredible Rüppell's griffon vulture and the German explorer who gave it its name.

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Ants in Your Pants: From Fiction to Kilimanjaro’s Slopes

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From Charlton Heston to Indiana Jones, movies love a good ant apocalypse. But would they really eat you in six minutes? Explore the facts—and a real Kilimanjaro ant dance.

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An Amateur’s Guide to Surviving Your Own Travel Habits

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From tooth-brushing in an African sink to barefoot sprints through mamba-filled grass, learn why being a ‘savvy traveler’ beats being a white-toothed barefoot amateur.

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From Bulls to Boars: Finding Life in the “Valley of the Shadow of Death”

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Looking for some animal encounters on the Jesus Trail? Join us as we hike the ancient Wadi Hamam—the "Valley of the Doves"—and encounter five unexpected critters, from mountain gazelles to wild boar, in this vibrant "valley of life" near the Sea of Galilee.

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Required Reading for Explorers: Rachel Levin's Look Big and Other Tips for Surviving Animal Encounters of All Kinds

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Rachel Levin’s first book, Look Big and Other Tips for Surviving Animal Encounters of All Kinds offers an interesting take on our North American friends from the wild side.

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Rabies is not the way to go (part 6)

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Not so long ago the treatment for rabies consisted of twenty or more painful shots into the abdomen delivered by a needle the size of a fencepost. This treatment is now obsolete, as I have (thankfully) discovered.

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Rabies is not the way to go (part 3)

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Rabies is not the way to go (part 3)

I rinsed with water from a hose. The clear imprint of teeth on my thigh would have made a dentist proud. But the wounds were also deep so they took a while to stop bleeding. Red streaks mixed with the water and dribbled down my leg and forearms.

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Stork swarm

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Stork swarm

Swarms of giant storks were suddenly everywhere. They were beyond counting. In the hundreds? For sure. Thousands? Maybe. Some circled slowly overhead, great wings outstretched. Many more rested, nested, and clattered their bills from poo-spangled trees. 

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Serengeti chicken

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Serengeti chicken

Safari operators often speak of the "Big Five." This is a linger-longer from the blood-sport days. The phrase does not identify Africa's largest species, but rather the five most difficult/dangerous animals to hunt on foot.