Search results for

Behind one of the most popular surf spots in Rincon is a breathtaking view of the northwest coast of PR. Domes Beach during fall/winter will be packed with surfers, but if you want to enjoy the location without being slapped by boards or crowds, then take the short dirt walk behind the “dome” (old nuclear center) and hike along the raised seawall for a gorgeous and unobstructed view of the rugged, lush, tropical cliffside and the waters below. You can take this trail all the way to Pools Beach (in Puntas, the upper part of Rincon) and watch more surfers pick off waves in another great surf spot. This photo was shot with my iPhone 4S, and edited as HDR.

The beach town of Pimentel, near Chiclayo (on Northern Peru’s desert coast), is known for its family-run beachfront cevicherias. These restaurants have immediate access to fish straight from the sea. Ceviche is eaten only for lunch in the north - so make your visit in the afternoon. Northern Peruvian ceviche is prepared with paper-thin sliced red onions, chile peppers, large chunks of fresh fish and lots of lime juice. The fish gets cooked by the lime juice on the outside, but stays raw on the inside. Fishermen in Pimentel still use the tule reed boats of their ancestors, which you’ll see on the pier and on the beach. The malecon (an ocean front promenade) is lined with decaying stately homes.

“Chile has nearly 4,000 miles of coast, one of the most arid deserts on earth, and mountains that climb to 22,000 feet. Imagine the diversity,” marvels Rodolfo Guzmán. The chef behind Santiago’s restaurant Boragó is on a mission to promote his country’s over-looked ingredients, such as the superacidic copao fruit, which grows in the Atacama desert. “We want to show diners something that is only found here.” Many chefs source locally but then use European techniques in the kitchen. Guzmán, however, bakes his grouper and basil chlorophyll in a mud oven—a technique the indigenous Mapuche people have used for centuries. Avda. Nueva Costanera 3467, 56/(0) 2-953-8893. This appeared in the October 2012 issue.

Young and poor, but frequent-flier-mile rich, my wife and I were able to go to Corsica for our first anniversary...Staying with friends always helps...They lived in Ajaccio, (birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte), and at sunset one evening, they took us for a drive a couple of miles to the west of the city. Dotting the island’s coast are the distinctive Genoese towers, fortifications built during the 16th century, and here is the view from one of them, from La Tour de la Parata, perched on cliffs at what feels like the end of the world...Ahh, to be newly married and in the Mediterranean...

Close to the Haitian border on the Dominican Republic’s northwestern coast, this white-sand beach, which is part of Montecristi National Park, sits below an 800-foot-high limestone mesa. Hike a rough stretch through rocks to the beach and you’ll find clear water but strong currents—these waves are not for children, and even excellent swimmers should be very cautious. Shipwrecks from the colonial days draw experienced divers to nearby Isla Cabrita, while empty sands attract Dominican families on weekends. Playa El Morro is almost completely off the tourist radar and all but deserted on weekdays.

Located on the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula, this rugged nature park is the perfect place to set off with a backpack and be active for the day. You can follow in the fossilized footprints of the dinosaurs at Cape Grakolovac, visit an Istrian ox farm and have lunch at a family-owned agritourism operation, lounge at the funky seafront Safari Bar overlooking the Mala Kolombarica cove, ride a bicycle along the orchid trail, kayak or windsurf along the coast, or swim in coves with crystal-clear water. To learn more about the park, head to the House of Nature Kamenjak in the nearby town of Premantura.

The waters surrounding Bequia beckon scuba divers with everything from brilliant sponges, colorful fish, and deep-water corals to shallow reefs, sheer walls, caverns, holes, and wrecks. While the area is home to 30 or so easily accessible diving sites, you should head to the designated marine park, which occupies seven miles along Bequia’s leeward coast. Family-run outfitter Dive Bequia (located on Belmont Walkway in Port Elizabeth) offers three dive trips to the park each day, along with instruction, certification, and rental gear. Divers must be at least 8 years old, but snorkelers of all ages are welcome as well.

Locals consider La Soufrière—St. Vincent’s massive active volcano that last erupted in 1979—the “queen of climbs.” Approachable from either the leeward or windward coast, the hike to the 4,000-foot summit is a serious, all-day excursion. You’ll need stamina and sturdy shoes—and a knowledgeable guide from the National Parks Authority—to safely reach the top, but once there you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape and sea. Keep your eyes peeled for a rare sighting of the St. Vincent parrot on the way back down.

Among several sea and land excursions, locally owned Fantasea Tours offers full-day whale- and dolphin-watching trips along St. Vincent’s leeward coast. You can expect to see pilot whales, orcas, and several species of dolphins year-round, but the best time to spot them is December through April. Huge sperm whales and humpbacks stop by seasonally, usually from October through January. Regardless of when you go, you can look forward to an exciting, comfortable tour. Fantasea’s staff is extremely knowledgeable, and its boats and equipment meet the highest safety standards.

Jamaican food is not all jerk and meat patties! You can sample one of the island’s most popular snacks, pepper shrimp, along the south coast. In the town of Middle Quarters, roadside vendors cook the shrimp in big steaming pots on outdoor grills. The shrimp, caught in the Black River, are boiled in salty water and then spiced with chopped scotch bonnet peppers, sea salt, vinegar, and black pepper. Plastic bags of the fiery little shellfish are peddled to drivers passing on their way home from work and to lucky tourists for a messy and addictive snack.

You are lucky the sun only rises and sets once a day on Hawaii—otherwise, you’d spend all of your time transfixed by the horizon. Hike to the leeward (eastern) side of any island on a clear evening and train your eye over the ocean in search of the “green flash,” an optic phenomenon in which a green sliver of light hovers in the wake of the setting sun. (On Oahu, the remote Kaena Point is a good spot to see the flash.) Sunsets on Kauai, “The Garden Island,” make the beauty of the coastal surroundings even more poignant. If you rise early and tackle the Lanikai Pillboxes trail on Oahu or summit the volcano at Haleakala National Park on Maui, you’ll experience an unforgettable morning as the sun rises over the ocean for a new day.

It sounds “too good to be true”, right? No big resorts... miles of remote beaches... turquoise water... no crowds. The coastline of Cambodia is truly a tropical paradise! There are signs that things are changing, but today Otres Beach, just outside the Cambodian town of Sihanoukville, is untouched by commercial tourism. The beaches are empty and clean. Decent marijuana can be purchased legally (although the law is grey in this area as it is only legal to consume and NOT smoke!) at a number of hip bungalow bars set up along the beach. Drinks are cheap and very easy to come by, and your toes never have to leave the sand. Everything is rustic here, but there is a lot of charm in the dozen establishments along this remote stretch of beach on the Gulf of Thailand. The roads are still dirt. It’s off the beaten path. Air-conditioning is pretty much nonexistent here, and even electricity is hit or miss. Some describe the vibe here like Thailand 20 years ago before tourism was that country’s biggest industry. It’s what all of us beachcombers are looking for, and I found it at Otres Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia!

Covering nearly two thirds of Basse-Terre island, Guadeloupe National Park is an astounding 54,000 acres of lush rain forest, plus offshore mangrove and coral reefs. Some of the island’s best-known sights are inside the park, including active La Grande Soufrière volcano at its center, 4,800 feet above sea level. The park also contains famous waterfalls like Carbet Falls and the Cascade aux Ecrevisses, and Les Bains Jaunes thermal pool is a refreshing swim after conquering one the park’s many hiking trails. Nature lovers will swoon over the 800-plus species of flora and fauna here, ranging from orchids to bats to the endangered agouti (a type of small rodent). You can explore Guadeloupe National Park on your own or go with an outfitter like Vert Intense, an eco-friendly operation that knows every inch of this vast green escape, and also offers canyoning.

This archipelago off the coast of La Paz (which takes the name of the main island) is a protected UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. While the islands are uninhabited by humans save for a small fishing camp made of temporary structures, they’re home to a great variety of flora and fauna. In addition to dolphins, frigate birds, and ring-tailed cats, you’ll find the only known black jackrabbit population in the world. Celebrated eco-friendly activities company Cabo Expeditions leads daylong archipelago tours that include exploring the mesmerizing volcanic landscape, a ceviche lunch, and an opportunity to swim on Ensenada Grande Beach—often cited as one of the world’s most beautiful—plus guided snorkeling with the incredibly playful pups at the Los Islotes sea lion colony.

Situated a quarter mile from the west entrance to Glacier National Park, this recently renovated landmark was built by the Great Northern Railway Company in 1910—the year the park was dedicated by President Taft—to host wealthy passengers from the East Coast. Rooms in the arts and crafts–style lodge are simple yet comfortable. During their stay, guests explore the region’s network of more than 700 trails by horseback, foot, or bike. To experience this pristine area as visitors have been doing since the 1930s, hop in a jammer, a red touring coach with a canvas top that rolls back to reveal wide-open vistas of the surrounding forests and peaks. From $160. This appeared in the June/July 2015 issue.