Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I鈥檒l admit, I鈥檓 biased toward lush tropical landscapes, like Tahiti, and rugged stretches of coast, such as Vancouver Island, British Columbia. But there鈥檚 something magical about the endless expanse of badlands or a snowcapped mountain reflected in an azure alpine lake. So they made my list of the most beautiful places on earth.

I鈥檝e done a lot of globe-trotting in my decade as a travel journalist. When 国产吃瓜黑料 asked me to consider writing about the most beautiful wild places on earth, I immediately thought of Lagoa das Sete Cidades in the Azores, green-blue twin lakes within a crater, and the Na Pali Coast of Kauai, with emerald cliffs that tumble steeply to the sea.

But these places are already on most people鈥檚 radar, and the last thing I want is to contribute to overtourism. Instead, I came up with a list of stunning, lesser-known destinations that are also full of adventure potential. You鈥檙e going to be amazed.

I purposely highlighted more sites close to home to make this list accessible.听My biggest tip is to live in the moment when visiting these places鈥攐r any place that bowls you over. You can鈥檛 experience it fully if you鈥檙e glued behind your camera, shooting images to share. Here are my picks for the most beautiful places on earth.

1. Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah

Why It Wows: Utah has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to otherworldly rocky landscapes, but the geologic amphitheater that is steals the show (entrance fee from $15). Rich mineral deposits in the cliffs and hoodoos resemble a sweeping sunset of orange, yellow, red, and purple. During July and early August, some 250-plus species of wildflowers bloom, creating a Technicolor landscape.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Tucked in the mountains 20 miles east of Cedar City, this three-mile-long cirque gets a sliver of the foot and vehicle traffic seen at nearby Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks but offers just as many options for outdoor lovers. Because it鈥檚 located at an elevation of 10,000 feet, summer temperatures are comfortable, with highs hovering around 70 degrees.

Hikes range from the ADA-compliant, two-mile round-trip , which skirts part of the rim overlooking the amphitheater, to the 12.8-mile Rattlesnake Creek Trail, a two- to three-day hike in the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness that drops into the amphitheater.

Five miles north, is a mountain biker鈥檚 dream, with more than 100 miles of downhill singletrack and 100 miles of cross-country trails.

Stargazers know Cedar Breaks as a designated International Dark Sky Park. Every Sunday and Saturday from late May through early October, the monument offers free four-hour astronomy tours at the North View Overlook.

2. Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta

Why It Wows: Often referred to as Banff National Park鈥檚 lesser-known sister, this 76,800-acre patch of wilderness in the Canadian Rockies is the epitome of postcard perfection, with its snow-crowned peaks, sparkling alpine lakes, glacial streams, and evergreen valleys. In autumn the park is most dazzling, when larches鈥� needles turn gold and the trees are reflected in the lakes.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: , 85 miles southwest of Calgary, is one of Canada鈥檚 most accessible parks, with multiple barrier-free trails wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs (entrance fee from $12).

Stay at , fresh off a $6 million renovation (from $21 for a campsite; from $31 for a cabin). It overlooks Lower Kananaskis Lake, prioritizes people with disabilities and seniors, and features 22 accessible cottages, plus 13 campsites, and 11 miles of accessible trails on-site.

The park is full of hiking and mountain-biking trails, as well as seven miles of paved biking paths. In fall, check out Elephant Rocks and Chester Lake via when it鈥檚 positively ablaze with yellow larches. In winter, bring along your cross-country-ski gear and spend a day on the park鈥檚 more than 50 miles of groomed trails.

In the area without your outdoor essentials? rents everything from canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards to e-bikes and full-suspension mountain bikes.

3. Lefkada Island, Greece

Why It Wows: Sea and sky meld together in an ombr茅 of blues on this under-the-radar Ionian isle. Chalky cliffs and white-sand and pebble beaches also woo those in the know, but the interior is just as wondrous, filled with a dense forest of ancient oak, dramatic gorges, and tumbling waterfalls.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: A five-hour drive west of Athens, Lefkada is one of the few Greek islands that doesn鈥檛 require a boat to reach鈥攊t鈥檚 connected to the mainland by a bridge. A playground for recreationists, you can spend days and biking its trails, or opt for guided or self-guided e-bike excursions with .

Windsurfers and kitesurfers head to Vasiliki, Ai Gianni, and Myli beaches. , in the village of Vasiliki, rents equipment and provides lessons. All of the beaches are stunners, but Egremni, on the southwest coast, is widely considered the prettiest in the country. Surrounded by limestone cliffs, you must hike a steep trail from the parking lot, then descend more than 300 stairs to reach the sand. Trust me, the effort is worth it.

4. Shariqiya Sands, Oman

Why It Wows: Stark and remote, this seemingly endless stretch of rippling, wind-sculpted dunes spans 5,000 square miles of Oman, a small sultunate on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The highest dunes鈥攕ome as tall as 330 feet鈥攁re found closest to the coast. But the big reason to see these ever-shifting sands is to witness the mesmerizing way they change color from pale gold in the afternoon to deep amber and copper as the blazing sun cuts across the sky.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: A three-hour drive south from the capital city of Muscat, this desert was recently renamed the Sharqiya Sands to reflect its geographic location more accurately (sharqiya comes from the Arabic word for 鈥渆astern鈥�), but everybody still refers to the area by its former name, Wahiba Sands, a nod to the region鈥檚 Bani Wahiba tribe.

, an Oman adventure specialist with 17 years of experience in the country, sets up mobile camps deep within the desert and can arrange activities like sandboarding, camel safaris, dune driving, and visits with local Bedouin families (from $6,234 per couple for two nights, all-inclusive). Bonus: the lack of light pollution means campers are treated to incredibly clear, diamond-studded night skies.

5. Las Coloradas Lagoon, Yucat谩n, Mexico

Why It Wows: These glimmering cotton-candy-colored lakes pop against a backdrop of powdery white-sand beaches and pastel blue skies within the protected reserve of the R铆a Lagartos Biosphere. The lagoons get their blush tint from the plankton, red algae, and brine shrimp that thrive in the super salty waters.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: The biosphere is off the beaten path鈥攁round three and a half hours from major tourist hubs like M茅rida, Canc煤n, and Playa del Carmen鈥攁nd area accommodations are limited. Your best bets for an overnight stay are , a four-room, family-run eco-lodge in the reserve that also offers tours (from $95), or the in the sleepy nearby fishing town of R铆o Lagartos (from $66).

The biosphere is a birding paradise, home to 380 species, including 30,000 flamingoes that match the water. It鈥檚 also possible to spot spider monkeys, coatis, and jaguars, and from April and October, hawksbill and green turtles lay their eggs on the shores. Book a tour at the reserve鈥檚 visitor center for a better understanding of this ecosystem, but don鈥檛 plan on swimming here; as tempting as it might be to dive into the pink waters, the activity is prohibited, due to the high salinity and because the salt is harvested there for consumption.

6. Rio Sucuri, Brazil

Why It Wows: Eleven miles outside Bonito, the self-declared ecotourism capital of Brazil, you’ll find Rio Sucuri, whose Avatar-blue waters are considered some of the clearest on the planet. Set against the lush jungle, its spring-fed waters glow a surreal electric blue.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Bonito is located in the central-western state of Mato Grosso do Sul. It takes some effort to reach. After an approximate two-hour nonstop flight from S茫o Paulo to Campo Grande, it鈥檚 a three-and-a-half hour drive to Bonito; from there, the access point to Rio Sucuri is another 12 miles away.

and (from $160 and $160, respectively) are both great boutique stays around 50 minutes away, set on the banks of the Rio Formoso, another pristine, spring-fed waterway.

Rio Sucuri has been developed as an ecotourism project and can only be experienced with a guide. To reach the river鈥檚 headwaters, it鈥檚 a quarter-mile walk through the forest to a reception area at the S茫o Geraldo ranch, which outfits everyone with a wetsuit and snorkel gear. Then you鈥檒l board a boat for the quick ride upstream, where you鈥檒l jump in and allow the gentle current to drift you back, lazy-river style.

You鈥檒l no doubt spy pacu (a vegetarian piranha) and red-tailed pirapitanga darting between swaying emerald-green grasses. With exceptional visibility, you鈥檒l feel like you鈥檙e floating in an aquarium.

7. Pico Ruivo, Madeira, Portugal

Why It Wows: Topping out at nearly 6,110 feet, Pico Ruivo is the third-highest point in Portugal and the tallest peak in the archipelago of Madeira. From the top, you鈥檙e rewarded with panoramic vistas of the entire archipelago.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Two trails lead to the summit. (PR 1.2) is the more direct route; it climbs 1.7 miles to the viewpoint. The more scenic path, however, is the 3.3-mile (one-way) (PR 1.1). Many consider this the most spectacular hike in all of Madeira. It crosses the island鈥檚 central massif, tunnels through volcanic tufts that once sheltered shepherds, and heads up steep slopes home to colossal urzes trees.

That said, it鈥檚 a test-your-mettle trek. Rise early to score parking at the trailhead at Pico Areeiro, the archipelago鈥檚 third-highest peak, and catch the sunrise before heading out.

8. Tarkine Rainforest, Tasmania, Australia

Why It Wows: The second-greatest expanse of cool temperate rainforest in the world could easily have been the inspiration for Fern Gully. Filtered light dances through the canopy of massive eucalyptus and leatherwoods, and velvety moss seems to cover everything. Hugging the island鈥檚 rugged northwest coast, the 900-plus-square-mile area boasts wild, remote beaches and sand dunes, waterfalls, and numerous sinkholes.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: The coastal village of Arthur River is a good jumping-off point for forest and beach adventures, or base yourself at , 67 miles south, for immediate access to river activities (from $176). The hotel has a fleet of 16 canoes and kayaks to rent, and from there it鈥檚 a three-hour paddle down Pieman River to 130-foot-tall Lover鈥檚 Falls.

Hikes through this 65-million-year-old rainforest are magical. Tackle the 5.5-mile, out-and-back Whyte River and Savage River Trail, keeping an eye out for wallabies, pademelons, and platypuses, which tend to be more active at dawn and dusk. Eco-outfitter runs four-, five-, and six-day hiking and camping expeditions to the region鈥檚 most incredible spots.

9. The Sermilik Fjord, Greenland

Why It Wows: This 50-mile-long fjord in eastern Greenland spans is a frozen wonderland of luminous blue crystal cliffs, calving glaciers, and a flotilla of colossal icebergs.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Most visitors explore eastern Greenland by ship, but I like 鈥� new, climate-friendly, human-powered itinerary ($6,750 for eight days). You鈥檒l explore the region on foot or by kayak, and sleep in tents and cabins. Inuit hunter and guide Jokum Heimer Mikaelsen, along with a guide from the Greenland mountaineering company , lead hikes up small mountains, into ice caves, and across glaciers and offer insight on how Native people forage on the tundra.

Powderhounds can discover the slopes on a ski-tour trip with (from $4,910 for eight days). Dogsleds and local boats are used to access different terrain each day.

10. Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico

Why It Wows: These sprawling badlands look like a high-desert fantasy world dreamt up by Salvador Dal铆. Shaped by wind and erosion, the hoodoos create a natural sculpture park, with rock formations resembling alien eggs and manta ray wings.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Two trailheads access the area鈥檚 43,420 acres, both located less than an hour鈥檚 drive south of Farmington, New Mexico, or 90-minute drive south of Durango, Colorado. The Bisti Trail on the west side is the main portal and most popular, thanks to its moonscape-like terrain.

The De-Na-Zin Trail on the southeast side features less of the classic badlands topography but is still wildly beautiful. It starts out in sagebrush, transitions to juniper and eventually badlands studded with huge petrified logs and eroded cliffs and mesas.

Most visitors head to Instagram-sensation attractions like the Bisti Wings. But Stan Allison, an outdoor-recreation planner at the BLM Farmington Field Office, recommends a more exploratory approach. 鈥淢any of the unnamed areas have features that are just as interesting as the named ones,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 navigate by following the normally dry arroyos and then veering off or up side drainages when I see interesting features.鈥�

Wheeled vehicles are not allowed on BLM land, and there are no designated hiking trails, so be sure to download a topographic map of your route to a well-charged phone ahead of your visit, because cell signals can be spotty. This is an area where packing a paper map and compass is also a smart idea.

Or considered a guided visit. The wilderness boundaries overlap parcels of private Navajo land, and offers five-hour trips that delve into the history of the area and its cultural significance to Indigenous people.

11. Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique

Why It Wows: I visited this archipelago of five dune islands almost a decade ago, and from the plane, they looked听like a white-and-aquamarine swirl-art painting. A designated national park, the marine life in its protected waters is as incredible as the powder-fine beaches. The archipelago lays claim to the second most diverse coral reefs in the world and supports over 2,000 species of fish, and on dive and snorkel excursions I听saweverything from vivid corals and manta rays to reef sharks and even the endangered dugong.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: The large coastal town of Vilanculos is the gateway to this cluster of islands, which can be reached by air via or by boat (most hotels provide complimentary boat transfers).

Bazaruto and Benguerra islands offer next-level offshore snorkeling and diving opportunities, as well as hiking/biking to听 crocodile-filled inland lakes surrounded by towering sand dunes. It鈥檚 worth splurging on a stay at or , both barefoot-luxe eco-hotels on Benguerra Island (from $5,744 and $1,108, respectively). The resorts can organize sailing excursions on traditional dhow boats, kitesurfing lessons, kayak trips through mangroves, whale-watching excursions between July and October, and scuba-dive outings to famed sites like Two Mile Reef, accompanied by research scientists.

12. Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan

Why It Wows: Reminiscent of the wild beauty of Hawaii Island, this district in Japan鈥檚 southernmost island, Kyushu, has 250 miles of surf-blessed coast, active volcanic craters, and wild horses. More than 75 percent of the mountainous interior is covered with forests dotted with sacred shrines and cascading waterfalls.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Located on the east coast of Kyushu, Miyazaki is about a 90-minute flight from Tokyo鈥檚 Haneda Airport or a 60-minute flight from Osaka鈥檚 Itami Airport. Legendary waterman Kelly Slater has pilgrimaged here to ride waves, a testament to the area鈥檚 surf cred. The guide company offers surf trips led by local pros, and if you鈥檙e experienced, they鈥檒l lead you to a secret big-wave spot that breaks from August to October.

A visit to Cape Toi, Miyazaki鈥檚 southernmost point, is a must. The scenery is straight out of a fairytale, with a seemingly endless panorama of sapphire ocean, a forest of rare, native sago palms, and 100 wild horses called Misaki-uma, considered a national treasure. Even cooler: you can camp here, at the (from $20).

13. Lake Willoughby, Vermont

Why It Wows: Nicknamed America鈥檚 Lucerne, this five-mile-long, glacier-carved lake is sandwiched between the fjord-like peaks of Mounts Pisgah and Hor. The water is remarkably clear, and come fall, it takes on the autumnal hues of the surrounding foliage鈥攁 gorgeous sight.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Situated in the heart of Vermont鈥檚 rural Northeast Kingdom, Willoughby State Forest encircles the lake’s southern end and is webbed with 12 miles of hiking trails. is a 2.5-mile out-and-back route with fantastic lake views.

Summer is the most popular season for boating, paddleboarding, and kayaking, and public beaches on its north and south ends are popular with swimmers and sun seekers (note that the latter is clothing optional). Willoughby is also a haven for anglers who come to hook jumbo trout and salmon. (Willoughby Lake Store, near Westmore, sells bait.) Visibility is so good some people even scuba dive here.

On the south side of the lake, the family-run has tent sites, RV hookups, and waterfront cabins, plus an on-site caf茅 and country store, plus kayak, canoe, and SUP rentals (from $38).

Jen Murphy is 国产吃瓜黑料 Online鈥�s travel-advice columnist and a frequent contributor to the magazine. She dreams of returning to the Bazaruto Archipelago to dive its clear waters, and a camping trip in the desert of Oman is on her wish list.听

The post The 13 Most Beautiful Places on Earth You鈥檝e Never Heard Of appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When I had the chance to spend some time in Europe this year, the first thing I wanted to do鈥攚ell, besides find some really good cheese鈥攚as figure out how to visit as many national parks as possible. As the editor in chief of , 翱耻迟蝉颈诲别鈥檚 sister brand, I spend a lot of time thinking about national parks. Whether it鈥檚 figuring out how to pack as much as possible into a weekend in Yellowstone, thinking about the implications of reservation systems, or dreaming about units to visit, I eat, sleep, and breathe America鈥檚 best idea.

But narrowing down the European parks to visit proved tougher than I鈥檇 imagined. While the 27 EU member countries share a market and (mostly) a currency, each nation鈥檚 approach to public lands is vastly different. Some European national parks are all pristine wilderness areas and have strict recreation-use laws. In others, you鈥檒l find trendy bars serving Aperol spritzes, with Vespas parked outside. There鈥檚 even a Croatian national park with a zoo, complete with an elephant, ostriches, and zebras. Slovenia has just a single park; Finland has dozens.

While European parks run the gamut, they all have one thing in common. They鈥檝e been set aside as meriting designation, meaning they鈥檙e worth a visit to see something meaningful, whether that鈥檚 glistening glaciers, spectacular mountain peaks, hanging bridges across thundering rivers, or ancient vineyards clinging to cliffs above the sea.

These are the European national parks that top my travel bucket list. I鈥檝e been to several of them and can鈥檛 wait to see the rest.

1. Triglav National Park, Slovenia (Triglavski Narodni Park)

Admission: Free

WHY GO: While Alpine countries like France and Austria get most of the love, many people know almost nothing of one of the Alps鈥� best destinations: Slovenia. On my first visit to the country I was instantly charmed by the country鈥檚 rolling pastures, pretty churches set against the backdrop of mountains and blue lakes, and university-town capital, Ljubljana, which, with its avant-garde metalwork and dragon mascot, has a decidedly punk feel. When I realized that a subrange of the Alps was protected in the northwestern corner of the country as Triglav National Park, I knew I had to return.

Nestled up against the Italian border and nearly touching Austria, Triglav is home to thick forests, rivers, mountain villages, and big peaks that quickly made it one of my favorite national parks. Mount Triglav is the crown jewel at 9,396 feet, but plenty of other impressive summits draw peak baggers from across the world. Vogel Ski Resort can be found here too, offering 14 miles of terrain.

BEST ADVENTURES: Most park visitors flock to the Lake Bohinj region, a nearly 800-acre glacially carved valley filled with deep blue water where you can rent traditional wooden rowboats ($16/hour), among other watercraft. Vogel is in this area, and you can take the gondola and chairlift ($34 roundtrip for adults) partway and hike to the summit. The 6.1-mile trail isn鈥檛 technical, but it is steep in places, secured with cables and pegs. Keep your eyes peeled for the ibex and chamois that live here.

Watch the weather for wind gusts that could shut down the lifts, and stay aware of the time, because it鈥檚 a long trek back down if the chairs stop running before you reach them (they close at 4 p.m. in the summer). At several traditional huts on the mountain, you can enjoy local cheese and mountain dishes like goulash.

While the Bohinj area is the most popular, venturing further into the park is absolutely worth it. Head up and over the steep and narrow Vr拧i膷 Pass to Triglav鈥檚 more remote west side (my favorite), where you鈥檙e as likely to encounter a herd of sheep blocking the road as cyclists riding on it. Tackle the 15-mile , a hike that can be done in a long day, or at a slower pace, where you spend the night in one of several villages along the way. The beautiful trail follows the river, which is so clear and bright it almost hurts to look at. My husband, dog and I got distracted on our hike and instead spent a pleasant afternoon wading听 in the cold snowmelt. Wind your way gradually down valley under larches and across swinging bridges.

If you really want to get away, several long-distance trails, including the Via Alpina red route (1,500 miles) and the Alpe Adria Trail (466 miles), run through Triglav. For less of a commitment than those, head into the Seven Lakes Valley on a multi-day excursion, where you can spend the night in several maintained huts (no camping is allowed in the backcountry).

HOW TO GET THERE: Slovenia has a great public transportation system, making it easy to get from Ljubljana to Bled by train (40 minutes) and then Bled to Bohinj by bus (40 minutes), so you can stay in the capital and still explore the park. Buses run to other parts of Triglav, too, but pay attention to timetables, as they are less frequent and getting a taxi or rideshare won鈥檛 be an option in remote parts of the park.

BEST TIME TO GO: June to September is high season for hiking and hut availability, but can also be crowded. Snow melts early in this part of the world, so low elevation hikes can be done in the spring and fall to avoid the crowds. 听

WHERE TO STAY: Accommodations, from private hotels and guest houses to campgrounds and mountain huts, abound inside the park. My husband and I like staying in Bohinj on the west side for easy access to Vogel and the pretty town of Bled, or the quiet village of Trenta on the east side. For an alpine experience, book a bed at Ti膷arjev Dom ($47 per person with breakfast), the mountain hut at the summit of Vr拧i膷 Pass. You鈥檒l sleep dormitory-style and rise to incredible mountain views the next morning from the patio over a bela kava (coffee with milk).

2. Oulanka National Park, Finland

Admission: Free

WHY GO: If you鈥檙e looking to get into some of the most remote wilderness on the continent, head to Oulanka National Park in Finland. The park hugs the Russian border in the far northeastern part of the country above the Arctic Circle and is an experience in solitude. In fact, the wilderness doesn鈥檛 stop at state lines. It continues east, bleeding quietly into Russia鈥檚 Paanaj盲rvi National Park, with a simple rope forming the border and keeping canoeists in the EU. Last year I visited Levi Ski Resort in Finnish Lapland, four hours to the north, and fell in love with polar night. Getting back is at the top of my list and this time I want to get deeper into the wilderness, specifically at Oulanka.

Planning a trip to this remote land filled with boreal forests, rushing rivers, and limestone gorges isn鈥檛 easy, but I promise the hardest part will be picking which season to visit鈥搘inter or summer? This far north, the year is capped by eternal night in the deep winter, when you can snowshoe, cross-country ski, and try to spot the Northern Lights, and permanent sun in the height of the warm months, with plenty of daylight for canoeing and hiking trips.

BEST ADVENTURES: Summer visitors have two main choices for exploring: by water or by land. Paddlers can rent canoes and camping gear from to embark on a trip down the Oulankajoki River. The lower section is calm, with a short two-hour option to a takeout or a seven-hour route that makes an excellent overnight trip with a stop at any of several campsites or the first-come, first-served Ansak盲mpp盲 Wilderness Hut. There are rapids and a portage on the upper section of the river, so skip it unless you鈥檙e an experienced boater.

On foot, try the , a loop that crosses some of the park鈥檚 famous hanging bridges. In summer months, the trail is one-way (clockwise). Backpackers can head out on the 50-mile Bear鈥檚 Ring, aka . Finland鈥檚 most popular hike traverses the park from north to south, with each stage ending on a bus route in case you鈥檇 prefer to sleep in a real bed, or campsites and huts along the way if you鈥檇 rather rough it. Thundering rivers, placid streams, bogs, hanging bridges, and delicate purple orchids await. Look out for traditional Sami herders and their reindeer, who still inhabit the area today.

In the winter, I love how the mercury plunges when Finnish Lapland freezes over, rewarding intrepid and cold-tolerant visitors with a magical landscape. It鈥檚 my favorite time of year to be in Finland. Pines and spruces thick with frozen snow stand like fuzzy sentinels over ice-crusted rivers and cross-country ski trails. In December and January, you鈥檒l find a scant three hours of daylight. In late winter, you鈥檒l still experience plenty of darkness for northern lights spotting, but will also be treated to long sunrises and sunsets, turning the landscape into a cotton-candy-colored forest.

Use an app like My Aurora Forecast to monitor northern-lights conditions for your best chance at spotting the undulating colors. Other winter options are to rent snowshoes or cross-country skis in nearby Ruka and set off on the park’s many trails.

HOW TO GET THERE: The closest airport to the park is Kuusamo, which has several flights from Helsinki each day, plus a few other major European cities like Brussels and Frankfurt. While renting a car in Kuusamo is the easiest mode of travel, a bus route from the airport accesses the Karhunkierros Trail, Oulanka National Park Visitor Center, and Ruka, if you鈥檙e eager to add downhill skiing to your itinerary. Ruka Ski Resort is Finland鈥檚 best known, and has a long season lasting October to May.

BEST TIME TO GO: Peak season for hiking and canoeing, the park鈥檚 main attractions, is July through September when the weather is warmest and most predictable (think 50s) and the days are the longest. To see the Northern Lights and get out on snowy trails, December through March are the best season, but be ready for temps from freezing to below zero.

WHERE TO STAY: For the most options, base yourself at Ruka Ski Resort. Ruka offers all sorts of lodging options and the park is a quick 30-minute drive away. Winter visitors who want to go all out should stay at , with glass igloos perfect for aurora spotting (from $347/night with breakfast). If you want to be closer to the park, 鈥檚 cozy wilderness hotel borders it (from $109/night for a double room).

3. Cinque Terre National Park, Italy (Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre)

Admission: $21-$35/day for train and trail access

WHY GO: I鈥檇 seen the brightly colored Italian houses clinging to cliffs above an azure sea on my Instagram feed, but had no idea that the five villages making up the Cinque Terre (note the article 鈥渢he,鈥� as you鈥檒l be judged mightily for dropping it) are actually a national park until I visited this past spring. The land here is characterized by its human influence. The steep hills leading straight into the sea have been terraced and cultivated for more than 1,000 years.

BEST ADVENTURES: The most popular hiking route is the Blue Trail (also called the Sentiero Azzuro or SVA), the main path that historically connected all five villages. In 2019, a landslide took out the section of trail between Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, and maintenance work is ongoing, though the Manarola to Riomaggiore section reopened in July. The sections between Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare remained open. Whenever you choose to travel, start out as early in the day as possible or plan an evening hike to dinner to avoid the crowded midday hours. Taking the train back is also always an option if the trails get packed (we had to turn around and take the train in April because the pathway was gridlocked).

(grab a focaccia made with the region鈥檚 famous pesto for my favorite mid-hike snack) and on to Monterosso is 4.1 miles one way with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. A less popular, but in my opinion even better, hike on the Blue Trail is the . You鈥檒l climb up to the tiny town of Volastra, perched above the Cinque Terre, and then back down to Manarola. Time your hike so that you can grab a glass of wine and bruschetta at Cantina Capellini, a winery producing the Cinque Terre DOP white wine. The simple patio is right on the trail, situated amongst the vines, and overlooks the sea. Make sure you have room in your pack for a bottle to take home.

Heading south from Corniglia and ending in Manarola is 3.6 miles one way, with 1,300 feet of elevation gain. The descent on this route is heinous (you鈥檒l end lower than you began), so you may want to skip this one if your knees are bad.

When you鈥檙e not on the trail, take advantage of amazing food (cornettos! pesto! wine! fried anchovies! focaccia!) on a patio, or head down to the water. Each town has sea access for swimming, though you won鈥檛 find much of a beach anywhere besides at Monterosso. Spread a towel on the rocks and sunbathe, or ($10.75/hour rentals from Riomaggiore) to explore the coastline.

HOW TO GET THERE: Fly into Florence, Milan, or Rome. Trains run directly from these major hubs to La Spezia Centrale, the closest city to the Cinque Terre, or you can drive to La Spezia Centrale and park your rental car in the large garage at the station. From there, it鈥檚 a quick seven-minute train ride to the first village, Riomaggiore. Each additional village is just a few minutes further up the tracks. If you plan on utilizing both the train and the trails, purchase a in advance, which allows unlimited train rides between villages (including La Spezia), access to the trails, and free use of the toilets at each train station ($21-$35/day).

BEST TIME TO GO: Hiking the Cinque Terre is best done in the off-season. Summer crowds are epic, and the trails can get packed by late morning even in the spring and fall.

While it鈥檚 a gamble to visit in the colder months (November through March), as the trails can close when weather is bad and you鈥檒l have fewer lodging and dining options, it鈥檚 the least busy season. Plan a visit for the fringe months of March or November to capitalize on good weather and to beat the masses.

WHERE TO STAY: You鈥檒l find hotels in Monterosso and Riomaggiore on each end, as well as in the larger city of La Spezia, a quick train ride away. But for the most authentic experience stay in one of the three central villages. Book a vacation rental (Airbnb has plenty of options) in Vernazza, Corniglia, or Manarola, and you鈥檒l get to experience the towns when all the day tourists from the cruise ships have left. Quiet restaurants, empty streets, and coffee with the locals each morning are treats.

My favorite village is Corniglia, for its smaller size and gorgeous view from atop a hill, though the walk from the train station up a long set of stairs to the town makes coming and going a chore. We ended up skipping our dinner reservations one town over in favor of staying put here with a bottle of wine and take-out focaccia.

4. Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park, Italy (Parco Nazionale Dolomiti Bellunesi)

Admission: Free

WHY GO: While each region of Europe鈥檚 Alps has its own flavor, the Italian Dolomiti are particularly impressive. Craggy mountains, mist-filled valleys, and sweeping forests provide one of my favorite landscapes in the world.

The range, which encompasses northeastern Italy, is home to the 12 world-renowned ski areas that make up the Ikon Pass destination Dolomiti Superski. It鈥檚 also a Unesco World Heritage Site and the location of several incredible regional parks, such as Tre Cime. But you鈥檒l only find one national park, Dolomiti Bellunesi, in the region. I鈥檝e somehow missed this corner of the Dolomiti in all of my adventures here, so I can鈥檛 wait to plan a trip back to see it.

Stretching 12-square-miles northwest of Belluno, this somewhat under-the-radar park offers visitors the best of the Dolomiti, with fewer crowds than the area鈥檚 better-known and more northerly destinations of Tre Cime, Seceda, and Lago di Braises. Home to via ferratas, two of the famous Alta Via trails, and countless quintessential Italian villages, this is the place where you want to start your Dolomiti adventure.

BEST ADVENTURES: You鈥檒l want to experience this national park by foot鈥搈iles of trails cross the mountains, including two of the Alta Via, or 鈥渉igh routes.鈥� Alta Via 1 is a classic and one of the least technical of the routes, running 75 miles from Lago di Braies to La Pissa. The final four stages, which are often the least crowded, wind through the park. Alta Via 2 also includes three stages in the national park, from Passo Cereda to Passo Croce d鈥橝une. This route is more technical, with via ferratas required along the way. A climbing harness, helmet, and gloves are needed to tackle this option ( in Cortina d鈥橝mpezzo for $23/day).

Whether or not you embark on one of the park鈥檚 through-hikes, you should definitely experience a via ferrata while in the Dolomiti. Popularized during WWI in the region to help troops navigate vertical terrain, these 鈥渋ron paths鈥� use ladders, rungs, pegs and steel cables affixed to rocks to help people move across the cliffs. The park鈥檚 highest peak, Schiara, has three via ferratas ringing it: Zacchi, Berti, and Piero Rossi, which, linked up, make for a long but doable day in the mountains if you stay at ($74/night for half board). These routes lean toward being difficult, so hiring a guide is advisable. I found to be excellent on my most recent via ferrata adventure, on the Punto Anna route in Cortina d’Ampezzo, an hour and a half north.

Cyclists can test their mettle on the grueling stage 20 of the 2022 Giro d鈥橧talia route, which runs 104 miles (168 kilometers) from Belluno to Marmolada, crossing through the park on SR203. Whatever activities you choose to get up to, make sure to include some time on either end of your trip for a quick detour to the so-called Prosecco Road between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, where the prestigious DOCG (the highest quality designation) sparkling wine is produced in the hills. My favorite producer, Adami, is one of the oldest in the region and has an excellent tour and tasting experience.

HOW TO GET THERE: Venice offers the closest major airport, and train service to Belluno takes approximately two hours. From there, the Dolomiti bus services many of the roads within the park, but note timetables, as service can be limited. Unless you鈥檙e planning a through-hike, the best way to explore the Dolomiti is by renting a car in Venice or Belluno, then driving to trailheads.

BEST TIME TO GO: Most staffed rifugios (mountain huts) away from the ski resorts are only open to hikers in summer, so June through September are the best months to visit if you鈥檙e planning an overnight adventure. The weather often stays pleasant through October, though, and travel then is a great way to skip out on some of the crowds if you鈥檙e prepared for the possibility of an early season snow storm.

WHERE TO STAY: Hiking the Alta Vias, even just a few linked stages, takes forethought, as many of the rifugios along the route fill up early in summer. Start planning in January or February when availability opens. Otherwise, you鈥檒l find accommodation options鈥攊ncluding hotels, guesthouses, rifugios, and vacation rentals鈥攊n and around the park, but book early as options can be limited. Belluno, with 36,000 inhabitants, is the closest major town.

For a unique experience, plan a stay at an agriturismo, a working farm where you鈥檒l be treated to meals with homemade products like cheese and salumi. Mountain pasture cheesemaking has become a somewhat lost art in the Dolomiti, but this park has worked hard to restore five of these 鈥渕alga鈥� operations. If you don鈥檛 stop at an agriturismo, watch for latterias (like Latteria Perenzin in San Pietro di Feletto) where you can buy the locally made cheese alongside salumi and other products perfect for a picnic.

5. Samaria National Park, Greece

Admission $5.50

WHY GO: Encompassing the longest gorge in Europe, Samaria National Park showcases the best of the Mediterranean, from towering cliffs to fragrant cypress trees, and from white limestone riverbeds to the sparkling sea itself. Since the park is comprised almost solely of one long, steep , you can experience the place in its entirety, from the White Mountains to the Mediterranean, in one day. Samaria Gorge is located on the western side of Crete, Greece鈥檚 biggest island. I haven鈥檛 gotten to Greece yet, but a friend and colleague promises me that it鈥檚 the first place I鈥檒l want to go.

BEST ADVENTURES: The park is open, weather permitting, from May through October. Entry begins at 7 a.m., and it鈥檚 an excellent idea to start out then, before the heat of the day. Much of the trail is exposed and sunbaked, so going the first or last month of the season is wise to avoid the mid-summer heat. The park closes down during excessively hot stretches, or if flooding is possible in the shoulder season. Pay attention to the heat and hold off if the temperatures are dangerous. It鈥檚 usually a five- to seven-hour hike without services, so pack plenty of water and snacks; bring sun protection, a hat and a neck gaiter to help stay cool; and wear hiking footwear. Water from springs is often available along the route, but don鈥檛 count on it.

You鈥檒l start hiking steeply downhill, taking in the views of the surrounding White Mountains, before continuing through a pine and cypress forest and reaching the church of St. Nikolas inside the ruins of an ancient temple. Look around for kri kri, wild Cretan goats. Cross a few streams and you鈥檒l find yourself in the ancient village of Samaria, which is now solely inhabited by park staff.

The gorge gradually narrows as you cross through a (hopefully) dry riverbed, alongside striped rock walls, into the skinniest point in the canyon, where the walls are just under 10 feet apart. The park closes at 6 p.m., so make sure you鈥檙e through the exit by then. Either walk another 1.5 miles or hop on a cheap shuttle to get to the village of Agia Roum茅li, where you can grab a late lunch or early dinner at one of several restaurants and, if time allows, take a well-earned dip in the Mediterranean.

The single ferry leaves the village at 5:30 p.m., only once per day, so don鈥檛 miss it or you鈥檒l have to arrange a taxi boat or stay in the village. Depart at Chora Sfakion or Sougia and take the bus back to your car or lodge. If arranging your own transportation stresses you out, many tour companies offer guided excursions in the park.

HOW TO GET THERE: From Athens, fly into Chania International Airport for the closest access to the park. In Chania, you can either rent a car and drive to the gorge, or purchase a bus ticket to Xyloscalo, at the start of the trail. The full hike is one way, and at the end you鈥檒l take a ferry to Sougia ($16/person) and then the bus either back to your car at the trailhead or your hotel in Chania. Be sure to reserve your return tickets in advance to avoid getting stranded.

BEST TIME TO GO: Samaria Gorge is open May through October, with the beginning and end of the season providing the coolest temperatures.

WHERE TO STAY: Most visitors base in the city of Chania and do the trip to Samaria Gorge in one long day, but if you, like me, would prefer a slower pace and to experience the secluded village of Agia Roum茅li without the crowds, you can stay at one of the few hotels or vacation rentals in town. offers rooms, breakfast and beach loungers starting at $79 per night. You can spend the entire next day enjoying the beach before catching the ferry back.

6. 脡crins National Park, France (Parc National des 脡crins)

ADMISSION: Free

WHY GO: 脡crins National Park, a glacier-filled alpine paradise with more than 150 peaks topping 3,000 meters, sits near the Italian border in eastern France. The Alps are one of my favorite landscapes in the world and, after visiting them in Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein, I put this French national park squarely on my to-do list. Barre des 脡crins is the tallest summit here, towering 13,458 feet above the park, the most southerly 4,000-meter peak in the Alps. Here, amongst the chamois you鈥檒l almost certainly spot, you鈥檒l feel like you鈥檙e at the top of the world.

BEST ADVENTURES: You could hike the park鈥檚 many trails, including a section of the Grand 脡crins, but this is also a space known for its alpine climbing. If you鈥檙e looking for adventure, a three-day mountaineering- and glacier-skills course with will help you tag the summit of Barre des 脡crins, staying in remote mountain huts ($1,645).

Within the boundaries of 脡crins are two ski areas, and two others just bordering the park might be the area鈥檚 most famous, especially for cyclists. Les Deux Alpes bike park is one of the biggest in the Alps and is home to beginner- to competition-level courses in everything from downhill to enduro with pristine alpine views. Alpe d鈥橦uez offers one of the Tour de France鈥檚 most iconic climbs in addition to the wild Megavalanche, a mass-start mountain-bike race on a glacier. Ride into the national park, which has around 100 miles of marked bike trails.

HOW TO GET THERE: The closest major city is Grenoble, France. Fly into Lyon, Geneva, Marseille, or even Paris and take a high-speed train to Grenoble. From there, if you plan on some serious exploring, it鈥檚 best to rent a car, but bus service is also available to Les Deux Alpes if you will stick to the resorts or hire a guide to get into the mountains.

BEST TIME TO GO: July through September are the months to visit to avoid snow in this mountain environment.听

WHERE TO STAY: The ski resorts and villages in and around 脡crins provide ample lodging, but to really get away from it all, book a stay in one of the 40 throughout the park. While some of these mountain huts simply serve as basic overnight shelters for mountaineers, others are staffed in the summer, offering hot dinner and breakfast and often a lovely patio on which to take in the setting sun in a gorgeous high-alpine setting.

Refuges almost always require a hike to reach, so choose your trail, do your research and book ahead to ensure you have a bed waiting at the end of your day.

Mikaela Ruland is the editor in chief of National Park Trips. She lives for the outdoors, and you can usually find her hiking, skiing, or mountain biking. She’s been to national parks on three continents, including 23 of the 63 U.S. national parks. Her favorite is whichever one she鈥檚 traveling to next.

The post Top 6 National Parks in Europe鈥擜nd the Best 国产吃瓜黑料s in Them appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

For the past two decades, Dan Buettner听has traveled the world gathering the wisdom of the world鈥檚 longest-living centenarians. The result is seven books for National Geographic on longevity and happiness, the most recent, The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer, published in 2023; the Netflix documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, which claimed the number three spot shortly after its debut in August; and the Blue Zones diet, whose guidelines have inspired millions of people to eat more beans.

Before he became an oracle, Buettner, who is 63, rode his bike from Alaska to Argentina, around the planet, and across Africa, setting three Guinness World Records. Then he became my boss. In September 2000, Buettner convinced eight of us, including archaeologists, biologists, photographers, videographers, and writers, to cross the Australian outback on bicycles while on a mission to solve the mystery behind the听, which Australia鈥檚 Indigenous people believe are routes, or land markers, to their ancestors. We interviewed knowledgeable experts and tasted staple foods like witchetty grubs, and beamed our discoveries via satellite to schoolkids following our adventure in real time.

During that six-week quest, however, our lifestyle was the antithesis of one that would ensure a long life. We ate gas station junk food, stayed up until dawn squinting at computer screens, and downed shots of tequila to soothe frayed nerves and celebrate milestones. Months later our team drove through Mexico and Guatemala for another six weeks, this time trying to solve the mystery behind the collapse of the Maya civilization. Had Buettner not shifted his focus to finding the world鈥檚 longest-living people, our hard-charging life might have killed us all. But it sure was fun.

In 2009, I wrote a story for 国产吃瓜黑料 as his Blue Zones project started gathering steam worldwide. Buettner is on an ever-evolving quest, but today his lifestyle habits are comparatively monk-like, aligning more closely with his Blue Zones findings. 鈥淲hen you marinate in this stuff, you start to taste like it,鈥� he joked when I spoke with him recently, adding that he abides by 90 percent of what he鈥檚 learned (although the Blue Zones diet frowns upon over-imbibing, he did confess to ringing in the New Year with one shot of very fine tequila).

As the result of the Blue Zones and books like , by Peter Attia with Bill Gifford, and , by David Sinclair, more and more travelers are seeking the fountain of youth. Wellness tourism reached $651 billion in 2022, according to the , and international wellness tourists spent $1,746 per trip that same year鈥�41 percent more than a typical international tourist.

For those who want to travel to the original Blue Zones instead of couching it through the Netflix series, we tapped Buettner鈥檚 experience on how to soak up the centuries of health and wellness wisdom found in these five places. Then听we added our own adventurous 国产吃瓜黑料 twist for each destination.

Why Are the Blue Zones So Healthy?

In the early 2000s, the awarded Buettner a grant to identify the world鈥檚 longest-living populations and learn their lessons. Independent from Buettner鈥檚 work, demographer Michel Poulain and medical statistician Gianni Pes identified Sardinia, Italy, as the region with the highest concentrations of male centenarians. In 2004,听they published in the Journal of Experimental Gerontology听identifying the region as a 鈥渂lue zone.鈥� (Pes used blue ink to denote villages of exceptional longevity, hence the name.)听 Buettner eventually partnered with Poulain and Pes, and extended the Blue Zones attribution to four additional longevity epicenters around the globe, eventually identifying nine common lifestyle habits found in every one.听 He calls these lessons the (outlined below).

鈥淧eople in the Blue Zones don鈥檛 do any of the stuff that is relentlessly marketed to Americans,鈥� such as eating junk food and going to a gym or a spa, says Buettner. It鈥檚 not that people in Blue Zones have better genes, he adds, 鈥渋t鈥檚 that their day-to-day unconscious decisions are appreciably better.鈥� And that adds up over decades to more than eight years of additional life expectancy. 鈥淏lue Zones has become a movement to change our environment, so we mindlessly make better decisions about our health, and that鈥檚 what works,鈥� says Buettner.

Blue Zones Map: Where in the World Are They?

As you can see from the Blue Zones on this map, all five fall in middle latitudes with temperate climates. Additionally, says Buettner, 鈥淏lue Zones are always hill people. They are not coastal. These cultures 鈥済rew beans and grains and garden greens and tubers, and brilliant women over the course of 100 generations got really good at making this food taste gorgeously delicious.鈥�

The Five Blue Zones are:

The Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: The residents of some of the mountainous villages of this Pacific coastal peninsula are twice as likely as Americans to reach a healthy age of 90.
Okinawa, Japan: Located 400 miles south of the Kyushu (the country鈥檚 southwesternmost main island), this 463-sqare-mile destination is home to the oldest women in the world.
Ikaria, Greece: Less than 100 square miles, residents of this tiny north Aegean island live eight years longer than Americans, have half the rate of heart disease of Americans, and almost no dementia.
Loma Linda, California: This bedroom community of Los Angeles is a bedrock for many Seventh Day Adventists who view their health as an integral part of their faith.
Sardinia, Italy: The island鈥檚 eastern Ogliastra and Nuoro provinces have the greatest concentration of male centenarians in the world.

The 9 Healthy-Living Principles of the Blue Zones

鈥淥nly 25 percent of how long you live is dictated by genes. The other 75 percent is something else,鈥� says Buettner. Given that information, Buettner reasoned that if he could isolate the places where people lived the longest without disease, and then find common denominators between each place, that 鈥渙ught to be something to pay attention to.鈥� The following are the commonalities he鈥檚 coined the Power 9.

• Move Naturally: The world鈥檚 longest-living people don鈥檛 pump iron or go to a gym. They live in environments that constantly nudge them to move naturally, as in working in a garden or walking uphill to visit a neighbor.
• Purpose: Whether it鈥檚 called ikigai in Okinawa or plan de vida in Nicoya, Blue Zones residents have a reason to wake up every morning.
• Downshift: Each Blue Zone has a daily routine that diminishes stress; in Sardinia, one such option is happy hour, and in Ikaria that may mean an afternoon nap.
• 80 Percent Rule: Okinawans recite a 2,500-year-old Confucian mantra before mealtimes, 鈥淗ara hachi bu,鈥� reminding them to stop eating when their stomach feels 80 percent full. Also, in the Blue Zones, people eat their smallest meal in the early evening and then stop eating until the next day.
• Plant Slant: Beans are the foundation of most centenarian diets. Meat鈥攎ostly pork in the Blue Zones鈥攊s eaten only five times per month on average, and one portion is three to four ounces, about the size of a deck of cards.
• Wine at Five: People in every Blue Zone except Loma Linda drink alcohol moderately and regularly, which means one to two glasses per day, consumed with friends and food. Sardinian Cannonnau (known elsewhere as grenache), a robust regional red varietal, has three to four times the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids of other wines.
• Belong: All but five of the 263 centenarians Buettner and his team interviewed belonged to a faith-based community. Denomination doesn鈥檛 seem to matter.
• Loved Ones First: Successful centenarians in Blue Zones put their families first. They keep their aging parents or grandparents nearby or at home, commit to a life partner, and invest in their children with time and love.
• Right Tribe: Blue Zones centenarians were born into or choose social circles that support healthy behaviors. In Okinawa, they create moais, a group of five friends committed to each other for life.

国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Ultimate Travel听Guide to the Blue Zones

Some Blue Zones are more amenable to mainstream travelers than others, says Buettner. In the two decades since he began to research these five destinations, some have changed dramatically. In Okinawa, for example, U.S. military bases have brought increasing numbers of fast-food restaurants to the island, and many of the original centenarians Buettner interviewed have died. But there are still idyllic pockets in each place where travelers can glean the wisdom and lifestyle of its residents.

Before you book plane tickets, heed Buettner鈥檚 advice: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e the type of traveler who likes to meet the locals, are not in a hurry, are intellectually curious, and don鈥檛 mind staying in a rustic place to really absorb the culture, the Blue Zones are nice places to go. But if you鈥檇 rather party, get a massage, and order room service, go elsewhere.鈥�

Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

鈥淭he gateway destination for the Blue Zones is the Nicoya Peninsula,鈥� says Buettner. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an easy place to start, because you can book a nice hotel, do a yoga class, eat good food, and meet health-minded people.鈥�

Although it鈥檚 an hour away from the nearest official Blue Zone, Buettner recommends staying in Nosara.听 The resort town is lined with five idyllic beaches and outdoor activities听that spiral out in every direction. The real Blue Zones, where the centenarians live, however, are the small villages in the mountains above the ocean, like Hojancha and Nicoya, less than 40 miles northeast by road.

Where to 国产吃瓜黑料: Nosara is the perfect oasis for beginner and intermediate surfers, thanks to consistent year-round waves with clean breaks. You can also enjoy mountain biking and hiking in the tropical forest, Pacific fishing charters, and yoga everywhere.

Where to Stay: Buettner recommends the brand-new , which opened January 25 steps from four-mile-long Playa Guiones, one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. Each of its nine plush private residences has a fully equipped kitchen and other amenities like private barrel saunas. Above is a rooftop bar lining an infinity pool. Buettner will be speaking at the hotel on February 2, but if you miss him, there are plenty of other distractions. Silvestre also offers a studio with a range of wellness classes including yoga, boxing, breath work, tai chi, and movement options for kids and teens.听 Three-night minimum stay, from $960 per night

The has been a family-run community hub for the past 40 years. More recently it added a surf school, guided hiking and mountain-biking outings. Additionally, the hotel can arrange a custom tour of the nearby Blue Zones with local Spanish-speaking guides鈥攂ecause the centenarians don鈥檛 speak English. Airy rooms accommodate two to six people. From $276 per night in the low season (May, and September through October) and from $480 per night in the high season (November 1 to December 19, and January 6 to March 31)

Where to Eat: Buettner recommends heading to one of the original Blue Zone villages to eat a casado breakfast, a word that translates to a 鈥渕arriage,鈥� in this case between fresh corn tortillas and beans. 鈥淯ntil the year 2000 or so, that was 80 percent of these villages鈥� caloric intake,鈥� says Buettner. He also recommends stopping at a roadside fruit stand to stock up on mangoes, papayas, guavas, 鈥渁nd all these wonderful fruits that grow in their gardens like weeds.鈥� In Nosara, Soda Rosie鈥檚 also serves casados. Expats hang out at the Destiny Caf茅, known for its smoothie bowls, avocado toast, and organic roasted 鈥渃loud鈥� coffee with fresh coconut milk.

Ikaria, Greece

鈥淚karia is my personal favorite, because I know and love the people,鈥� Buettner told me, adding that rooms in the guest house where he always stays are still affordable, there鈥檚 great hiking on the island, and you鈥檙e still likely to meet a longevity all-star. 鈥淲hen I started coming here, it wasn鈥檛 known, but today you will sit down with people from Israel, Australia, Italy鈥攁ll over the world.鈥�

Where to 国产吃瓜黑料: This听 island in the Aegean Sea has been off the beaten path since it was first inhabited in the sixth century B.C. There are rugged mountain paths for hiking鈥攜ou鈥檒l be sharing them with goat and sheep herders鈥攁 growing sport-climbing and bouldering scene, and incredible beaches that require not insignificant descents. On Messakti Beach, which beckons with a sandy-bottom break and gentle waves, is a one-stop shop offering daily surf and SUP lessons, as well as听 rentals and yoga on the beach. For an insiders鈥� view of the interior, sign up for a trek with , whose local guides who know the inland paths like the back of their hand.

Where to Stay: Buettner always boards at , in the northwestern village of Nas. The owners, Thea and Ilias Parikos, are dear friends of his. The inn 鈥渉as a gorgeous deck overlooking the Aegean, and the family gets most of their food from an enormous garden right next door.鈥� Plus, notes Buettner, 鈥淭hea herself will always sit down and talk to you.鈥� Beyond the familial vibe and incredible food (some of her recipes can be found in the Blue Zone Solution cookbook), the property is directly above one of the island鈥檚 best beaches. Choose from one of five rustic rooms, each with personal bathrooms and French doors that open to a private balcony overlooking the sea, plus a small refrigerator for storing fresh herbs foraged on a hike. Time your visit for Thea鈥檚 cultural-immersion retreat, designed to teach guests how to incorporate the Blue Zones鈥� Power 9 habits into their daily lives. From $33

Where to Eat: It will be difficult to find better meals and views than the restaurant terrace of Thea鈥檚 Inn. She and her staff serve Ikarian specialties like soufiko and bean stew, a version of ratatouille, the vegetables of which 鈥渨ill likely have been in the garden five hours earlier,鈥� says Buettner. Another beautiful spot Buettner recommends is , run by George and Eleni Karimalis, who work with grapes from a revived 500-year-old vineyard. 鈥淭hey have great cooking classes and make a very satisfactory wine,鈥� says Buettner.

Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia鈥檚 Ogliastra and Nuoro provinces are worth the travel time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a road trip to get there,鈥� says Buettner, but the cluster of five villages鈥擜rzana, Talana, Baunei, Urzulei, and Triei are the most picturesque. Seulo, farther south, is home to the highest concentration of centenarians.

Where to 国产吃瓜黑料: Test yourself on the 33-mile Selvaggio Blu route, seen in the video below. It starts near the coastal town of Santa Maria Navaresse, involves sketchy scrambling and via ferratas, has jaw-dropping views of the cliffs and Tyrrhenian Sea, and is dubbed the toughest trek in Italy. offers a less extreme option with its seven-day Wild Blue Zone Trek (not affiliated with Buettner鈥檚 Blue Zones), where you鈥檒l explore the 25-mile-long Orosei coastline, hiking to unexplored beaches, on narrow rocky trails along white sea cliffs, and spending two nights on a private boat anchored in cerulean waters. The tough limestone in Nuoro also makes it one of the premier sport-climbing destinations in Italy, with slabs, steep walls, and wicked overhangs.

Where to Stay: Santa Maria Navaresse, while not in the official Blue Zone, is a 鈥渘ice seaside town with decent restaurants,鈥� says Buettner. Base yourself there and you鈥檙e less than 20 miles from the nearest Blue Zone of Arzana. , a family-run, 12-room hotel, sits 150 feet from the beach and near an 11th-century church next to a thousand-year-old grove of olive trees. With free beach towels and umbrellas and sunbeds available, the beach of Santa Maria Navarrese is an extension of the hotel. From $178

Where to Eat: According to Buettner, to experience a true Blue Zones meal, you鈥檒l need to be invited into the home of a local, because restaurants in these villages cater to special events like birthday parties and, as a result, 鈥渢he menu looks like a roasted petting zoo, with goat and piglet鈥濃�攎ore celebratory foods than staples. The Nascar hotel鈥檚 restaurant menu is more seafood heavy than a traditional Blue Zones diet, but the red prawns are freshly caught.

Okinawa, Japan

鈥淥kinawa as a Blue Zone is gone. The only vestiges of it are the oldest people. You have to be a committed traveler to find them and also need to hire a guide, because nobody speaks English,鈥� says Buettner. Sadly, the island now has the highest rate of obesity in Japan, largely due to the fast food introduced with the creation of the U.S. military bases. It may be lost as a Blue Zone, but Okinawa still has pockets of beauty, with stunning waterfalls, white-sand beaches, and dreamy resorts on the outer islands.

Where to 国产吃瓜黑料: The Yanbaru region, which includes on the main island of Okinawa, was designated a Unesco World Natural Heritage site in 2021. Its name translates to 鈥渄ensely forested mountains,鈥� and听 its lush forests and limestone peaks make for incredible sightseeing. Hike to 75-foot-high Hiji waterfall, the highest on the island, paddle the Gesashi Bay Mango Forest, and camp near off-the-beaten-path beaches. There鈥檚 also an incredible undersea world off some of Okinawa鈥檚 satellite islands, like Ishigaki, where you can snorkel among healthy coral reefs, dive with manta rays, and soak up some vitamin D.

Where to Stay: In Yanbaru, the whimsical accommodations at the boast 360-degree views of the sub-tropical evergreens, and offer a symphony of bird sounds along with a sauna for increased relaxation. (From $826 per night for up to six people.) On Ishigaki, the lines a half-mile long, sugar-sand beach. With 17 room and villa types surrounded by subtropical gardens, and activities on offer from resort diving courses to swimming off remote islands, there鈥檚 plenty of space to find privacy. From $147听

Where to Eat: Buettner recommends in the seaside village of Ogimi, which relies on the same seasonal vegetables that have been harvested from nearby fields for centuries. Because of its popularity and authenticity, reservations are required.

Loma Linda, California

鈥淟oma Linda is a very hard Blue Zone to see, because it鈥檚 about residents鈥� Adventist lifestyle鈥攏o drinking, no smoking, a 24-hour Sabbath, and church on Saturday morning,鈥� says Buettner of the 9,000 Seventh Day Adventists who live here. But it鈥檚 possible to live the Loma Linda lifestyle for at least a day, then retire to nearby Palm Springs, 50 miles southeast on I-10, for further adventure.

Where to 国产吃瓜黑料: Do as the Loma Lindans do and spend a day at the University of Loma Linda鈥檚 , a one-stop shop for fitness classes, aquatics, nutrition classes, and, of course, a wicked game of pickleball.

Where to Stay: , in Palm Springs, offers a respite from the world. Set on 1.5 acres, two historic villas were combined to create a lush Mediterranean-and-Moroccan-themed oasis of bungalows, guesthouses, gardens and pools. Wake up with a yoga class, head to the Tahquitz Canyon for a short, rigorous, sweaty hike to a 60-foot waterfall, then return to lounge poolsidethe rest of the day. From $220

Where to Eat: Being in one of the world鈥檚 five Blue Zones, claims to have the largest vegan and vegetarian meat selections in Southern California. It also has treats like gluten-free, vegan, chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.

国产吃瓜黑料 contributing editor and 2023 National Geographic Explorer Stephanie Pearson lives in northern Minnesota and gives herself a solid B average when it comes to maintaining the Power 9.

The post Why Your Next Trip Should Be to a Blue Zone appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Health and wellness is highly personal. Sometimes our bodies want a challenging mountain trek and a big dose of carbs. Or, after I’ve adventured hard, I might crave a nourishing week of yoga or a few days of planted-based meals and mindfulness sessions, preferably on a beach somewhere. Other times, I long for the support of a like-minded community while exploring a new place.

Whatever your needs, what you’ll find below aren’t your typical . They’re for active people who like to travel in some of the most beautiful places in the world. I chose spots with a variety of price ranges that meet a number of different goals, from hiking in spectacular mountains to surfing perfect swells to chilling out at a zen center. Better yet, I鈥檝e been to many of them and share my personal take on why they鈥檙e the best places to recharge. Here’s to your health. Now get planning.

Aro Ha Wellness Retreat, Glenorchy, New Zealand

Best For: Hikers who want to explore the Southern Alps

The Experience: The Tolkien-worthy views are breathtaking听at this 21-acre, just outside of Queenstown on the South Island. Sparkling Lake Wakatipu and the snow-capped peaks of New Zealand鈥檚 Southern Alps are on full display from the 20 suites, yoga deck, and outdoor plunge pool of its minimalist lodge. Daily, guided hikes immerse guests in the beauty of the mountains. There are treks for all fitness levels, from mindful walks through towering beech and medicinal Manuka trees to quad-burning climbs of up to 10 miles, including a portion of the famed Routeburn Track. Six-to-eight-day retreats are designed around the concept of rewilding mind, body, and spirit.

A typical day starts with a sunrise vinyasa flow class, followed by a bowl of fennel coconut muesli, then a three- to-four hour hike and a well-earned plant-based lunch like veggie Pad Thai. Free time allows for a therapeutic massage or kayak outing before an afternoon workshop in fermentation or journaling. Dinner might be accompanied by a tart cherry and magnesium shot (alcohol and caffeine aren鈥檛 allowed) and all the fresh air and physical exercise guarantees you won鈥檛 have any trouble falling asleep. Aro-Ha虅 bills itself as a mind-body reboot, but it鈥檚 also great conditioning if you want to extend your stay three days and tackle the full 20-mile Routeburn Track.

The Cost: All-inclusive six-day retreats from $4,320

Ojo Caliente Spa and Resort, Ojo Caliente, New Mexico

Best For: Hot spring devotees who love the southwest

The Experience: This located halfway between Abiquiu and Taos is steeped in history and healing. For thousands of years, Northern Pueblo communities made pilgrimages to the area鈥檚 restorative thermal waters. When Ojo Caliente opened in 1868, it was considered the country鈥檚 first health spa. Today, the resort includes a farm-to-table restaurant, suites with kiva fireplaces and vintage trailers, and a spa. But the sulfur-free, therapeutic hot springs are why people come. You can devise a soaking circuit to soothe whatever ails you. A pool of iron-rich water provides an immune boost, while the arsenic spring may help achy muscles. The soda pool promises digestive relief and if you鈥檙e feeling down, the lithia pool is purportedly a natural mood enhancer. There鈥檚 also a mud pool where you can cover your body in purifying clay and new bathhouses with saunas and steam rooms. Drop in for a day soak or create a DIY wellness weekend and join vinyasa flow sessions in the yoga yurt and bike and hike the high-elevation trails right at the resort鈥檚 doorstep. The trailhead for the cottonwood-lined 1.8-mile Bosque Loop is steps from the lobby. Nearby, the Abiquiu Lake Vista Trail system offers sensational views of the 5,200-acre reservoir, Cerro Pedernal mesa, and Georgia O鈥橩eeffe鈥檚 beloved summer home, Ghost Ranch.

The Cost: Rooms from $239 + communal soaking from $45

Euphoria Retreat, Peloponnese, Greece

Best For: History buffs who want to sightsee while they sweat

The Experience: Programs at Euphoria combine the physical training of ancient Spartan warriors and the wellness wisdom of Hippocrates, with influences of Taoist philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine, and the latest science-based therapies mixed in. The resembles a medieval village on 90 acres of hills in Mystras, a 13th-century town outside of Sparta in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. A sprawling four-story spa complex is built around a heated, sphere-shaped pool with an underwater soundtrack of whale songs. All guests have access to the Byzantine hammam (a type of steam bath), salt therapy room, infrared sauna, sensory deprivation pool, and gym. You can also customize your vacation with a la carte treatments, like a detox cupping massage or sign up for a retreat, like the Spartan Spirit of 国产吃瓜黑料. This multi-sport program doubles as a sightseeing tour over three, five, or seven days. Every day you鈥檒l be challenged with two to three hours of physical exercise. You might trek to the 7,890-foot peak of Mount Taygetus mountain or go rock climbing at Lagada, one of the best sports crags in Greece. Meals are customized for each guest based on a test that looks at metabolic markers such as glucose and glutathione, and can feel, well, a bit spartan. We won鈥檛 tell if you hit up one of the nearby tavernas.

The Cost: From $284 per night, including group activities

Blackberry Mountain, Walland, Tennessee

Best For: Active people who like good food and a tipple of whiskey after a hike

The Experience: Blackberry Mountain鈥檚 deep selection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon was my first hint that this wasn鈥檛 your typical wellness retreat. The second: I was encouraged to work up an appetite. The spectacular setting makes that easy. Situated 20 minutes from the entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this 听feels like a private playground, laced with 36 miles of hiking trails and 8 miles of singletrack. You can get after it trail running, bouldering, and mountain biking, then revive your muscles with fascial flossing (a technique that simultaneously elongates and contracts the fascia) at the recovery lab.

Or slow things down with aerial forest yoga followed by spa treatments like candlelight sound bathing and crystal reiki. An on-site art studio encourages guests to flex their creative side with pottery and watercolors. Blackberry Mountain puts a lighter spin on the decadent seasonal Southern cooking of its sister property, culinary mecca Blackberry Farm. I fueled my days with sweet potato oatmeal cakes topped with honey creme fraiche, then rewarded my efforts at night with dishes like hanger steak, smoked carrots and oyster mushrooms, and a sip of whisky. I left feeling like I鈥檇 just spent an energizing weekend at adult summer camp.

The Cost: Rates start at $1,595 per night based on double occupancy and includes meals and unlimited morning fitness classes

Kamalaya, Koh Samui, Thailand

Best For: Ayurvedic-focussed healing on a stunning island

The Experience: Founded by a former yogi monk and a master of traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic philosophy, this sits on a dreamy slice of jungle shrouded sand. You could come to the island for a beach vacation and book a la carte therapies. But the majority of guests are drawn to the 20-plus programs Kamalaya offers that range from three to 21 days and address everything from gut health to burnout. A team of in-house experts鈥攊ncluding osteopaths and naturopaths, as well as visiting practitioners鈥� administer treatments like Chi Nei Tsang, a Taoist abdominal massage, in treehouse-inspired rooms.

If you鈥檝e come for the signature detox program, you鈥檒l dine on 鈥嬧�媐lavorful, yet portion-controlled plant-based, low-inflammatory, low-allergenic, and low-glycemic food. Otherwise you can indulge in Thai specialties, like thom kha gai (chicken and coconut soup). All programs have downtime to take advantage of activities, like a half-day cruise aboard a wooden Turkish Ketch along the southern coast.

The Cost: Three-night minimum. Three-night programs start at $1,400, including meals and treatments

Root 国产吃瓜黑料s, Peru + Puget Sound + Banff

Best For: Those seeking outdoor adventure and community

The Experience: A lot of wellness retreats cultivate mindfulness and push us physically, but also emphasizes the importance of being part of a diverse, inclusive community. Domestic and international itineraries combine the knowledge of local guides with the expertise of Root 国产吃瓜黑料s鈥� tour leaders, who include yoga instructors, wilderness therapists, justice advocates, and body positivity coaches. Most trips are capped at 12 people and pre-trip Zoom calls allow participants to bond while post-trip calls keep new friends connected and help reinforce new habits with supportive coaching.

Itinerary highlights for 2024 include:

• A four-day kayak and low-impact camping expedition around Puget Sound ($2,995) with daily yoga and meditation, locally-sourced food, and possible orca sightings.
• A challenging nine-day trek in the Andes of Peru ($4,595) that involves five to eight hours of hiking a day, journaling sessions, and camping in local communities.
• And a six-day backpacking and camping adventure in the rugged Canadian Rockies around Banff ($3,595), where you鈥檒l wild swim and forest bathe.

Mountain Trek Health Reset Retreat, Nelson, British Columbia

Best For: Mountain lovers who want to recharge in the Canadian Rockies

The Experience: A good wilderness 颅ramble can do wonders for our health. 听amplifies the benefits by complementing rigorous hikes with holistic healing therapies, lifestyle workshops, and a diet free of processed foods, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol. A team of 40 experts, including nutritionists, naturopaths, and certified forest bathing guides, take care of 15 guests each week. Based out of a timber lodge in B.C.鈥檚 gorgeous Kootenay Range, the daily schedule starts with sunrise yoga, followed by three to four hours of nordic hiking with a break for a picnic lunch. Groups are broken up based on fitness levels and depending on the season, you might trek past meadows of alpine wildflowers or patches of golden larch, and spot bear, moose, or marmots. Back at the lodge, you鈥檒l attend lectures on topics like the art of goal setting and have down time to soak in the hot tub or the natural mineral hot springs just a five-minute walk away. Dinner is at 5:15 p.m. and might feature cedar plank grilled salmon and baby spinach and arugula salad. A post-meal crystal singing bowl session ensures you鈥檒l wind down for a deep sleep.

The Cost: $6,700 a week, all-inclusive

Crestone Mountain Zen Center, Crestone, Colorado

Best For: Those craving solitude and quiet

The Experience: When life gets overwhelming, this Zen Buddhist tucked sixty miles south of Salida between the jagged Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Colorado鈥檚 vast San Luis Valley, is the ultimate escape to still the mind and reset. And a visit doesn鈥檛 resign you to a monastic life of 4:30 a.m. wake up calls and marathon meditation sessions. You can create a custom retreat from four days to three months, be it solitude in the wilderness or a quiet, distraction-free space to read, breathe, hike, or regroup. Accommodation options range from a 10-site campground and a yurt to simple cabins and a five-room guest house. Stays include three garden-grown vegetarian meals per day and guests are welcome to join residents in group meditation. It鈥檚 also a great base if you鈥檙e craving some contemplative solo adventure time. The campus is surrounded by 240 trail-laced acres of pi帽on pine and juniper forest and is at the doorstep of some of Colorado鈥檚 most majestic hikes, like the Spanish Peak Trail and Kit Carson Peak, as well as natural hot springs.

The Cost: Starting at $75 a day for camping

SHA Wellness Clinic, Alicante, Spain + Riviera Maya, Mexico

Best For: Those looking for a total reboot

The Experience: This is in the middle of Spain鈥檚 Sierra Helada Natural Park. Of every 100 guests who arrive, more than half are repeat visitors who consider this a health check up that doubles as a vacation. SHA鈥檚 sleek, white-washed design and cabana-lined, rooftop infinity pool could be mistaken for a fancy seaside resort in the Mediterranean. But the real draw is a tried-and-true holistic approach to biomedicine backed by a team of 30-some full-time doctors and specialists who work in partnership with Harvard Medical School and NASA. Personalized health programs range from four to 21 days and address nine areas, including nutrition, cognitive stimulation, and physical performance. Diagnostic tests measure everything from nervous system activity to melatonin biorhythms. Based on results, you鈥檙e prescribed a routine that might include sound therapy with Tibetan singing bowls, a photobiomodulation session where you wear a helmet of LED infrared lights to stimulate cell repair, and a daily visit to the hydrotherapy circuit where you鈥檒l rotate through the sauna, cold plunge, Roman and Turkish baths, and therapeutic water jets. Customized meals are inspired by Japanese and Mediterranean culinary traditions, and SHA鈥檚 Healthy Living Academy offers cooking classes, as well as workshops on meditation and fitness coaching, to send you home with healthy habits. On January 26th, SHA will open its second outpost in the beach town of Costa Mujeres, Mexico, with a sea-to-table culinary concept and activities like swimming in cenotes and scuba diving in the large coral reef in the Americas.

The Cost: Four-day program, all-inclusive at SHA Wellness Clinic Spain from $7,796 and at SHA Wellness Mexico from $5,770

Eleven Deplar Farm Live Well Retreat, Troll Peninsula, Iceland

Best For: A bucket list splurge packed with adventure and relaxation

The Experience: 国产吃瓜黑料 collective Eleven is known for its high-thrill experiences. But the company鈥檚 new 听bring your body back to baseline with a float tank and yoga nidra sessions after the adrenaline. Deplar Farm, a remote 13-room lodge with floor-to-ceiling windows framing craggy peaks, is the perfect setting for transformation. At a visit here last winter, I braved the extreme elements on Icelandic horseback expeditions, Arctic surf missions, and cross-country ski outings to a silent lunch in a cozy cabin.

Back in the comfort of the lodge, I reset my nervous system with guided breathwork, sound baths, and a Viking sauna ritual that involved alternating between sweating in what looked like a hobbit house, then dunking in the cold plunge. Nourishing meals highlighted Icelandic ingredients in dishes like wolf fish with braised cauliflower puree and deconstructed skyr cake with almond crumble. At night, I鈥檇 watch for the Northern Lights from the geothermally-heated saltwater pool and would lull myself into a meditative state.

The Cost: Four-night retreat from $11,000

The Ultimate Costa Rica Wellness Retreats

A hotspot for wellness and longevity鈥攖he country’s Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world鈥檚 blue zones, a place people regularly live past the age of 100鈥擨 couldn’t leave Costa Rica off this list. Here are four more incredible trips that will leave you re-energized.

Surf Synergy

Best For: Surfers who crave personal instruction

The Experience: This in the beach town of Jac贸 was co-founded by Marcel Oliveira, Costa Rica鈥檚 reigning national SUP champ. Week-long one-on-one surf and SUP immersions include twice-weekly massages, ice baths, daily yoga, breathwork training, and healthy meals featuring ingredients from the on-site permaculture garden. With six beaches within easy reach, programs can be tailored to all experience levels and coaches provide video analysis that breaks down your technique.

The Cost: Seven nights, all-inclusive from $2,765

Hike Coast to Coast Along el Camino de Costa Rica

Best For: Hikers who like to explore

The Experience: I thought all of Costa Rica had been discovered until I trekked el Camino de Costa Rica, a 174-mile trail stretching between the Caribbean and the Pacific. Its 16 stages highlight rural communities, an Indigenous territory, and rarely visited parks and nature reserves. During my hike with I spotted an insane amount of wildlife, from glass-winged butterflies to two-toed sloth and racoon-like coati, dined in the homes of welcoming locals, and overnighted at simple hot springs hotels and low-frills eco-resorts. Be warned, this isn鈥檛 a walk in the park. Each stage averages four to 24 miles and the trail contains some serious elevation gain and requires a few river crossings.

The Cost: 16-day trips on the Camino de Costa Rica with Urri Trek from $1,950

Blue Osa Yoga Retreat, Osa Peninsula

Best For: Yogis who love the beach

This solar-powered in the southwest province of Punta Arenas is steps from a quiet stretch of sand. You can customize your own wellness vacation (beach yoga, a coconut body scrub at the spa, a day-trip to Corcovado National Park) or book a structured retreat. The Best of Costa Rica program is packed with yoga sessions but also takes groups off property on mangrove kayak tours, hikes to waterfalls, and birdwatching. Communal meals are a highlight (there鈥檚 even a Blue Osa cookbook) and showcase produce from the lodge鈥檚 on-site organic garden and local farmers. Start the day with Costa Rican coffee and tropical fruits, midday, refuel with a vegan chimichurri sweet potato bowl, and at night, feast on house-made rosemary focaccia and pesto pasta.

The Cost:听$1,440 for a four-night, all-inclusive retreat

Surf with Amigas

Best For: Solo surfers looking to make new friends

The Experience: This founded by former pro Holly Beck runs trips around the globe, but Costa Rica is hands down the most popular destination thanks to the variety of surf and pura vida vibes. The week-long, women鈥檚-only Northern Costa Rica Surf & Yoga itinerary is perfect for both beginners and shortboard shredders. Your hotel, located 40 minutes outside of Tamarindo, sits on a long sandy beach known for super consistent waves that break both right and left. Daily yoga classes help revive paddle-weary muscles and if the surf isn鈥檛 up, you鈥檒l tour local farms, go on horseback rides, and visit national parks.

The Cost: From $2,400, all-inclusive

国产吃瓜黑料 correspondent Jen Murphy is constantly on the road finding the best places to adventure. Her next stop? Surf Synergy in Costa Rica to work on her surfing skills.听

The post The 14 Best Wellness Retreats in the World for Active Travelers appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In the late 1970s, my parents took my brother and me to a cabin on Little Cobb Island, an uninhabited dollop of beach and seashells on the Atlantic side of Virginia鈥檚 Eastern Shore. The cabin was only accessible by boat, and things could get sketchy if the fog rolled in and you drifted too close to the surf. It was November, and the lodge was cold and drafty, so all four of us slept that first night stacked like cordwood in a single musty bed.

I was only four or five years old, but four decades later I can still recall with full clarity the smell when I woke up the next morning. Bud Taylor, a local roofer who doubled as the cabin鈥檚 caretaker, was cooking sausage in a cast-iron pan atop a stove fired by driftwood. 鈥淗ere, boy,鈥� my father said, handing me a link. It was small and gray and wet with fat. Every bite sent delicious bolts of grease sizzling around my scrawny body. 鈥淓verything tastes better when you鈥檙e roughing it,鈥� my father said, sensing my astonishment and handing me another link. 鈥淒on鈥檛 eat 鈥檈m all.鈥�

There was nothing even remotely special about that sausage. It was just a pack of Jimmy Dean that Bud had picked up at the local Meatland market before we launched from the town of Oyster. But consuming those lumpy treasures out there, with the wind bullying the windows and the tide marching in, had transformed every single bite into a culinary masterpiece.

That鈥檚 the beauty of food and adventure, that something as simple as saucy grits can be downright magical on Oregon鈥檚 John Day River. Lentils at home are just wrong鈥攃onvince me otherwise鈥攂ut when spooned over rice in a remote Nepalese teahouse, with the Himalayas shimmering in the purple moonlight, you鈥檒l be crying for more, too.

Food has given me so many great reasons to travel, to be curious, to try something new. I spent the bulk of a Swiss vacation hunting for a particular cheese, learned to make pickles from an Estonian lady who exacted her payment in kisses, delighted a friend by picking her pomegranates while hiking in Albania, and gave my tongue a fungus eating so many fermented things on a ski trip to South Korea. One great bite can change your entire perception of a place. If you want to fall in love with North Dakota, go run through the grasslands with a bag of Dot鈥檚 pretzel sticks.

That鈥檚 what I did. And of course I ate 鈥檈m all. Here are some of my other favorite meals from around the world.

Brats and Bikes: Hermann, Missouri

Back in the early 19th century, German immigrants left their homes in Philadelphia and set out west looking for land to build their own community. They settled along the Missouri River, where the hills and sunshine reminded them of the Rhineland, and the town of Hermann was born. Today you鈥檒l still find families named Oelschaelger, streets like Goethe and Gutenberg, and, of course, heaps of wunderbar food and drink. Biking is one of the best ways to experience that legacy, too. The Katy Trail runs for 240 carless miles over rolling hills between Clinton and Machens and is the country鈥檚 longest rail-to-trail path. You will spin over mostly limestone gravel through farmland and along the Missouri River, then past wineries and into small towns like Rocheport, where the welcomes diners and riders alike with a fleet of rentals, and Hermann, a town worthy of a layover. Start things off at the on East First Street, where wurstmeister Mike Sloan peddles classics like knockwurst, weisswurst, and bockwurst, as well as creative, American-influenced versions like the Bloody Mary brat, a hickory-smoked iteration with celery, tomato, and horseradish. You won鈥檛 go thirsty, either. The whole riverfront region between Saint Louis and Jefferson City is known as the Missouri Rhineland for its scores of wineries. Hermann鈥檚 own Stone Hill is also home to the restaurant Vintage 1847, serving various wursts, krauts, and kartoffelpuffer, a potato pancake that鈥檚 a delight to say as well as eat. Forty miles east, the area around Augusta became America鈥檚 first federally recognized wine region in 1980, beating California鈥檚 Napa Valley by eight months. At the end of the line鈥攐r anywhere along it, for that matter鈥攇etting back is easy. Amtrak trains zip along the opposite bank, with special cars that can accommodate your bike.

Fondue Redux: Obwalden, Switzerland

It doesn鈥檛 take a culinary Sherlock to figure out what happens when a country famous for cheese shares a border with one famous for pasta鈥攜ou get world-beating mac and cheese. And the Swiss version is excuse enough for an ocean crossing. Called 盲濒辫濒别谤尘补驳谤辞苍别苍, or herdsman macaroni, it鈥檚 richer and smokier than the American stuff, made with bacon, butter, wine, and supremely stinky cheese melted in pools of heavy cream in a cast-iron cauldron over an open fire. Pour it over macaroni or penne and the result is exactly what you want after a long day in the Alps. You can find this dish throughout the country, but for the most authentic experience head to the central canton of Obwalden, where several small mountain farms double as restaurants come summer. Once, while cycling over the 5,285-foot Glaubenbielen Pass, I happened upon one where the matriarch, a boisterous woman named Rita Enz, served me a mound with a side of applesauce and stiff stone-fruit brandy. The Enzes have since retired, but their farm was located along the 脛lplermagronen Trail, which lives on today. Its little-known network of well-marked footpaths and dirt roads lead to a handful of farms that create the namesake dish using ingredients produced on-site. To explore, keep your objective simple, with a two-mile out-and-back hike along the Obwaldner H枚henweg Trail, starting from a parking area just west of Glaubenbielen Pass; you can stop at the Glaubenbielen Alpine Farm, near the 5,860-foot Rotspitz, or wander a few miles west to the Alp Arni-Schwand farm. For an overnight trip, hike about 4.5 miles one way south on the B盲rgmandlipfad Giswil Trail, also called Trail 576, to reach the Fluonalp farm, where the dairy cranks out 29,000 pounds of cheese each summer, some of which ends up in 盲濒辫濒别谤尘补驳谤辞苍别苍. You can stay there, too (from $70).

Food Finds

Camp Chef

Three outdoor schools take backcountry cooking to a whole new level

Want to blow your friends away with a hearty stew or a freshly baked pie on your next river trip? The near Philipsburg, Montana, offers a four-day class that will see you mastering the art of Dutch-oven cooking (from $800). Or learn to barbecue better with four-time world-champion pitmaster and bestselling cookbook author Myron Mixon, whose in Unadilla, Georgia, will bolster your confidence preparing everything from pork butts and shoulders to chicken, beef, and ribs (you know, all the food groups) during a three-day course at his home (from $895). And if you鈥檝e simply got to perfect pasta, Italy鈥檚 Emilia-Romagna region is the premier place to start. Make it a weeklong adventure with a van-supported, 156-mile bike tour from Parma to Bologna with (from $1,500). You鈥檒l stop in towns along the way for tutorials on balsamic vinegar, gelato, and, naturalmente, handmade pasta.

Breakfast Club: Lone Pine, California

Last summer, photographers Dan and Janine Patitucci spent months mapping remote trails in California鈥檚 Sierra Nevada, looking for the best 36 paths to highlight in a new trail-running guidebook, to be published later this year. Their most rewarding discovery? Breakfast at the . And by breakfast we mean pie. The diner has perfected the art of the light, flaky crust, and it loads them up with the freshest fruit available. The triple-berry pie sells out fast, but the Patituccis also recommend the peach and blackberry, which you can order in a six-inch round just for yourself. The caf茅 is located just 12 miles from Whitney Portal, the jumping-off point for climbing (or running) 14,494-foot Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48. It鈥檚 also about 120 miles from Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, at 282 feet below sea level the country鈥檚 lowest point. Summiting Whitney is a big day by any measure, with about 21 miles and 6,600 vertical feet to cover. If that鈥檚 your goal, order the Iron Man Scramble鈥攁n eggy hodgepodge of spinach, avocado, mushrooms, and tomato slathered in hollandaise sauce鈥攁nd get your pie to go. If you鈥檙e spending the night, grab a slice in the morning.

First-Reds Frenzy: Cordova, Alaska

Each spring, a craze begins to cloud the minds of Alaskans, and it has nothing to do with the approach of summer and, with it, of long stretches of actual daylight. Spring is when the first Copper River reds, a highly coveted and especially tasty sockeye salmon, begin arriving on the docks of Cordova, located at the mouth of the river, about 145 miles southeast of Anchorage. The fish, which can easily go for $50 a pound, are prized by chefs for the additional fat they pack on to complete their 300-mile journey, which makes for richer and more decadent eating. While you could order a fillet from Sarah Ecolano, a commercial fisherwoman and founder of the sustainable , why not head deep into the Last Frontier to witness the madness firsthand? First book a room in Cordova at the (from $140) overlooking the inlet, then set out on any of the 40 streams and rivers guides have access to. You can sportfish for salmon in the salt water, or head up to the Eyak River to throw big streamer flies at reds and Dolly Varden trout. At the end of your trip, the lodge will process up to 50 pounds of fish per person per day at no additional charge, flash freeze it, and store it for you until you鈥檙e ready to head home.

Food Finds

Hunt, Gather, Eat

A series of courses teach the value鈥攁nd ethics鈥攐f holistic harvesting

You鈥檝e probably heard that one of the best things you can do for the planet is give up meat, but that kind of misses the point. It鈥檚 not the burger that鈥檚 the bogeyman but the industrial, methane-spewing, water-polluting complex behind mass-produced meat. Enter Bruce McGlenn and his . Based in Kettle Falls, Washington, McGlenn teaches students who have never held a rifle or harvested a wild oyster how to hunt and gather. 鈥淗unting is really about strengthening our connection to nature so that we feel we鈥檙e a part of it,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being human.鈥� From May through June, McGlenn holds a series of four-day Awaken the Hunter courses, designed to brief you on how to prepare for and carry out a 鈥渉olistic, ethical hunt.鈥� It covers everything from regulations and strategy to choosing the right rifle or bow. In the field, you鈥檒l learn how to dress and butcher your kill, as well as proper ways to cook it. McGlenn also offers half-day shellfish-foraging lessons on Hood Canal, where you鈥檒l learn how to identify Manila clams and shuck a wild oyster. The session ends with a three-course feast right on the beach. Foraging from $195; hunting from $2,400 for four days

Eater on Belay: Kalymnos, Greece

The Greek island of Kalymnos sits just off the coast of Turkey, about 150 miles southeast of Athens, and counts as the closest thing to Elysium on earth. Whitewashed villages ring a ragged coast of limestone cliffs facing the Sea of Crete. While climbers know this 42-square-mile paradise for its thousands of sport routes, which ascend spectacular sun-fired arches and walls, you should come to meet George Pizanias, quite possibly the island鈥檚 best cook, judging by the crowds that flock to his restaurant, the , in the town of Massouri. Pizanias runs the establishment with his wife and three daughters, and prepares traditional Greek recipes with 鈥渁n extra touch,鈥� as he says, like adding homemade fruit chutneys that set the meal apart. Grab a table on the patio that overlooks the island of Telendos and let gluttony rule. Should you start with the stuffed grape leaves or the 鈥渁ncient鈥� salad? (The latter is a mix of wild vegetables the islanders have been eating for millennia, something Pizanias鈥檚 culinary research uncovered.) The whole leg of lamb, roasted to perfection, is hard to pass up, but it鈥檚 the tuna that鈥檚 exceptional; caught that day, it鈥檚 pan-seared with sesame seeds and served with marinated beets, red cabbage, olive oil, lemon, and fig chutney. If that doesn鈥檛 seal the deal, dessert probably will. Pizanias makes his own ice cream and serves it atop little fried dough balls called loukoumades, which he then drizzles with Kalymnos鈥檚 most famous ingredient: a golden, naturally herbal-tasting honey made by bees drawn to the island鈥檚 large swaths of wild thyme and oregano. Try not to think about that when it鈥檚 your turn to belay.

The Meat and Three: From Oxford to Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Chef Robert St. John knows a thing or two about awesome southern food. As the author of 11 cookbooks, the owner of seven restaurants, and the producer of the foodie show , the 60-year-old from Mississippi has spent a lifetime refining family recipes that have defined the region for centuries: Fried chicken. Dumplings. Black-eyed peas. For him, the greatest way to experience the South is to taste it, and to do that, he suggests a 250-mile road trip from Oxford in the north down to Hattiesburg via the capital city of Jackson. The itinerary links some of the most memorable community caf茅s in the state offering the traditional 鈥渕eat and three鈥� lunch special: a choice of protein with three sides, like collard greens, butter beans, and rice with gravy. The main at in Oxford is southern-fried catfish, while Bully鈥檚 in Jackson does everything from pigs鈥� feet to beef tips, all served on a wonderfully lowbrow cafeteria tray. The highlight might be the in Hattiesburg, run by St. John. 鈥淏est fried chicken of your life,鈥� he says. Bring a paddleboard or a kayak to explore the northern recreational playgrounds of Grenada Lake and Sardis Lake, the latter also popular with mountain bikers, who enjoy 13.5 miles of singletrack at Clear Creek. End your trip in the Gulf town of Biloxi; from there you can quickly paddle to Deer Island Coastal Preserve, a four-mile undeveloped stretch of white sand where you can pitch a tent for free.

Food Finds

Back to Their Roots

A new Minneapolis restaurant is serving up gourmet Native American cuisine

There鈥檚 a growing movement of Native American chefs exploring their traditional food cultures, and it鈥檚 only getting tastier. In July, Sean Sherman, better known as the and lauded for his bestselling cookbooks, and Dana Thompson, executive director of the , opened , a restaurant in downtown Minneapolis on the banks of the Haha Wakpa, or Mississippi River, that鈥檚 dedicated to Native cuisine. You鈥檒l find no dairy, chicken, or pork on the menu鈥攐r any other ingredients that aren鈥檛 indigenous to North America. Instead, chefs whip up delectables like native-corn tacos with grilled mushrooms, bowls of tepary beans with wild rice and wojape (a chokecherry sauce), and plates of braised bison. Even the cricket salad looks irresistible.

Big Sky, Big Steak: Hatch, Utah

If you could survey the legions of visitors who come to southern Utah every year to explore the national parks and monuments that pepper this beautiful part of the country, chances are good they would say these three things impressed them most: the rocks, the sky, and the steak in Hatch. Tucked in a rather boring brown building in this dusty hamlet, a mere 15 miles from the gates of Bryce Canyon, the on Main Street is an institution worthy of your attention. It鈥檚 a classic western joint, with a taxidermied bear on its stage and a bar where passersby can belly up for a spiked sarsaparilla on an actual saddle for a seat. But it鈥檚 the giant, open-flame grill in the room that makes this place unique. That鈥檚 where you go to cook your own steak. This is cattle country, and the beef is as good as you鈥檇 expect鈥攍ocal, grass-fed, mouthwatering cuts. Most folks aren鈥檛 from around these parts, so they opt for something hard to mess up like a New York strip. The more dedicated, however, should set their sights on the Tomahawk, a 24-ounce rib eye that covers the entire plate. The grill has meat probes to help you get that perfectly pink middle, or you can spend an extra three dollars to have the staff grill it up for you. If steak isn鈥檛 your thing, the chef smokes a batch of baby back ribs daily with hickory and other hardwoods until the meat falls off the bone. Also, sorry, families; no one under 21 is allowed inside, because Utah. As for working all those calories off, it just so happens that the nation鈥檚 newest long-distance hut-to-hut mountain-bike route runs right past the saloon. The Aquarius Trail stretches for 190 miles from Brian Head to Escalante and includes rollicking descents on solid singletrack like the 12-mile Bunker Creek Trail, which you鈥檒l ride on day one into Hatch; from there, the first hut is just a few merciful miles away.

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Mom leans her head back against the wheelchair鈥檚 headrest to gaze up toward the tops of the redwoods. These forests are a kind of sanctuary for her, having lived amid such massive trees听for more than 20 years. It鈥檚 an October afternoon in Samuel P. Taylor Park just north of San Francisco, and as I push her down the roughly paved path winding听alongside Lagunitas Creek, home to spawning salmon, trees tower on either side. Ferns cover听the shadowed ground, interrupted by lower sweeps听of redwood sorrel that blanket the earth with their听small, heart-shaped leaves. When sunlight touches the sorrel, the leaves fold downward to protect themselves, then right themselves once direct sunlight has passed. Amazingly adaptive, this species. Able to change when changing is required.

Once, my mom听got our minivan stuck inside one of those redwoods you can drive through.听We tried pushing听and pulling it, floored the gas, but nothing worked. Finally, with no options left, we deflated all the tires and strangers helped us propel it forward and out. I start听to remind her of the听story, but a quick intake of her breath makes me stop. I listen, on high alert for any sign of pain or听distress.听

This is the first time I鈥檓 taking my mother somewhere听remote by myself, and I鈥檓 scared. We are deep in听the forest, far from help. My mom throws an arm鈥攖he good one鈥攐ut to the side then, a surprising gesture. She tilts her head back, and I tense听up. We are outside cell-phone range, so an emergency鈥攐f which we鈥檝e had many in the past couple years鈥攚ould be a disaster. She isn鈥檛 wearing her helmet these days, even though the part of her skull that was removed to get at the bleeding in her brain听was never successfully replaced. But we are wild women. We are risk-takers. Or rather, she is.

But instead of yelling out in pain, she begins to sing. She can no longer speak, but it doesn鈥檛 seem to matter. She repeats the one sound she can make鈥�na鈥攁nd weaves it into a tune of her own making.

Two years earlier, my mom had a massive stroke. She was 64. It left the right half of her body听paralyzed听and with full expressive aphasia, which means she has lost the ability to听communicate using听any form of language鈥攙erbal, written, or听manual, like signing or gesturing. After more than a year in hospitals and rehab facilities, she came home.听

I was worried鈥攏o, I was听terrified鈥攖hat her physical and cognitive changes would render any kind of future adventure impossible. Gone were her days of performing stunts on surfers鈥� shoulders, or听mending fishing nets on turbulent Oregon ships, or simply traveling through the world with ease.

But my stepdad refused to let her remaining time resemble a typical sick person鈥檚 life. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not gonna sit around, smelling like urine,鈥澨齢e said. He bought听her an off-roading wheelchair, with big bike tires in the rear听and oversized, inflated wheels on the front so they wouldn鈥檛听get stuck in the kinds of divots that snag her regular chair. He added to it, modifying for her comfort and ease of adventure.听We decided that, as much as was possible while she was alive, we would do whatever we could to help her really live.

Mom is sitting in the adventure wheelchair during our redwoods trip. The extra-big tires roll smoothly over branches. I allow her song to steady me. In our new arrangement, I try to gain听some of her adventurousness:听I push the chair a little faster, veer off the path and into the forest. Here听the ground is soft, with layers of bark and needles and the debris of long-dead things recycling themselves into soil. Two black-tailed deer hold still up the hill to our left. A new redwood tree shoots up out of a fallen log, creating life where none seemed possible.

Together my family听created听adventures where none seemed possible. A year after our trip to the woods, my stepdad set out with my mom on a journey over land and sea鈥攁 person can鈥檛 fly when missing a piece of the protective skull around the brain.听They arrived in Italy to kick off the world travel they鈥檇 always dreamed of but had never been able to do. Up to this point, my mom听had endured dozens of complications, including brain surgeries, infections, regressions, sepsis. Nobody, my brother and I especially, thought they could make it work. It was too physically impossible. Too exhausting. Too risky.

But they did, and my mom became obsessed with gelato.

Three years after that, challenging the limits of which trips could be undertaken, and how, and by whom, they took another journey to Greece, where my brother and I met them for a week on the island of Rhodes. There听we pushed my mom up and down the cobblestone streets of the ancient city听and carried her up castle steps.

Mom had always loved swimming in the ocean听but hadn鈥檛 been able to since her stroke. On our last day together in Greece, we took the adventure wheelchair and swapped out the back bike tires for enormous inflated inner tubes almost the size of small car tires. We called this version of the chair Bubbles, first听wheeling听her smoothly onto the sand, then cruising听down the beach, before slowly, carefully听turning听into the water. With my stepdad in front and my brother and I steadying either side, we took the chair into the sea as far as it could go and then began to ease her body out, supporting her on all sides. She floated on her back, all of our hands beneath her. Then, blinking听up into the clear blue sky, she smiled听and sang her song. It was the happiest I鈥檇 seen her in years.听

All of that is coming soon. Right now听mom and I are听weaving in and out of the redwood shadows, pressing our hands against its bark, wheeling into tree holes big enough for the both of听us. In the听wheelchair, we go slower. There鈥檚 no urgent need to cover much ground. Instead, she examines all the details that make up her immediate surroundings. She closes her eyes and listens to the changing sound of the creek as we walk alongside it. And with her, through her, alongside her, I do the same.听

Not far from where we are walking, at another point we鈥檇 often visited before her stroke, a peninsula of land听juts听out just past Point听Reyes. In this place, for reasons that aren鈥檛 entirely clear to scientists, seabirds who become lost as they fly along the coast, or across the ocean,听congregate. They are called vagrants. Trees fill with species rarely听seen in the area, a collection of birds who have lost听their way.

I feel like that with my mother sometimes. The journey we鈥檇 been on became lost to us, but we didn鈥檛听fall into the sea. We found a new peninsula. Regrouped in the trees. And set off again, changed, but taking wing toward something new.

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In a thousand-year-old Himalayan folk tale, a king and queen, followed by their attendants, trek into the mountains of northern India听to the shrine of Nanda Devi, the mountain goddess. But on the way, the goddess strikes the pilgrims down for their celebratory and inappropriate behavior, and they fall into small, glacial Roopkund Lake.听

In 1942, a British forest ranger听assigned to patrol the Indian Himalayas during the Second World War听came across the lake and found the skeletal remains of hundreds of people. News spread, and Roopkund Lake, in the present-day Indian state Uttarakhand,听was听rechristened听Skeleton Lake.听

Thus began a now 77-year-old mystery about who these humans were, what brought them to the isolated, often frozen lake, and how they died.

The Nanda Devi tale could help explain the bodies. The pilgrimage they attempted, the Nanda Devi Raj Jat, is a three-week journey still undertaken听today to worship the goddess. Some hypothesize that the bodies could be evidence of a fatal 19th-century military expedition, but when many women鈥檚 bodies were found in the lake, this idea fell out of favor. Based on evidence of compression fractures on a few of the humans鈥� skulls, the most common belief is听that a hailstorm sometime between 830 and 850 A.D. 听published Tuesday in Nature Communications, however, contradicts this听theory.听

In the study, researchers听radiocarbon-dated and genetically analyzed the skeletal remains of 38 bodies found in the lake to find out how old the bones are and the individuals鈥� ancestry. They also analyzed the stable isotopes in the samples to learn more about what they ate. What the researchers听found surprised them.听

鈥淭he assumption was that all the skeletons dated to around the eighth century, but it became clear that this is not what happened,鈥� says 脡adaoin Harney, the lead author of听the paper and a doctoral candidate at听Harvard University鈥檚 department of organismic and evolutionary biology.听The bodies in the lake, instead of dying in a single catastrophic event, range from a few hundred to a thousand years old.听

The authors also assumed that the individuals were all from the Indian subcontinent, as this is what . But once they had the听ancient DNA samples, 鈥渋t was clear this was definitely not the case,鈥� says Harney.听

Genetically, the remains听fall into three distinct听groups, ranging from 1,000-year-old populations from听South Asia听to 200-year-old populations from Greece and Crete, along with one individual from East Asia. Twenty-three of the bodies analyzed were from South Asia, whereas 14 were of Mediterranean origins.听Even those individuals from South Asia 鈥渉ave ancestry that鈥檚 really diverse,鈥� says Harney. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a single population coming from somewhere within India.听Instead it鈥檚 people from all over the subcontinent.鈥� 听

The results of the isotope analysis also show diverse diets within and among each subgroup, adding to the mystery.听

As for听how they died there and why, Harney says:听鈥淭he only hint that we have is that Roopkund Lake is located along the pilgrimage route听that may have been used for the last 1,000 years.鈥� And yet, for Harney, it is difficult to imagine this as the sole reason for such a genetically and culturally diverse听set of people to die in听the same remote lake.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e still pretty puzzled,鈥� she says,听and more research is needed to determine the exact nature of these deaths. A massive hailstorm still can鈥檛 be ruled out, but the scientists wonder if the hailstorm was the fatal blow or if it occured听after the people died.

And compared to other archeological sites, Roopkund is challenging to study. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been subject to so much disturbance, both from the natural environment, like rockslides,鈥� says Harney, and from hikers on the nearby trail going down to retrieve bones or look at the site.听

The study does highlight听the ways in which humans have traveled听to far-off places听for hundreds, if not thousands,听of years.听鈥淲e knew that there were long-distance connections,鈥澨齭ays Harney,听but the new knowledge demonstrates 鈥渉ow important migration and connections between different parts of the world have been throughout history.鈥�

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My wife, my nine-year-old daughter, and I had been swimming for nearly an hour, circumnavigating a reef off a Bahamian island with the rest of our ten-person group, when our guide, Mia Russell, treading water, waved us over. 鈥淕uys,鈥� she said in her singsong South African accent, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a bunch of barracuda following us. Maybe twenty.鈥�

I dipped my head underwater, and sure enough there was a line of the silvery, torpedolike fish stretching back into the shimmering aquamarine curtain of liquid as far as I could see through my goggles. 鈥淚f they get too close, I just give them a bop on the nose,鈥� Russell said cheerfully.

I wondered how I felt about this. I had seen plenty of barracuda before, but not in such numbers. In my rational brain, they weren鈥檛 threatening; barracuda often trail divers and snorkelers out of simple interest. My wife and daughter鈥檚 presence, however, had put me in a state of man-dad hypervigilance, with my limbic system on primordial high alert. Only later, while trawling through the internet, would I see words like 鈥渞arely鈥� and 鈥渓oss of tissue鈥� crop up in conversations about whether a barracuda might mistakenly insert you into its food chain.

The battery of barracuda (yes, en masse they are called that) soon shifted course, and we were left to our languid strokes. Scrolling below us was a mesmerizing, diaphanous panorama of rainbow parrotfish and blue angelfish darting in and out of the reef. A sea turtle munching sea grass on the ocean floor put us at ease again.

Later, swimming close to shore, our lone little swim-capped group鈥攚e never saw any other swimmers鈥攑assed a low-slung yacht bobbing peacefully in the afternoon breeze. A woman in a Lilly Pulitzer dress, roused from cocktail-hour serenity by our presence, sauntered to the deck and asked, 鈥淲hat on earth are you doing?鈥� It seemed a not unreasonable inquiry.

A year or so ago, I was looking to break what had become a sort of household impasse. These days my idea of a good trip is one where I collapse on the floor of a hot shower in my sweat-stained cycling jersey, beer in hand, after a punishing day on the bike. My wife would rather collapse into the chair of an art-museum caf茅, petits fours in hand. My daughter splits the difference: she seems equally tempted by a spa visit with mom as a surfing lesson with dad.

What unites us is that we all prefer an active holiday. We like to come home feeling not rested but in need of rest. I wondered if there was a way to avoid the often inevitable feeling that a family vacation is a series of desires curtailed and compromises made, in which everyone wins by somehow simultaneously losing. (鈥淲hy yes, honey, I would love to take you to that fetid microbial sump that you call a water park, as long as you agree to go with us to this fascinating exhibit of post-Soviet conceptual art.鈥�)

I wondered if I could get the satisfaction of accomplishment that came with my bike trips without the guilt of taking a vacation from the family. But cycling was out. My wife and daughter weren鈥檛 ready to go whizzing down Tuscan roads in a peloton.

I tried to think of something we could all do and enjoy doing. One afternoon, as I waited for my daughter to finish her weekly swim class, it dawned on me: swimming. My daughter, trained by her anxious parents since the age of three, was clearly competent. My wife seemed to enjoy churning out breaststroke laps whenever we found a pool. And I relished being in the water, although in the past few years this had mostly been on a surfboard. But you don鈥檛 forget how to swim, do you?

For a while, I had been vaguely aware of the growing popularity, largely in England, of what鈥檚 called 鈥渨ild swimming.鈥� Boosted in part by books like naturalist Roger Deakin鈥檚 iconic and a flood of subsequent swimming-changed-my-life memoirs鈥攆rom to to 鈥�Britons were increasingly returning to long-neglected lakes and rivers, partly for a spot of exercise but mostly just for the unmediated joy of the experience. Meanwhile a growing number of swim-specific tour operators had emerged, offering trips in places like Croatia and the Maldives. These are like bike tours but in the water, with daily swims of varying distances (often depending on winds and other conditions) broken up by meals and supported by a safety boat, there to replenish swimmers with sugar (gummy sharks were popular in the Bahamas) and keep an eye out for watercraft that might cross our path.

I got in touch with , an operator based in the UK, and after making sure that everyone was cool with our daughter being there, we soon found ourselves on , one of the small Diapontian Islands off Corfu, Greece, in a myth-tinged corner of the Ionian Sea. (Odysseus was said to have been held captive by Calypso nearby.) The island鈥檚 tiny population seemed to consist almost entirely of old Greek guys wearing New York Yankees caps. Many Mathrakians, it turned out, had made their own odysseys鈥攖o Queens鈥攂efore returning to live out their dotage on this quiet, pine-scented outcropping.

The trip was a revelation. Whatever uncertainty I鈥檇 had about the water鈥攜ou will find 鈥淐orfu and sharks鈥� in my browser history鈥攐r my desire to swim through great swaths of it immediately evaporated as we entered the warm, clear, ultra-buoyant sea, watched over by Russell. We would swim twice a day, sometimes hugging the shore, sometimes embarking on crossings of deeper, rougher channels. One day we swam two miles to our hotel from a tall, barren slab of rock our guides called Tooth Island that beckoned mysteriously on the horizon. Sometimes we would swim in and out of coves, looking for colorful fish or elusive crustaceans, exploring tiny, secluded beaches. Midday we would repair to the taverna for a Greek salad. At night we ate fresh fish, drank bottles of Mythos lager, and played Bananagrams.

Nothing you can do in nature is as immersive as ocean swimming. 鈥淵ou are in nature, part and parcel of it,鈥� wrote Deakin, 鈥渋n a far more complete and intense way than on dry land, and your sense of the present is overwhelming.鈥� Our affinity for water is natural, Lynn Sherr writes in Swim: 鈥淲e were fish ourselves hundreds of millions of years ago.鈥� Our bodies are mostly water; our blood courses with salt.

Pool-trained swimmers, writes Leanne Shapton in , can find open water discomfiting. You can rule the pool, but your dominion does not extend to the sea. Winds slow progress, while the pitch and yaw of waves can wreak havoc with a swimmer鈥檚 stroke, even making them seasick. There is a need to constantly orient yourself. Looking down, you sometimes lose the contours of the known world. 鈥淚鈥檓 used to seeing four sides and a bottom,鈥� Shapton writes. 鈥淚 get spooked by the open-ended horizon, the cloudy blue thought of that sheer drop鈥攖he continental shelf.鈥� Not to mention what one source in her book calls the 鈥淲hat the hell is down there?鈥� factor.

SwimQuest鈥檚 founder, John Coningham-Rolls, says his company鈥檚 job is defined by what he calls the leap-and-be-caught principle. Generally, his clients are people who have dipped a toe in swimming and are interested in a larger challenge, but they鈥檙e unsure of how to go about it. 鈥淚t鈥檚 ordinary people doing extraordinary things, safe in the knowledge that they are looked after in the elements,鈥� he says.

In this other world, freed from the weight of gravity and the normal sense of time, people let go in more ways than one. 鈥淔or some people, it鈥檚 a huge emotional breakthrough,鈥� Russell told me. 鈥淓specially if you鈥檝e had a trauma鈥攊t all comes out in the water.鈥� Some people are simply trying to meet athletic goals, but for others something more transcendent happens. 鈥淚t鈥檚 therapy, emotional release. I鈥檝e cried into my goggles,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 this peace that overcomes you in the water, because it鈥檚 quiet. You鈥檙e floating. It鈥檚 comforting. It鈥檚 womblike.鈥�

We were hooked. Which is why, less than a year later, we were in the Bahamas for another swim.

Our group鈥檚 base of operations this time was a large, tastefully decorated modern rental house on Great Guana Cay, a long, narrow islet in the Abaco island chain. It is known mostly for a golf-course community on one side of the island, which was built despite concerted opposition from locals and environmentalists and for being originally settled by loyalists鈥攊.e., 18th-century Americans allied with England.

The ten-person group consisted entirely of women, with the exception of me and Guy Metcalf, a British swim coach who, along with Russell, was our guide for the week. This gender skew is common, according to Coningham-Rolls, who reminded me that 鈥渕ost swimming distance records are held by women.鈥�

Apart from Russell, our guide from Mathraki, the group included Katie, an English pediatrician who lost her husband several years ago. She told me that he鈥檇 always sort of been the expedition leader in the family, and in trying to find her own path, she had come to the water. There was Patricia, a Frenchwoman in her sixties who lived in Chamonix and had taught herself to swim by watching YouTube videos. She exuded effortless glamour, had only recently given up smoking, and seemed to have a lengthy list of companies (H&M, Monsanto) that she was currently boycotting for various reasons. And there were Sarah and Ellen, a mother-daughter pair from the UK who had come to the Bahamas from another wild swimming expedition, a cold-water plunge in Sweden. Ellen, a student at the University of Cambridge, had set herself the goal of swimming somewhere other than a pool every day for a year.

Manning the sag wagon鈥攁 basic 26-foot fishing boat鈥攚as Troy Albury, the co-owner of Dive Guana, who normally takes visitors diving or snorkeling. He was jovial and sun creased, with a joke-riddled patter as smoothly worn as sea glass. As tends to happen in a small community, Troy had various roles on the island. One morning he was late because a tourist had flipped a golf cart and needed to be taken to a hospital. Another day, when someone struck my golf cart (long story), he suddenly materialized to sort things out. Like many people who live on islands, he wasn鈥檛 much interested in swimming, but he quickly grabbed a mask and speargun one afternoon when one of our group spotted a lionfish. He was out of the boat and back aboard, with dinner, in a flash.

As we headed out for our first swim, I tried to size up the group. SwimQuest does have training camps focused on competitive swimming鈥擟oningham-Rolls had phoned me from Croatia, where he was leading a group of 13 swimmers on six-hour outings in 60-degree water. (They were preparing to tackle the English Channel.) But our week was billed as a holiday. You could push as much as you wanted, but the distance and pace weren鈥檛 meant to be punishing. Still, as someone who prides himself on a certain fitness, I like to know what I鈥檓 up against. Looking around at the present company, I decided I had nothing to worry about.

I soon realized my mistake, that I was making assumptions from my experiences with cycling and running that didn鈥檛 apply here. The polite older women, upon entering the water, transformed into powerful engines of hydrodynamic efficiency. I found myself falling behind, and not at all for lack of effort. To my surprise, my daughter, who I鈥檇 worried wouldn鈥檛 be able to keep up, was actually passing me. 鈥淭echnique, technique, technique,鈥� Coningham-Rolls had told me. Fitness only gets you so far in the water.

Unfortunately, my new passion for open-water swimming coincided with the fact that I actually did not know how to swim. The lessons I got at the Y as a kid were intended, as one swim coach told me, to keep me from drowning, not to help me move effortlessly through the water.

There were fundamental problems with my form that I didn鈥檛 even recognize as problems: I didn鈥檛 even know what I didn鈥檛 know. I often wondered, for example, why swimming laps left me more out of breath than my level of effort suggested it should. My problem鈥攁 common one鈥攚as that I was holding my breath underwater and attempting to both inhale and exhale when my head broke the surface. This is a recipe for hyperventilation. As the noted swim coach Terry Laughlin, author of , has observed: 鈥淥ne of the major differences between swimming and land-based sports is that breathing in the water is a skill, and a fairly advanced one at that.鈥�

I had been trying to work out some of my issues before the Bahamas, but a lifetime of neurons firing in a specific pattern had left a serious imprint. Also, the lack of decent, uncrowded pools near me had been an issue. Russell asked how much I had been swimming since Mathraki. I said you could count the number of occasions on one hand. She shook her head.

As we gathered for a video review of my stroke, it was clear I had a way to go. My arms were not so bad, mostly because I had internalized the trick of dragging your fingertips along the surface as your arm prepares to enter the water. 鈥淵our right-arm recovery is really beautiful with that high elbow,鈥� Metcalf said. Some lessons I had taken too literally. A long reach is generally prized in swimming, but I was overextending, my hand landing on top of the water, like a seaplane, rather than cutting into it at an angle, like a jumping dolphin.

The main problem was my legs. I had thought I could overcome other deficiencies by simply pounding the water on the strength of a lifetime of soccer conditioning. But I was kicking from my knees, not my hips. As my knees bent, my churning legs dropped down, creating serious drag鈥攆or a moment, Russell thought the video was playing in fast motion. All that frenetic motion was, as Metcalf noted, 鈥減retty useless.鈥� My spastic kick, Russell said, was not pushing the water back but down. 鈥淚f you did the bend kick really fast,鈥� she said, 鈥測ou could actually go backward.鈥�

Which is how I often felt I was going.

The days assumed a pattern: My daughter, who I had heard鈥攚ith a mixture of admiration and envy鈥攑raised by the coaches for her 鈥減owerful kick鈥� and 鈥渇lexible ankles,鈥� was typically up front with the faster swimmers during the four to five hours we were in the water. I would keep pace for a while but eventually find myself flagging. With incompetence masquerading as chivalry, I would swim near my wife, with her slower, steady breaststroke.

After the day鈥檚 swims were over and the others in our group flopped into chairs to read, I tried to regain my dignity by going running in the punishing, humid heat. On the fourth day this backfired. After a seaside lunch in Hope Town, I started feeling light-headed. What I thought might be food poisoning was actually sunstroke. Chastened, I lay in the boat drinking Cokes as Troy played me a selection of Bahamian rake-and-scrape songs and watched everyone else swim.

My travails in the water, paradoxically, were what I loved about the trip. For one thing, it seemed useful that my daughter saw her father鈥攗sually the authoritative figure giving her feedback on her running technique or answering all the questions in a trivia game鈥攕truggle to try and get better at something. For another, she got to hang with an intergenerational group of women united by a common passion. She had a genuine role model in the globe-trotting, acrobatic Russell, who had designated my daughter her apprentice 鈥渕ermaid,鈥� praising her for retrieving plastic from the water (鈥淥cean warrior!鈥�) and coaching her on how to safely tickle a stingray on the chin, if you can call it a chin.

I also appreciated that the ocean was, for me, a big blank slate. On a bike, I had a precisely calibrated sense of my performance metrics (and a feeling of obligation to meet or exceed them). With swimming I not only had no sense of what good swimming times were, but I found that I didn鈥檛 care. I had no answer to the inevitable question, 鈥淲hat are you training for?鈥� I simply wanted to get from one point to another, on my own steam, in a series of little quests that my wife and daughter and I could do together and commiserate about later. I wanted to see the beauty of the ocean while it was still there to be seen. I wanted not to sit on a beach but to swim to one. And when we did this鈥攖o visit the swimming pigs at No Name Cay鈥攚e caused nearly as much gawking as the aquatic swine themselves.

We鈥檙e already arguing about where to swim next year.

Contributing editor Tom Vanderbilt () profiled Jesse Itzler in 颅December 2018.

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Sure听you can get stacks of toilet paper and massive bags of dried mango at Costco. But your vacations? That鈥檚 not something you usually pick up in an oversize听shopping cart.听Still, hear us out: of the giant retailer has been around since 2000, and unlike other travel agencies, it can get trips to coveted destinations at even lower costs due to its听massive customer base.听And thanks to an increase in off-the-beaten-path destinations and luxury packages, you might want to consider the wholesaler听for your next getaway. For instance, deluxe听seven-day safaris in South Africa can start at around $5,500, but Costco鈥檚听excursion, below, runs just $4,000听and, better yet,听covers your international airfare as well.

You鈥檒l need a Costco membership ($60 a year)听to be eligible, and then you can start听scoring deals on rental cars, hotels, cruises, and all-inclusive trips听where expert travel agents handcraft the itineraries and perks include massage and excursion credits. After doing a deep dive through its听offerings, we鈥檝e rounded up six of the most epic听trips the company has听on deck.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Spend six days in a private villa听in the Cook Islands, a nation of 15 isles in the South Pacific, where you鈥檒l scuba-dive coral reefs, kitesurf calm waters, paddleboard secluded lagoons, and hike volcanic peaks that tower above white-sand beaches. The includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, a rental car, daily breakfast, a bottle of wine as a welcome gift, and five nights at听 (from $1,749). There鈥檚 also an extended 12-night deal where you get the 12th night free.

Punta Mita, Mexico

You鈥檒l stay at the swanky听 in the laid-back surf town of Punta Mita, 30 minutes south of bustling听Sayulita. With cabanas on the beach, well-appointed private rooms set into the jungle, and a surf shop with free daily clinics, you might never want to leave the hotel grounds. Prices vary depending on length of stay and departure city, but if you book through Costco, your听 includes the hotel, airfare, ground transportation to and from the airport, breakfast, and kids鈥� club access, plus a $100 resort credit.

Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

Explore the jungles and beaches of Costa Rica during this听 (from $1,285), which includes lodging at the boutique, oceanside and a private bungalow neighboring thermal hot springs at the听. Spend your time hiking听to waterfalls, stargazing in telescopes, mountain biking rainforest singletrack, kayaking through mangrove forests, or floating in an inner tube down Rio Blanco Canyon below the Miravalles stratovolcano. Guided outings,听indulgences like a volcanic-mud skin cleanser, and a $25 massage credit are included in the trip.

Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos, Greece

You鈥檒l start in the heart of Athens with a stay at the ultramodern听 before heading to the stunning island of Santorini. The picturesque听听has 40 vaulted rooms overlooking the Aegean Sea, each with its own private pool. Finish your with three nights on the island of Mykonos, staying at the 17-room听, where you鈥檒l drink cocktails while watching the sun set over the water. The package includes airfare, ground transportation, hotels, a ferry between the islands, and food and drink specials. (Prices vary based on dates and听airfare.)

Cape Town, South Africa

Stay four nights at Cape Town鈥檚 five-star听, right on the edge of Table Mountain National Park, where you鈥檒l tour the Cape Peninsula and its local wine scene. Next听it鈥檚 off to three nights in a luxe safari tent within the 61,779-acre Shamwari Private Game Reserve at the听,听where rangers lead daily outings in search of the Big Five鈥攍ions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and Cape buffalo鈥攁s well as bird watching and guided nature walks. This听 includes airfare from New York鈥檚 JFK Airport, lodging, guiding, ground transportation, and many of your meals. (From $3,999)

Kapalua, Maui

Enjoy听 for the price of four at Maui鈥檚 beachfront听, located in Kapalua in one of the island state鈥檚 largest nature preserves. The trip includes airfare, a rental car, daily breakfast for two, and $500 in resort credit for indulging yourself with spa treatments听and sushi dinners. You鈥檒l find miles of hiking trails through the rainforest, paddleboards and snorkeling gear for rent, and a guided 28-mile bike ride down the 10,023-foot听Haleakala volcano. (Prices vary based on dates and airfare.)

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We get it. You鈥檝e avoided cruises because the idea of being held captive on a crowded boat with piles of unhealthy food, cranky retirees, and a bad DJ doesn鈥檛 sound all that appetizing. But you鈥檙e missing out. These days, there are plenty of smaller ships with the ability to travel where cars, trains, and planes can鈥檛, acting as mobile base camps with unparalleled access to mountain biking, backcountry skiing, surfing, and more.

Sri Noa Noa

Indonesia

The best surf breaks in the world are often the hardest to reach. Enter the听, a sailboat that hosts small, customized tours to empty breaks around Indonesia鈥檚 East Indian Archipelago. The Sri Noa Noa fits up to six people in airy teak cabins, and you can either book the whole boat or join an open cruise. When you鈥檙e not surfing, you can hike through national parks, snorkel ultramarine waters, or catch fish right from the boat. The daily rate includes three meals a day. For an extra fee, an onboard pro photographer will capture your adventures. (From $200 per person per night.)

Ice Axe Expeditions

Antarctica

On the 13-day Antarctic Peninsula 国产吃瓜黑料 Cruise, taking place this November, you鈥檒l snowshoe among penguins, sea kayak with whales, and backcountry ski rarely visited peaks with the help of certified guides and a Zodiac boat to shuttle you ashore. The ship鈥檚 two decks of cabins fit 132 guests. Along the way, you鈥檒l learn from onboard experts about the history, biology, and geology of the snow-covered southern continent. (From $10,995 per person.)

Austin 国产吃瓜黑料s

Australia, Baja, Botswana

Small-ship cruises with carry just a few dozen guests, meaning the empty beaches of Western Australia鈥檚 Kimberley Coast stay mostly empty. For eight days, you鈥檒l hike to the top of waterfalls, go mud crabbing, and swim in isolated ponds before catching the sunset from the observation deck, glass of Australian wine in hand. Other destinations include island hopping in Bali or game spotting in the deltas of Botswana. (Trips start at $2,990 per person.)

Aqua Expeditions

Peru, Cambodia, Vietnam

Want to avoid seasickness on the open ocean? is for you. The cruise company offers three-to-seven-night adventures on two of the world鈥檚 most iconic waterways: the Amazon River through Peru and the Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam. Skiffs take passengers ashore for off-road biking excursions and jungle hikes. But with suites featuring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water, plus amenities like an outdoor hot tub, fitness room, and locally sourced meals, no one will blame you if you stay aboard. (From $3,825 per person for three nights.)

UnCruise 国产吃瓜黑料s

Alaska, Panama, Costa Rica, Hawaii

The size of the small ships in the fleet is key: The 120-to-232-foot vessels can travel narrow passages that large vessels can鈥檛, and they anchor in small bays so you can explore scenic spots via kayak or paddleboard. Destinations include southeast Alaska and Glacier Bay National Park, the rainforests of Panama and Costa Rica, and Hawaii鈥檚 emerald isles. Onboard, view wildlife or the night sky from observation decks, participate in a topside yoga session, and dine on healthy meals. (From $2,995 per person for seven nights.)

BC Ferries

British Columbia

BC Ferries isn鈥檛 a cruise ship operator鈥攖he company provides transportation to coastal communities around British Columbia. But these same boats also offer multiday vacation packages. The eight-day starts in Vancouver and visits small fishing villages on Vancouver Island before heading up the famed Inside Passage to the secluded port of Prince Rupert. You鈥檒l spend each night in onshore hotels, so there鈥檚 no sleeping in small cabins. By day, you鈥檒l choose your own adventures, from photographing grizzlies to watching for whales. (From $1,176 per person for seven nights.)

The Rider Experience

The Grenadines

If you鈥檙e a kitesurfer, check out the . Its eight-night tour of the Grenadines aboard a 45-foot sailing catamaran includes daily kitesurfing sessions off remote Caribbean islands like Canouan, Tobago Cays, and Mayrea. Newbies can take lessons, and other activities include paddleboarding and snorkeling through turquoise waters. Or go farther afield with the Rider Experience鈥檚 trips in Greece, Egypt, and other exotic locations. (From $2,650 per person for eight nights.)

Islandhopping

Croatia, Italy, Greece

Imagine a guided cycling tour combined with a small-ship excursion, and you鈥檒l have the idea behind . On its cruises, you bring your bike aboard and disembark to ride flowing singletrack, buff downhill trails, and winding dirt roads around Mediterranean islands in Croatia, Italy, and Greece. If you don鈥檛 have a bicycle, the boat will provide a full-suspension loaner for a small fee. The cabins aren鈥檛 lavish, but they鈥檙e cozy enough for a great night鈥檚 sleep after a long day in the saddle. (From $1,155 per person for seven nights.)

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