Traveler's Almanac, 1999 Annual Travel Guide

12 All-New Sporting Adventures

By Kara Ryan

Fly-Fishing

Where: Patagonia
What: When you're not casting a line on the Futaleuf” and Azul rivers or Lago Yelcho on this eight-day fly-fishing trip based in the town of Futaleuf”, Chile, you can hike, mountain bike, kayak, and horseback ride.
Who: Expediciones Río Grande, 828-488-9082
When: Available year-round upon request
How Much: $1,600 per person, not including airfare

Tracking Wild Dogs

Where: South Africa and Botswana
What: Spend this weeklong workshop observing the most endangered large carnivore on the African continent while accompanying researchers as they track a large pack of about 40-50 dogs within the Okavango Delta.
Who: Natural Habitat Adventures, 800-543-8917
When: Available year-round upon request
How Much: $2,995 per person, including internal (but not international) airfare

Where: Borneo

What: On this two-week Borneo adventure, you'll stay with residents of a small, remote village at the upper end of the Rajang River, where you'll help them hunt for wild boar. Then head northeast to Kinabalu National Park to climb 13,432-foot Mount Kinabalu.

Who: Ecosummer Expeditions, 800-465-8884 or 604-214-7484

When: December, 1998

How Much: About $2,500 per person, not including airfare

Where: New Zealand

What: On this eight- or 14-day whitewater trip, paddle the mostly Class IV rapids of the South Island's best steep alpine streams and large-volume rivers, including the Buller River in the north, the Shotover and Kawarau rivers near Queens-town, and the Rangitata on the Canterbury Plains.

Who: Nanta-hala Outdoor Center, 888-662-1662, extension 333

When: February 7-14 (or February 7-20 for the longer trip), 1999

How Much: $1,950 per person for the eight-day trip; $2,395 for the 14-day trip, including internal (but not international) airfare

Where: Mali

What: When you're not pedaling past red clay ridges, sorghum farms, and nomadic herders tending their goats on this two-week ride in Mali, you'll fly to Timbuktu, take a riverboat ride on the Niger, and walk through small towns and farmlands inhabited by the Dogon people. At night, you'll sleep on rooftops in local villages.

Who: International Bicycle Fund, 206-767-0848

When: November 9-23, 1998, and December 28, 1998-January 11, 1999

How Much: $1,290 per person, not including airfare

Where: Fiji
What: On this two-day rafting and camping expedition on Fiji's Class II-IV Navua and Luva rivers, you'll paddle through gorges surrounded by tropical rainforest, splash around in swimming holes, and explore calmer waters in inflatable kayaks.
Who: OARS, 800-346-6277
When: Available year-round upon request (October-March is peak season)
How Much: $300 per person, not including airfare

Tracking Lemurs

Where: Madagascar
What: On the steep slopes of the rainforest in Ranomafana National Park, track and observe the rare golden bamboo lemur. You'll help scientists discover how these creatures continue to survive though they consume 12 times the lethal dose of cyanide each day in the bamboo they eat.
Who: Earthwatch, 800-776-0188 or 617-926-8200
When: November 1-14 and November 15-28, 1998
How Much: $1,845 per person, not including airfare

Road Cycling

Where: Israel
What: You'll cycle for six days from Jerusalem to the Red Sea, through small desert towns with ancient ruins, to a mountainside fortress palace built by Herod the Great, and along the shores of the Dead Sea; one day is set aside for camel riding and trekking in the Uvda wilderness.
Who: Freewheeling Adventures, 902-857-3600
When: October 11-17, 1998, December 28, 1998-January 3, and March 21-27, 1999
How Much: $1,895 per person, not including airfare

Where: Dominican Republic

What: On this 10-day trip you'll cover 310 miles of dirt roads and singletrack from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean, along the way passing sugarcane and tobacco fields, fording streams, climbing four mountain passes, and staying in a hotel each night. For intermediate to expert riders only.

Who: Iguana Mama, 809-571-0908

When: December 27, 1998-January 5, February 14-23, and March 26-April 3, 1999

How Much: $1,350 per person, not including airfare

Where: Panama

What: Paddle and camp among the 365 islands of the San Blas Archipelago off the northeast coast of Panama with indigenous Kuna Indians who still travel from island to island in their traditional dugout, keelless sailboats.

Who: Mountain Travel-Sobek, 800-227-2384 or 510-527-8100

When: December 26-January 9, January 11-25, January 27-February 10, February 12-26, and February 28-March 14, 1999

How Much: $2,590 per person, depending on the size of the group, not including airfare

Sailing

Where: Croatia
What: Spend seven days aboard a 95-foot yacht, cruising among the more than 1,000 islands off the Dalmatian Coast on this 12-day Croatian odyssey (this is ROW's first trip here in a decade since the outbreak of the Serbo-Croatian war).
Who: Remote Odysseys Worldwide, 800-451-6034
When: May 14-25 and June 18-29, 1999
How Much: $1,795-$1,995 per person, depending on group size, not including airfare

Exploring

Where: Brazil
What: An 11-day journey (by plane, motorboat, canoe, and foot) through the jungles and along the tributaries of the Upper Río Negro, where you go hiking, canoeing, hunting, and fishing with members of the Yanomami Indian tribe, one of the last groups of traditional indigenous people
Who: Swallows and Amazons, 508-255-1886
When: Available year-round upon request
How Much: $2,150 per person, including $100 for camping gear and gifts for the Yanomami, plus internal (but not international) airfare