Ofer
Sunnyvale, California

Adventure Adviser: I’ve heard good things about Alyson Adventures, a Boston-based company started back in 1995. Though their main focus is biking in Europe, Alyson has quite a variety of adventure-based itineraries. Most popular is their specially designated single gay men’s trip, which they offer once or twice a year. Last year, the single gay men’s trip was a seven-day “Valley of the Kings ($1,395)” bike tour through France’s chateau country. Other, more adventurous itineraries include diving with octopus on the Caribbean island of Saba (seven days, $1,095); skiing, snowshoeing, wildlife safariing, dog-sledding, ice-climbing, and cross-country skiing in Jackson, Wyoming (seven days, $595); climbing the Grand Teton in Wyoming (seven days, $1,195); bushwalking in Australia (15 days, $3,695); and rock climbing, rafting, horseback riding, hiking, and canoeing in Wyoming (seven days, $1,195). Unfortunately, I haven’t seen much in the way of wildlife or environmental education from Alyson. For a catalog or more information, call Alyson at 800-825-9766. San Francisco-based VentureOut (888-431-6789) adventure and cultural tours offers an interesting mix of soft adventure trips in seven different countries. One in particular that sounds as if it has an environmental bend is the “Costa Rica Adventures” tour.