North America's most Fascinating Rail Trips

In search of a trip by railroad in order to discover a few of the more stunning and rugged parts of North America? Have a look at four of Northern America’s most fascinating train excursions.

1. The Rocky Mountaineer

The Rocky Mountaineer is perhaps the most hardy and most lovely railways throughout Northern America. Weaving its way through the Canadian Rockies, you just can not see a more lovely region any other way. The Rocky Mountaineer offers 4 specific bundles with tour durations lasting between 2 to eight days.

The 1st Passage to the West takes you through:

* Fraser Valley, Fraser and Thompson Canyons
* The final Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway
* Rogers Pass
* Spiral Tunnels
* Kicking Horse Pass
* Banff National Park
Journey Through the Clouds will take you through:
* Fraser Valley, Fraser and Thompson Canyons
* Pyramid Falls
* Albreda Icefields
* Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies
* Jasper National Park
There’s also the Rainforest to the Gold Rush excursion as well as the Whistler Sea to Sky Climb. Rates start around $609 Canadian.

2. Adirondack Scenic Railroad

If you’re trying to encounter a shorter trip and wish to enjoy the attractiveness of the Adirondacks, you cannot fail with the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. This outing presents outings in to the stunning 6 million acre Adirondack Park.

Trains leave from:

* Utica’s Union Station
* Thendara Station near Old Forge
* Saranac Lake Union Depot
* Lake Placid Station in the beautiful Olympic Village of Lake Placid, New York

3. Canyonlands

A rail get-away throughout the Canyonlands will certainly be chock-full of adventure. Beginning in Salt Lake City, Utah and ending in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the eight-day, seven-night journey takes you through:

* Canyonlands National Park
* Arches National Park
* Four Corners Monument
* Mesa Verde National Park
* The Rocky Mountains
You’ll find three excursions each year and prices tend to be reasonable at $1599 per person, double occupancy and include some meals.

4. Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad offers scenic one day excursions which includes a 12-hour Denali adventure tour which will take you through the whole 95-mile restricted Denali park road. Plan to observe wildlife you’ve never encountered before as well as enjoy a lunch, gold panning, and also a nature walk.

Northern America offers some beautiful and robust wilderness. Why not encounter it by train? You may enjoy the extravagance of having someone else drive whilst experiencing the view. With meals offered aboard and stops in many of the most beautiful places, it’s actually a great way to enjoy your holiday.

Adventure in San Jose, Costa Rica

Costa Rica journey Travel Packages

San Jose is the capital town of Costa Rica and is conveniently found in the middle of the country, providing visitors with simple access to several of the country’s most well-liked activities. The town lies in the middle of the Meseta Central, or Central Valley, and enjoys a nice climate year round with temperatures that tend to hover around seventy degrees Fahrenheit.

History & Culture

Thanks to its central location and its status as the capital city, San Jose and the surrounding valley is home to over 2 3rds of the state’s whole population. The town also hosts a global airfield, as well as colleges, major surgeries, and commercial complexes.

Lodging & Dining

If you are looking to be close to all the capital town has to offer, then you are going to love Hotel Grano de Oro or Hotel Alta. Both of these luxurious hotels offer renowned restaurants of their own, and are within walking distance to all the culture, nightlife, and dining found in San Jose.
If tranquility is what you seek, but you would like to take advantage of the conveniences of the city, then try Vista del Valle, El Silencio Lodge & Spa, Peace Lodge, or Xandari.

As this region is home to the capital town of San Jose, you’ll find no deficit of great eateries featuring local and international cuisine. If you are staying close to the downtown area, try Bakea, an international/fusion cafe in a restored mansion. This popular choice features creative cuisine and delicious desserts.
San Jose boasts a number of tiny cafeterias offering lighter fare and less expensive costs. Some of the finest of these include Café Moro and Café Mundo. Also, do not miss El Balcn de Europa, one of San Jose’s oldest restaurants.

For meals with an ethnic twist, try the Tin Jo for Asian food, Vishnu for Indian/vegetarian, Machu Picchu for Peruvian, Lubnan for Middle Eastern, or Le Monastere for upscale French cuisine.

Activities

From this central area, you actually can experience all the finest that Costa Rica has to supply thru a number of exciting tours that depart daily from the local hotels. You may want to commence with a tour of San Jose itself or visit the nearby consequential cities of Sarchi and Grecia. History buffs will also love a trip to the Pueblo Antiguo Experience which transports visitors back to the Costa Rica of the early 1900’s. Proceeds from this judicious attraction benefit the Costa Rican Countrywide Kids’s Hospital.

Many visitors come to Costa Rica to see volcanoes and looking for costa rica adventure travel packages, and tours to Poás and Irazu are an option from San Jose and can be included with other tours of the region. Are you a coffee fan? Then try a tour of the Café Britt Plantation or the Doka Estate where you may follow the life of a bean from being picked all the way to your mug. Scenic tours of the Orosi Valley and the Lankester Orchid Gardens are a way to soak in the lush landscape of this beautiful country.

Adventurous souls will find lots to do too. Experience the thrill of white water rafting, or soar through the jungle on astounding cover tours. Horseback rides and hiking are other great methods to experience the area while staying a little nearer to solid ground. Boating tours to golden beaches can also be prepared if the sea is calling your name.

A Rocky Mountaineer Experience

Calgary is sleeping soundly in the pitch black of an early fall morning when the Rocky Mountaineer train pulls out of Union Station. It’s 6:15 a.m. and most passengers are bleary eyed but for the jumpstart of coffee, lulled into inertia by the fast movement of the train as we zip through the darkness en route to Banff.

When the morning light creeps in, there are towering mountains on either side of us as the sun breaking gently over their sheer, rocky slopes. Around us there’s a hum of chatter, with accents hailing from Germany, England and Australia. Many of these travelers have come vast distances, lured by the prospect of seeing the day break over the snowcapped Rocky Mountains.

It’s the mountains that steal the show, their silhouettes highlighted by the blue sky of a perfectly clear morning. Some have smooth, snow-topped foreheads, while others, like Castle and Cathedral mountains, have jagged spears and ridges protruding from them, evidence of meticulous sculpting by glaciers millions of years ago.

Rocky Mountaineer Railtours offers a Banff-to-Vancouver circuit, one of its most highly sought-after trips. As I curl up and gaze out of my window from the Gold Leaf dome carriage, it’s easy to understand why. Gold Leaf means raspberry scones and quiches to take the edge off any hunger before the formal breakfast, and champagne and orange juice to toast the voyage. It means white table clothes and exquisitely presented gourmet meals cooked in a swaying kitchen carriage. Passengers are plied all day long with offerings of wine and beverages, chocolate-chip cookies straight from the oven and snacks and canapés to add flavour to the scenery.

We pass through the alpine village of Lake Louise during breakfast, a sumptuous meal of asparagus omelettes, kelp caviar and smoked salmon. Here, we reach the Continental Divide, the point of highest altitude in our journey and the rooftop of Alberta and British Columbia. The Divide marks the place of separation where snowmelt flows into the Atlantic Ocean on east side and the Pacific Ocean on west edge. But, on this day, the waterfalls are frozen into stillness and the initial dusting of powder gives way to large expanses of snow that cake the mountain’s layers of dolomite and limestone rock. Most people know them as the Rockies, but, in fact the Rockies are only one of a number of mountain ranges we will traverse.

On the first day, we move steadily through the Ottertail, Van Horne and Beaverfoot ranges, with brief glimpses at the Kicking Horse River as it tumbles over the sloping rocks. Apart from glaciers and mountains, it’s wildlife we’re watching for. Elk, moose, grizzly and black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, wolves, coyotes and even cougars and lynx might cross the train’s path — and bears are a frequent sighting. On this journey, we pass two of them, both a dark flash in the window before they disappear.

The next day, the scenery changes dramatically. Gone are the snowcapped mountains and layers of forest. In their place, we travel through desert country alongside the Thompson River canyon. The salmon are in their dying throes in October and sightings of bear and bald eagles become more frequent along the riverbank as they feast on the wasting bodies of the fish.

Within a few hours, the scenery changes again and the barren desert yields to the maples and Douglas fir forests of the Fraser River canyon. We’re in a temperate rainforest, the trees turning that magical fall colour of yellow and gold. From 20,000 feet above the rushing river, you can see clouds forming before your eyes.

Travel through this landscape and the view is tranquilizing for the soul, the kind of scenery that makes you sigh deeply in grateful appreciation of living in so beautiful a region of the world. Stone bridges sail by, crucifixes adorn long-unused cemeteries and magnificent expanses of land stretch forever, a reminder of how small and insignificant our cities really are.

Diving in British Columbia

Overview

The Pacific Coast of British Columbia, Canada, is a place where the sea is cold and murky in summer, and colder yet clearer in winter. Despite these conditions, the rich marine environment of British Columbia attracts divers who consider bad visibility and bulky drysuits to be no obstacle. This means there are plenty of dive schools in the province's larger cities, and learning to scuba dive in a place like British Columbia will thoroughly prepare you for easier conditions farther south.

Step 1

Investigate the local scuba shops and their associated schools, as well as any private instructors in your area of British Columbia. If you need to attain Open Water (OW) certification quickly, use the shops' websites and some phone calls to find the shops that cooperate with the e-learning program offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). This allows you to complete your coursework at home, and then complete the necessary training dives in as little as one weekend. You will be required to submit an RTSC form stating you are in good health and free of compromising medical conditions, such as heart disease or asthma.

Step 2

Invest in a rash guard top or shorty suit and a pair of wool socks just for diving. Water temperatures around British Columbia never climb out of the chilly lower 50s Fahrenheit, and sometimes drop as low as the mid-40s Fahrenheit even in the summer. Your dive class will include the necessary 7-mm semi-drysuit or drysuit to endure these cold waters, but a few extra touches will keep your warmer.

Step 3

Ask your diving instructor about where your four open water training dives, all necessary for OW certification, will take place. If you have a particular interest, you may be able to make requests for a suitable dive site to meet them. If you want to see the big octopi of British Columbia, the South Islet of Passage Island is an easy dive site with octopi, a sandy bottom and moderate depths, so it is suitable for training.

Step 4

Confirm your diving skills by signing on for more dives via dive shop-organized boat dives or shore dives immediately after finishing your OW course. British Columbia mixes challenging diving conditions and a rich marine environment, making it a golden opportunity for further practice. If you master your basic OW skills in 45-degree Fahrenheit water and 15-foot visibility, both normal for a Vancouver summer, you will be well-prepared for the much warmer, clearer conditions of Thailand, the Florida Keys or the Red Sea.

Tips for Travel in Cyprus

Cyprus is an enchanting island on the eastern Mediterranean. It’s a mix of Eastern and Western cultures and boasts a breathtaking landscape dotted with charming little villages. The weather is a huge factor – it’s warm all year round but gets a little cooler from September onwards with just a little rain in December – it’s still one of the driest countries in the Meditteranean though!

Cyprus is not just stunning beaches and sunshine, there are endless possibilities for exploring and a fascinating history and impressive architecture also form part of this amazing country.

Cyprus Car Hire Tip – Driving in Cyprus is easy and there are relatively few traffic problems. Cypriots drive on the left hand side and the road signs are also in English making it easy to navigate the island. All motorways are toll free. Traveling between main towns is a possibility using public transport but if you want to discover the real Cyprus the best way to get around is by car. Public transport is not reliable and won’t let you experience the true lifestyle of the Cypriots.

Cyprus Car Hire Tip – The speed limit on motorways is 100km/hr, on regional roads its 80km/hr and in built up areas it’s 50km/hr.

Taking a tour of this breathtaking island by car will leave you with amazing memories. The 40km or so stretch between Larnaca and Agia Napa on the south coast of the island has the best beaches. For much of the journey you’re overlooking Larnaca Bay. Larnaca is steeped in history and you’ll find the Turkish Fort, Lazarus Church and Pierides Museum here.

Travel route A5 south from Larnaca to Limassol and follow the coastline to Paphos. Larnaca is a town with plenty of activity. There are lots of restaurants and lively pubs and great nightlife as well as loads for the kids with a fun park, camel rides and karting. Limassol is not as touristy as other parts of the island. It’s more of a cosmopolitan town with lovely shops, busy markets and shopping centres. Limassol has great beaches and like Larnaca has a bustling nightlife.

The town of Paphos is situated on the coast of Cyprus. Here you can visit the Baths of Aphrodite, the Odeon Theatre, The tombs of the Kings and many museums. For the kids there is the Aphrodite Waterpark. This waterpark is situated in the tourist area of Paphos and hosts the biggest family rafting ride in Europe. It’s the ideal spot to stop if you have kids in tow and it’s a great way to spend a day. There’s just so much to do here – the kids young and old are guranteed to have a ball!

Cyprus Car Hire Tip – Children under 5 years must be strapped into a proper child car seat in the back of the car. Children aged between 5 and 10 can sit in the front passenger seat, provided a safety belt is worn.

Limassol is also a great base for visiting the Troodos Mountains. Travel deep into the countryside and explore the quaint little villages in the Troodos mountain area, which covers a large area of central Cyprus. Troodos is the largest mountain range in Cyprus. It’s peak, Mount Olympus, stands at 1,952 metres tall. Some of the villages in this region well worth checking out include Louvaras, Palaichori, Kourdhali and Pelendri.

While driving around this area you’ll stumble across numerous churches and monasteries and the beauty about having a car is that you can stop at whichever ones you like. One of the more famous monasteries is in Kykkos, about 20km west of Pedoulas – the holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos.

Further north (from Paphos) and close to the town of Polis which overlooks the pretty Chrysochou Bay you’ll find The Baths of Aphrodite. Legend has it that this is where Aphrodite bathed. In historic times people thought that bathing here would aid their fertility. You can travel north of Limassol to Nicosia (Lefkosia), the capital of Cyprus. Nicosia has an abundance of restaurants, pubs, a great nightlife and pedestrianised streets with lovely shops. There are lots of historic sites and it’s surrounded by delightful villages.

If you’re a golf fanatic there are two great courses on the island. Secret Valley is about 18km east of Paphos and 50km from Limassol, while the Donald Steel designed Tsada Golf Course is on the outskirts of Paphos.

Wildlife and Breathtaking Scenery Aboard Rocky Mountaineer

Scenery

Rocky Mountaineer boasts the most breathtaking and scenic train tours this country has to offer. The rich, vast, unspoiled nature of our Canadian National Parks is treasured by all who know the beauty that lies within them. People travel from around the world to vacation and experience the rare and rugged Canadian Rockies region that has been preserved for more than a century.

The Rocky Mountaineer travels by rail through five of these protected areas: Mount Revelstoke National Park, Glacier National Park, Yoho National Park, and the oldest and the largest of the Rockies parks, Banff and Jasper.

Three provincial parks combined with the four National Parks located in the Rockies, comprise the UNESCO Rocky Mountain World Heritage Site. This ranks as one of the largest protected areas on the planet. Because of this, Rocky Mountaineer scenic train rides are unlike any other in the world.

Wildlife

Canada is a premium vacation destination for wildlife tours, where visitors are privileged to see animals in their natural habitat. The Canadian West is especially fortunate to still be home to a wide variety of plants and animals. The wildlife in the Canadian Rockies helps to distinguish this region from all others, and makes for a perfect vacation with many opportunities both on and off the Rocky Mountaineer trains for wildlife tours.

Along the Rocky Mountaineer train route you may see any of the large mammal or bird species for which this area is known. Black and grizzly bears, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, cougar, wolves, lynx and caribou are some of the many species that rely on the large tracts of protected land to survive.

All guests in the National Parks have the opportunity to experience the diverse environment that is home to these creatures.

The Gorgeous Gulf Islands

The Gulf Islands consist of over a dozen islands in the Strait of Georgia, off the coast of British Columbia’s mainland. Some of the most popular islands include: Denman, Salt Spring, Mayne, Pender, Galiano, Saturna, and Hornby. These islands enjoy a mild, sub-Mediterranean climate year round. The landscape is characterized by dramatic coastlines, beautiful beaches, and a diversity of plants and animals.

The Gulf Islands rich, natural beauty is one of the reasons why visitors keep coming back every year. The extensive sea life includes Orcas, dolphins, seals, a variety of fish and kelp, which provides a habitat for sea lions. Garry Oak ecosystems which are largely extinct can be found in the Gulf Islands. There are many conservation strategies in place on the islands to protect these endangered ecosystems.

The Gulf Islands is home to many provincial parks that work towards conserving the untamed beauty of this region of BC. Bodega Ridge Provincial Park on Galiano Island is offers breathtaking scenery. The islands high cliffs are home to bald eagles, falcons and turkey vultures. Another provincial park on Galiano is Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park, which is home to the lovely Shell Beach. All over the Gulf Islands you will find parks with rolling hills covered in wildflowers, lush forests and calm beaches.

Galiano Island is one of the most popular of the Gulf Islands. On the west coast discover the naturally formed sandstone caves. This island is on the flight path for many different bird species, so it’s a birdwatchers paradise. There are numerous provincial parks and multiple hiking trails. Long, sandy beaches are perfect for beach combing, swimming or simply relaxing under the sun. This is a perfect destination for nature lovers, avid hikers or someone simply looking for a relaxing getaway.

Pender Island is another popular Gulf Island. Pender Island is actually composed of two islands: North Pender Island and South Pender Island. The north is much more populated and has many shops and restaurants while the south is more rural and less populated. This island is a great destination for wildlife enthusiasts as you can see pods of Orca, deer, seals and eagles. In the summer, many visitors come to enjoy the warm weather and the many local events such as art exhibitions, concerts and plays. Pender Island is a perfect getaway for families and couples. Some popular activities on Pender include sea kayaking, hiking, and visits to the winery and the spa.

Salt Spring Island is the most popular of the southern Gulf Islands. Salt Spring boasts a beautiful landscape with vast meadows and amazing vistas. The island is home to many sheep and deer, however, cougar and bears have been known to travel over to Salt Spring from Vancouver Island. Hiking and mountain biking are two popular activities on Salt Spring and one of the most popular trails is leading up to Bruce Peak. Ruckle Provincial Park is the largest Gulf Island provincial campground and a great place to take kids on a camping adventure.

Many visitors have taken advantage of the Gulf Islands stunning beauty by capturing it in photographs. If you enjoy photography, there are several photo tours which operate on several of the islands. The Gulf Islands are a great place to try many outdoor activities. Try biking, fishing, golfing, hiking, tennis, skydiving, kayaking, diving, swimming, rafting, sailing, horseback riding, parasailing, roller blading and so much more!

If you’re not an outdoorsy type there are plenty of fairs, markets and exhibitions as well as museums and historic landmarks to keep you entertained.