Traveling on the A-list
Choosing your own adventure
Matt Hammond
Adventure travel once meant doing more than getting off the cruise ship and heading to the jewelry store.
Today it has evolved to include all kinds of tours concocted by operators to get your adrenalin pumping. Some, of course are more organic than others.
I’m wary of the newfangled swim with options, which includes dolphins, stingrays and sharks- in protected and confining environments.
It’s sort of like a marine zoo, not my vision of an authentic Caribbean swimming experience.
On my list are exotic hikes. Consider El Yunquee rainforest, 28,000 acres in Puerto Rico, complete with waterfalls and mountain summits.
It combines the best of adventure travel with plenty of eco elements.
Snorkeling in St. John may not seem like a big adventure, but the island has some of the best on shore snorkeling in the Caribbean.
You can ‘rough it’ on the beach at Cinnamon Bay Campground in a rustic cabin or pitch your own tent.
It’s a certifiable adventure, especially when you come face to face with a hungry donkey!
If you’re a diver, check out shipwrecks in the water of the British Virgins, especially the RMS Rhone which sunk in 1867 near Salt island.
If you prefer higher terrain, consider scaling the Pitons in St. Lucia, but only if you’re fit and an experienced mountain climber.
The larger Piton will take you to the 2, 620 foot summit, while the not so “petite piton” elevates to 2, 460 feet.
There’s’ also a sunset ride on a horse in St Croix, courtesyJill’s Stables, where the horses are loved and should love you too.
Actually, just island hopping is an adventure, where you can sightsee on tiny planes, including seaplanes with pontoons in St. Thomas and St. Croix, ride all kinds of ferries, and meet a cast of characters, willing to share their A-list with you.
Photo of the RMS Rhone wreckage courtesy Gareth Richards.
Matt Hammond loves to hike in any rain forest.
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