jungle – Page 5 – besthike.com

February 2, 2010February 2, 2010

BREAKING – CNN discovers lost city of Mirador

The City Of Mirador in Guatemala was found in 1926. Seems CNN finally discovered it, too.

Better late to the party than not to come at all.

Someone should have told Wolf to check Wikipedia:

… the remote site deep in the jungle had little more attention paid to it until Ian Graham spent some time there making the first map of the area in 1962. A detailed investigation was begun in 1978 with an archaeological project under the direction of Dr. Bruce Dahlin …

In 2003, Dr. Richard D. Hansen, a Senior Scientist from Idaho State University, initiated major investigation, stabilization, and conservation programs at El Mirador with a multi-disciplinary approach, including staff and technical personnel from 52 universities and research institutions from throughout the world. By August 2008, the team had published 168 scientific papers … and produced 474 technical reports and scientific presentations as well as documentary films in the History Channel, National Geographic, the Learning Channel, BBC, ABC’s 20/20 and Good Morning America, 60 Minutes (Australia), and the Discovery Channel. …

They’ve got up-to-date video of the latest excavation, however.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Direct link to the CNN video.

I guess OLD media needs to find deceptive ways to hold on to their viewers. This piece is clearly deceptive though there’s no outright lie.

December 30, 2009January 3, 2010

dangers of the Lost City trek, Colombia

Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) in Colombia is one of our best hikes in South America.

It’s fantastic. But safety concerns have stopped many over the years from traveling to Colombia. And stopped others from doing the trek.

Bt82 joined a group of 11 hikers to do it in the Fall of 2009. No problema. Everything went great.

… Everything went great until the post-hike celebration. That evening was a disaster.

Tricked into a meal at an expensive restaurant. Porn movies and strippers at the bar. Prostitutes. One hiker caught with Marijuana. Police demanding a $1000 bribe.

Yeesh.

Click through to TravelPod to read the sorry details – Ciudad Perdida

Or our besthike Lost City trek information page.

December 16, 2009

trek Choquequirao, Peru – $140

The “new” Machu Picchu is steadily getting developed.

This “lost city” fascinated 19th century explorers, and Hiram Bingham visited it two years before he discovered Machu Picchu. Difficult to reach, the ruins are rarely visited by travellers.

The southern approach to Choquequirao from Cachora requires a steep descent from almost 3200 metres down to the Apurímac river at 1200 metres, followed by an even steeper ascent up to the ruins. The site is perched a magnificent 1150 metres above the Apurímac, surrounded by densely-forested mountain slopes in the shadow of the huge, snowcapped Salkantay massif. In recent years, the ruins have been partially-cleared by Peruvian archaeologists, and can be easily explored by those intrepid enough to undertake the demanding trek required to get there. …

Check out a great looking site (English and Spanish) with a great domain name … ChoquequiraoTrail.com.

They have a tempting offer for a guided hike. Click through to see it.

November 21, 2009November 10, 2009

Waikamoi Ridge Trail, Maui

A very accessible and easy jungle stroll. Maximum 1.5mi (2.4km).

And a popular stop for everyone doing the “Road to Hana” on Maui just past mile 9.

Still, I recommend it even for experienced hikers. A good stop for lunch.

A few photos …

more photos

November 20, 2009November 10, 2009

Iao Valley day hike, Maui

The easiest walk you might call a “hike” on Maui I would still recommend for everyone.

It’s very pretty.

… The highlight of the park of course is Iao Needle, a 2,250 foot tall pinnacle. Due to its height, the Needle is often shrouded in clouds of fog, making for interesting photo opportunities.

There is a short paved trail that goes to a viewpoint, but better photos are from the bridge near the start of the trail. An additional short trails loop down along Iao Stream, which I believe offers the best photos.

Also to be discovered, is an inviting trail that leads farther into the lush rainforest. Unfortunately the trail is accompanied by a “No Trespassing” sign. Proceed at your own risk. …

Iao Needle – A 2,250 Foot Tall Pinnacle

The main hiking trail is paved and wheelchair accessible.

There are a number of gardens and historical markers to visit, as well.

It was here that I saw more feral cats than anywhere else on Maui.

November 8, 2009November 8, 2009

Iao Valley Crucifix hike, Maui

I did an overgrown and little known hike on Maui. It’s one of the ways to get high up the steep walls of the Iao Valley.

The goal is this crucifix erected and maintained by High School students.

This trip report I put up merely to document how to get to the cross as there are no other reports online.

Ask locals in Wailuku town to tell you the correct telephone pole marking the start of the trail to the Cross.

IF you find the right pole, the ascent is pretty straightforward.

The highlight, for me, were views back towards town.

What I had hoped to like better were the vistas down into the wonderful Iao Valley.

Unfortunately I never really got high enough for the best valley vista. The trail above the Crucifix quickly disintegrates. Long pants are recommended for this walk.

I’m not even sure hikers are officially allowed to hike here in the West Maui Forest Reserve.

It’s not one of the best hikes on Maui.

November 7, 2009October 30, 2009

Keanae Arboretum, Maui

I’m a sucker for great trees. Botanical gardens.

But I skipped the Garden of Eden ($5 entry) instead walking the nearby Keanae Arboretum (free).

Around half-mile beyond mile marker 16 on the Hana Highway …

The Ke‘anae Arboretum lies alongside the Pi‘ina‘au Stream on leveled terraces built hundreds of years ago by Hawaiians for growing taro, a mainstay of their diet. A 0.6 mile paved walkway takes visitors through timber, fruit, and ornamental trees from tropical regions around the world, many of which are marked with name plates. Inside the arboretum you can find some 150 varieties of tropical plants (including taro). This is a great location to see some indigenous flowers and the painted bark eucalyptus trees.

An upper section of the arboretum features plants cultivated by the Hawaiians for food and other uses. This arboretum appears to have undergone a major renovation as of our last visit. The renovation included an expansion on the previous path that now leads into beautiful small taro fields not previously located in the arboretum.

There are no facilities or amenities at this stop. Expect to spend 30 minutes to an hour here.

The Aussie Gum trees were my favourites.

Hawaii-Guide

November 2, 2009May 15, 2013

Waimoku Falls / Pipiwai Trail, Maui

Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles.

Most tourists in Maui drive a rent-a-car to Kipahulu Visitors Center in Haleakala National Park, the end of the famed Road to Hana.

The main attraction are the so called “Seven Sacred Pools“, a name invented by some overzealous tourism marketer. In reality, the ʻOheʻo Gulch has dozens of pools and a number of waterfalls, a few very welcoming of swimmers.

Welcoming if you’re not scared off the warning signs posted everywhere.

warning-sign

I spent only a few minutes at the pools, instead quickly beginning the climb up Pipiwai Trail. I knew it would be fantastic as Trailspotting calls it their “favorite hike on Maui”:

Distance: 4 miles
Type: Out & Back
Difficulty: Medium
Elevation gain: 900ft (from 200 – 1,200ft)

Beginning at the rugged and remote eastern Maui coastline follow the Pipiwai stream inland and you’ll soon be surrounded by dense jungle, heading towards a series of waterfalls each increasingly more impressive than the last. En route you’ll cross bridges and streams, and negotiate an unforgettable boardwalk journey through a dense bamboo forest that towers so far above your head that daylight struggles to reach you. And since the Hawaiian islands are some of the wettest places on earth, you’re sure to be impressed with the towering 400 foot wall of water at the end of the trail that is Waimoku Falls. …

Pipiwai Waterfalls & Bamboo Trail

The bamboo was the highlight for me, too.

Actually, this kind of bamboo is one of those dread invasive species. But it’s an invasive species I love. I’m an invasive species, myself.

You’ll be warned about mosquitos. I never saw even one during 2wks on Maui in October.

Pipiwai gets better and better the closer you get to Waimoku Falls.

Click that last photo to see a larger version of a true Hawaiian paradise.

The other highlight of this hike for me was tenting at Kipahulu Campground right at the trailhead.

Waimoku Falls Pipiwai Trail map

I spent two nights. It’s free after you pay for your National Parks pass. Authorities are frantically improving the visitor center right now. I expect the primitive campground will be improved, as well.

Walking the shoreline here is highly recommended. A half mile stretch is called the KAHAKAI TRAIL.

See all my photos from Pipiwai, one of the very best hikes in the world.

Or, better, check out Stuart’s photos – Trailspotting: Hawaii, Maui: Pipiwai Waterfalls. Click on his trail map for a larger view.

Leave a comment if you’ve done Pipiwai and have something to add.

April 25, 2009

2 hikers dead on Kokoda Track

The Kokoda Track is one of the best, and toughest, hikes in the world.

kokoda

… a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres (60 mi) overland — 60 kilometres (37 mi) in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track is the most famous in PNG and is renowned as the location of the World War II battle between Japanese and Australian forces in 1942. ..

On Wednesday, a 26-year-old New South Wales man became the second Australian to die on the track in less than a week.

He died at Ioribaiwa village while trekking with Executive Excellence.

The company says it is working with authorities to have his body returned home as soon as possible. …

Last week 36-year-old Samantha Killen, from Hamilton in south-west Victoria, died on the trek.

The mother of two was trekking with her father when she collapsed and died on Friday afternoon.

Her father told police his daughter had developed sore legs and appeared to be dehydrated and disorientated in the lead-up to her death.

Just a coincidence?

Earlier, a Kokoda Track tour operator said it was inevitable more deaths would occur unless operators he has described as “cowboys” were banned.

The chairman of the Kokoda Ethics Committee, Aidan Grimes, said some companies skimp on safety by taking up to 150 people trekking and by failing to check their fitness levels. …

ABC – Kokoda deaths not deterring trekkers

February 20, 2009February 16, 2009

trek Kaieteur Falls, Guyana

Have you ever heard of this magnificent waterfall?

… Kaieteur National Park, Guyana. Kaieteur Falls has none of the tourist facilities of the other great wonders of the world, not even handrails or fences to protect you from the drop which, apparently, lasts 7 seconds. As such it is a truly wonderful, undiscovered gem.

… The Falls are accessible both by air and by land. By air, it is an hour’s flight from Georgetown, the Capital of Guyana. By land there is a popular adventurous wilderness trek that requires 3 to 5 days to complete.

official website – Kaieteur National Park