WHERE: 150 miles/240 km north of the principal island of Tongatapu; 50-minute flight. WHALE WATCH VAVA’U: Tel 676/54-331; www.whalewatchvavau.com. Cost: day trips $150. HOW: Friendly Islands Kayak Company offers 5-, 9-, and 11-day trips. Tel 676/70-173; www.fikco.com. Cost: from $1,135. MOUNU ISLAND RESORT: Tel 676/70-747; www.mounuisland.com. Cost: from $250. BEST TIMES: May–Sep for weather; Jul–Nov for whale-watching.
Wreck Diving, Volcanoes, and Ancient Bungee Jumping
VANUATU
Vanuatu
Of all the Pacific islands, the 82 that make up the archipelago of Vanuatu present the most fascinating mélange of cultures. Well-dressed Europeans dine in French restaurants in Port Vila, the sophisticated capital city found on the island of Efate, while tribes on other islands live as they have for ages.
Port Vila’s modern vibe is the legacy of pre-1980 colonial times, when France and Britain jointly ruled what was then called the New Hebrides Islands. Named the happiest place on earth by an economic think tank in 2006, Vanuatu exudes a warm hospitality that is the archipelago’s biggest attraction, and nowhere will you find more of it than in the capital. Port Vila lies beside a fine natural harbor, and white sand beaches skirt many of the hotels here and elsewhere on the island, including the Eratap Beach Resort: Its 12 luxury villas are about a 20-minute drive south of Port Vila and are the nicest on Efate.
Modern civilization also exists on Espiritu Santo, the largest island, an hour’s flight north, alongside a few relics from the not too distant past. During World War II, 100,000 U.S. troops were stationed here; one of their transport ships, the SS President Coolidge, hit a mine and sank, almost completely intact. It is among the world’s most accessible large wrecks, and divers flock here to explore it. Another popular diving destination is Million Dollar Point, where thousands of tons of U.S. military equipment was dumped into the sea—including trucks, bulldozers, jeeps, and forklifts—before the troops returned home. (The name refers to the booty’s worth.)
If you’d rather trek than dive, one of the world’s most easily visited active volcanoes, Mount Yasur, is one of the highlights on the island of Tanna. Four-wheel-drive vehicles and hiking trails climb its cinder cone almost to the growling crater’s rim. At dusk the molten magma below and the setting sun above paint the erupting gas clouds orange, pink, and red. At the modest Tanna Evergreen Resort you’ll find simple bungalows and a friendly staff who can arrange island tours.
On Saturdays from April until June, check out the Naghol, or land-diving ceremony, on Pentecost Island. In this precursor to bungee jumping (that later surfaced in New Zealand; see p. 676) village males strap grapevines to their ankles and, accompanied by chanting and dancing, leap headfirst off 85-foot-high towers to within centimeters of the ground in order to prove their manhood and ensure a bountiful yam harvest. You’ll be one of many tourists, who—thankfully—are forbidden to participate.
Land diving during harvest season is a rite of passage for island men.
VISITOR INFO: www.vanuatu.travel. ERATAP BEACH RESORT: Tel 678/554-05007; www.eratap.com. Cost: from $535. TANNA EVERGREEN RESORT: Tel 678/68774; www.tevergreenresort-tours.vu. Cost: from $190. BEST TIMES: May–Oct for dry season; Apr–Jun for land diving on Pentecost Island.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
“The Last Great Race on Earth”
THE IDITAROB
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
Starting from Anchorage every March and ending 8 to 15 days later in Nome, the Iditarod is one of the great endurance tests in sport, with competitors mushing sled dogs across 1,150 miles of snow and ice in temperatures as low as 60°F below zero. It is Alaska’s largest spectator sport, and few things celebrate the pioneering spirit of our 49th state better.
Now a National Historic Trail, the Iditarod began as a mail and supply route for miners. It winds across frozen rivers and desolate tundra, through dense forest and along miles of windswept coast from Seward, near Anchorage, to Nome, on the western Bering Sea coast. In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life-saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria raged, and serum had to be brought in by intrepid mushers and their hard-driving dogs. In commemoration of those heroic feats, the route was turned into a race course in 1973, and today mushers come from as far away as Japan and Norway to compete for a share of the $600,000-plus purse.
You can get into the race yourself as a passenger, or “IditaRider,” by bidding for a spot on a musher’s sled for the first 11 miles (the auction begins in November, with a $7,500 offer guaranteeing your choice of musher). For a less competitive take, contact Raymie Redington, son of Joe “Father of the Iditarod” Redington Sr., who leads short trips on the Iditarod Trail. Winterlake Lodge, one of the remote fly-in outposts directly on the trail, offers four handsome guest cabins and opportunities to traverse the trail with a team of 24 Alaskan huskies (it’s also one of the state’s few wilderness lodges that stays open year-round). The dinner menu is remarkable even by big-city standards.
Nome, the “end of the line” for the Iditarod (and almost everything else), stands on the coast of the Bering Sea. Its dirt streets and rough-and-tumble saloons are quiet until the month-long Iditarod celebration rolls into town every March. Along with the race fans come northern lights aficionados, as well as participants in the Bering Sea Ice Golf Classic, who hit orange golf balls onto Astroturf laid across the frozen sea.
Teams of 12 to 16 huskies pull mushers through the snow.
WHERE: Headquarters in Wasilla, 40 miles north of Anchorage. Tel 907-376-5155 or 907-248-6874 (racetime); www.iditarod.com. When: early Mar. IDITARIDERS AUCTION: Tel 800-566-7533 or 907-352-2202; www.iditarodauction.com. When: early Nov–Jan. RAYMIE REDINGTION: Tel 907-376-6730. Cost: half-hour dog sled rides $50. When: beginning with 1st snow in Nov. WINTERLAKE LODGE: Tel 907-274-2710; www.withinthewild.com. Cost: 2-night stay, $2,130 per person, all-inclusive with air transfer from Anchorage.
The American Safari
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
Alaska, U.S.A.
At 20,320 feet, Mount McKinley stands as the tallest peak in North America. Named after the 25th U.S. president, it is also known by the indigenous Athabascans of central Alaska as Denali, “the high one.” Whatever you call the mountain, its grandeur transcends any language. It is the primary attraction of Denali National Park, but it’s not the only draw.
Visitors return from the 6-million-acre park with tales of grizzlies, moose, and golden eagles; of sweeping vistas of subarctic tundra, glaciers, and the massive peaks of the Alaska Mountain Range that almost rival the great peak itself. In summer you’ll enjoy 16–20 hours of light in which to take in all the dazzling scenery.
Touring and camping are controlled to protect the park’s fragile ecology. There’s only one 90-mile road, and motorized traffic past the 15-mile point is limited to buses and official vehicles. For an eagle’s-eye view, a number of operators will arrange plane or helicopter flightseeing excursions, while a more active and up-close experience can be had at Camp Denali or North Face Lodge. These sister properties, founded in 1951 by homesteaders at the heart of the not-yet-designated national parkland and currently run by third-generation owners, offer guests naturalist-guided hikes and educational programs. Alternative—and less pricey—accommodations can be found at the cluster of hotels at the park’s entrance.
Drink in more of the 49th state’s stark beauty aboard the Denali Star train, which takes you on a 365-mile journey from Anchorage to Fairbanks traveling through the frontier towns of Wasilla and Talkeetna—and also making middle-of-nowhere stops, where lumberjack types board the train with their huskies—and passes through the park. You’ll marvel as verdant woodland, tundra, and snowy peaks slip by the picture windows.
A floatplane awaits takeoff from one of Denali’s many lakes.
WHERE: 125 miles south of Fairbanks. Tel 907-683-2294; www.nps.gov/dena. When: park road closed Oct–Apr. CAMP DENALI and NORTH
FACE LODGE: Tel 907-683-2290; www.campdenali.com. Cost: 3 nights, $1,545 per person, all-inclusive. When: Jun–early Sep. ALASKA RAILROAD: Tel 800-544-0552 or 907-265-2494; www.alaskarailroad.com. Cost: Anchorage to Denali, from $120 (off-peak), from $145 (peak). When: mid-May–mid-Sep. Aurora Winter Train runs weekends mid-Sep–mid-May. BEST TIMES: Jun for wildflowers and birding; Aug–Sep for fall foliage; Mar and late Sep for northern lights.
Land of Water and Ice
INSIDE PASSAGE AND GLACIER BAY
Alaska, U.S.A.
Alaska has over 40,000 miles of coastline, and you can take in some of the most beautiful from your ship’s deck while sailing the Inside Passage. It stretches through 500 scenic miles in the southeast of the state, from British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands in the south to the corner of Canada’s Yukon Territory in the north (see p. 942). Thirty-plus cruise lines sail here every summer, and long-distance ferries depart from Bellingham, Washington, year-round.
The big draw is the astounding wilderness, with snow-capped mountains, deep rain forests, and a maze of islands that are the home of whales, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, porpoises, and seabirds. Tucked into all that bounty are the towns. Ketchikan may be the most touristy; pretty Sitka, midway up Southeast, is less so, despite its 19th-century heyday as the unofficial capital of Russian America and onetime nickname, “Paris of the Pacific.” The icon-filled Russian Orthodox St. Michael’s Cathedral, built in the 1840s, stands at the center of town, and the Russian Bishop’s House now serves as a museum.
Farther north lie Juneau, Alaska’s easy-going capital city, and the Mendenhall Glacier, which stretches for nearly 12 miles. Ferries travel the short distance northwest to Gustavus, gateway to Glacier Bay National Park, a 3-million acre wonderland at the northernmost point of the Inside Passage. Humpback whales arrive each summer, along with tourists who come to see them and the ten tidewater glaciers, some 4,000 years old, cascading down from the mountains. The popular park-run Glacier Bay Lodge sits at the park entrance; a 10-mile drive promises a more personal experience at the Gustavus Inn, a former homestead and farm. Both the Lodge and the Inn can arrange day trips into the park by foot, kayak, tour boat, or mountain bike. To the east of Glacier Bay is the charming town of Skagway, once the jumping off point for the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. That was the year the 110-mile narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was built. You can still ride it to the 2,865-foot summit of White Pass.
Cruise options range from the less expensive 2,000-passenger megaships to expedition vessels (with 100 or fewer passengers) that can more easily access the bays, inlets, and coves and generally offer a more intimate glimpse of real Alaska. For a more independent experience, the Alaska Marine Highway ferries offer a hop-on/hop-off adventure along the coast.
WHERE: Most cruise ships sail from Seattle, Vancouver, or Anchorage. HOW: Lindblad Expeditions (tel 800-397-3348 or 212-765-7740; www.lindblad.com) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (tel 877-505-5370 or 954-776-6123; www.rssc.com). Cost: expect to pay approximately $3,300 per person for 7 nights on larger ships; 8 nights from $4,450 on smaller ships. When: Cruises run May–Sep. STATE FERRIES: Tel 800-642-0066 or 907-465-3941; www.ferryalaska.com. GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK: Tel 907-697-2230; www.nps.gov/glba. When: May–Sep. GLACIER BAY LODGE: Tel 866-761-6634 or 907-264-4600; www.visitglacierbay.com. Cost: from $200. When: May—Sep. GUSTAVUS INN: Tel 800-649-5220 or 907-697-2254; www.gustavusinn.com. Cost: $425, inclusive. When: May–Sep. WHITE PASS AND YUKON ROUTE RAILROAD: Tel 800-343-7373 or 907-983-9827; www.whitepassrailroad.com. Cost: from $115 round-trip. BEST TIMES: May–Jun is driest; Jul–Aug is warmest; May and Sep for lowest rates and smallest crowds; early Nov for annual Sitka Whale Festival.
A Majestic Microcosm of Alaska
THE KENAI PENINSULA AND PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
Alaska, U.S.A.
Lying across a narrow channel from metropolitan Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula is like a movie trailer of Alaska highlights: incredible fishing, hiking, and kayaking opportunities; prolific wildlife; and to its east the stunning Prince William Sound, ringed by the steep and glaciated Chugach Mountains.
From Anchorage, the scenic Seward Highway skirts the glacial Turnagain Arm Waterway, passing through some of the most extraordinary natural beauty in the state before reaching the town of Girdwood, 40 miles away. Here, the Alyeska Resort, a 1,000-acre ski area and luxury hotel, is a year-round destination with a stunning indoor pool, full-service spa, and an aerial tram to the mountaintop Seven Glaciers restaurant. The riveting view makes it hard to concentrate on the menu, which runs from Alaskan king crab to reindeer hot dogs.
Continue on to Cooper Landing on the Kenai River, where fishermen pull in some of the world’s biggest salmon. Keep going another 120 miles and you’re in the artsy town of Homer (population 500). Set on a stunning 5-mile finger of land called The Spit, it fancies itself both a cultural and fishing hub. Drop into Homer’s landmark Salty Dawg Saloon, an old trapper’s hut where tourists hoist their beers with local fishermen and cannery workers.
From Homer, a kayak or boat outing across gorgeous Kachemak Bay provides glimpses of puffins, cormorants, and sea otters. On the fjordlike distant shore, the town of Halibut Cove perches on pilings above the water, its art galleries and houses connected by boardwalks. The enchanting, fly-in Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge offers six luxurious cabins, wilderness explorations, and meals featuring local Dungeness crab, salmon, and halibut, prepared to perfection.
In Seward, named for the secretary of state who purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 (it was known as “Seward’s Folly” until gold was discovered), board a sightseeing boat to take you out to Kenai Fjords National Park, where the rugged coast is filigreed with caves and you can spot whales and brown bears. From Whittier and Valdez, tour boats and kayaks head out onto Prince William Sound, surrounded by fjords and tidewater glaciers and teeming with even more wildlife.
An orca whale breaches in Kachemak Bay, off the coast of the Kenai Peninsula.
WHERE: Beginning about 50 miles southeast of Anchorage. VISITOR INFO: www.kenaipeninsula.org. ALYESKA: Tel 800-880-3880 or 907-754-1111; www.alyeskaresort.com. Cost: from $149 (off-peak), from $240 (peak); lift tickets $55; dinner at Seven Glaciers $60. SALTY DAWG SALOON: Tel 907-235-6718; www.saltydawgsaloon.com. KACHEMAK BAY WILDERNESS LODGE: Tel 907-235-8910; www.alaskawildernesslodge.com. Cost: $875 per person, all-inclusive. When: late May–Sep. BEST TIMES: May and Sep for smaller crowds.
Sacred Outdoor Museum of the Navajo Nation
CANYON DE CHELLY
Arizona, U.S.A.
Owned by the Navajo Nation, one of 21 recognized tribes living in Arizona (and the largest in the U.S.), Canyon de Chelly (de-SHAY) exudes a quiet magic and spirituality that inspired mythology guru Joseph Campbell to call it “the most sacred place on Earth.” Along with Monument Valley (p. 708), the canyon is considered one of the holiest places in the vast Navajo Indian Reservation.
The Ancestral Puebloans (also known as the Anasazi) began carving multistoried dwellings into the sandstone walls around A.D. 700. Mysteriously abandoned in the 1300s, they represent one of the oldest dwelling sites in North America and—paired with the canyon’s natural beauty—the principal attraction of this 130-square-mile historic area.
The national monument’s name comes from the Navajo word tseyi, meaning “rock canyon.” Soaring cliffs glowing pink and orange are cut by the cottonwood-lined Rio de Chelly and decorated with ancient pictographs and petroglyphs. Near the visitor center you’ll find the Thunderbird Lodge, built as a trading post in 1902. Sign up for one of the Navajo-led “shake-and-bake” jeep tours, named for the bumpy road and summer heat. (Most of the canyon bottom is off-limits to visitors; aside from the White House trail, the gorge is accessible by guided vehicle tour only.)
The paved 15-mile North Rim Drive follows the Canyon del Muerto (Canyon of the Dead) and leads to Navajo Fortress, where native warriors hid from U.S. troops in 1863 after being ordered to move to a barren reserv
ation in eastern New Mexico. If time is limited, opt for the 16-mile South Rim Drive, which offers even more remarkable views. From the White House Overlook, take the steep trail a mile down to White House Ruins, the remains of an 80-room structure, the largest in the canyon. The last stop on the drive is the spectacular Spider Rock Overlook. Legend has it that the top of the sandstone pinnacle, rising 800 feet from the canyon floor, is home to a Navajo goddess called the Spider Woman. According to Navajo myth, she created the universe by tossing stars into the sky from her dew-laced web.
Inhabited from 1040 to 1275, the White House Ruins are the largest in the canyon.
WHERE: 225 miles northeast of Flagstaff. Tel 928-674-5500; www.nps.gov/cach. THUNDERBIRD LODGE: Tel 800-679-2473 or 928-674-5841; www.tbirdlodge.com. Cost: from $75 (off-peak), from $130 (peak); tours from $55. BEST TIME: May–Oct for good weather and canyon conditions.
Nature’s Masterpiece
GRANB CANYON
Arizona, U.S.A.
Few things in this world produce such awe as the Grand Canyon. “It will seem as novel to you, as unearthly in color and grandeur and quantity of its architecture as if you found it after death, on some other star,” wrote a mesmerized John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club. The mile-deep chasm carved by the Colorado River is a staggering 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide. Its striated walls change color by the hour, shifting from crimson to orange to purple. No matter what time of day you visit, you’re in for a treat. Most of the 4 million visitors per year head to the South Rim, about an hour’s drive north of Flagstaff, where the overlooks are the most dramatic and hiking trails wait to be explored. Here you’ll find the main visitor center and a few lodges, anchored by the grand El Tovar, the park’s man-made wonder. Built by Hopi craftsmen in 1905, with edge-of-the-world views, it is considered the crown jewel of national park lodges.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 110