Outside Winter Traveler 2005
Stories
POSTs
If you want to chase tornadoes and the thunderheads that spawn them, you need adventure-tested tech and gear that can weather any tempest
With "the death of environmentalism" being debated across the land—and with the mainstream movement under siege from without and within—it's time to meet the winning side in America's new green wars. Here they come, ready or not: the 20 most powerful voices leading the environmental counterrevolution.
If you decide to drop out and start surfing full-time, there's no place like Mexico's Pacific coast. When Peter Heller heads south and signs on with a tough-as-nails board guru, he discovers a wave-riding scene of world-class barrels, hard-grooving kids, and guardian angels.
Got the whole make-fitness-fun thing? Now let's talk about that mortal coil of yours. You think you know it, but you don't know Jack.
Fit should be synonymous with fun. So stop working out and start acting like a kid again. With help from fitness experts, pro athletes, and groundbreaking coaches, we'll show you how playing your favorite games leads to a lifetime of high-energy health.
Freed from a conflicted past, Mozambique's sublime islands are coming alive—and they've never been more spellbinding
This luxury-travel company delivers your wildest adventure dreams
From beach to jungle, cottage to castle: eight great island hideaways
Colonial Seduction Golden Rock Plantation Inn, Nevis Don’t fret about the colonialist fantasies you’ll start entertaining during your stay at Golden Rock Plantation Inn, a converted 1811 sugar mill and estate tucked into the hilly interior of Nevis. Here you are, with your run of the bougainvillea-and-bromeliad gardens and cool,…
Sea World Punta Caracol Acqua Lodge, Isla Colón Tranquilo is the operative word at Punta Caracol, located just off serene Isla Colón, 75 minutes by puddle jumper and boat from Panama City, via Bocas del Toro. Sheltered by the surrounding archipelago and mainland Panama, the resort’s six two-story cabanas with…
Twelve authentic islands, luscious resorts, genuine fun
From Italy's classic Sella Ronda to a new peak in the French Pyrenees, here's a primo selection of the best skiing on the continent
Excellent animal encounters abound on winter's five best wildlife cruises
In these grand landscapes, there's hidden vitality and subtle beauty. Find adventure and renewal—not to mention some tasty tequila—at five fine oases in the Southwest and Mexico.
Forget hiking the Kalalau Trail on Kauai’s famed NA PALI COAST. You’ll get a much better view of these fluted green cliffs by boat—and winter is prime time to see humpback whales that have migrated here from Alaska. This season, Na Pali Explorer, a Kauai-based outfitter, is offering morning whale-watching…
Welcome to Nha Trang, where Vietnam's sophisticated new era and ageless culture meet on a gorgeous beach
Our big roundup of supercool North American ski hills serves up 20 rides of your life—and tells you where to kick back in style
The wedding's a wrap, the guests are gone, and now the real fun begins. these eight perfect honeymoons will launch your new life together.
Discover the wild, sandy stretch between Sydney and Melbourne, the next idyllic beach paradise Down Under
F E A T U R E S
WINTER 2005
LOST COAST, FOUND
Australia’s rugged shore between Melbourne and Sydney once appealed mostly to rough-riding travelers. Now this beachy paradise lets visitors go cush in the bush—and one expedition goes luxuriously awry.
By Tony Perrottet
THE SUN-KISSED, BLISSED-OUT, IN-YOUR-DREAMS CARIBBEAN
»; Near Wild Heaven in Trinidad By Robert Earle Howells
»; My Bonaire Affair By Meg Lukens Noonan
»; Dominica’s Jungle Delights By Nick Heil
»; Lazy Does It on Little Cayman By Granville Greene
PLUS: Resorts for all reasons—great hideaways on Virgin Gorda, St. Lucia, St. John, Nevis, Tortola, Bermuda, Grenada and Isla Colóe;n
THE SECRET LIFE OF DESERTS
For the record, arid and austere are not pejoratives. We drop in to Mexico’s Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, where the beauty is as nuanced (and abundant) as the tequila. By Kent Black
Plus: The best desert parks:
Anza-Borrego, California; Saguaro, Arizona; White Sands, New Mexico; and Big Bend, Texas
WE SING THE SLOPES FANTASTIC
When it comes to winter fun, North America’s got it nailed. We’ve gleefully gathered the 20 resorts that do it best, from hill to aprèe;s thrills.
ASIAN FUSION
Exotic Vietnam, long the darling of hardcore adventurers, is attracting a new crowd with vivid food, four-star digs, and an amazing stretch of coast.
By Amy Goldwasser
D E P A R T M E N T S
FREQUENT FLAVOR PROGRAM
France in fall; Thailand in winter; Italy in spring; Canada in summer—dig in to four seasons of culinary adventure.
HOT PROPERTIES
From New Orleans to Namibia, our favorite lodges for hiking, skiing, surfing, or kicking back in serene luxury.
TIERRA SECRETA
In lush Veracruz, Mexico, adventure abounds, and tourists do not.
By Ted B. Kissell
LOVE’S A TRIP
Planning a honeymoon heavy on paradise? We pick the most romantic spots in Hawaii, Southern California, Greece, Mexico, the Adirondacks, Puerto Rico, Lake Tahoe, and Indonesia.
EURO STASH
Pack the espresso, bro—we’re hitting the best powder playgrounds across the big pond: Italy’s classic Sella Ronda, Austria’s racy Kitzbühel, and France’s newly opened Pic du Midi.
FORECAST: SUNNY
Off Mozambique’s coast, a sublime island chain has escaped trouble and embraced tourism.
By Ted Botha
IT’S A ZOO OUT THERE
Talk, squawk, and cavort with the animals on winter’s top five wildlife-viewing cruises.
PLUS: A reverie in
Kauai’s Na Papli Coast
,
Machhu Picchu
gets luxe.