International adventure travel: Safaris, balloon tours, swimming with dolphins, bicycling down volcanos, trekking in the Himalayas, Walmart on Christmas Eve - the list is almost endless. This will not be a comprehensive listing of all the adventure opportunities out there. Instead, here is just enough to whet your appetite. My Own International Adventure TravelLong before hitchhiking across the country at sixteen-years-old, I had a taste for adventure.

At fourteen, a friend and I bicycled 300 miles in a few days during one summer. At seventeen, I went international with my adventuring, hitchhiking from Michigan to half-way across Mexico. Over forty now, I no longer put out my thumb - not very often, anyhow - but I still love to travel. More recently, my international adventure travel took me to Ecuador.

While there I climbed to the furthest point from the center of the Earth. Everest is highest above sea level, but due to the Earth's bulge at the equator, the peak of Mount Chimborazo, at 20,600 feet, is farther from from the center of our planet. The top is all snow, ice, and glaciers. My guide didn't speak English, and thought I was a mountaineer. I had once used an ice axe and crampons to go forty feet up a sledding hill, in Michigan.

The rest of the story is on the website, but you can get information and a guide by talking to almost any hotel manager in Riobamba, Ecuador. Go On A Jungle Book SafariIn southern Nepal, In the Royal Chitwan National Park, you can see tigers, leopards, rhinos, and sloth-bears. And where better to see them from than the back of a large elephant? The tours are lead by naturalists and park rangers.

Stay in the comfortable Safari Lodge and take daily tours into the jungle. Take A Mongolian Horseback TrekTravel with one of the great nomadic and horse-based cultures of the world. The trips take you beyond tourist routes, and you can customize your trek to fit your schedule and budget. These tours are run from an office in Mongolia, and they provides experienced guides that are multi-lingual.

Go Rock Climbing In RioWant an outdoor adventure and city nightlife? Try a rock climbing tour in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. You'll find routes for all skill levels in the Sugar Loaf, Urca, Corcovado and Pedra da Gavea mountains. Tours include bilingual instructors, equipment rentals, and transportation, and start at under $100 per person.

Swim With Dolphins In The Croatian SeaEscape from the cold this winter, to the Cres-Lo?nj group of islands, which is known for it's mild climate. Mali Lo?nj on the island of Lo?nj is known for its health resort, but recently, the area is becoming famous for the bottle-nosed dolphins that have made their homes in the clear and clean waters of the Cres-Lo?nj group of islands. Mingle with them by boat or in your swimsuit.

Climb Mount KinabaluMt. Kinabalu (4101m) is the king of the Borneo sub-continent. It rises 3000 feet higher than other mountains in the area; far above the jungle. It attracts international climbers of all skill levels, who scramble, climb and trek in its unique jungle-alpine enviroment. Kinabalu is in a world heritage site that boasts a wide variety of plants and animals.

Experienced guides will take you trekking, or take you to the top. Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U. S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. For more on international adventure, and to read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www. EverythingAboutTravel. com

Author:
Steven Gillman