Matador Network's Blog, page 499
March 21, 2022
Weirdest buildings in Miami
Though Miami is relatively new on the world’s art scene, one area where it has always excelled is architecture. With the world’s largest collection of Art Deco buildings in South Beach, and the sea of neon and low lines that fill the Miami Modern District, the city has always showcased some of the most visually alluring architecture in America.
You’ll find no shortage of Miami architecture tours that will guide you through some of the more notable designs. But to discover some of the less-obvious spots, we turned to a couple of South Florida architecture heavyweights. They hipped us to some architectural oddities around the Magic City you might otherwise miss, and can easily see.
These are the strangest buildings you can see on a Miami architecture tour.
1. The Surf Club, SurfsideVoir cette publication sur InstagramUne publication partagée par Lido at The Surf Club (@lidoatthesurfclub)
Though today’s Surf Club is a masterful triumph of glass and steel, the most architecturally intriguing part of the Four Seasons’ hotel is the historic bottom two floors. These were the site of the 1930s Surf Club, a private playground for rich people looking to do questionable things. The Mediterranean Revival structure came from noted Miami Beach architect Russell Pancoast, and is filled with intricate details from the ceilings to the hallways.
Pause between your fresh pasta and Branzino at the hotel’s Lido restaurant, and notice the mural standing above the pitched dining room. The Italian-inspired fresco was hidden behind dropped ceiling panels for half a century, and was once a symbol of the Mediterranean frivolity the club invited. Also take time to notice the decorative finishes in places like the ladies lounge and the bathroom corridors. Perhaps the most striking remnant of the Surf Club’s past sits on the floor of Peacock Alley, the path from Collins Avenue to the beach. Look closely and you’ll see small, black Jewish stars embedded in the walkaway, originally placed there to discourage Jewish people from walking through.
“There’s nothing worse than walking across your religious symbol on the floor,” says Kobi Karp, whose eponymous architecture and design firm headed up the new project. “It was a symbol to keep Jews out of the Surf Club, they were not admitted. When we brought it back we thought, ‘Should we keep it or not?’ But we thought, it’s history, so keep it.”
Where: 9011 Collins Ave, Surfside, FL 33154
2. The Opa Locka City Hall, Opa LockaVoir cette publication sur InstagramUne publication partagée par Carolina Sardi (@carolinasardi305)
During the 1920s, when Miami first became a haven for honeymooners and hucksters, developer Glenn Curtiss was attempting to duplicate what George Merrick had done in Coral Gables in Opa Locka. But instead of the Gables’ Mediterranean Revival style, Curtiss opted to gain inspiration from the Arabian-themed blockbuster films of the day, and designed his city in Moorish Revival. Though the great hurricane of 1926 destroyed much of the collection of over 80 buildings, you can still find a number of them left including the TRI-rail station and City Hall.
The building was modeled after the emperor’s palace in One Thousand and One Nights, with domes, buttresses, and sprawling courtyards, like in a Middle Eastern fortress. The domes aren’t visible from inside, so much of what you see at city hall is a façade. But the building still serves as the centerpiece to the largest collection of Moorish Revival buildings in America. Note that the Opa Locka City Hall is not open to the public, but we recommend you admire its unusual features from outside during the day.
Where: Sharazad Blvd, Opa-locka, FL 33054
3. The Alfred I. DuPont Building, DowntownVoir cette publication sur InstagramUne publication partagée par Miami Wedding & Events Venue (@dupontbuilding)
Miami has been nothing if not a city of perpetual identity crises, and it’s as evident in its architecture as anywhere. Such is the case with Downtown’s DuPont building, Miami’s first post-depression skyscraper built in 1939. While much of Miami’s architecture is awash in Tropical Modernism and Art Deco, the DuPont building is the odd edifice that emanates corporate grandeur, from its bas relief elevator doors to the immersive marble lobbies.
“This was Miami trying to build an urban downtown, like New York or Chicago,” says Jacob Lenard, former director of interior design at Arquitectonica and current design director for Aman Hotel Group. “This was the idea of what a financial institution would look like in Miami, they didn’t want to make it seem too resort-ish or Florida oriented.”
While today it’s an office building and an event space, the DuPont building was originally a bank — something you’ll notice almost immediately upon entering the north ballroom which still houses the original safe. It’s also where you’ll find the Art Deco teller windows, and intricately painted ceilings. The exterior is adorned in Art Deco features too, but they alternate with granite and limestone, combining the strength of a bank with the tropical fun of Florida.
Where: 169 E Flagler St, Miami, FL 33131
4. Temple Israel, WynwoodThe Sophie and Nathan Gumenick Chapel at the Temple Israel synagogue in Miami. Photo: ImageMD/Shutterstock
Cathedrals are often lauded for their historic and intricate architecture. But what about synagogues? That’s the case at Temple Israel, the oldest continuously used Jewish synagogue in the state. The original structure was built in 1928 in the Moorish-Neo Gothic style, with dome shaped interior archways reminiscent of Jerusalem. It’s illuminated by copper light fixtures that are almost as intriguing to look at as the copper fixtures dotting the columns around the seating area.
The metal work is the signature of architect Kenneth Treister, who also designed the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. “He brought this new wave of mixing sculpture and architecture,” says Lenard. “The metal work is very detail-oriented, and the façade is inspired by curves and has a lot of hand touch to it, it’s not trying to be perfect.”
The façade, in fact, was inspired by the Ten Commandments, and though far from symmetrical might be the building’s most unique feature. It sits outside the Sophie and Nathan Gumenick Chapel, which was added in 1969. Rather than the traditional bima-and-pews setup, this chapel is more worship in the round, where the rabbi conducts services from the center of the room. According to Temple Israel’s website, the chapel was named the 15th most notable building in Florida by the American Institute of Architects, and was the subject of a feature in House & Garden that heralded it as a symbol of the revitalization of reform Judaism.
Where: 137 NE 19th St, Miami, FL 33132
5. The Pink House, Miami ShoresVoir cette publication sur InstagramUne publication partagée par Jared Frank (@jrdfrnk)
Linda Spear, one of the founders and principal architects of celebrated Miami architecture firm Arquitectonica, designed this house in the 1970s as one of her first projects. The house gained the firm notoriety long before its Atlantis condos appeared on the intro to Miami Vice, a two-story marvel of pink set right on Biscayne Bay. Its glass brick façade hides a narrow swimming pool and courtyard, then a main level of big windows and bay views.
The whole thing is only 18 feet wide, designed especially narrow so breezes could blow through and light could permeate everywhere. “This is quintessential Miami architecture,” says Lenard. “The pink house [AKA Spear House] is a good representation of what makes Miami unique architecturally — it has connections to Biscayne Bay and to the landscape. It’s the indoor utopian idea of indoor-outdoor suburban living, and filters sunlight in really interesting ways.”
Where: 9325 N. Bayshore Dr., FL 33 138
6. The Plymouth Hotel, South BeachBack in the 1930s, the Plymouth Hotel was a prohibition-era den of sin, a place where ne’er-do-wells went to drink, carouse, and generally do things out of sight of puritanical eyes. “This was the cabaret district,” Karp says euphemistically. “It was where you went to get liquor, and it’s one of the only public historic buildings with an (original) mural of women showing their breasts.”
Yes, in the 1930s, showing skin in South Beach wasn’t quite as acceptable as it is today, but as the Plymouth was geared toward sexuality, its original artwork kept with the theme. As did the massive phallic tower that adorns the outside, and the inviting, oval-shaped lobby that Karp says is emblematic of female anatomy. When Karp and his team set out to restore the Plymouth and the Ansonia Hotel next door, they discovered the mural and instantly knew it told the hotel’s story.
“When you look at the cool, celebrated, cultured gay and lesbian destination that is the Plymouth Hotel [today], nobody knows that mural is so critical and important to Miami Beach history during cabaret and post prohibition days,” he says.
Where: 336 21st St, Miami Beach, FL 33139
7. The Bacardi Building, Midtown
Photo: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock
Perhaps no structure in Miami showcases the culture of early 1960s Miami quite like the Bacardi Building. The Cuban revolution had forced the rum giant out of its home in the islands, and as it set up shop in Miami the city was undergoing a wave of Tropical Modernist architecture. The two events collided to create this unusual office tower on Biscayne Boulevard, which looks to almost be floating above the ground. The cubic exterior is adorned in a ceramic mural from Brazilian artist Francisco Brennand, a work intended to reflect Miami’s international, tropical feel.
“At the time, Modernism was sweeping the nation,” says Lenard. “This is seeing how developers were adapting to Miami’s texture, color, and artisanal craft materials.”
The other half of the former Bacardi headquarters is the two-story annex, wrapped in stained glass and once home to Bacardi’s secretarial pool. The buildings are now home to the YoungArts foundation, who with the assistance of Frank Gehry is designing its new national campus.
Where: 2100 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33137 
I Spent a Weekend at a Dude Ranch in California. This Is What It Was Like.
Think of a dude ranch as the original western vacation. Steeped in Old West history and traditions, at California dude ranches, you can saddle up your pony to ride out against the backdrop of big skies in the morning and share stories beside the campfire at night.
For many, the feel-good factor of being around horses adds to the appeal, but you don’t have to be an experienced rider to spend time at a California dude ranch. Most ranches have children’s programs and cater as equally to beginners and novices as they do experts. But all dude ranches in California, Colorado, Wyoming, and other western states offer the opportunity to get outside and reconnect with nature.
So when I got the chance to visit Alisal Ranch in central California’s wine country, I happily dusted off my old wranglers and cowboy boots and jumped in the car to get my ranch-life fix for a couple of days.
It was easy to tell I had arrived in horse country
Photo: Keri Bridgwater
Just on the other side of Santa Barbara, turning onto Highway 154 — a scenic back road that winds across the San Marcos Pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains — signals my arrival in horse country. The late afternoon sun casts a warm glow over rolling hills dotted with oak trees. After passing through the Danish village of Solvang, I drove south for a few miles along Alisal Road until some wild turkeys heralded the sycamore-lined entrance to my California dude ranch of choice: Alisal Ranch.
Cats and horses ruled the roost, but the luxury was undeniable
Photo: Alisal Ranch
A row of cottages faces the ranch’s idyllic front pasture, where three horses were grazing. As the sun dipped behind the hills, I wandered down to take pictures of the trio, who I later found out were Ajax, Jessie, and Lane. In front of the guest reception, a tabby cat curled up fast asleep in a chair. The concierge says it’s either Tom or Jerry, one of Alisal’s “cats-in-charge.” This is my kind of place.
A working ranch since 1843, Alisal’s JRC logo stands for José Raimundo Carrillo, a Mexican-Spanish land grant recipient. Now, it’s the oldest continually operated cattle brand in California. It became a guest ranch in 1946 and was a favorite hideaway of Hollywood stars like Clark Gable, along with loyal local families who have come for generations. I’m a relative newcomer by the dude ranch’s standards.
The ‘resort’ side of Alisal includes a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a spa; this dude ranch is luxurious. Beyond that, there are two golf courses, a hiking trail, and a 100-acre bass fishing lake. When it comes to dude vacations, Alisal Ranch sits squarely in the luxury division.
My room wasn’t rustic at all, with wine and luxe furnishings
Photo: Keri Bridgwater
With not much time to explore before dinner and with light fading, I decided to get settled in my room. My dude ranch room didn’t have a phone or TV, but it had luxurious details like a Pendleton blanket and accessories, a cow-hide rug beside the fireplace, and a welcome bottle of Alisal Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. My dinner reservation was for 5:30 PM in the Creekside Dining Room (dress code: country formal, naturally) and was a three-course affair, including the warm chocolate chip cookie I took back to my room for dessert.
In the morning, I took a tour of the barns, rodeo grounds, and more
Photo: Keri Bridgwater
I woke up early to wander the grounds before breakfast the next morning. It was autumn, when mornings are crisp, and fallen sycamore leaves were everywhere. It turns out Alisal is a native Chumash word meaning “grove of sycamores.” Keen to see what the horses were doing, I strolled over to the barn.
There was a breakfast ride leaving for the adobe (included with the cost of a stay), and the ranch hands were getting things ready for a wagon ride, too. Beyond the prep areas, you could see corrals and stalls, home to around 100 horses. A little further past that are the rodeo grounds that come alive in June with real-life working cowboys, barrel races, western-style barbecues, and live country music through early fall.
Head wrangler Meghan Taylor gave me a tour. She’s been at Alisal Ranch since 2019 and is their youngest-ever head wrangler and the second woman in the role. A Santa Barbara native who rode on the California High School Rodeo circuit, Taylor lives and breathes horses. Along with her team, she developed the wrangler skill workshops (sadly, none were on the schedule during my visit) and shared that every horse is matched with their rider based on skill level or personality.
In the afternoon, I was paired with an advanced horse and hit the trails
Photo: Keri Bridgwater
Meghan paired me with Zippo for my advanced afternoon ride. He’s a sweet-looking chestnut gelding with a blaze face (a broad white stripe running down the middle). Growing up in England and riding since I was young, I’m no stranger to a stable yard and already knew how to comfortable ride on then western-style saddles since moving to California. I was joined by two ladies from the Pacific Northwest for my tour. They’re old friends who have traveled the world riding horses and had Alisal Ranch on their bucket list for years.
Once we mounted up, our horses walked single-file past another corral where the bulk of the horses not hitting the trails that day hang out. Oak trees shade our path for a while before the Santa Ynez Mountains and Los Padres National Forest fully revealed themselves. The trail ride had a beautiful view, and we stopped often for photos — you have to take some trail ride photos if you’re staying at a California dude ranch. It’s breathtaking.
Our trail guide told me Zippo likes being at the back (we were officially the caboose), and as we rode through a large swathe of belly-height grass, Zippo took the opportunity to nibble on a quick snack — he knows this trail well. Like me, it wasn’t his first rodeo. We got to lope and gallop in several sections, and Zippo responded in a sparky but steady way that left me feeling confident he wasn’t going to do anything too crazy. Galloping through the hills in California on a sunny afternoon is every bit as fantastic as it sounds.
I learned why it’s called a “dude ranch”
Photo: Alisal Ranch
It’s not all gorgeous views at Alisal Ranch – there’s history also. Our guide lead us through what was once a native Chumash campground. There’s a large rock at its center with deep holes made by Native Americans using rocks to mash and process grain.
We learned that back in the 1800s when cattle ranching was booming across the American West, East Coast city slickers (or “dudes,” as the cowboys called them) started moving out west to taste the cowboy lifestyle for a few weeks at a time in places like Wyoming and the Dakota Badlands. In the early days, it was considered insulting if you offered to pay to experience life on the ranches. But when ranchers hit hard times in the 1920s, many partnered with the Northern Pacific Railway to form the Dude Ranchers’ Association, offering hospitality and the “Wild West” experience in exchange for income. So essentially, a “dude ranch” has been a place for city slickers to experience western life since the concept was first established.
As we finished our horseback tour, it was hard not to think about everyone who had used the land now occupied by this California dude ranch, from native people and early Spanish and Mexican settlers to ranchers and Alisal guests.
I thanked Zippo for a great ride then headed to my room to relax before dinner. I finished with a cup of tea beside the fire before bed and turned in, knowing that I’d wake up tomorrow to live the dude ranch life for one more day.
There’s plenty to do other than horseback riding
Photo: Alisal Ranch
If you’ve never been to a dude ranch in California or elsewhere, you may think the agenda is just backcountry trail rides across the open range. But many dude ranches also run wrangler workshops to learn riding techniques like sitting correctly in the saddle and holding the reins with one hand and working cowboy skills from roping and cattle sorting to penning (moving cows into a pen).
Ever wondered what it’s like to catch a steer? You’ll want to take a roping class to learn to swing a loop and eventually “catch” a stationary cow-shaped dummy.
You can get deeper into the skills you’ll need to leave your city-slicker life behind by taking a sorting class in which you’ll learn the fundamentals of sorting cattle for branding, doctoring, or transportation purposes. I was assigned to a small team to separate a few cows from the herd and move them across an arena.
If that sounds like too much hard work, most ranches provide alternative outdoor activities from fly fishing and sharpshooting to hiking and rafting. Alisal Ranch has cycling and e-bike tours, paddle rentals, birdwatching tours, and a high-end spa.
What to pack for a dude ranch vacation
Author on horseback at Alisal Ranch. Photo: Keri Bridgwater
Think classic western apparel: cowboy hats (felt for cooler months, straw for summer), plaid shirts, silver belt buckles, and cowboy boots. If you’re planning to spend a few hours in the saddle each day, invest in at least one pair of western jeans. The inseam is two inches longer than a standard pair so they hang nicely over boots.
Non-cotton breathable tops like you’d wear hiking are great for layering, and an insulated vest is a good suitcase addition for staying warm without adding too much bulk. Leather boots with a protected toe and one-inch heel work well if you don’t have cowboy boots, while a bandana will protect your face from the dust. If in doubt, catch a few episodes of the hit TV show Yellowstone for style tips or just visit your nearest Boot Barn. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to gear up, but you don’t want to try to ride a horse in sweatpants.
Other dude ranches where you can saddle up in the American West
Photo: Auberge Resorts – The Lodge at Blue Sky
Not near any California dude ranches? No problem. There are lots of dude ranches west of the Rocky Mountains that range from camping retreats where you’ll drive cattle and horses to more luxe affairs with turn-down service and cozy lodgings.
We hope you love the dude ranch stays we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication. See our full Advertiser Disclosure here.
At the Burnt Well Guest Ranch in Roswell, New Mexico, the Regulator Ride and campout across Billy the Kid country will appeal to more seasoned riders. It includes a horse for the week, all your necessary tack, a “cowboy bedroll” and cot, and Dutch oven-cooked meals every night. On the luxury side, Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana, runs a five-day Cowgirl Getaway every fall packed with morning yoga sessions and trail rides – including one at sunset with wine tasting – and guided tours into Yellowstone National Park.
After a week of riding, guests at C Lazy U Ranch (a Colorado dude ranch in Granby) can demonstrate their newly learned horsemanship skills during the weekly Saturday afternoon “Shodeo.” In Arizona, riders of all levels get to meet and groom their horses before riding out among giant saguaros in the Sonoran Desert at Kay El Bar Guest Ranch, welcoming guests since 1918.
Besides the trail rides and western riding technique classes at The Lodge at Blue Sky near Park City in Utah, guests can sign up for natural horsemanship lessons held at the nearby Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation. Founded by Blue Sky owner Barb Phillips, the sanctuary rehabilitates rescue horses (or becomes their forever home). Guests can meet, groom, and help feed the rescues.
For a fast-paced experience in the Sierra Nevada, riders can visit a different version of a California dude ranch, joining in on a twice-yearly old-time working trail drive with Mammoth Lakes Pack Outfit. Guests will help move the herd of horses and mules between their winter and summer pastures, the latter of which is at Mammoth Lakes. Usually held in June and September, guests can look forward to camping out along the trail, having meals around the chuckwagon, and enjoying classic cowboy entertainment in the evenings.
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8 Insanely Cool Safaris You Can Do Over a Long Weekend
Going on a safari is the top item on many a person’s travel bucket list. Safaris offer a rare chance to see endangered animals you’d never be able to see otherwise (in the wild, at least). But it’s also because the once-in-a-lifetime adventure typically takes up loads of both time and money – it’s not something you can do every year. But if you can afford the flights (and somehow stave off jet lag) you can do a safari in a long weekend.
Don’t believe it? Whether you’re crossing a savanna or trekking through the Amazon, you can board a plane Thursday, safari all weekend, and often be back in your own bed by Monday night. Here are eight weekend safaris around the world you can do in only a few days.
1. Three-day gorilla trek in Rwanda
Photo: Visit Rwanda
This 72-hour whirlwind weekend safari has you arriving in the Rwandan capital of Kigali on night one, where you’ll spend the night in Flame Tree Village. Rwandan history and culture are the themes on the second day as you explore the city and learn about its pre-colonial and colonial times, as well as the tragic and tumultuous 1990s. This includes a trip to the harrowing genocide memorial, after which you’ll visit the renewed and thriving Kigali of today.
The third day begins bright and early, leaving for Volcanoes National Park at 6:30 in the morning. Once there, the park staff will assess your physical fitness and assign you a family of gorillas to visit. The rest of the morning and afternoon is a trek into the Virunga Mountains, where you’ll spend an hour or so with a family of gorillas. After the trek, it’s off to the Kigali airport, and back to real life.
Cost per person: About $1,650 based on double occupancy, plus $1,500 gorilla permitArrival airport: Kigali International Airport, Kigali, Rwanda2. Three-Day Peruvian trek to Monkey Island and the Lost Lagoon
Photo: Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock
After overnighting in Cusco, your first day of this Peruvian adventure begins with a short flight to Puerto Maldonado, where you’ll hop on a boat down the Madre de Dios River. The three-hour tour concludes at a wilderness lodge, where you’ll eat lunch before boarding another boat to Monkey Island. There, you’ll spend the afternoon hiking through monkey habitat, on the hunt for black spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and capuchin monkeys, plus tamarins and coatis.
Things get a little more active on day two, where you’ll start with a four-hour jungle trek to the Lost Lagoon. Along the way, you’ll encounter giant river otters, alligators, turtles, and all varieties of tropical birds. You’ll stop at a watchtower and ascend a spiral staircase to a viewing deck in the treetops looking out across the Amazon. After that, hop in a canoe and paddle around the Lost Lagoon, watching as alligators and turtles swim past.
After lunch — yes, that’s all before lunch — you’ll have the choice to go down river and visit a local family or recover in the lodge. On day three, it’s boats then small planes then bigger planes as you make the final trek home.
Cost per person: $775Arrival airport: Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, Cusco, Peru3. Overnight in Mikumi National Park
Photo: Dave Primov/Shutterstock
Talk about an action-packed weekend. This weekend safari tour de force kicks off at the ungodly hour of 5 AM in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. You won’t even stop for breakfast until two and a half hours into the drive, when you reach the town of Morogoro. From there, it’s an hour-ish more to Mikumi National Park, where you hit the ground running on your first of three game drives. After a brief lunch stop, it’s on for more game driving, trying to spot leopards, giraffes, lions, and other African favorites.
After a short night at the Mikumi Tourist Cottage, it’s time for – you guessed it – another game drive. You’ll spend the morning with all your favorite African animals, then take a short breakfast break and keep driving until around 11 AM. That’s when your driver picks you up and takes you back to Morogoro for lunch, then to the Dar es Salaam airport. By the time your plane takes off, you won’t be quite sure any of it really happened.
Cost per person: $700 single occupancy; $900 doubleArrival airport: Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania4. Day trip safaris in Nairobi National Park
Photo: mbrand85/Shutterstock
If you don’t mind your wild animal encounters with a backdrop of the city skyline, you won’t find a more convenient safari than the ones in Nairobi National Park. The park sits just half an hour by car from the Nairobi airport, and is almost walkable from downtown. Imagine Central Park with lions instead of hot dog vendors, and you’re getting the idea.
Half- and full-day safari trips abound in Nairobi National Park, where you can grab a guide and spend the afternoon observing elephants, rhinos, and giraffes. The park offers a little more than your typical wild reserve, including an educational center and even an elephant orphanage.
Cost per person: Half-day tours start at $110 Arrival airport: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya5. Long weekend moose and grizzly bear safari
Photo: NaturesMomentsuk/Shutterstocl
You don’t even need to leave North America for a long weekend safari and a chance to get up close with massive wild animals. While Manitoba’s famous polar bear expeditions are rarely less than seven-day affairs, you can still get out into the Canadian wilderness for the weekend and try your hand at spotting wild grizzlies. Chilcotin Ranch in the Chilcotin Mountains, about five hours north of Vancouver, takes guests on horseback treks through the wilderness. While riding, you’ll spot Canadian moose and bighorn sheep, and there’s also a good chance of seeing grizzly bears in their natural habitat.
You’ll be staying on a working mountain ranch and will have the option to take snowmobiles and 4x4s out on your own if you feel like exploring without a guide. All meals are included, as are your guide and the horseback safaris. The ranch offers an optional van service from the Vancouver Airport or you can rent a car and enjoy the scenic drive up. While the animals are the main attraction, the journey is equally as stunning as the destination.
Cost per person: $1,479Arrival airport: Vancouver International Airport, Vancouver, Canada6. Three-day “big five” Serengeti budget safari
Photo: Travel Stock/Shutterstock
Some might say encountering wild animals isn’t a time to go “budget.” But if you’re trying to be a low-cost Livingstone, this safari is a great option. After a night in Arusha, Tanzania, you’ll begin a long drive to the Ngorongoro Crater, passing through the vast savannas of Serengeti National Park. On the way, you’ll spend the night experiencing what’s described as “budget camping.”
Day two is effectively an all-day game drive through the Serengeti, rolling past cheetahs, lions, leopards, and zebras. Ultimately, you’ll reach the Ngorongoro Crater, a vast caldera in the plains. Then it’s another budget camping overnight before driving down into the crater, which happens to be the largest unbroken caldera in the world. After an action-packed game drive through the park, where spotting the “big five” in only a few hours isn’t unusual, you’ll head back to Arusha just before sunset. Then it’s time to catch a 16-hour economy class flight home.
Cost per person: $1,120Arrival airport: Arusha Airport, Arusha, Tanzania7. Long weekend safari in the Maasai Mara
Photo: Sergey Novikov/Shutterstocl
Acrophobics, scroll down, because in addition to coming extremely close to some of the fiercest animals on the planet, this weekend safari also takes you hundreds of feet into the air. The trip begins with an early morning pickup and a stop to marvel at the Great Rift Valley Escarpment. Once you’ve taken it in, it’s off to Narok Town for lunch, then to your tent accommodations at Miti Mingi Eco Camp. The nearby Oloolaimutia River is a popular watering hole for wild animals, so if you get up in the middle of the night to use the river and find yourself sharing space with a water buffalo, don’t be surprised.
Day two is an all-day game drive, and if you happen to come during the great wildebeest migration, you’re in for a full day of thundering herds. Even if you don’t, you’ll still be treated to plenty of elephants, crocodiles, and hippos. After another night at the Miti Mingi camp, you’ll enjoy a pre-dawn game drive, when lions and other big cats are hunting and at their most active. Or you can opt to jump in a hot air balloon and do your wildlife spotting from a thousand feet up. You’ll head back between 8:30 and 9:00 AM, effectively doing more before breakfast than you ever thought possible.
Cost per person: $860Arrival airport: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya8. Three-day crash course in Brazilian jungle survival
Photo: OSTILL is Franck Camhi/Shutterstock
This educational weekend safari is most certainly not glamping. The three-day stay in the Amazon will have you roughing it with monkeys and caimans. The hard-core trip kicks off with some good old-fashioned adrenaline, as you scream down the Rio Negro near Manaus, Brazil. You’ll arrive at a floating village, and spend some time with a giant Arapaima gigas. It’s the largest scaled fish n the work scaled fish in the world and can be longer than six feet. After meeting your first terrifying Amazon creature, you’ll see the meeting of the waters (where the black Rio Negro meets the brown Solimoes River) and eat lunch at a lodge.
The lodge is your last taste of development as you’ll next trek into the jungle to set up base camp. The night’s activities include a dark hike through the jungle or a night cruise looking for caimans. Your first morning brings an educational hike through the Amazon where you’ll learn about medicinal plants and spiders (try to keep the monkeys from stealing your sunglasses). Afternoon offers a little piranha fishing before another night boat ride.
Your final morning includes another nature hike and a short boat trip through some back-channel rivers. True survivalists can extend the trip for up to 10 days, learning how to trap animals, find non-poisonous plants, and generally not get eaten in the jungle.
Cost per person: $500Arrival airport: Manau International Airport AM Eduardo Gomes, Manaus, BrazilMore like thisBudget TravelYou Can Probably Afford That Dream African Safari, Here Is How.
6 Security Threats That Led To the TSA Rules We Have Today
I hate going through TSA security. I know what to expect as a frequent traveler who boards a dozen or so flights per year, yet the whole experience of getting through security is so taxing. I’ve even given in and become team checked-bag, forfeiting up to $60 a flight just because I don’t want to have to deal with measuring and pulling out liquids. And while every single time I’m taking my shoes off, I think “I need to apply for TSA PreCheck,” the thought is fleeting until the next time I arrive. And while I know that in no way is it the agent’s fault who is just doing their job, I have a disdain as they yell for me to take my shoes off, pull my laptop out, and walk through the full-body scanner with my hands up — not to mention, if I decide to get my hair braided before take off, the now expected head and back pat-down.
At 24, I don’t have memories of airport security before September 11, 2001, when your loved ones could walk you to the gate and you could board with your Bath and Body Works products intact. Security was low-level, carried out by independent contractors hired by airlines with nothing but metal detectors, as NPR reports.
But after the terrorist attack in the United States carried out by 19 hijackers who boarded planes at the airport in Portland, Maine; at Boston’s Logan International Airport, at Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey; and at Dulles International Airport in the Washington, DC, area; everything changed. And in November 2001, the Transportation Security Administration was born. Since then, the rules have evolved as security threats continue. Here are the reasons we have the TSA rules we do today.
Why you can’t bring knives or other sharp objects through airport security
Photo: Carolina K. Smith MD/Shutterstock
A rule that seems like a no-brainer — no knives or other sharp objects — was the direct result of the September 11. Some of the hijackers on September 11 were flagged because they set off metal detectors, but after being waved by a metal detecting wand, they were allowed to pass through. Some of the hijackers actually had knives and box cutters on their person. But at the time, even if they had been found, it wouldn’t have mattered: The FAA allowed knives of up to 4 inches on board, as NPR reports.
Now you can fly with your sharp knives, but they must be wrapped and stored in your checked luggage.
Why you can’t enter the boarding area without a ticket
Photo: David Tran Photo/Shutterstock
Similarly, this rule started as a direct result of 9/11. The government wanted to limit the number of people in boarding areas who could be considered a threat. You can still greet loved ones at the gate at select airports, but only if you’re accompanying a minor, a disabled passenger, an elderly passenger, or someone with special needs. To do so, you’ll need to obtain what is sometimes called a gate pass or escort pass. Some of these programs went away during the pandemic, but many have returned.
Why you have to take your shoes off at airport security
Photo: Jim Lambert/Shutterstock
If you’re tired of the feeling of a cold airport floor (hopefully you’ve remembered to wear socks during your travels), you can thank Richard Reid. On December 22, 2001, British-born terrorist Richard Reid tried to set off explosives that he had packed in his shoes on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Passengers successfully subdued Reid, and the flight was diverted to the closest airport in Boston.
Regardless, the plot wouldn’t have worked. It turns out that while Reid had carried on enough explosives to blow a hole in the plane, rainy weather and Reid’s foot perspiration made the fuse too damp. Yes, these passengers likely have foot sweat to thank for saving their lives. Since the incident, passengers must take their shoes off at the airport and have them scanned. I suggest your slip-on sneakers or socks paired with Birkenstocks to get you through quickly. For the love of God, please do not choose lace-ups.
Why liquids cannot be larger than 3.4 fluid ounces
Photo: Joni Hanebutt/Shutterstock
In August 2006, British authorities interrupted a terrorist plot to use liquid explosives on 10 aircrafts headed from London to the US and Canada. The explosives were to be disguised as soft drinks in plastic bottles. Following this, liquids, gels, and aerosols were completely banned from carry-ons until September 2006, when it was discovered that liquids under 3.4 fluid ounces would not be enough to severely damange an aircraft. However, full-size bottles might return to carry-on bags with a little luck. An airport in Ireland now allows liquids, gels, and aerosols of any size onto its flights after investing in CT scanners for carry-on luggage. The US plans to invest money into these machines as well.
Why there are body scanners and pat downs at airport security
Photo: Arina P Habich/Shutterstock
Gone or the days of simple metal detectors thanks to the underwear bomber. On Christmas Day 2009, al-Qaida extremist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit and tried to detonate an improvised explosive device that he hid in his underwear. Abdulmutallab planned to blow up the plane once it was flying over the US. He went to the bathroom to mix the chemicals using a plunger. But the mixture didn’t explode as he intended. Many believe there was too much moisture after the chemicals were inside his pants for so long (sweat saves the day again).
Instead, the mixture only set his pants on fire and burned Abdulmutallab, who fellow passengers and crew members then subdued. Abdulmutallab is also one of the causes of transphobic and invasive pat-downs when TSA agents use gender bias before having people walk through full-body scanners.
Why you have to take out computers and electronics larger than a cell phone
Photo: Jim Lambert/Shutterstock
Electronics have been subject to scrutiny at airports long before 2001. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded, killing 270 passengers and 16 crew members after a bomb hidden inside an audio cassette player detonated mid-flight. After that, the government added x-ray machines to airports for carry-on bags. But laptops started coming out of bags after 9/11 while, at the same time, the government was investing in CT scanners for checked luggage.
Security became worried that terrorists might hide items under thick laptops, which are difficult for x-ray machines to see through. In 2017, the TSA announced that an “increased threat to aviation security” will lead to increased security measures and that pulling out electronics bigger than a cellphone will allow scanners to receive a clearer picture.
There are some concerns that airport security has become more stringent for no reason. In fact, studies show that TSA screenings are not reliable in actually stopping a terrorist attack. This is something that’s typically done by other authorities or by passengers and crew once a plane is already in the air.
Regardless these are the rules that we’re stuck with for now.
8 Questions LGBTQ+ Travelers Should Ask Before Traveling Abroad
Editors note: Meg Cale shares with Matador Network some of her travel experiences and questions she has asked herself before planning a trip.
1. Do you feel comfortable closeting yourself when it’s necessary?I had moral questions for myself when I made the choice to leave the United States. I often thought: How could I live a lie and justify it to myself after so many years of discussing the importance of openness?
I justify being closeted to myself because I’ve learned that it is possible to lie about my identity for the sake of self-preservation, while still having conversations with the people around me about difference, stigma, and prejudice. This dialogue creates teachable moments while allowing me to feel safe at the same time.
Many straight people view “coming out” as a one-time thing — usually resulting in tears at Thanksgiving dinner — but the reality is that LGBTQ+ people come out over and over and over again. Because of heteronormativity, or the idea that someone is straight until proven gay, we have to make the choice to come out to every single person we meet.
I think Lindsay King Miller said it best in her article My Life As An Invisible Queer: “I wouldn’t necessarily mind people not knowing I’m gay, but I don’t like being thought of as straight — in the same way that I don’t mind people not knowing I’m a writer, but it would be awkward if they assumed I was an extreme skateboarder because that’s so far removed from the reality of my life.”
Queer travelers have to make this choice for themselves, and there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s what feels most comfortable for you in your travels.
2. Do you pass?It’s shitty that I even have to go here, but passing as straight and cisgender can be a huge privilege when you’re traveling through one of the 71 countries that have anti-LGBTQ+ laws. The simple, obvious solution is to avoid traveling to these countries. But if you did that, you’d be missing out on Kenya, Maldives, Barbados, Malaysia, and Morocco just to name a few.
Limiting yourself to countries that have anti-discrimination laws in place and are supportive of LGBTQ+ identity can be a safer solution while traveling, but this solution results in LGBTQ+ people missing out on so much of the world. And that’s not right, these places are rich in culture and everyone should be able to learn from and enjoy them.
3. What are the laws and public opinions of the country you’re visiting?Knowing the laws and policies of the area you’re visiting can help in an emergency. It also helps you make informed decisions regarding where you want to travel. Do they have marriage equality? What kind of anti-discrimination laws do they have in place? Has their government or national leadership made any statements about LGBTQ+ people? Check with IGLHRC to start your research, but keep in mind that a lack of laws or policies doesn’t necessarily mean the city or country should be crossed off your bucket list.
Take New York City for example. It’s one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly cities in the world and is considered the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, but most of its policy advances have only happened in the last few years. We all know laws don’t necessarily change society and keep in mind that the city you are visiting could be more welcoming than the country. Knowing this information can help you tailor your visit to areas that are more affirming of your identity. Knowing some common thoughts or ideas about LGBTQ+ people in the area may also help you decide how open to be with the people you meet along the road.
4. How can you reach out to the local LGBTQ+ community there?The internet connects people. Don’t be afraid to use it. Ask around. Is there an active community? Where do people hang out? Which areas should you avoid? Using Facebook, Instagram and other social networks can make this a lot easier. Also, apps like Tinder and Grindr can help, but play safe. Follow basic internet safety when meeting people, especially in countries that are more hostile towards LGBTQ+ people.
5. Are you traveling as a couple?Have a conversation with your love about the area you are visiting. Take into account how PDA is viewed in that country. In some countries, holding hands between people of the same sex is a regular occurrence, but kissing or other displays between anyone is considered inappropriate. Have this conversation before you decide to make the trip in an effort to prevent hurt feelings.
6. What about bathrooms?Weirdly, this has turned out to be the biggest obstacle for my partner Lindsay and me while traveling. Lindsay is six feet tall and has short hair. To anyone in a western country, Lindsay is obviously an androgynous woman. However, in Thailand, Abu Dhabi, Korea and the Philippines we ran into some very awkward situations. Lindsay would be minding her own business washing her hands at the bathroom sink and all of a sudden, some woman would start screaming at her to get out. This would be funny if it only happened once or twice, but having it happen every time, she tried to use a public restroom got old fast. In one extreme case, she was even hit by an old cleaning lady with a mop while she screamed at her in Korean. After that incident, she decided to just use the men’s restrooms in order to avoid this situation but soon realized there were enough foreigners in Seoul who knew she wasn’t a man to make the interactions awkward and potentially dangerous. It got to the point that she didn’t feel safe or comfortable using the bathroom in public unless I served as a bouncer at the door for her.
7. Can you use explicitly LGBTQ+ friendly products and services?Many international hotel chains and airlines have policies stating their position on the LGBT movement. Booking one of these hotels can be more expensive, but it gives you peace of mind that you’re supporting companies that support you. Hilton, Carlton, Marriott, and Wynn resorts all ranked with high marks on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
For products you need to buy before your trip, download Buycott. It’s an app for the socially conscious consumer. You use it to scan bar codes on products and then the app cross-checks the affiliated companies and brands to tell you if they conflict with one of your political commitments. Using this app can help you choose products that will support LGBTQ+ people over other brands that do not.
8. Are you planning to travel with condoms, sex toys, or other sexually explicit materials?Bringing condoms, lube, and other forms of protection with you while traveling is smart practice. If you plan to buy condoms in other countries, be aware there are some differences. International condom companies have varying levels of safety standards; try to find brands that are approved by the FDA. The packaging could be in another language and you may not be able to discern specifics of the products you are buying. Bring them with you in advance or make sure you do your homework on the products available in the country you are visiting well before the heat of the moment. It’s always a good idea to be cautious and do your homework before crossing borders with anything you think could be questionable.
A version of this article was previously published on October 13, 2014, and was updated on March 21, 2022.
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For the Truly Dedicated, Northern British Columbia Is the Best Place in the World To Heli-Ski
The helicopter cut a sharp 180-degree turn as it ascended towards the 5,899-foot summit of Mount Alice. A 30 mile-per-hour gust of wind had hit below us and we needed to make a move. Inside the cabin, the mood was ecstatic, despite the fact that the helicopter had already tried to land twice in the windy conditions. We’d just ripped down 2,000 feet of fresh powder for the 12th time that day. The six of us hoped for one more go before retreating to the lodge for happy hour. We were surrounded by the rocky peaks of British Columbia’s Coast Range, draped in late winter snowfall.
My calves were pulsating. I’d nearly lost my voice on the last run, unable to contain my joy as I flung myself off roller after roller onto blankets of untouched snow. By this point in the day, I knew one thing for certain: heli-skiing is everything it’s built up to be.
In early March, I embarked on a four-day heli-ski package with Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, a boutique heli-ski operator based in the northern British Columbia town of Terrace. I’d come to “The North,” as locals call it, to fulfill a dream I’d had since high school. That dream? To hop into a chopper, exit onto a daunting peak, and make my way down on a snowboard. And in Terrace, it was vividly alive.
Why northern British Columbia is the right place to heli-ski
Credit: Louis Pellard
Northern BC is an enchanting place, remote and far-removed from anything that could be described as a big city. This is the land of the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum peoples; to the north, the Nisga’a and Kitseguecla Nations. The expansive, mountainous region — the Coast Range has 2,806 named peaks — has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Only recently has outdoor recreation become a major economic driver, and now, heli-ski operators are a major force during the region’s long winter season.
Here, the mountains rise like a fortress from the Pacific. Rocky, white-capped peaks stretch 2,000 feet above treeline, their contoured faces lined with cliffs, couloirs, and open bowls of snow. The jagged peaks, turtlenecked by dense evergreen forest, are defined by steep avalanche chutes that create ribbons of white through the trees. On skis or a snowboard, the terrain is fast. We made 16 laps in the helicopter and measured just slightly more than 28,000 feet of vertical descent on our first day.
With two lodges, two choppers, and snowcats to serve as a backup option when the weather moves in and the helicopters can’t fly, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing has established itself as one of the outfitters that, rather than targeting the poodle-at-the-lodge luxury crowd, caters to skiers and riders looking to hit it hard. And that’s what drew me. Though I traveled to Terrace solo, I knew that my fellow riders would be a group of people passionate about reaching the best skiing terrain available — and as much of it is possible. And that’s exactly what happened when I reached the Yellow Cedar Lodge.
“Our perk here is that we’re able to fly almost every day,” our guide, Troy Grant, told us as we strapped in atop “Durango Nell,” a low-angled run we lapped a few times on the first day. “In Alaska, tours get socked in for days at a time, but we usually don’t have that type of weather here.”
Instead, they have bluebird powder. It’s not uncommon, Grant said, for guests to wake up to three feet of snow. The “classic” package I had joined, which runs from about $3,000 to more than $10,000 depending on when you go and how long you stay, included unlimited vertical. Over four days we took only two snowcat runs below treeline during a brief period of thick morning mist. The rest of the time was spent exploring the vastness of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing’s dedicated terrain by helicopter, which stretches across more than 2,100 square miles of high-alpine peaks. It’s a space nearly the size of Delaware.
Every day is better than the last
Credit: Tim Wenger
After 16 runs and almost 30,000 vertical feet of descent, my legs were feeling like jelly as I exited the helicopter at the end of the first day. A hot tub had never sounded so good. I grabbed a Sherwood Mountain Lava Red from the bar and suited up for a soak with the rest of my group. Northern Escape’s packages are all-inclusive (sans alcohol), with chef-prepared meals at breakfast and dinner and an après-ski happy hour, complete with gourmet snacks.
The helicopters seat six plus a guide. Because I arrived alone, I joined up with three New Yorkers and a raucous German couple and spent the bulk of my time skiing, soaking, and generally reveling in the experience with them. Paul, a doctor from northern Germany who now resides in Zurich, Switzerland, challenged us each evening to verify the sanctity of the Reinheitsgebot, Germany’s strict beer purity law that ensures beer should contain nothing more than barley, hops, and water. We did this by drinking local IPAs — at least two, most of which have a slew of other ingredients beyond the core four — and reporting how we felt the following morning.
“You should never feel bad after drinking beer,” he maintained — though he himself succumbed to the trendy craft brews on more than one occasion.
Results of the study are ongoing. Still, any bit of hangover or fatigue disappeared when we felt the stoke of seeing the chopper arrive (and felt the cold air and powder on our faces at 9 a.m.) Rising from the banks of the Skeena River to the high alpine in ten minutes, our crew came to favor the banked terrain of Mount Alice and surrounding runs including Chesire Cat, Wonderland, and Simba, all part of a zone called “Promised Land.” Even when we repeated runs, we still had fresh tracks — a benefit of having the terrain entirely to yourself.
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing is a carbon-neutral heli-ski company
Credit: Tim Wenger
Halfway through each day we’d break for lunch on the mountain at the bottom of a run. This is the only point during the ski day in which we interacted with the other two groups staying at Yellow Cedar Lodge. The two other groups were made up of 12 excellent skiers from Lyon, France. Flying over the tracks in the chopper, we’d repeatedly be wowed by their picture-perfect Euro turns, a stream of tightly wound and seemingly endless S-lines stacked 12 deep across the high country.
We’d lounge over sandwiches and thermoses of soup, sharing stoke from the morning’s adventures while the helicopter went on a refueling run. Choppers burn a lot of fuel – between six and 16 gallons per hour. Over the course of a season, that’s tens of thousands of gallons of fuel guzzled by each heli-ski operator around the globe. In addition to the aggressive riding protocol, the other factor that drew me to Northern Escape Heli-Skiing is that it is one of the few heli-ski companies doing something about its environmental impact.
Northern Escape’s sustainability efforts are aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a global framework for companies to measure and address their climate impacts. Along with Synergy Enterprises, which conducted the emissions audit, and Offsetters, which identifies and purchases the carbon offsets, Northern Escape measured its total annual environmental impact in both direct emissions (caused by its operations) and indirect emissions (caused by down-cycle emissions or consumer use of product/service).
The audit found the total daily emissions per Northern Escape skier to be 256 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). Just slightly more than 96 percent of that is from direct emissions, primarily fuel used to fly and maintain the helicopters, as well as operate the company’s lodging, kitchens, and other operations. To offset this impact, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing partners with Great Bear Forest Carbon Project to reduce harvest levels, trap more carbon from the atmosphere, and support Indigenous communities in the area. The company also partners with Brazil’s Lara Ceramic Fuel Switching Project to offset its emissions, swapping firewood with biomass to power a local ceramics plant. The company hopes to do more to address its impact in the future.
This makes Northern Escape a certified carbon-neutral heli-ski operator.
Credit: Louis Pellard
“Purchasing offsets is only an interim solution,” says John Forrest, General Manager at Northern Escape Heli-Skiing. “2021 was the first year of a lifetime journey. This year we are going through a carbon reduction audit and plan and will identify areas we can reduce our carbon footprint going forward. We want to minimize the purchasing of offsets in favor of actual reductions.”
Forrest says the company will do that by increasing the use of solar power and renewable energy at its lodges. It also plans to assess areas where emissions can be reduced and operations optimized on an ongoing basis, with accountability from its third-party partners.
“Since we depend on cold winters and deep powder, it’s in our business interests to not further add to climate change. And it’s also the right thing to do,” Forrest says.
A life’s dream now fulfilled
Credit: Louis Pellard
On the fourth and final morning, the guide Troy Grant caught me lightly sobbing in the boot room. My emotions got the best of me at multiple points during this trip, and I also felt it while in the high alpine terrain captivated by the sheer vastness of The North. Snowboarding has been the one constant in my life since my teenage years. In 2002, I saw the photo in Snowboarder magazine of Mike Basich jumping out of a helicopter from 100 feet above an Alaskan peak, board strapped to his feet like some sort of superhuman lunatic. I knew then that I wanted to push the sport as far as I could for myself. Even though I would never do anything that insane, by going on a multi-day heli-ski tour, I had proven to myself that I’d followed through.
As fads have come and gone, I’ve progressed from an angsty teen into an early-twenties lush, then from a young professional to a new dad, but carving lines in the snow has weaved the chapters together like transitions in a good novel. As I carried my board to the chopper on the first morning, I had been overtaken by mixed feelings of bliss, contentedness, and tranquility. It was nearly sublime, knowing before it happened that this would be one of the seminal experiences in my life. The blades spun, we lifted off, and as though these chapters had built to their inevitable climax, I had finally reached the point of no return.
For the Truly Dedicated, Northern British Columbia is the Best Place in the World to Heli-Ski
The helicopter cut a sharp 180-degree turn as it ascended towards the 5,899-foot summit of Mount Alice. A 30 mile-per-hour gust of wind had hit below us and we needed to make a move. Inside the cabin, the mood was ecstatic, despite the fact that the helicopter had already tried to land twice in the windy conditions. We’d just ripped down 2,000 feet of fresh powder for the 12th time that day. The six of us hoped for one more go before retreating to the lodge for happy hour. We were surrounded by the rocky peaks of British Columbia’s Coast Range, draped in late winter snowfall.
My calves were pulsating. I’d nearly lost my voice on the last run, unable to contain my joy as I flung myself off roller after roller onto blankets of untouched snow. By this point in the day, I knew one thing for certain: heli-skiing is everything it’s built up to be.
In early March, I embarked on a four-day heli-ski package with Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, a boutique heli-ski operator based in the northern British Columbia town of Terrace. I’d come to “The North,” as locals call it, to fulfill a dream I’d had since high school. That dream? To hop into a chopper, exit onto a daunting peak, and make my way down on a snowboard. And in Terrace, it was vividly alive.
Why northern British Columbia is the right place to heli-skiCredit: Louis Pellard
Northern BC is an enchanting place, remote and far-removed from anything that could be described as a big city. This is the land of the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum peoples; to the north, the Nisga’a and Kitseguecla Nations. The expansive, mountainous region — the Coast Range has 2,806 named peaks — has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Only recently has outdoor recreation become a major economic driver, and now, heli-ski operators are a major force during the region’s long winter season.
Here, the mountains rise like a fortress from the Pacific. Rocky, white-capped peaks stretch 2,000 feet above treeline, their contoured faces lined with cliffs, couloirs, and open bowls of snow. The jagged peaks, turtlenecked by dense evergreen forest, are defined by steep avalanche chutes that create ribbons of white through the trees. On skis or a snowboard, the terrain is fast. We made 16 laps in the helicopter and measured just slightly more than 28,000 feet of vertical descent on our first day.
With two lodges, two choppers, and snowcats to serve as a backup option when the weather moves in and the helicopters can’t fly, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing has established itself as one of the outfitters that, rather than targeting the poodle-at-the-lodge luxury crowd, caters to skiers and riders looking to hit it hard. And that’s what drew me. Though I traveled to Terrace solo, I knew that my fellow riders would be a group of people passionate about reaching the best skiing terrain available — and as much of it is possible. And that’s exactly what happened when I reached the Yellow Cedar Lodge.
“Our perk here is that we’re able to fly almost every day,” our guide, Troy Grant, told us as we strapped in atop “Durango Nell,” a low-angled run we lapped a few times on the first day. “In Alaska, tours get socked in for days at a time, but we usually don’t have that type of weather here.”
Instead, they have bluebird powder. It’s not uncommon, Grant said, for guests to wake up to three feet of snow. The “classic” package I had joined, which runs from about $3,000 to more than $10,000 depending on when you go and how long you stay, included unlimited vertical. Over four days we took only two snowcat runs below treeline during a brief period of thick morning mist. The rest of the time was spent exploring the vastness of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing’s dedicated terrain by helicopter, which stretches across more than 2,100 square miles of high-alpine peaks. It’s a space nearly the size of Delaware.
Every day is better than the lastCredit: Tim Wenger
After 16 runs and almost 30,000 vertical feet of descent, my legs were feeling like jelly as I exited the helicopter at the end of the first day. A hot tub had never sounded so good. I grabbed a Sherwood Mountain Lava Red from the bar and suited up for a soak with the rest of my group. Northern Escape’s packages are all-inclusive (sans alcohol), with chef-prepared meals at breakfast and dinner and an après-ski happy hour, complete with gourmet snacks.
The helicopters seat six plus a guide. Because I arrived alone, I joined up with three New Yorkers and a raucous German couple and spent the bulk of my time skiing, soaking, and generally reveling in the experience with them. Finn, a doctor from northern Germany who now resides in Zurich, Switzerland, challenged us each evening to verify the sanctity of the Reinheitsgebot, Germany’s strict beer purity law that ensures beer should contain nothing more than barley, hops, and water. We did this by drinking local IPAs — at least two, most of which have a slew of other ingredients beyond the core four — and reporting how we felt the following morning.
“You should never feel bad after drinking beer,” he maintained — though he himself succumbed to the trendy craft brews on more than one occasion.
Results of the study are ongoing. Still, any bit of hangover or fatigue disappeared when we felt the stoke of seeing the chopper arrive (and felt the cold air and powder on our faces at 9 a.m.) Rising from the banks of the Skeena River to the high alpine in ten minutes, our crew came to favor the banked terrain of Mount Alice and surrounding runs including Chesire Cat, Wonderland, and Simba, all part of a zone called “Promised Land.” Even when we repeated runs, we still had fresh tracks — a benefit of having the terrain entirely to yourself.
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing is the world’s first carbon-neutral heli-ski companyCredit: Tim Wenger
Halfway through each day we’d break for lunch on the mountain at the bottom of a run. This is the only point during the ski day in which we interacted with the other two groups staying at Yellow Cedar Lodge. The two other groups were made up of 12 excellent skiers from Lyon, France. Flying over the tracks in the chopper, we’d repeatedly be wowed by their picture-perfect Euro turns, a stream of tightly wound and seemingly endless S-lines stacked 12 deep across the high country.
We’d lounge over sandwiches and thermoses of soup, sharing stoke from the morning’s adventures while the helicopter went on a refueling run. Choppers burn a lot of fuel – between six and 16 gallons per hour. Over the course of a season, that’s tens of thousands of gallons of fuel guzzled by each heli-ski operator around the globe. In addition to the aggressive riding protocol, the other factor that drew me to Northern Escape Heli-Skiing is that it appears to be one of, if not the only, heli-ski companies doing something about its environmental impact.
Northern Escape’s sustainability efforts are aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a global framework for companies to measure and address their climate impacts. Along with Synergy Enterprises, which conducted the emissions audit, and Offsetters, which identifies and purchases the carbon offsets, Northern Escape measured its total annual environmental impact in both direct emissions (caused by its operations) and indirect emissions (caused by down-cycle emissions or consumer use of product/service).
The audit found the total daily emissions per Northern Escape skier to be 256 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). Just slightly more than 96 percent of that is from direct emissions, primarily fuel used to fly and maintain the helicopters, as well as operate the company’s lodging, kitchens, and other operations. To offset this impact, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing partners with Great Bear Forest Carbon Project to reduce harvest levels, trap more carbon from the atmosphere, and support Indigenous communities in the area. The company also partners with Brazil’s Lara Ceramic Fuel Switching Project to offset its emissions, swapping firewood with biomass to power a local ceramics plant. The company hopes to do more to address its impact in the future.
This makes Northern Escape the world’s first certified carbon-neutral heli-ski operator.
Credit: Louis Pellard
“Purchasing offsets is only an interim solution,” says John Forrest, General Manager at Northern Escape Heli-Skiing. “2021 was the first year of a lifetime journey. This year we are going through a carbon reduction audit and plan and will identify areas we can reduce our carbon footprint going forward. We want to minimize the purchasing of offsets in favor of actual reductions.”
Forrest says the company will do that by increasing the use of solar power and renewable energy at its lodges. It also plans to assess areas where emissions can be reduced and operations optimized on an ongoing basis, with accountability from its third-party partners.
“Since we depend on cold winters and deep powder, it’s in our business interests to not further add to climate change. And it’s also the right thing to do,” Forrest says.
A life’s dream now fulfilledCredit: Louis Pellard
On the fourth and final morning, the guide Troy Grant caught me lightly sobbing in the boot room. My emotions got the best of me at multiple points during this trip, and I also felt it while in the high alpine terrain captivated by the sheer vastness of The North. Snowboarding has been the one constant in my life since my teenage years. In 2002, I saw the photo in Snowboarder magazine of Mike Basich jumping out of a helicopter from 100 feet above an Alaskan peak, board strapped to his feet like some sort of superhuman lunatic. I knew then that I wanted to push the sport as far as I could for myself. Even though I would never do anything that insane, by going on a multi-day heli-ski tour, I had proven to myself that I’d followed through.
As fads have come and gone, I’ve progressed from an angsty teen into an early-twenties lush, then from a young professional to a new dad, but carving lines in the snow has weaved the chapters together like transitions in a good novel. As I carried my board to the chopper on the first morning, I had been overtaken by mixed feelings of bliss, contentedness, and tranquility. It was nearly sublime, knowing before it happened that this would be one of the seminal experiences in my life. The blades spun, we lifted off, and as though these chapters had built to their inevitable climax, I had finally reached the point of no return.
For the Truly Dedicated, Nothern British Columbia is the Best Place in the World to Heli-Ski
The helicopter cut a sharp 180-degree turn as it ascended towards the 5,899-foot summit of Mount Alice. A 30 mile-per-hour gust of wind had hit below us and we needed to make a move. Inside the cabin, the mood was ecstatic, despite the fact that the helicopter had already tried to land twice in the windy conditions. We’d just ripped down 2,000 feet of fresh powder for the 12th time that day. The six of us hoped for one more go before retreating to the lodge for happy hour. We were surrounded by the rocky peaks of British Columbia’s Coast Range, draped in late winter snowfall.
My calves were pulsating. I’d nearly lost my voice on the last run, unable to contain my joy as I flung myself off roller after roller onto blankets of untouched snow. By this point in the day, I knew one thing for certain: heli-skiing is everything it’s built up to be.
In early March, I embarked on a four-day heli-ski package with Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, a boutique heli-ski operator based in the northern British Columbia town of Terrace. I’d come to “The North,” as locals call it, to fulfill a dream I’d had since high school. That dream? To hop into a chopper, exit onto a daunting peak, and make my way down on a snowboard. And in Terrace, it was vividly alive.
Why northern British Columbia is the right place to heli-skiCredit: Louis Pellard
Northern BC is an enchanting place, remote and far-removed from anything that could be described as a big city. This is the land of the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum peoples; to the north, the Nisga’a and Kitseguecla Nations. The expansive, mountainous region — the Coast Range has 2,806 named peaks — has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Only recently has outdoor recreation become a major economic driver, and now, heli-ski operators are a major force during the region’s long winter season.
Here, the mountains rise like a fortress from the Pacific. Rocky, white-capped peaks stretch 2,000 feet above treeline, their contoured faces lined with cliffs, couloirs, and open bowls of snow. The jagged peaks, turtlenecked by dense evergreen forest, are defined by steep avalanche chutes that create ribbons of white through the trees. On skis or a snowboard, the terrain is fast. We made 16 laps in the helicopter and measured just slightly more than 28,000 feet of vertical descent on our first day.
With two lodges, two choppers, and snowcats to serve as a backup option when the weather moves in and the helicopters can’t fly, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing has established itself as one of the outfitters that, rather than targeting the poodle-at-the-lodge luxury crowd, caters to skiers and riders looking to hit it hard. And that’s what drew me. Though I traveled to Terrace solo, I knew that my fellow riders would be a group of people passionate about reaching the best skiing terrain available — and as much of it is possible. And that’s exactly what happened when I reached the Yellow Cedar Lodge.
“Our perk here is that we’re able to fly almost every day,” our guide, Troy Grant, told us as we strapped in atop “Durango Nell,” a low-angled run we lapped a few times on the first day. “In Alaska, tours get socked in for days at a time, but we usually don’t have that type of weather here.”
Instead, they have bluebird powder. It’s not uncommon, Grant said, for guests to wake up to three feet of snow. The “classic” package I had joined, which runs from about $3,000 to more than $10,000 depending on when you go and how long you stay, included unlimited vertical. Over four days we took only two snowcat runs below treeline during a brief period of thick morning mist. The rest of the time was spent exploring the vastness of Northern Escape Heli-Skiing’s dedicated terrain by helicopter, which stretches across more than 2,100 square miles of high-alpine peaks. It’s a space nearly the size of Delaware.
Every day is better than the lastCredit: Tim Wenger
After 16 runs and almost 30,000 vertical feet of descent, my legs were feeling like jelly as I exited the helicopter at the end of the first day. A hot tub had never sounded so good. I grabbed a Sherwood Mountain Lava Red from the bar and suited up for a soak with the rest of my group. Northern Escape’s packages are all-inclusive (sans alcohol), with chef-prepared meals at breakfast and dinner and an après-ski happy hour, complete with gourmet snacks.
The helicopters seat six plus a guide. Because I arrived alone, I joined up with three New Yorkers and a raucous German couple and spent the bulk of my time skiing, soaking, and generally reveling in the experience with them. Finn, a doctor from northern Germany who now resides in Zurich, Switzerland, challenged us each evening to verify the sanctity of the Reinheitsgebot, Germany’s strict beer purity law that ensures beer should contain nothing more than barley, hops, and water. We did this by drinking local IPAs — at least two, most of which have a slew of other ingredients beyond the core four — and reporting how we felt the following morning.
“You should never feel bad after drinking beer,” he maintained — though he himself succumbed to the trendy craft brews on more than one occasion.
Results of the study are ongoing. Still, any bit of hangover or fatigue disappeared when we felt the stoke of seeing the chopper arrive (and felt the cold air and powder on our faces at 9 a.m.) Rising from the banks of the Skeena River to the high alpine in ten minutes, our crew came to favor the banked terrain of Mount Alice and surrounding runs including Chesire Cat, Wonderland, and Simba, all part of a zone called “Promised Land.” Even when we repeated runs, we still had fresh tracks — a benefit of having the terrain entirely to yourself.
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing is the world’s first carbon-neutral heli-ski companyCredit: Tim Wenger
Halfway through each day we’d break for lunch on the mountain at the bottom of a run. This is the only point during the ski day in which we interacted with the other two groups staying at Yellow Cedar Lodge. The two other groups were made up of 12 excellent skiers from Lyon, France. Flying over the tracks in the chopper, we’d repeatedly be wowed by their picture-perfect Euro turns, a stream of tightly wound and seemingly endless S-lines stacked 12 deep across the high country.
We’d lounge over sandwiches and thermoses of soup, sharing stoke from the morning’s adventures while the helicopter went on a refueling run. Choppers burn a lot of fuel – between six and 16 gallons per hour. Over the course of a season, that’s tens of thousands of gallons of fuel guzzled by each heli-ski operator around the globe. In addition to the aggressive riding protocol, the other factor that drew me to Northern Escape Heli-Skiing is that it appears to be one of, if not the only, heli-ski companies doing something about its environmental impact.
Northern Escape’s sustainability efforts are aligned with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a global framework for companies to measure and address their climate impacts. Along with Synergy Enterprises, which conducted the emissions audit, and Offsetters, which identifies and purchases the carbon offsets, Northern Escape measured its total annual environmental impact in both direct emissions (caused by its operations) and indirect emissions (caused by down-cycle emissions or consumer use of product/service).
The audit found the total daily emissions per Northern Escape skier to be 256 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent). Just slightly more than 96 percent of that is from direct emissions, primarily fuel used to fly and maintain the helicopters, as well as operate the company’s lodging, kitchens, and other operations. To offset this impact, Northern Escape Heli-Skiing partners with Great Bear Forest Carbon Project to reduce harvest levels, trap more carbon from the atmosphere, and support Indigenous communities in the area. The company also partners with Brazil’s Lara Ceramic Fuel Switching Project to offset its emissions, swapping firewood with biomass to power a local ceramics plant. The company hopes to do more to address its impact in the future.
This makes Northern Escape the world’s first certified carbon-neutral heli-ski operator.
Credit: Louis Pellard
“Purchasing offsets is only an interim solution,” says John Forrest, General Manager at Northern Escape Heli-Skiing. “2021 was the first year of a lifetime journey. This year we are going through a carbon reduction audit and plan and will identify areas we can reduce our carbon footprint going forward. We want to minimize the purchasing of offsets in favor of actual reductions.”
Forrest says the company will do that by increasing the use of solar power and renewable energy at its lodges. It also plans to assess areas where emissions can be reduced and operations optimized on an ongoing basis, with accountability from its third-party partners.
“Since we depend on cold winters and deep powder, it’s in our business interests to not further add to climate change. And it’s also the right thing to do,” Forrest says.
A life’s dream now fulfilledCredit: Louis Pellard
On the fourth and final morning, the guide Troy Grant caught me lightly sobbing in the boot room. My emotions got the best of me at multiple points during this trip, and I also felt it while in the high alpine terrain captivated by the sheer vastness of The North. Snowboarding has been the one constant in my life since my teenage years. In 2002, I saw the photo in Snowboarder magazine of Mike Basich jumping out of a helicopter from 100 feet above an Alaskan peak, board strapped to his feet like some sort of superhuman lunatic. I knew then that I wanted to push the sport as far as I could for myself. Even though I would never do anything that insane, by going on a multi-day heli-ski tour, I had proven to myself that I’d followed through.
As fads have come and gone, I’ve progressed from an angsty teen into an early-twenties lush, then from a young professional to a new dad, but carving lines in the snow has weaved the chapters together like transitions in a good novel. As I carried my board to the chopper on the first morning, I had been overtaken by mixed feelings of bliss, contentedness, and tranquility. It was nearly sublime, knowing before it happened that this would be one of the seminal experiences in my life. The blades spun, we lifted off, and as though these chapters had built to their inevitable climax, I had finally reached the point of no return.
The 20 Happiest Countries in the World, 2022
There’s a lot to unpack as we enter the spring of 2022. There’s the ongoing pandemic, the threat of more frequent catastrophic weather events from climate change, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
And yet, even as the world undergoes disastrous and devastating problems, people are finding ways to not only make it, but be happy. The World Happiness Report, a publication from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network that uses Gallup World Poll data, recently put out its 10th anniversary edition. The latest found that benevolence has had a solid increase around the world, even as unforeseen problems pop up.
For the past 10 years, the World Happiness report has used annual survey data with responses from thousands of people in 150 countries. This year’s report uses survey data from the Gallup World Poll from 2019 to 2021. The Gallup World Poll measures levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption. It then compares them to the benchmark country — a hypothetical dystopia that has the world’s lowest levels in these categories.
The world’s happiest countries tend to be Nordic, with Finland ranking the happiest country for the fifth year in a row. Denmark and Sweden took second and third place. These countries score high in all six categories, receiving overall scores of 7.3 or higher out of eight. Norway came in at number eight, and it’s safe to say the concept of friluftsliv might have something to do with that. The Netherlands, with its refreshing uitwaaien habit, made it to number five. The United States ranks 16th with a score of 6.977.
The 20 happiest countries in the world:Finland (7.821)Denmark (7.636)Iceland (7.557)Switzerland (7.512)Netherlands (7.415)Luxembourg* (7.404)Sweden (7.384)Norway (7.365)Israel (7.364)New Zealand (7.200)Austria (7.163)Australia (7.162)Ireland (7.041)Germany (7.034)Canada (7.025)United States (6.977)United Kingdom (6.943)Czechia (6.920)Belgium (6.805)France (6.687)War-torn regions saw the lowest scores, with Afghanistan ranked 150th. And while Israel ranks ninth, the Palestinian territories come in at 122nd. Russia ranked 80th in this year’s report and Ukraine ranked 98th, though these numbers are obviously expected to change in the next report.
Where to Stay: Zion National Park
Imagine yourself with family, friends, or even alone on horseback, meandering the trails in and around Zion National Park. After a day of hiking or canyoneering, what’s better than relaxing by the pool or hot tub with a stunning view of the desert mountains behind you? Experience all this and more at Utah’s first-ever national park and really immerse yourself in the park’s nature, wildlife, and historical landmarks and features. Really get up close and personal with the park at these Zion lodging and dive into the geology, tours and history, and culture that Zion has to offer.
We hope you love the Zion lodging options we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication. See our full Advertiser Disclosure here.
Cable Mountain Lodge
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
The Cable Mountain Lodge is adjacent to the Zion National Park visitors center. Enjoy the best of both worlds here with the amenities of a top luxury hotel while experiencing the wilderness and nature of the national park. The lodge offers residences, suites, and studios. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in a relaxed mood, the lodge has an on-site spa and other amenities, including a pool and hot tub.
Price: From $296 per night
Under Canvas ZionPhoto: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Want to feel what it’s like to sleep under the stars? This glamping experience Under Canvas Zion gives you that perfect opportunity to take on nature head-on and experience all that Zion has to offer. Under Canvas, Zion offers guests three tent types: the Suite, Angles Landing Suite, and the Stargazer. Amenities include on-site dining, fire pit, and smores, activities like yoga and kids activities, experience coordinate, and the tents include West Elm furnishings.
Price: From $439 per night
Zion Mountain Ranch
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Slow down and unwind and take in the mountains wildlife with this premier Zion lodging with Zion Mountain Ranch. Zion Mountain Ranch is the authentic western experience perfect for anyone. The ranch has private cabins and premier lodges for any type of stay, whether a family, couples, or solo adventure. Zion Mountain Ranch hosts plenty of activities like jeep tours, canyoneering, guided hikes, and more.
Price: From $249 per night
Zion National Park Lodge
Photo: Zion National Park Lodge
Photo: Zion National Park Lodge
Set inside Zion National Park as the only “in-park” lodging is the Zion National Park Lodge. This lodging is now open and offers historic cabins, hotels, suites, and accessible rooms. This Zion lodging has many unique experiences and outdoor activities with its prime location. You can experience the geology of zion, tram rides, and more on-site activities. Zion National Park Lodge lodging does offer two dining options. There is Castle Dome Cafe for a casual, laid-back feel, and more upscale dining is found at the Red Rock Grill.
Price: From $220 per night
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Just East of Zion National Park is the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. This ranch resort has eight different accommodation options, each unique but upholding the mantra of the desert — solitude is king, and respect for nature is the lay of the land. There are lodging options from cabin suites to deluxe glamping to vacation homes. This resort also offers four guided recreation activities to explore like no other. The resort hosts many retreats and events like corporate retreats, experimental education events, family reunions, and outdoor women retreats.
Price: From $306 per night
Hampton Inn & Suites Springdale/Zion National Park
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Just off Route 9 and less than a mile away from local restaurants and cafes is this Hampton Inn & Suites Springdale/Zion National Park hotel. This hotel is five minutes away from the Zion National Park visitor center and The O.C. Tanner Amphitheater. This hotel offers standard rooms, suites, and accessible rooms.
Price: From $362 per night
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Springdale Zion National Park
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Experience a luxury Zion lodging stay at the Springhill Suites Premier hotel. This luxury hotel is centrally located and offers many amenities like a seasonal outdoor pool and hot tub with canyon views, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and even viewing the night sky on a stroll along the Virgin River.
Price: From $309 per night
The Dwellings
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Want to feel like you’re on the edge of the earth? Well, these remote luxury tiny homes give you just that feeling and more. The Dwellings are inspired by smaller footprint living spaces. This zion lodging is just 25 minutes away from Zion National Park. These tiny homes have a cocktail bar in the backyard direct access to the Confluence Park Trail, and each of them comes with a private patio with stunning views. The Dwellings are centrally located and have easy access to other restaurants, grocery stores, and other shops.
Price: From $219 per night
Driftwood Lodge
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Photo: Booking.com
Experience luxury and comfort right near the heart of Zion at the Driftwood Lodge. The Driftwood Lodge has everything you need to explore nature, create your next adventure at Zion and relax and unwind. At Driftwood Lodge, you can experience views of the canyon, Virgin River, The Watchman, and The West Temple. On these 17 acres of private property, the luxury hotel rooms have private balconies and patios, a pool, riverfront beach access, wildlife on the property, and a top-rated contemporary, American cuisine restaurant called Kings Landing Bistro.
Price: From $670 per night
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