Archive for May, 2008

Beginner Scuba Diver in Acapulco

A devout snorkeler of many years I didn’t see much reason to try scuba diving. All that equipment and training seemed like a lot of hassle, and for what? Getting a couple of feet closer to some fish? Two things changed my mind: my cousin got certified and couldn’t stop talking about scuba diving and on a trip to New Zealand all the scuba divers talked about how they saw way more super cool marine creatures than the snorkelers did. I might have been missing out on something, and there was one way to find out!

A dozen dives later I can say that scuba diving is way superior to snorkelling in most cases, and I heartily encourage anyone who can to give it a try.

1. More fish! More coral! More of everything pesky and aquatic!

Most animals that live in the ocean have a healthy fear of humans, we often try to eat them or accidentally hit them with boats, stuff like that. Over time our aquatic friends have learned that if they stay down in the water deeper they are way less likely to run into us. If you think you’re seeing quite a few fish snorkelling, I guarantee there’s at least ten times more ten more feet down, you’re just seeing the daring ones. Some sea creatures require a deeper water habitat, so you won’t see them unless you visit. For example, in the Galapagos Islands, we snorkeled every day, and saw plenty of animals all over the place, but it was only scuba diving that anyone was able to spot hammerhead sharks.

2. Scuba diving isn’t difficult and doesn’t always require certification.

Great Barrier Reef Scuba Divers

All the equipment basically works without much effort on the part of the diver. You just breathe and check your gauge to make sure you’re not going to run out of air. A common misconception is that you need to be certified to scuba dive. This is sort of not true. Sometimes yes, you do need an appropriate certification for the dive conditions. Often you can do a discovery course (or resort course) which basically means, after a bit of primer on how to dive, you go on a guided shallow water dive. It is a good test run for more serious scuba diving and you’ll get a good idea if you like scuba or not. These courses are really common in Mexico and the Caribbean (where conditions are calm), and believe it or not, Viator has more 60 dive experiences for people who’ve never been scuba diving. I guarantee you will not miss accidentally inhaling some seawater through your snorkel.

3. Fortress of Solitude.

When you snorkel you hear lots of things, like people, waves, boats, your kicking. And the fish hear all that too, which makes them not so excited to hang out with you. The thing I like the most about scuba diving is that you hear almost nothing. You hear your breathing. The experience is really quite peaceful. Also, the marine life get a lot less worried about you, so they swim right by you, and often don’t mind you swimming right up to them. At times, I give up on swimming all together and just drift lazily with the current.

At the bottom of the sea its a different world, one well worth exploring, so ditch the snorkel and give scuba a try on your next trip!

–Kelly G

Convinced you need to take the plunge and scuba dive on your next trip? Check out all the scuba diving Viator has to offer worldwide.

Everywhere I look lately I see something about Indiana Jones and travel. Maybe because the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie opening is soon he’s getting some press. Indiana Jones “adventure” tours and packages are cropping up. I’m not sure how any organized travel package can be an adventure exactly, since by definition an adventure has unknown risks (go ahead, look it up). Nonetheless, people are motivated by Indy’s worthy example to brush off their fedoras and book highly organized trips to far flung locations that seem like an adventure to them. I’m for anything that encourages travelers to get out and see the world, and the Indiana Jones movies provide plenty of motivation.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

A classic, there’s never anything like the first in a series. It is not yet possible to travel back to the 1936 Cairo that myself and many others became enchanted by in this movie, but I dare to dream that someday it might be. Actually, the bulk of the Cairo and desert scenes of Egypt were actually filmed in Tunisia (note that you never see a pyramid in the movie). This is a minor detail that does not stop excited travelers from flocking to Cairo to discover for themselves the archaeological wonders of Egypt. I recently ran across a couple of Cairo traveler photos on Viator, and I have to say that any tour where you see an archaeological dig in Cairo would probably meet with Dr. Jones’ approval.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

My brother and I argue quite a bit over the merits of this movie, I say it has none, he argues that it does. The one thing we both agree on is that India looks beautiful in this movie - the palace, the village, the countryside, the Himalayas are all magical. Again, Hollywood is fooling us, India was actually played by a southern neighbor, Sri Lanka. And Hong Kong was portrayed in an admirable performance by Macau. The otherwise very annoying Kate Capshaw (could she be screaming more in this movie?) serves as a good reminder that even when you’re having a rough travel moment, everything will work out ok, you’ll be clean and dressed to the nines again in no time.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The Treasury at Petra

The without a doubt number one destination in this installment is Petra in Jordan. I have never read a post-Last Crusade travel article about Petra that fails to mention The Treasury provided the now famous facade for the home of the Holy Grail. It must be mysterious and wonderful to emerge from the Siq (the narrow path that leads to Petra) to such an awesome sight. And, mercifully, Petra was actually filmed in Petra, making it the easiest of the Indiana Jones’ adventures to replicate.

A close runner up for best destination is Venice, and I would be remiss not to mention it. Venice is a city of romance, for travelers and Indiana Jones alike (we all know she’s a Nazi, but he can’t help it). Gondola rides, secret itinerary tours, and names like “the Bridge of Sighs” all evoke a sense of mystery and love lost or found. Like the answers to the clues Indiana Jones is solving there, Venice is hiding its secrets in plain sight.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Until I see the movie I’m not sure what travel inspiration it will provide, but I sincerely hope not too much of it will be computer generated destinations unattainable by travelers. I liked that the first three movies lived out the fantasy of adventuring to far off locales, its become a bit of a hallmark of the series that I think fans expect, and I hope the latest installment does the same.

– Kelly G

Viator staff are always taking the tours we offer on the site; it’s our business, so it makes sense. And every now and again a whole bunch of us take the afternoon off and do one of our tours as a group: that happened a few weeks ago in San Francisco, when we headed down to Fisherman’s Wharf to test out the San Francisco Segway Tour.

I remember back in 2001 when rumors about Dean Kamen and his new invention, code-named Ginger, apparently, that was going to change the world. Kamen is a legendary inventor who had done pioneering work on wheelchairs that could climb stairs, and the idea for a more general- purpose “personal transporter” grew from that. John Doerr, the doyen of Silicon Valley VCs, predicted Segway may be the fastest company to reach $1 billion in sales, while Steve Jobs said Segway would be as big a deal as the PC.

Well, none of that happened, not because Segways aren’t amazing, but — probably — because most people feel a little dorky when they ride one. If you had seen John on our Segway tour, well, you’d understand what I mean…

Anyway, the one place that Segways have found a real niche is as a sightseeing tour vehicle. Doing a sightseeing tour on a Segway is much more fun than a walking tour, and maybe even better than a bike tour: it’s certainly a lot less effort, you cover a whole lot of ground, so you see more, and you get the added fun of riding this amazing vehicle (and the added satisfaction of not falling off.)

Some locations are just made for Segways: ie they’re flat, there’s plenty to see, and the sights are widely spread out, so there’s a good reason to ride around! San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf fits this bill perfectly: you’d be walking all day if you wanted to see it all, but on a Segway you can cruise around most of it in a couple of hours, then walk back to the bits you want to explore more. Or not, as you please.

The Segway office and “training ground” is just by the cable car turnaround point, so it’s easy to find. Training doesn’t sound like fun but it turns out to be a laugh (see note re John, above) and we were all experts, truly, a half-hour later when we headed off for the tour. We did look dorky in our yellow vests, I’ll admit; and we were the object of many double-takes as tourists tried to figure out who and what we were.

Viator’s bike and Segway tours all follow a familiar pattern: a knowledgeable and generally amusing guide acts like a Mother Hen, making sure no-one gets left behind (John, again) while educating us as we go along. It’s hard to know what’s the best part: getting to know more about the Wharf area — and there’s a lot to know — or just cruisin’ on the Segway. Especially when the guide lets us take speed limiters off and we’re allowed to do 20mph. That’s pretty cool. And none of us fell off, which sounded impressive until we heard that out of about a hundred thousand people who’ve done the tour only five have ever fallen. But we were proud, anyway…

–Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s things to do in San Francisco and first-time visitors to San Francisco.

Berlin, London, Paris, Rome, Mudgee, Como… I’ve been everywhere, man – from the city to the sea – and, well, its just not working for me now. I reckon I must be over it. Not like a whinging tourist in a queue for something they don’t really want to see, or a pouting child that could only be happy with more ice cream, nor even that “ennui” that the French do so well, but, y’know, that’s it.

Full. Enough. Genug.

Don’t worry, no straws on camels backs here ‘cos I’ve at least got the good sense to get going while the going’s good, but I reckon that I couldn’t look at another Basilica, thrall at another platz or swoon in the presence of man-made greatness again for, oh, at least a week.

I’m thinking I’ve come down with what the travel doctor might call the Hauptstadt Blues.

A case of the blues

Repeat with Jack: Tomorrow, tomorrow… the sun will come out tomorrow…

Capital cities are swell and all, everything is there, everyone knows it and you need want for nothing – but there comes a time in a man’s life when a bit of peace and solidity is what makes for the bedrock of sanity. It’s happened before: I hit the road years before and headed outback, found it all and then came back. It’s not like the world is a better or worse place for it all, it’s really only this capital city thing that’s got me. “You’ve got to go to this”, “you’ve got to see that” – mind you things like that are not always just in the Capitals, but after a while it’s that attitude, like a pigeon’s chest puffed with pride at what such a great city it is, what its become, that ultimately cruels it for me. I reckon its time for a bit of back-to-basics grit-and-dirt reality, but this time Euro-style. When you’re over the city, hit the country!

The cure? Get a rail pass & get random

You might be able to traverse a smattering of stretched out locations on the wheels of steel in the outback, but over here? Crikey, a man is spoilt for choice! First up, arm yourself – get a rail pass. Nice as it is, after a couple of trips on the train you might feel that the ticket inspector just needs a parrot on his shoulder in some places the way they charge for the tickets – and who can be bothered booking ahead for the specials all the time? Grab a Eurail pass – they come in a range of colours and sizes, from travel everyday to a selection of days in a number of months (like 8 days out of 2 months for instance). You can go global or choose a couple of countries (1, 3 or 5 perhaps).

And now you’re all planned-up - get random! Grab a rucksack and head for the door – the world’s your oyster and feel free to add a little tang and down it in one gulp. Like an eternal return to a place that was once better, with a fire in your belly and an eye to the road, now’s the time to live life extra-large!

Make sudden decisions. With bag on your back, maybe some cheese and bread for the journey and head to the Gare Le Central to hit the tracks on the first train that takes your fancy. The pass lets you travel all day so why not make the most of it? Forget the book/DVD/laptop/iPod, use nature’s TV and get a prime window seat for a rolling afternoon of country, dales and meadows, with the odd rivulet or meandering stream thrown in.

Say, for instance, it was breakfast in Basel: you could be in Zurich before your morning coffee (1 hour) or Liege for a late brunch (5-6 hours). Apertivo in Bologna (5 hours), or just a day on the tracks. Join the dots, get random and jump trains till you hit that relaxed feeling that comes only from the world slipping quietly by and the steady rhythm of the train playing the soundtrack to worldly satisfaction.

Parsley voop fronglay silver plate?

One thing that will make you welcome anywhere and make your life a lot easier is a few words in the right direction. You probably speak English (if you’ve made it this far down the page chances are “Oui”) and in the capital cities they’re usually falling over themselves to be all international and practice their English on you. A nice smile can charm your way into many places, but there’s nothing quite like pulling out a little local lingo to really get you to the right locale.

Learn to count to 10, say please and thank you and maybe even “where is” and listen for “left” and “right” in the answer , then you’re instantly on the road to international success. In just one day you could head out of Belgium (French and Flemish), duck through Luxembourg (German and, um, Luxembourgian?), sache through France (no guesses there) and through to Switzerland (French, Schweizer Deutsche and Italian). Smoothing the seams of transit with a little linguistic gymnastics and you could be making life a lot easier for yourself and your new best friends as you aimlessly trek into the hearts of new towns far and wide.

Rural bliss anyone?

Belgium is an ideal example to demonstrate the potential for an escape from the rat-race. Jump that train in the north (Antwerp, Brussels, Gent) and head south for the nearest border. Reel in your seat as the landscape slowly relents to grassy greens and open spaces once again. Feel the stress of the city and those Hauptstadt Blues melt away as space is once again the place. Between the lovely towns of Namur and Jemelle, for instance, you can believe you’re lost somewhere in a forgotten rural paradise as horizon-wide meadows, sweeping valleys, lush glades and wistful streams beckon gaily from your window-side watch.

Why not head out across the eternal golf-course that is Spain? Where what was once trees, which now all sit as ancient boats beneath seas far and wide, there lies sweeping green plains running aside the endless iron-horse of your speeding passage. Wind your way along countryside cliffs to coastal towns and villages where the fruits of the sea call freshly to tables far from the hoi-polloi of capital city trends. Get out amongst it, beat those blues, get out of town and get out of the grind and soon you’ll see that the truth really is Out There!

–Jack Brown

Mitad del Mundo

To find the Earth’s equator is now pretty easy. You stand around where you think it is with your handy GPS and the gadget tells you where to go and when you’ve arrived. Back when the equator was first mapped, it was the 1700s, and no one thought to bring along their GPS.

The story of the equator (well, equators, but we’ll get to that in a minute) in Ecuador starts in the 1700s when the first geodesic expedition took place, the French Geodesic Mission, whose goal was to find and mark the equator. The equator passes through 14 countries. The ones on major land masses were sort of uninviting, or at least seemed like a hassle to the French (present day Uganda, Somalia, places like that). So they turned to South America, and specifically it seemed like a nice Spanish controlled territory (now Ecuador) was traveler friendly, a nice colonial city, Quito, was already built nearby. So they asked the King of Spain if it was cool for them to go equator hunting and he said sure, provided you take a long these two Spanish scientists to share in the glory. So they all set off in 1735.

They got to Quito, met up with an Ecuadorian scientist, and started measuring the curvature of the Earth around Quito. They stood on tall hills (there are many around Quito), they walked around a lot, they measured. Through some math that I cannot admit I fully understand, they came up with the location of the equator. And that spot is called Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World in Spanish).

Kelly & Jacob on the equator

Ecuador’s Equator #1: French

Ecuador eventually became independent of Spain, and decided to commemorate the expedition and the equator, which they named their country after (yep, Ecuador is Spanish for equator), by erecting a monument. There’s a long walk up to the monument, the path flanked by big heads of all the scientists on the expedition.

The path culminates with a view of a stone building topped by a representation of the Earth (on its side for optimal equator viewing). Inside the stone building is an Ethnographic Museum, which houses some very worthwhile exhibits on the various cultures and peoples of Ecuador, both indigenous and not.

If you trek out to the Mitad del Mundo, I highly recommend a visit to the museum. And, of course, there’s a big line painted on the ground to represent the equator complete with compass markings.

The monument is great, there’s just one problem with it, its not actually on the equator. The French guys were good at math, but not perfect, they came in a mere 250 meters off.

Ecuador’s Equator #2: Actually at 0°0′0″ Lat.

Kelly & Jacob at actual equator

Located on the actual equator is the Inti Nan museum. Besides sitting atop the actual GPS calculated equator, the museum has hands on exhibits about indigenous Ecuadorian life (houses, food, stuff like that). The exhibits were interesting, but more interesting are the experiments you can participate in on the equator.

Try to walk the equator line straight with your eyes closed, its impossible, you feel like you’re falling. You can balance an egg on the head of a nail, gravity is straight down, so it becomes a much easier task. Watch the Coriolis effect in action as water spins down drains. All of it was fun in a sort of freaky and nerdy kind of way.

I highly recommend visiting at least one, if not both of the equators in Ecuador. I know it seems like a really touristy thing to do, but how often can you hop over a line and across a hemisphere?

– Kelly G

Following in the French Geodesic Mission’s footsteps and traveling to Ecuador? Browse Viator’s tours to Mitad del Mundo.

Ceci n’est pas Luke’s Mum

Editor’s Note: Luke posted this last year for his mum. We thought it nicely captures the spirit of Mother’s Day, so we are re-posting Luke’s original ode today in honor of moms (and mums) everywhere.

Fighting my way to Sydney airport on Easter Thursday evening — along with 20,000 other travellers, dropper-offers and picker-uppers — I wondered whether my mother would enjoy the activities I’d lined up for her over the next couple of days. At 78 she shows no sign of slowing down. And short of a parachute jump there’s not much she wouldn’t try. So here are three totally different things to do in Sydney with your mother, your friends, your lover - or just you.

“Luke, I am your father…”

If you were any higher in Sydney it would be illegal. Sydney Skywalk is purportedly twice the height of the Sydney Harbour Bridge but only a tenth of the effort since you get to the top by elevator. The staff work hard to make your Skywalk a real event and have their jokes - and facts - down pat. The ultimate joke was on me of course, for not even realizing the significance of having the name “Luke” on my “SkyWalker” certificate.

Once kitted out with our overalls and radios and associated ear pieces, beanies, parkas and clipped-on this and double-tied that, were we ready to go outside. Mark my words - even on a sunny day it can be cold and windy up there. In fact it was only when I caught Mum wiping her nose on the beanie (also tethered to her overalls) that I realized I should have smuggled a tissue up for her.

Needless to say, the views from that height are sensational. At almost 900 feet high the glass floor section isn’t for the squeamish but then, neither is my Mum’s beanie after she’s done with it. There’s the added kudos of everyone staring at you as you file through the indoor public spaces toward the lift. (Oh alright - call it showing off).

Ice, Ice baby.

If I carry my Star Wars theme through to our next stop, it would be to note the uncanny resemblance my Mother bears to Yoda once she’s decked out in a fur-trimmed hooded parka that’s two sizes too large. Sydney’s Minus5 Ice Bar is on the Italian-style promenade linking Circular Quay with the Opera House, so if you’re visiting Sydney, you’re bound to be in the area. In a grown-up Willy Wonka kinda’ way you can eat your cocktail glass since it’s made purely out of ice. Steer clear of slurping from the little waterfall because it’s actually anti-freeze. Reindeer skins on big ice thrones lend it a great “Norse God” feeling.

The sun shone, the sea sparkled, the prawns were in abundance.

Sydneysiders can be so damn smug about their harbour and it’s days like these that you understand why. With nothing to do but load your plate with oysters and prawns, settle back at your window side table (if you’re lucky) and watch the harbor slip past and enjoy views that you just won’t get from land. It’s still a working harbor so mega-ton freighters piled high with shiny new cars vie for space with two- man skiffs and luxury yachts.

We joined the Sydney Harbour Magistic lunch cruise at King Street wharf; you can have a good wander around Cockle bay and the nearby Darling Harbour tourist precinct before or after your cruise. You can also join or leave the boat at Circular Quay, and now you know where Minus5 Ice Bar is, too. My secret tip? The little deck in front of the buffet was empty while everyone was chowing down so stake a table and toss a coin for who goes to the bar for the second glass of chardonnay.

The verdict’s in - Mum just called. Her flight’s landed and she’s home safely, tired but happy. I hope she didn’t really put a glass from the Ice Bar in her bag…

–Luke Crosthwaite

Browse Viator’s complete list of Sydney tours and things to do, Melbourne tours, and more things to do in Australia.

Editor’s Note: All of us at Viator are thrilled to offer a small and growing collection of Morocco tours. The inaugural things to do focus in and around Marrakech. Over the next few weeks we’ll add Fes and other destinations throughout Morocco. As they say in Morocco, As-salam ʿleykum and welcome!

The road to Fes from Marrakech

Do I remember my first visit to Morocco?

Let me put it this way — do you remember the first time you were run over by a bus? Dropped from a plane without a parachute? Locked in a room with a poisonous snake?

Yeah. I remember my first trip to Morocco.

I was 20 years old. I was doing my junior year abroad studying in Ireland and somehow — forgive me, if you haven’t already — I convinced two of my closest friends to include Morocco on our “around Europe in 4 weeks” backpacking odyssey that summer.

At the time Morocco was nothing more than an idea to me. A distant concept. A combination of Indiana Jones meets the Arabian Nights. I had never visited an Arab country before, let alone a Muslim country. Neither had my two friends. It was going to be an adventure.

And in the interest of making a very long story much shorter, here’s the abridged version of what happened. (If you want to read the full version, I’m afraid you must buy a very forgettable Lonely Planet travel literature title — you have been warned.)

It is hot

Three 20-year-olds arrive in Morocco by ferry from Spain. They immediately board a train — a 14-hour train — to Fes, 4th class. If you’ve never heard of 4th class, that’s the section of the train with chickens and goats, no glass in the windows, wooden benches, and certainly no tourists.

We had completely forgot to buy water and food. We had nothing to eat or drink. Literally. And it was hot, as in 115-degrees hot.

At some point the train stopped moving completely. We sat roasting, idle, unmoving, in the Moroccan sun. My friends probably said a few unrepeatable and mean things to me, but I don’t remember. All I can remember is the heat. The hot sun. Desert.

We are kidnapped

Towards dusk, a nice man started chatting us up. He spoke fluent English. He was charming. He found a few cans of soda for us. He showed us how to write our own names in Arabic. He was our hero.

He suggests that, rather than arrive in Fes around midnight, why not jump off the train at the next stop. There’s a small town, he can give us the address of a good hotel, we can spend the night and catch the morning train to Fes, refreshed.

Of course. How sensible. We’ll do it.

A series of confusing events follows. We get off the train. There is no town. It’s desolate. A man in sunglasses directing us into the back of a waiting Mercedes. The three of us looking at each other, what do we do? Man in the sunglasses is pushing us into the car now. We are speeding off. The man from the train is nowhere to be seen. But a police car — siren blazing — all of a sudden appears behind us, chasing us. The Mercedes we’re in sets a new land-speed record and we outrun the coppers. We’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Are the police on our side? What side? Who’s side?

Wait — what’s going on here?????

We meet our kidnapper’s mom

After a half-hour or so in the Mercedes — did I mention it was black with auto-locking doors, I kid you not — we pulled into a small town and are dumped in front of a house. Magically, the main from the train opens a door and welcomes us with a huge smile. I can’t prove he said the words, “welcome my friends!” But I would bet my left kidney that he did.

He leads us upstairs, ignoring all of our questions, and shows us a comfortable-looking room with three beds. He tells us to drop our bags, have some tea, freshen up — and that dinner will be served shortly.

Dinner?

This is not me. But I’m afraid I looked as silly as this guy.

He then introduces us to his mother, who’s busy cooking and yet greets us with a friendly ear-to-ear smile like we are old friends or long lost children. And we meet two other ‘guests’, two American girls who’ve been here for nearly a week. They’re full of compliments and great stories about the week they’ve had.

Here’s how we summed up our situation. First, it seems we had been kidnapped from a Moroccan train. Second, it’s pretty likely we were chased by Moroccan police, but got away. Third, we’ve been taken to our kidnapper’s house, which is actually more like a bed and breakfast than a torture chamber. Fourth, his mom is a great cook. The lodging rates are good. Maybe we’ll stay here a while…

We have an amazing time in Morocco

After this admittedly rough start to our trip, Morocco continues to baffle us yet we have an amazing time anyway. Things I am proud of doing: exploring the souks in Fes and making friends with Morocco’s rabid soccer fans (this was during the ‘90 World Cup). Meeting some amazing people, eating some incredible food, and having a travel experience unlike any other in my life.

Things I am less proud of doing: accidentally stealing a Moroccan’s wallet and getting punched in the face. Being told that we would “fit in” better if wore the local dress — a jellaba — and then actually following that advice.

Since that first trip, I’ve been back to Morocco a few times. Each visit has been utterly unforgettable (in the best possible way). I’ve formed a deep attachment to Morocco, to the Moroccan people, and to sights and sounds of a country like no other I’ve visited.

I’m sure it’s hard to believe that this post is intended to be a full-throated endorsement of traveling to Morocco. Yet it is!

True, Morocco is not the easiest country in the world. And sure, you must learn to cope with any number of complexities and difficulties. No matter. If you’re contemplating a trip to Morocco, just go. I guarantee you will not regret it. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get kidnapped by the same lovely family we were kidnapped by. If so, tell them hello from Scott and his friends.

–Scott McNeely

PS: I was cleaning out boxes in my garage, and found these two photos from our trip to Morocco…

Greg & Dave, in the house of our “kidnappers”

Greg & Dave, standing in the desert, wearing local dress…

Cairns, Australia

The islands, beaches and rainforests that surround Cairns make it world famous – an essential stop on any trans-Australian itinerary. It’s the most popular base for diving or snorkeling over the magnificent Great Barrier Reef, but you might struggle to fit that in around the bungee jumping, hot-air ballooning, skydiving, fishing, white-water rafting and horse riding. Animal sanctuaries are plentiful, so you’re certain to indulge your koala-cuddling fetish, and there are miles of eco-friendly boardwalks that penetrate deep into the rainforest. We’ve pulled together our Suggested Itineraries in Cairns to make trip planning easier for you. Read on for our highlights.

Day 1: Best of Cairns

Take a full-day tour that combines the best of Cairns, Kuranda and their environs. The breathtaking Skyrail rides high above the rainforest canopy, before a 30-minute helicopter ride to a helipad on the Outer Great Barrier Reef. Maybe you’d prefer an early morning hot air balloon ride that and also takes in the Kuranda Scenic Railway and the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park theatres and museums?

If heights, pre-dawn starts and champagne at breakfast makes you feel queasy, try an all-day 4WD Daintree and Cape Tribulation Tour that will keep you on terra firma. Morning tea is taken at the Daintree River, and then you go deep into the world’s oldest rainforest.

Once your day-tour is over, head down to the Aussie BBQ at Cairns Night Zoo, which features steak, seafood and vegetarian options served with fresh salads and drinks. After ‘grub’ you’ll seek out owls by torchlight (flashlight), pat possums and koalas, and enjoy a traditional bush dance.

Day 2: Make Like a Fish, Make Like a Bird

The Discover Diving Program takes beginners and experienced divers to the Outer Barrier Reef 63 kilometres (40 miles) from Cairns for a day-long PADI-certificate course over the remarkable reef. Or sign up for a small-group diving and snorkelling tour to the Outer Barrier Reef or to Agincourt Ribbon Reef.

Skydiving in Cairns

If that’s too sedate, try the Tarzan-inspired Minjin Jungle Swing or (you know you want to …) a Cairns bungee jump from a 50 meter (164 feet) tower –- photos and DVDs can be purchased to show your friends what fear and trembling looks like on your face.

Are you just too tough for bungee jumping? Try firing yourself out of a canon or, better, skydiving in Cairns.

Once your pulse has normalized and the burnt-orange hues of day’s end begin to glow in the late-afternoon sky, it’s time to think about dinner. How about a four-course dinner cruise on the Ocean Spirit IV in placid Trinity Inlet?

Day 3: Oh My Aching Head… and Body!

So you’ve played hard during the day and partied hard at night, and now you need a more restful day. Cairns has a lovely foreshore pedestrian promenade and a 4,800-sq-kilometre saltwater swimming lagoon. You could sign up for the day-long Kuranda Skyrail and Rail tour and check out the hugely popular Skyrail then return to Cairns aboard the famous Kuranda Scenic Rail, winding around curves, across bridges, and through hand-hewn tunnels.

If that doesn’t sound appealing, breakfast at the Cairns Tropical Zoo includes breakfast at the Koala Café and an informative talk by the wildlife keeper.

For some evening entertainment, witness Dreamtime storytelling and performance with the Flames of the Forest Dining Experience in a secret forest clearing as dusk settles and the stars come out. A full three-course meal comprising high-end cuisine, bush ingredients and superb boutique wines accompanies an Aboriginal dance-and-music show. Also check out the Tjapukai by Night (read Kerrie’s recent post about the Tjapukai too).

This is just a sample of the oodles of things to see and do in this traveler’s paradise – browse our complete list of Cairns tours and things to do.

–Rowan M

I sign up for a tour of Berlin’s underground bunkers and subways with Berliner Unterwelten, the society for exploration and documentation of subterranean architecture, who have opened up this underworld to the public since 1997.

I make my way to the meeting point in Berlin, at Gesundbrunnen, feeling a slight degree of trepidation. The Cold War is a mystery to me, as is most of modern history. I was a little worried that the tour would be more for the boffins and military enthusiasts than someone like myself. I was happily proven wrong.

Berlin Underground: Going Down

Going underground, stepping back in time

We all follow obediently as our excellent tour guide leads us briskly across the square, over the road, and into the entrance of a park, before heading through a door in a small brick building, with, ironically enough, a Holiday Inn sign perched on the roof.

Once inside, we have an introduction to the place, with general information about when the bunkers were built, and how they were used in the Second World War, and then re-fitted a nuclear shelter during the Cold War. The historical overview takes us from the 1943 Tehran Conference to the dividing of Berlin into American, British, French and Soviet sectors at the close of World War II, to the 1948-49 Berlin Blockade. I learn about the non-socialisation rule of West Berlin, where a soldier could be fined or court martialled for fraternising with the German community or — heaven forbid — falling in love with a local girl. (Any social and political system that keeps people on different sides and prevents us from seeing each other as human beings, and acting with compassion is, I guess what keeps the theatres of war in operation.)

The Berlin Underground tour office

We hear about the preparations made for civilians to take shelter in the event of a Third World War, and how the impact of a nuclear attack would devastate the city. It is a sombre and terrifying prospect, although something that is timely to reflect on in this nuclear age. As I travel and meet people from different cultures and backgrounds, I am continually struck by our common desires to find community, connection and a sustainable future together on this beautiful planet. It’s good to be reminded of the history underneath this remarkable city, which is constantly regenerating itself, and to appreciate the peace and freedom that most of us take for granted.

What does one eat, living in a bunker?

One of the details that intrigues me are the supplies kept in the bunker: boxes containing hundreds of thousands of items, toiletries, shaving brushes, medical kits and canned food, including oranges, “herrings in tomato sauce” and sardines from Portugal. This glimpse into the preparations for survival provides a fascinating insight into life at the time, and also tells a story of racketeering and greed, which you will have to take the tour to find out more about!

Moving deeper into the tunnels, we pass a grated opening that looks down onto the train line, and stories from our guide that give an indication of the desperate measures people were prepared to take in order to try and reach the democratic West. There is the darkly humourous sign indicating friend (Communists) and enemy (evil Capitalists) posted at the entrance to the ghost stations (subway stops that in East Berlin were sealed and closed-off), offering a slim hope of escape as West Berlin trains ran through them.

There is a chilling tale of the sewers, and gruesome details about the measures that the Soviet authorities were prepared to go to in order to secure the underground borders. This is best left to the tour guide to tell, as the location also helps create an echo of the atmosphere where these events took place, and gives a sense of the complete control over the population, which is of course the least appealing aspect of any totalitarian state.

Not all the walls came down in 1989

I am fascinated to learn that after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the removal of the underground borders takes almost another 10 years. Living in contemporary Berlin as part of the international community, it is easy to forget just how present and immediate this history is for the people who grew up here. Berlin is a city that is constantly changing and reinventing itself, however the marks of history are deeply scored into the architecture and pysche of the city, and are still visible in the underworld.

Scene from a horror movie? Nope, just a seedy part of Berlin’s history

Taking a short underground ride to the next station, we have the fabulously bizarre experience of entering one of those anonymous doors you see along the railway corridors. The entire U-Bahn station of Pankstrasse was designed as a nuclear shelter in the 1980s, and can be hermetically sealed, with enough room for around 1,500 people to survive the blast and a few weeks afterwards.

We have a taste of the simulated “catastrophe rehearsal”, with an introduction to the decontamination chamber (and the bright blue-and-yellow tracksuits which were the only clothes allowed inside), then a look at one of the medical rooms.

There is a slightly seedy aspect to the recent past of this facility, however there was no time to go deeper into the complex, although another tour explores this one in far more detail.

During construction of new buildings, the engineers often dug very deep into the soil of Berlin, and the subway system is only a part of its subterranean architecture. Many other objects are to be found in Berlin’s sandy underground. Cemeteries, secret air-raid shelters, sewers and even an aircraft factory were built under the surface of the city. A lot of these structures still exist nowadays.

Birth of the Berlin Underworld

In the autumn of 1997, a few enthusiasts got together in order to explore this subterranean world. The organization they founded, the Berliner Unterwelten (Berlin Underworlds Association), locates and documents such hidden installations, making some of them accessible to the public. And it uses these sites for cultural purposes (such as exhibitions, theatre performances and concerts). The organization has already discovered numerous forgotten subterranean structures – but many other secrets are still to be discovered down there.

I am left with a sense of sadness, for the effects of war on humanity, and respect for the courage and dignity which people of all backgrounds show in the most extreme circumstances. It was a relief to return to the sunshine and light of the outside world, not having had to spend days or weeks inside a bunker for survival, and gave me a much deeper understanding of the events and history of this extraordinary city.

–Jodi Rose

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s list of things to do in Berlin, including Berlin walking tours and the Underground Berlin: Subways, Bunkers and the Cold War tour that Jodi reviews in this post.

I’m ashamed to admit I know only the bare essentials of Australian history - Captain Cook found us and decided to stick around, Ned Kelly ran around the country with a tin on his head, the ANZACs did us proud in WWI and a cyclone wiped out Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974 (I admit to Googling the year!). That’s pretty much my knowledge of Australian history. I know we are a very young country but I’m sure plenty more has happened in the past 220 years.

The problem I have is that with the very mention of the word “history” my eyes glaze over and my mind wands to a far away land. Don’t get me wrong, if I go somewhere with a long and eventful history I will check it out - I was fascinated by the Colosseum in Rome and will never forget seeing the Giza Pyramids in Cairo for the first time - but you won’t find me pouring through books and text to learn the history of a place before I get there. Ancient history is ok, full of gruesome stories and strange goings-on, but modern history - yawn!

On a recent trip to my heaven on earth - Port Douglas - I decided to remedy the situation and visit somewhere I had not been before in my numerous visits to paradise. I jumped on the Scenic Railway for a visit to Kuranda, a popular day trip from Cairns. The train ride goes up the mountains through the edge of the rain-forest with brilliant views over the city all the way down to the ocean. The building of the railway is an historical event in itself and there is commentary on the train as you travel, but as I said - eyes glazing over, mind wandering - I’m not a reliable source to repeat it to you.

Strolled around Kuranda markets, grabbed some lunch then headed back down to Cairns on the Skyrail, a cable car line over the top of the rain-forest which really is worth doing if you are in the area. Gives a whole different perspective of the rain-forest. Back on terra firma it was time for the last activity on our tour, a visit to Tjapukai (pronounced Jab-a-kigh) Aboriginal Cultural Park. Throughout school in Australia we learn a little about Aboriginal culture and history but most of what I remember is the ‘dream-time’ myths and legends. I know the indigenous people of Australia were badly treated by the first settlers but never really took an interest in learning the details.

Tjapukai is run by a local Aboriginal tribe and the small group of performers are very proud and passionate about their culture. You first see a live telling of the Aboriginal story of creation, before moving on to a music performance, of course featuring the didgeridoo and dancing. The there is a demonstration on how to make a didgeridoo, boomerang and spear throwing lessons (yes, its interactive so be prepared to duck!), and a presentation of bush medicines. It was all very interesting and enjoyable, but nothing ground breaking for me, just a pleasant day out.

To finish the visit at Tjapukai it was time for a short movie about the history of the Djabugay and Irukanydji people, the original inhabitants of this part of Australia. As the film began my mind already began to drift to thoughts of which restaurant to go to for dinner, but was abruptly brought back to focus as the story immediately highlighted the harsh reality of this part of Australian history.

The original owners of the land were hunted and slaughtered like animals - men, women and children. Those not killed were enslaved and forced to abandon their culture to adopt that of the Europeans. Their land was taken from them and they were not allowed to hunt and forage for food. Before there was time to process the brutality of the initial treatment, the film shows the ongoing affects of forced change and loss of identity suffered by descendants of these people. The struggle they face to find their place, trying to regain some of the rich culture and traditions almost lost 200 years ago, while coping with the ever changing modern world. The film finished on a positive note, profiling some of the ’success stories’ of the tribe today who are inspiring younger generations to forgive the past and re-embrace their heritage.

Seeing this film made it easier to understand and feel compassion for current day Aborigines who struggle with addictions and resentment. Our prime minister recently made a long overdue apology to the indigenous people of Australia and my visit to Tjapukai helped me understand why this was so important. It also inspired me to learn more about my own country’s history and find out how we got to where we are today.

Here at Viator we love to wax lyrical about the meaning of travel, why we travel, how we travel, whats the meaning of it all? For me its simple - I travel to learn. I think I can say on this occasion - I traveled, I learned - goal achieved.

-Kerrie O’Mahony