1 . The sun near the equator is never-ceasing, bearing down as I lead Elaine, a dark brown horse, through thick bushes. It’s been a long day on horseback. My legs ache and our camp signals across a ridge of ancient folding hills in the Lolldaiga Range of northern Kenya, a mosaic (马赛克) of twisted landscapes and communities.

Suddenly Elaine’s ears flick into alert, and the muscles of her body tense beneath me. Our guide Nicholus stretches out a lean arm toward a bush just meters away. My eyes focus, trying my best to see what the others already have: two amber balls glowing from a shadowed form. It’s a young lion, quick and strong, in the middle of the high grass.

A wild silence hangs between us.

Without the defensive hunting vehicle, I feel completely exposed. Peering into the bush, I’m suspended between wonder and terror, the distance between myself and the Savannah’s most notorious hunter unbelievably small. Usually, I’m the one tracking the lion, camera in hand. Now, the lion shifts in my consciousness from object to subject. I shift, too, strongly aware of the soft flesh of my own body.

Nicholus nods his head in the other direction, a safer distance away. He points to shallow holes in the dust. “Look, this is a big lion, and these are young ones, some cubs,” he says. “Probably a mother.” Pawprints marked the earth, each telling the story of more lions, moving in different directions.

It was time to go.

Horseback safaris are still the most immersive way to view wildlife in Kenya. To journey on horseback is to break down the walls — meant to protect, but also to separate us from the natural world. And as we’re absorbed in the thrill of the experience, we’re vividly reminded of the importance of protecting these wild spaces.

Out here your horse is your translator, responding to the low hiss of a leopard, the soft scent of an elephant herd, the cool morning breeze descending from Mount Kenya’s glacial peaks. Your job is to learn how to listen.

2 . Costa Rica is home to everything from steamy rainforests and misty cloud forests. And there’s enough action to satisfy the most demanding thrill-seeker. Below, we look at the places you won’t want to miss.

La Fortuna

You can get up close to its lava-covered lower slopes by taking the Las Coladas trail, one of several unforgettable hikes around Volcán Arenal National Park, about 7km west of La Fortuna.

Around 7km east of La Fortuna, there’s horseback riding, mountain biking, along with kayaking on Lake Arenal. The region’s natural hot springs make the perfect place to ease weary muscles.

Monteverde

Monteverde’s mist-wreathed cloud forest reserves sit high on the country’s mountainous spine. It’s one of the world’s biodiversity hot spots, with a shocking diversity of plants and animals.

For a bird’s eye view of the forest, take a thrilling ride on a zipline(滑索), skimming the canopy at high speed—Sky Trek Monteverde has an automatic braking system, useful for kids and anxious adults.

The Nicoya Peninsula

Famed for its postcard-perfect beaches and sweet Pacific swells, Nicoya has something for wave riders of all levels. There’s wildlife too: Grande Beach is a nesting site for leatherback turtles from October to March.

Further south, the remote, jungle-backed town of Santa Teresa is now a hip hangout with cool cafes, sushi restaurants and designer boutiques.

3 . When looking for some vacation ideas to spread out and get some time and space to yourself, check out these great resorts (度假胜地) options.

Located in Punta Cana, this family-friendly vacation at an all-inclusive resort offers something for everyone in your party. Parents can enjoy relaxing by one of the resort’s swim-up bars in an infinity pool or head out for some deep-sea fishing. Kids, meanwhile, can head over to the kids’ club for a number of activities. Plus, all of the drinks and food across the 14 restaurants and bars is included.

This resort has become the Caribbean’s popular go-to when it comes to all-inclusive family vacations that provide great value since there’s so much to do for guests of all ages. There’s a 45,000-square-foot water park, 24 restaurants, unlimited PADI-certified scuba diving and water sports, a 12-mile beach, a spa, 10 pools—whew!

If you live in the city and want to get back to nature, this luxury farm over nearly 11,000 acres in California’s Santa Ynez Valley is a perfect fit for a family. All that wide-open space means activities like horseback riding, scenic cycling, hiking, fishing, kayaking and, for the body-and-spirit-minded traveler in your group, yoga.

The 20,000-acre community includes a nature preserve with walking trails, but the real stars of the show here are the over 300 species of birds. The resort’s resident naturalist takes families on walks to Bird Island, sharing a history of the area. Plus, kids will love the kayak tours that get up close to the dolphins that live there year-round.

6 . Some Best Travel Websites to Check Out in 2023

Traveling is highly addictive! We put together a list of the best travel websites that will help to take the first step and go!

SafetyWing recently came up with undoubtedly the best travel insurance plan, called Remote Health. It’s a long-term plan that covers you for pre-existing conditions, like cancer, or even in your home country. Ideal for long-term travelers or digital nomads (数字游民), they also offer amazing monthly plans for short-term travel that come with very competitive prices, starting at $40.

Check the full comparison of digital nomad insurance plans!

GetYourGuide is the perfect way to book tours, airport transfers, ferries, cooking courses, tickets for events, food tours etc. It covers most of the countries in the world. They even have a price match guarantee, so just tell them you can find the activity or tour cheaper somewhere else and they will cover the difference no questions asked. It’s perfect because you can book everything beforehand and then just enjoy the holiday once you arrive.

Let us be honest: Amazingly cheap flight tickets are often the first and yet the most important reason we keep on moving ourselves from country to country, even though we promised our inner selves to settle down for a while. Don’t blame yourself. Put the blame on Skyscanner, their mobile app and their delightfully intruding newsletter.

As one of the fastest-growing travel projects of last year that connects travelers with a local community, you can book amazing trips with locals and visit the most authentic places and experience local life. Your guide will help you to get out of tourist traps and find the real spirit of the places you want to visit.

7 . This was an unforgettable experience and I would highly recommend traveling with Oyster program. It was completely stress-free as everyone was helpful and events were explained clearly.

Knowing that my work was helping the bears gave me a great sense of accomplishment and opened my eyes to how these animals were mistreated in the past, and still are being mistreated in other countries. The bears at the sanctuary (保护区) are happy, healthy, and well fed — the feeding tour was incredible and gave plenty of opportunities to take some fantastic photographs. My main portion of time working at the sanctuary was spent making the bear ice cream: mixing up dairy products and bread. I found this fun, but should prepare to get messy!

The town of Brașov has some wonderful views, plenty of nice walking routes, and many restaurants to try. I would highly recommend walking up the hill/mountain near the apartment toward the Braşov sign as the views over the town make for some great photos.

In terms of money, I would say that it is absolutely worth it. You seem to be able to get the most in-depth tour of the sanctuary available, the work is very rewarding, and the accommodation was of a very high standard. As a disclaimer, I recommend not paying extra for the Time Tunnel if you do the Bran Castle excursion at the weekend, as it was disappointing (it was just a lift that went down to a corridor with some illuminated portraits), but I do suggest paying extra for the Medieval Torture exhibition as this was fascinating to learn about.

I was only in Romania for one week and wish I had done longer. I will definitely consider doing this again, as it was an overwhelmingly positive experience.

8 . Life in the mountains has appeal for a variety of reasons—you may enjoy the natural beauty or simply like the idea of hitting the hiking trails (路径). These are some options to live near the mountains.

Brief Introduction:

1. Boulder

Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder is the ideal spot for people wanting to live near the mountains without giving up good jobs. Technology, aerospace and higher education are major industries that lend high salaries. Dozens of trails offer various hiking opportunities for all experience levels.

2. Asheville

Asheville is known for its active arts community and breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether they’re drawn to access to the outdoors or to the galleries with a personal touch and farm-to-table restaurants, plenty of people are choosing Asheville as their new hometown.

3. Greenville

A spot for beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenville has easy access to trails with waterfalls and lakes. There are some state parks that offer hiking and camping, among other activities. Greenville residents spend about 21% of the area’s average household income on housing.

4. Honolulu

There are multiple hiking trails that show off the beauty of the Hawaiian islands, with lots of lookout points to take in the views of the city. To make your stay permanent, however, you should spend, as typical residents, about 30% of your income on rent or home loans.

Related Data:

9 . Where can you find the first successful airplane, one of the world’s biggest bugs (虫子) and Kermit the Frog? They’re all at the Smithsonian Institution, Americans’ storehouse of the coolest things ever, in Washington，D.C.More than 138 million objects have been collected by their 19 museums, with more coming in every day.

The Smithsonian was founded in 1846 and named after James Smithson, an English businessman. Smithson never visited America, but he left his entire fortune to the United States to build an institution “for the increase of knowledge”.

Here are just a few of the amazing things in the Smithsonian collection.

Big bugs

The Smithsonian has 35 million bugs. The largest insect in the collection is a beetle (甲虫) from South America called the titan beetle. Titan beetles can grow to more than 6 inches long.

Flying machines

The first powered plane to fly, the 1903 Wright Flyer, is displayed in the National Air and Space Museum. The Smithsonian has the first supersonic (超声速的) airliner, the Concorde, which could cross the Atlantic Ocean in fewer than four hours.

The longest beard

The Smithsonian is home to the longest beard ever recorded. Norwegian immigrant Hans Langseth had grown his facial hair to 18 feet 6 inches by the time he died in 1927. The Smithsonian has 17 feet 6 inches of it because, even though Langseth’s final wish was to have his entire beard preserved, his family decided it wouldn’t be right to bury him clean­shaven.

Time and admission：

Smithsonian museums are open every day of the year except December 25 unless otherwise noted. Most museums are open daily from 10 a. m. to 5：30 p. m. The American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery are open 11：30 a. m. to 7 p. m.

Admission is free for all Smithsonian museums and the zoo in Washington，D.C., and the American Indian Museum’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York. A fee is required at the Cooper­Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York (Members and children under 12 are admitted free).

10 . Rich in culture and rooted in tradition, winter in Budapest here not only feels like a fairytale, it looks like one, too. Here are four top things to do in Budapest during the winter.

Budapest’s City Park Ice Rink is by far the most famous skating destination in the region. Skaters flooded to the rink each winter between late November and mid February. First opened in 1870, this ice rink is one of the oldest and largest in Europe. It’s filled up with water during the summer months. It serves as a boating lake for tourists looking to bike around while bathing in the sun.

Budapest is quite rightly nicknamed the “City of Spas”. The baths of here are astonishingly beautiful, which are famous for their relaxing and medicinal benefits Taking a dip in the famous baths during winter is an experience like no other. Jumping from one indoor pool to the outside bathing area is a memorable and pleasurable experience.

The Hungarian State Opera House is closed for renovations (翻新). However, visitors can still see parts of it via (通过) guided tours. The Hungarian State Opera House, which was completed in 1884, remains exactly the same as that when it was constructed. Each year thousands of visitors arrived in Budapest to take in the sheer (十足的) beauty of the opera house, while the lucky ones are able to secure a ticket for a show.

Shopping in Budapest during winter is a magical experience. Andrassy Avenue and Fashion Street are two of its most popular tourist destinations at any time of year. Covered with thousands of lights, the tree-lined avenue comes to life during the winter months, offering up many attractions. The shops here are usually open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the winter months.