500 Adrenaline Adventures (Frommer's) - Lois Friedland [221]
Whales and their calves can be spotted off Gorgona from August to October.
There is only one place to spend the night on Gorgona, and only one place to eat: The handsome lodge and dining room are both run by the park service and look like something out of Swiss Family Robinson. With the interior of the island mostly off-limits to visitors, tours of the island are limited to its perimeter, which has plenty of well-marked nature trails (though going with a guide is highly recommended); there it’s possible to get a good look at the unique marine birds, reptiles, and plant life that have grown up and evolved here. Snorkeling and diving among the coral reefs in the emerald waters off Gorgona are excellent (as long as sharks don’t make you flinch), and humpback whales even pass by the island from August to October with their calves. Gorgona also has some of the finest sandy beaches in Colombia, backed by palm trees and a thick curtain of green, letting you know that the creepy-crawly jungle is never far away on this island. —SM
www.parquesnacionales.gov.co.
Tour: Aviatur ( 57/1/382-1616;www.concesionesparquesnaturales.com).
Charter flights from Guapi, 30 min.
Cargo ship (8–10 hr.) or chartered speedboat (4–6 hr.) from Buenaventura.
Book through park service ( 57/1/382-1616) or tour agency.
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Horseback Riding on Native Land
Galloping in Northern New Mexico
Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, U.S.A.
Besides black bears, cougars, and other assorted wildlife, few visitors may enter the Taos Pueblo Indians’ private lands in New Mexico, in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The only way into this stunning, wild, sacred landscape is on horseback, under the guidance of the Taos Indian Horse Ranch, founded by Pueblo resident Stormstar (also known as Cesario Gomez).
Led by Stormstar and his Pueblo compatriots, your horse will pick its way over rocks, trundle down water-created paths, canter through thick forest, and gallop through wide open meadows, always in the presence of the magnificent Taos Mountain. Sacred to the Pueblo, it will likely draw you in and create its own presence within you too as you wander through its foothills.
Less predictable are the impromptu appearances by local birds and mammals, which may include bald eagles and mountain lions. Stormstar recalls the time even he was startled when a black bear stepped out from the forest onto the path three feet in front of his favorite horse. “I had just broken this horse, and he reared back when the bear appeared out of nowhere. The bear was more scared than we were though, and he ran for the river so quickly I was the only one in the group who saw him.”
Even the Taos ranch’s greenest horses couldn’t be more surefooted. “They grew up in these hills, and they don’t want to tumble any more than you do. You just need to give them their head,” says Stormstar. (Translation: Don’t pull too tight on the reins; trust your horse to know the landscape far better than you.)
“We set the pace according the weakest rider,” Stormstar says. After more than 35 years in the business, he and his guides can tell how you’ll ride by the time you’re perched in the saddle. They’ll cater to your skills with easy trail rides or tougher treks up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains; some routes require overnight stays. They also provide covered wagon and hay wagon rides, but it’s the horseback rides that draw devoted fans back year after year.
If you’re not going out on an overnight riding trip and you can arrange it, book a private ride or go with a small group, so that you’ll be able to tailor the ride more closely to your skill level. More importantly, you