June
JUNE
Bungy Jump at Verzasca Dam, Switzerland
Why now? Crack open the northern summer with the world’s highest bungy jump.
The enormous Verzasca Dam, in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking province of Ticino, holds more than water. From its high lip you can also make the world’s highest bungy jump, one made famous by James Bond. In the movie GoldenEye, 007 plunged from this dam, a stunt that was once voted the greatest in movie history. Thinking of yourself as a suave secret-service agent may be about the only thing that will give your legs the spring they need as you stand on the lip of the dam eyeballing a drop that looks more like kilometres than metres. Cheer up; in another 7.5 seconds you’ll be bouncing around at the base of the dam.
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Track Tigers, India
Why now? The tail end of the dry season offers the most likely tiger sightings.
Corbett National Park was India’s first national park, and is now home to around 10% of the country’s estimated 1500 tigers. Its high forests and dense understorey make tiger sightings unreliable, but by visiting now you stand the best chance because the forest has died back, waterholes are scarce and the grass cover is minimal after winter burn-offs. Most visitors to Corbett stay in the main camp, Dhikala, overlooking the elephant-grazed flood plains of the Ramganga River. From here safaris through the park take two forms: jeep and elephant-back. The jeeps range further, heading across to pools in the Ramganga in which tigers can sometimes be seen cooling themselves from the 40˚C heat, but the elephants move more quietly, grazing on the cannabis that grows naturally and prolifically in the park. Try to arrange both if you can, though Dhikala’s few elephants are in high demand. If you miss out on sighting a tiger, you’ll be appeased by a field guide worth of other creatures. Corbett is home to around 50 species of mammals, including around 85 leopards and 600 elephants, and 600 species of birds. The most commonly seen animals include langur monkeys, elephants, the ubiquitous rhesus macaques, and a variety of deer. To reach Corbett, take the overnight Ranikhet Express from Delhi to Ramnagar, where permits and accommodation must be arranged at the Project Tiger office. Jeep drivers hang about the office each morning, so don’t worry about your prospects of finding a ride. Try to get a petrol vehicle as the noisier diesel jeeps can blast away any chance you have of spotting shy wildlife such as tigers. www.projecttiger.nic.in/corbett.htm
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Sandboard in Oregon, USA
Why now? Open year-round, the Sand Master Park offers its finest weather now.
The snows may have gone for the season but there’s always sand, so head to the Oregon town of Florence to turn yourself into sandpaper at the world’s first sandboarding park. Set in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, the largest expanse of oceanfront dunes in the United States, sandboarding is like snowboarding for the sun worshipper - the only ‘down’ you need worry about at the 40-acre Sand Master Park is not in your clothing but in the descents you make through this gritty version of powder. Board rental is available at the park, as is instruction for boarding novices. www.sandmasterpark.com
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Cruise the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Why now? It’s best to visit early in the dry season because the mosquitoes are less numerous and the river’s full.
The Sepik is one of the world’s great rivers, and is to PNG as the Congo is to Africa and the Amazon to South America. However, the Sepik is more than just a river - it’s also a densely populated repository of complex cultures and produces the most potent art in the Pacific. While cruising on the river, you’ll still see naked kids poling dugout canoes, woven fish traps and the towering façades of spirit houses. The Sepik is 1126km long and is navigable for almost its entire length, though a few days on the river is enough for many people. Locals prefer to travel in faster, more manoeuvrable motorboats, but most travellers favour the long dugout motor-canoes. There’s nothing quite like cruising along the river sitting below the waterline in the bottom of a 20m dugout. It takes hours to get anywhere and the experience is quite calming and meditative, once you’ve accepted that the canoe won’t tip over rounding a corner. The most artistic villages are concentrated on the Middle Sepik and the most spectacular scenery is on the lakes or tributaries. Canoes aren’t superbly comfortable but the biggest drawback is uncertainty - you can arrive at the river and find there are no canoes available for days. Motor-canoes can be hired in Ambunti, Pagwi and Angoram, though it’s better to arrange this beforehand in Wewak or, better still, before you come to PNG. River traffic is reasonably constant, and if you have an openended schedule and a lot of time, you can catch rides in locals’ boats and with traders moving up and down the river. This is the cheapest way to go but you might be stuck somewhere for a few days waiting for a lift.
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Visit Svalbard, Norway
Why now? See it in the endless midnight sun.
The wondrous Svalbard archipelago is around 1000km from the North Pole, and is the world’s most readily accessible bit of the polar north. It’s also one of the most spectacular places imaginable. Vast icebergs and floes choke the seas, icefields and glaciers frost the lonely heights, and polar bears wander the icy earth. Population estimates suggest there are around 2000 to 5000 polar bears on the archipelago, which adds a fuzzy twist to any Arctic hiking plans. The best advice if you’re trekking is to go with an organised tour. Walk leaders will normally carry a gun and know how to use it. Standard equipment, too, especially if you’re camping out, are trip wires with flares, as well as distress flares - these are to fire at the ground in front of the bear, not to summon help, which could be hours away. www.svalbard.com
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Surf Bali, Indonesia
Why now? June offers the best surf conditions.
Like a dream-catcher, Bali’s southern Bukit Peninsula droops into the Indian Ocean, picking up swells that have journeyed across the globe just to tumble onto its holiday beaches. From Ulu Watu, near the peninsula’s southwestern point, to Canggu, north of Seminyak, the midyear brings trade winds from the southeast for warm water and epic waves. And you won’t have to run the gauntlet of territorial hard-heads. Kuta is Bali’s surfing nursery, with gentle beach breaks and tubes. Canggu has a good right-hander at high tide, while an 8ft swell at Balangan can be a classic wave. Kuta is also the place to broaden your Indonesian surf experience, with one-week ‘surfaris’ on offer to other parts of the country, including the legendary Grajagan (G-Land) on eastern Java. You’ll find surfboards and boogie boards for rent at Kuta, with variable quality and prices.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Night Dive with Manta Rays, USA
Why now? Smooth seas and few storms in June.
Manta Ray Village, located on the Big Island’s Kona coast, is the most popular night dive in Hawaii. Night-dive operators shine powerful lights on the water, which attracts plankton, which in turn attracts manta rays. Divers have seen up to 10 mantas ‘performing’ their spectacular underwater show, though it’s more common to find only a couple at a time. Although there is no guarantee that mantas will show up on any particular night, dives during the new moon seem to be the best bets for encounters. Spanish dancers, sleeping parrotfish, sleeping goatfish and beautiful cowries can all also be found here. Manta Ray Village is in the middle of a boat channel and diving here from shore isn’t recommended, not only because of possible boat traffic but also because entering the water over the sharp lava rocks can be extremely dangerous.
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Climb Elbrus, Russia
Why now? The climbing season is from around June to September.
If you’ve long believed that Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe, allow us to introduce you to a peak named Elbrus, on the border of Russia and Georgia. A volcanic cone with two peaks - the western at 5642m and the eastern at 5621m - Elbrus bulges from the Caucasus Ridge, the geographical border between Europe and Asia, and is nearly 1000m above anything else in the vicinity. Its upper slopes are said to be coated in ice up to 200m thick, and numerous glaciers grind down its flanks. Several rivers, including the Kuban, start here. The climb to Elbrus’ summit is not technically difficult, and its beginning is made even easier by the Azau cable car, which rises in two stages, from 2350m to the Mir Bar at 3500m. A chairlift continues to 3800m. You then walk for about 1_ hours - fairly easy but slow because of the altitude and crevasses - up to Camp 11. To stay here in the peak season, you’ll need to make arrangements in advance through a tour operator, or contact the rescue post. Staff here may be able to advise you. Acclimatising at Camp 11, the final assault is made in a day - about eight hours up and eight hours down. Testament to its accessibility is the fact that in the 1980s, the Soviet regime, showing off for propaganda purposes, had groups of up to 400 climbers reaching the peak at one time. The ascent and descent have since been done in many ways: by ski, light aircraft, hang gliding and paragliding, as well as by a motorcycle with skis and, in 1997, a Land Rover.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Surf in Munich, Germany
Why now? Time your visit to coincide with the Munich Surf Open.
Landlocked Munich hasn’t let geography get in the way of a good surf. At the southern tip of the Englischer Garten, in the centre of the city, there’s an artificially created wave located in a deep-chilled creek known as the Eisbach where surfers practise their moves. The sport was introduced here after WWII by an American GI who knew how to cruise on a primitive waxed plank, and is now an inland fix for those who can’t bear the thought of being hundreds of kilometres from a decent wave. A little further out from town you’ll find a gentler standing wave just a stroll from the tents at popular Campingplatz Thalkirchen. In the last week of June the Eisbach wave hosts the Munich Surf Open, the conclusion to the river surfing season.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?