Its All Bee

Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts

11 October 2017

Whale Watching In Iceland

I have written a couple of posts on my visit to Iceland. From locating and swimming the secret pool in the mountains to checking out glaciers lagoons, chasing waterfalls in Iceland. For those visiting the country checking out what Iceland tours are available is almost at the top of every traveler's list. An Iceland whale watching is somewhere at the top a list that no doubt includes Iceland guided tours tour Reykjavik or in and around the Golden Circle or the entire Ring Road. We pre-booked spots on Iceland whale watching tour before we left London. We were going to visit and explore Reykjavik for a few days before leaving to explore Iceland in a campervan. We rented an apartment right by the seafront in Laekir and a short walk to Harpa concert hall and the marina where the majority of Iceland whale watching tours leave from.

Fjord Adventures | 9 Ways Adventure Seekers Are Catching Thrills On Norway's Trolltunga

Ok, so you have sat down and planned your hike, what you need to pack for a hike to Trolltunga and whether you can actually handle the hike so now you are thinking what else is there to do when I get to the top? What kind of fun do people have at Trolltunga, anyway? Well, since you asked nicely I will let you in on a little secret on how adventure seekers are catching thrills on Trolltunga. If you haven't been to Trolltunga yet and are dying to visit this beautiful landscape, I have a post with all the questions you might want answers to before heading to Trolltunga. I have answered all those questions on the Ultimate Guide to Hiking Trolltunga.

Svinafellsjokull Glacier - Jaw Dropping Glacier Views You Need to Add to Your Icelandic Adventure

Welcome to the land of surprises! After planning how much vacation time in Iceland we need and reviewing our list of things to do in Iceland we thought we had our itinerary down to a T! (Scratch that! I thought I had it down to a T, I am more of a planner and Igal goes with the flow.) Then we arrived in Reykjavik Iceland, picked our campervan rental and embarked our a journey on Iceland’s Ring Road. All along thinking that we were going to be ticking off bucket list items one by one.

Sleeping Sound Under Secret Iceland Waterfalls | A Must Have Experience When You Visit Iceland

Oh Iceland, a country that is probably on every wanderlusting traveler's bucket list. The land of fire and ice is brimming with waterfalls, volcanoes, geysers, glaciers, geothermal pools and somewhere in all of that is an adventure to be had. Adventure is my middle name! With that in mind, we set off in a camper van down south of Iceland. Having stopped to see Geysers we stumbled on Godafoss by accident as we didn't realise just how close it was from the Geysers and boiling earth of Litl Geyser. Having made a few stops along the way it wasn't until late in the night that we stumbled on Seljalandsfoss, this was close to the mark I had placed on a map to get us to the camping spot we were going to spend a night. I actually had no idea our camping spot was going to be right next to the falls. We arrived after midnight, but there was still a bit of light. We had Seljalandsfoss all to ourselves!

Ultimate Guide to Hiking Trolltunga - Your Questions Answered!

A few days ago I shared with you a post with many a shot from hiking to Trolltunga. Norway has so many beautiful landscapes that it is hard to imagine how a country could have such amazing scenery all to itself. Our drive from Bergen to Odda, which is the starting point to the little expedition that is the Trolltunga hike. All along the way, the road trip from Bergen to Trolltunga had us oohing and ahhing at waterfalls, lakes and beautiful mountains. A lot of people want to hike to Trolltunga, so I thought I would make my second post on a Guide to Hiking to Trolltunga a Q&A of what you might want to know when planning a trip for this hike.

What the heck is Trolltunga anyway?

Adventures in Norway | Hiking To Trolltunga

Last week I shared with you a post on Bergen, a beautiful city in Norway that is surrounded by 7 mountains. Our trip to Norway late last year was a trip to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday. It was not going to be an easy trip by a long shot. This was going to be an adventure-filled weekend that included hiking to Trolltunga in Norway's Hordaland region. The previous year we had spent his birthday hiking in Snowdonia so I was determined to top the next one. I researched and toiled over how I was going to plan this trip as a surprise. In fact, he only knew we were going to be heading to Norway and hiking to Trolltunga about 2 weeks before our trip. What he also didn't know that I had Trolltunga on my bucket list for a while now, as he is into the outdoors as well it was a win-win.

We didn't really need to buy much equipment for this trip as we have done similar trips before. The only difficulty was finding out how we were going to get to Trolltunga having arrived in Norway Via Bergen. I had down tonnes of research and decided car rental gave us the freedom to move as and when we wanted. I have had quite a few road trips around the world now that I am starting to prefer this mode of transportation when I travel. For more on road trips, you can check out posts on Namibia, Zambia, Spain, Wales, Iceland and many parts of England via the destinations page.

Seljavallalaug | Iceland's Secret Thermal Pool In The Mountains You Wont Want To Miss

Swimming in Iceland's Seljavallalaug Geothermal Pool:

The Land of Fire and Ice and has many hidden gems that it's so hard to pick a favourite. All I know is while planning the trip to Iceland, I knew that there was no way I wanted to leave without swimming in Iceland's thermal pools, namely Seljavallaug pool that is nestled in the mountains. Seljavallalaug was built in 1923 and may just be Iceland's oldest pool. It was used to teach swimming to many Icelanders, but now so many Iceland thermal pools have sprung up in and around Iceland, but Seljavallaug pool remains one of the most popular geo-thermal pool in the country and is mainly frequented by tourists. Those that can actually find it. Having read that a few people failed to find it, I was a little anxious about not being able to find it and leaving Iceland without swimming it. Finding Seljavallaug pool was actually not that hard. It really was a matter of preparation and research as to what to look out for.

When we arrived for our swim it was just after 10pm, in the summer, days are long so it doesn't get dark until about 1am. We had been out exploring and wanted to end out the day of exploring with a visit to the popular Iceland thermal pool that brings many from around the world to take a dip. Clouds were low, it was raining lightly but the temperature in Seljavallalaug pool was such a treat for the wet and mildly cold day. As cold droplets fell from the sky you would dip your entire body in the pool and suddenly you were nice and toasty from the warmth of the famous Iceland thermal pool filled with water from the hot spring nearby.

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon Boat Tour | Visiting Iceland's Glacier Lagoon

Visiting Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

There were so many things that I wanted to see in Iceland that it is actually had to pinpoint what my favourite part was after we had been skidded around the ring road. What I can say though, was that seeing Iceland's Diamond Beach was up there on the list of must sees! Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon is just a sight. I don't know about you but its not everyday you get to see such sights. Your eyes and your brain do a constant double takes as if to ask if they are experiencing what the eyes and brain as seeing and all the emotions that are entangled with what's before them. Taking in the sights may not be enough for some, you can also opt for the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon boat tour. If you are thinking of doing a drive from Reykjavik to Jokulsarlon then you may have to rethink that unless you are planning on ignoring all the sights on the way or spending a good day on the road.

Exploring Beautiful Dorset | A Sunrise On Man Of War Cove

Sometimes we get so busy trying to get away from it all, that we never consider to venture off to what is near by as a refuge from all the woes adult life brings. Living in the UK, train journeys always seem so expensive when compared to enticing travel deals to neighbouring European destinations that are dangled in front of you like candy, by the likes of RyanAir. Hello Copenhagen! Or even Warsaw. These are just some of the destinations you can visit for about £10 one-way. Compare that to a one-way train ticket at £30 in the UK. Yeah, my guest would be that you would be going for the European destination but don't let these deals stop you from visiting amazing and scene destinations hidden in the realms of the English country side. One such destination is Dorset. Steeped in historical charm that will have you lost in day-dreams one minute and the next captivated by tales of how the coves, caves and sandy beaches provided opportunities for Hawkhursto gangs of the 18th century to smuggle goods ashore.

Australia's Great Ocean Road | A Helicopter Tour Over The 12 Apostles

I would bet money that anyone visiting Australia has a Great Ocean Road trip on their list, among seeing places like the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Opera House and even Bondi Beach. Knowing that I was going to be flying to Melbourne after visiting in Sydney, I knew that my visit was not going to be complete without a riding through Australia's most famous coastal road. While GOR is famous in its own right, the sights along the way also play a part in why people are drawn to it.

The Great Ocean Road winds and bends for 243 kilometers along the Southern Ocean, from Geelong to Portland. While driving this beautiful and scenic coastal stretch, you bear witness to Victoria's dramatic coastline, iconic surf breaks, waterfalls, cute fury animals like the kola bears, kangaroos in additional to the most famous sights of them all; The 12 Apostles!

Enter The Magical World of Iceland's Eldhraun Lava Field

I was going to wait until November to do a series on my trip to Iceland but each time I look at the pictures I get so excited and lose all patience with my planned schedule of posts so I thought I would get it out of my system and share the magical world Iceland's Eldraun Lava Field.

Eldhraun Lava Field

That Time I Rented A Car and Driver - Fell Asleep and Ended Up on The Wrong Side of Bangkok

Each time I think back on our exploration of Thailand while on a month long birthday celebration trip I burst into laughter. As someone who plans most of the trips that my boyfriend and I go on, I thought for my birthday month of December I would let my hair down a little bit and not plan quite to a 'T'. So a few things that I had on my list as things that I didn't want to miss out on before leaving Bangkok had been added to the itinerary but not really booked. This was so that we could go with the flow as much as possible.

I had seen pictures of Erwan Waterfalls before I visited Thailand and knew that they were a good drive out of the city, so you either have get up and drive at stupid o'clock to avoid the traffic in Bangkok. To allow for getting out there with enough time to explore before heading back, if you are not staying overnight. I had done enough research to know roughly how long it takes to get there and seen enough pictures to know if I was heading in the wrong direction. Quite good with my barings like that. The joys of an overplanner.

El Caminito Del Rey | Hiking Spain's Most Dangerous Hiking Trail

I learned about El Caminito Del Rey through some climbing articles I was reading a couple of years ago. I have been rock climbing on and off for a couple of years now and being the adrenaline junkie I can be, this was just one of those climber's bucketlist items. Sure, El Caminito Del Rey was touted as Spain's most dangerous hike and that's what made it all that much more attractive. Fast forward a few years later and I totally forgot about this bucketlist item only to have my boyfriend surprise me with a trip. There I was conjuring up all sorts of romantic destinations then be told I would be needing hiking boots. Uh Oh! Thoughts of kisses under the twinkling Effiel Tower quickly dashed as no one ever needed hiking boots to explore the streets of Paris while scoffing down macaroons faster that smarties.

The time came and we were headed for sunny Spain, as lovely as Paris is, its never guaranteed sunshine to anyone. So a trip to Malaga, Spain's sunniest city was just what the London weather man ordered. If you haven't been to Malaga or Andalucia for that matter then I have 7 reasons why you should visit Andalucia. I learned about our planned activity to El Caminito Del Rel about 2 days before we were leaving so in my excitement I researched a little only to find out that it had been repaired so I would not be needed any of my climbing gear never the less I was still reeling in excitement of the thought of exploring a dizzying trail on the cliff edges of that were in use since 1921.

Living The High Life in Wales | Hiking Through Snowdonia National Park

If you spend enough time with Londoner or those in the UK for that matter, you will notice how much we go on and on and on and on again about the weather.

This summer like every summer everyone is was dusting off their bikinis and flop flops in search for sunny horizons (we all know those don’t really come around the UK that often or long enough). Booking holidays to Spain, Greek Islands, Caribbean islands. Having just taken on the heat wave in New Delhi and Agra this May, dosed up on sunshine sailing around Santorini and while exploring Athens in July, I was in the mood for something different. Say, a little adventure close to home.

One of my boyfriend's friends had been trying to get a group of us to go away on a hiking trip for a long time now and after voting on dates when everyone was available and it was then time to decide on whether to head to Lake District and Snowdonia National Park (think soaring mountains with peaks playing hide and seek with the clouds). Lakes spread across national parks, hiking routes with breath-taking views, small towns filled with cozy little cafes with a local and traditional touch. Yep, I was up for all of that and then some. It was as if the stars seemed to have aligned as everyone’s diaries cleared up for the long August Bank Holiday, which also happened to be my boyfriend's birthday week.

Sussex Charm | Exploring The South Downs With YHA

Visiting the UK is not all about seeing London. There is more to the UK than just London, like the beautiful coastal towns around the UK. Of course living in a city that never sleeps, like the bustling capital of London, one is always in short supply of peace and quiet. In addition to both my partner and I working in the IT industry with a constant jiggle for work-life balance, I always try to make our weekends as relaxed as imaginably possible. This means being creative in seeking out relaxation weekend getaways both in the country and outside.

My current favourite lately are getaways in and around the English countryside. The fact that we don’t have to go through security gates, hold miniaturised bottles of beauty products or be patted downed because an underwire bra triggered the alarm is always a plus, if we can avoid this.

When I mentioned to my partner that I was challenged to spend £100 for a weekend for both of us, he wasn’t really surprised as he as seen some of the travel deals I rustle up at crazy prices, even at short notice(check out my trip to Copenhagen where we travelled to for under £100).

We were going to be driving to one of the UK's most beautiful coastal regions; South Downs. Remote, ravishingly beautiful landscapes of farm lands with rolling hills in the background, a national park that stretches over 100 miles and stunning beaches to boot. It was a no brainer. Of course he said yes!

Visions of Wild Africa | Exploring Botswana's Okavanago Delta

Safari In Botswana Okavanago Delta - Moremi PARK

Back in surroundings that allow you to hear that morning call from the birds chirping at the first signs of dawn. Surroundings unpolluted by urban comforts and as darkness gives way to night allow you to have stars twinkle at you and it's as if the world suddenly melts away with sweet nothings whispered from a lovers lips and like romantic rhythms, perfectly received to your ears. Being at one with nature and back to basics of appreciating the peace and quiet offered by being in the middle of nowhere is one of life's luxuries in the world we live today. Memories of my trip to Botswana last October were just that,...moments of blissful pleasure being back in familiar surroundings. My boyfriend and I had the pleasure of crossing no man's land on foot; Kazungula. This is a small area of land between Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia where we crossed over from Zambia into Botswana by a small ferry. Our Safari journey was to start from right there on the boarder crossing into Kasane, Botswana. As you drive away from the boarder you can spot many elephants in the dried fields. We were in Kasane for 2 days but managed to spot elephants, monkeys, hippos, baboons all without getting on a typical African safari ride.

Sand Boarding and Quad-Biking In Namibia's Desert Dunes

Finally, I get to share my pictures from the sand boarding and quad-biking in the Namibian coastal dunes. One of the main reasons for heading to this part of Namibia having visited Windhoek, the capital, was to visit the little German town that is Swapkomund. In addition to that, I had been dreaming about sand boarding in the dunes for a long time now, so it was my goal to make it happen while visiting an area with the tallest dunes in the world! Well if you are going to do something crazy why not go the whole nine yards, right?

Adventures on Victoria Falls | Dipping Into The Devil's Pool

In my last post I shared with you moments from my exploration of Livingstone Island, a World Heritage Site, which sits on the edge of the Victoria Falls. Its only been open since 1992, allowing exclusive access to get up close and personal with the falls. I also mentioned that I was going to be sharing with you pictures from the adventurous dip into the Devils Pool. The Devil's Pool is a natural pool on the edge of Victoria Falls and it's thought that it was created by thousands of years erosion. It's beauty lies in the fact that you have a rock ledge on the edge that stops you from being swept down the 100 meter gorge by the torrents of water. Well you can wait no longer as the pictures are below. Before that a little detail on how this came about. This trip has been a long time coming and the Devils Pool even more so. I have mentioned it a couple of times now on the blog and it was between this and a bangee jump. I am glad to say the the Devils Pool won!

Exploring Victoria Falls | Lunch on Livingstone Island Surrounded By Victoria Falls

"So lovely, it must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight" - David Livingstone

Although the first known Europeans to visit Zambia were the Portuguese, it is thought that David Livingstone was the first Brit to explore the Zambezi River (and gaze upon the Victoria Falls), which gives life to Mosi-oa-Tunya. This translates to The Smoke that Thunders. You might know this as Victoria Falls, renamed by David Livingstone in 1855 in honour of Queen Victoria as he stood on what is now know as Livingstone Island. In high season you wouldn't be able to stand here as it is completely submerged in sheets of water. Most Zambians and Zimbabweans still use its original name and Zimbabwe went as far as officially renaming the falls back to "Mosi-oa-Tunya" last year.

Day Trips From Hong Kong | Exploring Lantau Island With Big Buddha

Lantau Island | Big Buddha & Twelve Divine Generals HK

After days of city living in on HK island and Kowloon it was time to branch out to Outlying Islands. I embarked on a trip to Lantau Island to visit Big Buddha. Travelling by train to Tung Chung, and with the cable car out of service for maintenance just 24 hrs before my trip, I changed transportation to a coach service at Tung Chung station to reach the Po Lin Monastery and then Big Buddha. Winding roads form a mountainous backdrop of beautiful lush green valleys. Phoenix Mountain being the highest peak of these mountains stretches to 935 meters high. The second highest peak in Hong Kong but the most popular spot for tourists visiting Lantau Island for climbing in order to view and admire sunrise and sunsets from its peak. Lantau Island is among the 234 islands belonging to Hong Kong SAR with only a few these inhabited.

Let Bee Inspire You

To travel is to simply live!I am a firm believer that travel doesn't have to be expensive. It also starts right from at home, so you will naturally find travel tips from both home and away. From my birth country in Zambia to my second home in London and as far and wide as Hong Kong, India, Namibia, Egypt and many parts of Europe. Experiencing travel from luxury hotels, hostels to exploring in a campervan in places like Iceland. I love adventures as much as I love my heels so ItsAllBee showcases endless possibilities out there if we only take the times to look as well as serve as inspiration for your wanderlust. My blog is a gateway to all those that want to see the world, whether in heels or hiking boots.

Safe Travels

Bianca

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11 October 2017

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27 November 2016

Swimming in Iceland's Seljavallalaug Geothermal Pool:

9 November 2016

11 October 2016

3 October 2016

23 September 2016

Eldhraun Lava Field

9 June 2016

22 February 2016

30 November 2015

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