You have to like it when you can travel and mix education, environmental activism and adventure. Usually, you get one or two, but not all. For example, we've posted about educational tours where you head to a place like Peru and do some kind of archeological al dig. Sounds great, very educational, interesting except when the boredom is excruciating, but hardly adventuresome. You're not getting chased down by Nazi's after all, no matter how many lines you've memorized from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

So with all that said, here's a recommendation that does just this. Adventure, education, environment. They are called Canopy Tours, and you can do them in a lot of places where there are, well, canopies. In this piece from the Washington Post, via the Star Trib. According to the piece, the original Canopy Tour began in 1997, when Darren Hreniuk opened his first company in Costa Rica. Since then, other companies have opened similar adventures, which are sometimes called sky treks or zip line tours. As I say, there appear to be lots of places where these are done, usually with a guide who knows his plants and insects and can answer your questions as you soar over the jungle floor. Places to do these tours included Nicaragua, Mexico, Belize, Jamaica and Africa.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Hiking, History, Learning