Aug 21st, 2012 at 8:00AM: This past Saturday, Texas native West Hansen set off on what is sure to be an epic adventure in South America. The avid paddler from Austin launched his attempt to set a new speed record for kayaking the length of the Amazon River, a waterway that runs more than 4400 miles (7081 kilometers) in length. The entire expedition is expected to last several months.
Hansen began his journey on Mount ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
AmazonRiver posts
Kayaker Attempting Amazon River Speed Record
Aug 21st, 2012 at 8:00AM: This past Saturday, Texas native West Hansen set off on what is sure to be an epic adventure in South America. The avid paddler from Austin launched his attempt to set a new speed record for kayaking the length of the Amazon River, a waterway that runs more than 4400 miles (7081 kilometers) in length. The entire expedition is expected to last several months.
Hansen began his journey on Mount ...Explore the Amazon with Google Street View
Mar 23rd, 2012 at 8:00AM: Yesterday, in honor of World Forest Day, Google rolled out a new addition to their popular Street View application. The Internet search giant updated the service with imagery and data from the Amazon River, giving would-be explorers the opportunity to travel along that famous waterway without ever leaving the comfort of their own home.
According to the official Google Blog members of the Street ...Underground river discovered beneath the Amazon
Aug 28th, 2011 at 9:00AM: A massive underground river has been discovered beneath the Amazon Rainforest that is actually larger than the famous waterway that meanders through the jungle above. Researchers say that the new river –dubbed Rio Hamza after the leader of the team that found it– is located 2.5 miles beneath the surface and is many times wider than the Amazon River itself.
Both the Amazon and Hamza ...Vote for the new Seven Wonders of Nature
Nov 21st, 2010 at 8:00AM: A few years back there was an organized effort to select a New Seven Wonders of the World, which resulted in a list of seven amazing places that joined the Great Pyramids on a modern list of spectacular destinations. Now, a similar effort is being made to select a New Seven Wonders of Nature as well.
The process began not long after naming the New Seven Wonders, with more than 440 locations, in ...Top ten cities to visit in 2011, according to Lonely Planet
Nov 4th, 2010 at 5:30PM: Another decade is about to bite the dust, but the savvy travelers at Lonely Planet have given us a jump start on the hot list for 2011. They've just announced their picks for the world's best cities to visit next year, and while you'll find some of the usual suspects (New York, which will debut the National September 11 Memorial on the 10th anniversary of the attacks), there are also some ...British man is walking the length of the Amazon
Jun 12th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Ed Stafford is either really brave or really crazy. Likely it's a little of both. The 33-year old British man is now 436 days into his attempt to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, starting at its source, and eventually finishing up at its mouth along the coast of Brazil, where it enters into the Atlantic Ocean. Stafford, a former captain in the British Army, began his epic journey in ...Adventures in the Amazon: The Future of Travel in the Amazon
May 29th, 2009 at 9:00AM: The Amazon River and the jungle that surrounds it, has always been one of those places that holds a certain sway over the imaginations of people the world over. It is a vast and unexplored wilderness that has yet to reveal all of its secrets and mysteries.We're fascinated with tales of lost jungle tribes that have yet to be contacted by the outside world. We're entranced by stories of giant ...Adventures in the Amazon: Ecotourism in the Rainforest
May 28th, 2009 at 9:00AM: One of the biggest buzzwords in travel in recent years has been "ecotourism". The term is generally used to describe a type of travel that is designed to minimize the impact on the environments we are visiting and is often used in reference to fragile or seldom visited destinations. It was my experience during my journey through the Amazon that ecotourism wasn't a buzzword at all, but actually an ...Adventures in the Amazon: A Night in the Jungle
May 27th, 2009 at 9:00AM: It was one of the darkest nights I had ever encountered. Well, at least it was when the lightning wasn't flashing across the sky, giving me an ever so brief glimpses of the forest that surrounded my tent. Despite the heavy rain, which had been falling for several hours, the night sounds of the jungle continued unabated. It was nearly as noisy as it was during the day, and when you added the ...Adventures in the Amazon: Trekking the Jungle
May 26th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Exploring the Amazon by boat is an incredible experience. The river is so vast and powerful that it can boggle the mind. For instance, during the high water season, it can reach 25 miles in width and more than 100 feet in depth. But there are certain aspects of the Amazon that you can only see if you leave the boat behind, and strike out into the jungle, which is as unique as the river it ...Adventures in the Amazon: Dolphins at the Confluence
May 25th, 2009 at 9:00AM: The Amazon is a river of epic proportions. It stretches 4345 miles in length, making it the second longest in the world behind the Nile, but it is by far the largest in terms of volume, pushing more water than the next ten rivers combined. During the high water season, the Amazon can reach 25 miles in width at certain points, and more than 100 feet in depth as well. The Amazon is formed by the ...Adventures in the Amazon: Fishing for Piranhas
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:00AM: As I've mentioned in earlier posts, the Amazon Rainforest has an incredible diversity of wildlife. There are literally hundreds of different species of birds, amphibians, and mammals, and that doesn't change when you go beneath the surface of the Amazon River, where more than 3000 species of fish dwell. Fish like the pirarucu, which can reach ten feet in length and weigh over 400 pounds, or the ...Adventures in the Amazon: A Birdwatcher's Paradise!
May 21st, 2009 at 9:00AM: Cruising the Amazon aboard a beautiful, 19th century styled, river boat is a fantastic experience. The passengers aboard La Turmalina, the ship that was my home while I explored the river, spent a lot of time up on deck, watching the world around us drift by. But there was a lot more to our journey than just sitting on deck drinking Pisco Sours and admiring the scenery. La Turmalina was outfitted ...Adventures in the Amazon: Life on the River
May 20th, 2009 at 9:00AM: After spending the morning in the Belen Market, I was more than ready to truly get my Amazon Adventure underway. I'd been in Iquitos for a full day, and while I found the jungle city a fascinating place, I was eager to get out on the river itself.
I planned to cruise the river, along with a small group of other travelers, aboard a boat called La Turmalina for a week. The ship operates out of ...Adventures in the Amazon: A Trip to the Market
May 19th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Iquitos, Peru is, without a doubt, a unique city. Its colonial heritage can be seen at every turn, and its jungle roots can still be felt, despite the fact that modern conveniences have become a part of everyday life. No where is this contrasting lifestyle more evident then in the Belen district, home to a sprawling market that is loud, colorful, and hot.
The Belen Market is by far the largest ...Adventures in the Amazon: Iquitos, Peru
May 18th, 2009 at 9:00AM: The Amazon River Basin is an amazing place. It is a vast ecosystem with the most diverse array of plant and animal life found anywhere on the planet. It is also one of those iconic destinations that sparks visions of adventure, with thoughts of Indiana Jones raiding lost temples for golden idols. It was all of these things, and more, that spurred my recent visit to the Peruvian Amazon, seeking a ...Tourism's Impact on the Amazon
Mar 29th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Ecotourism has become quite a buzz word over the past few years, and with an increased awareness of global climate change, many of us are more acutely aware of the impact of our travels then ever before. This is especially true when we journey to remote, fragile ecosystems, such as Antarctica or the Amazon, the latter of which is the subject of an article in the The Guardian today. In the story, ...
