Canada & the North
Greenland draws adventurous travelers with its iceberg-filled fjords, glacier-covered mountains and opportunities to encounter Arctic wildlife. Humpback whales feed in coastal waters, the Greenland ice sheet covers most of the island and Inuit communities maintain traditions that have endured for centuries.
Canada & the North
The salty waters of Quebec’s St. Lawrence River estuary have long been a major gathering spot for whales—many arrive each spring to feed on a rich body of nutrients. Minke, blue, and fin whales congregate here seasonally in large numbers, while beluga whales have taken up residence here year-round.
Europe
When one daydreams about Iceland, the images that likely spring to mind are volcanic landscapes and vast glaciers—after all, this is the Land of Fire and Ice. And yet, despite the harsh Arctic temperatures, wildlife enthusiasts find a plethora of wondrous Iceland animals rarely seen by the average tourist.
Travel Tips
Almost a year ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic raced around the world, I thought of writing to you about the countries that seem to perpetually be on annual lists of the “most beautiful in the world”—nations such as Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Kenya.
Conservation
In prepandemic times, those of us who cherish wildlife and wild places tried to quantify them in economic terms, hoping to convince those who didn’t care about protecting nature that not doing so would impact their bottom lines. Now, 10 months after the coronavirus outbreak, that strategy seems naive to me.
Videos
In our imaginations, nothing symbolizes our seas more than whales. These bigger-than-life creatures imbue our oceans with life, with song and with majesty, mystery and myth. If anything else represents our oceans more, I can’t think of it. That thought is a bit ironic because there was a time when whales walked the Earth.
Nature & Wildlife
Humans, eat your heart out—in the animal kingdom, there are many endurance athletes! The monarch butterfly flies 3,000 miles to its winter grounds in Mexico. Caribou (also known as reindeer), which are found in the northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America, can travel up to 3,100 miles (5,000 km) in search for food.
Travel Tales
During the spring of 1995, I joined a Natural Habitat Adventures kayaking trip in search of Pacific gray whales in Baja’s Sea of Cortez. We zigzagged from one end of the Baja peninsula to the other in hopes of sighting one of these magnificent whales.
Videos
We know that the world’s forests—boreal, temperate and tropical—play a large role in sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2)—as long as drought, harvesting, insect damage and wildfires don’t overpower them. But we may have another “champion” helping us to combat rising CO2 levels: whales.
Conservation
The old schooner purchased from a fisherman, cut through the icy waters of Glacier Bay, cruising along the picturesque Alaska coastline towards a pod of six massive humpback whales bubble-feeding at the surface of the water. Getting closer, the salt sprays over the travelers in the boat, as the whales breach over and over again.
News & More
Early February census numbers indicate a record number of Pacific gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon this winter – the highest number since census keeping in the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve began in 1978. This month’s count identified 197 adults and 155 calves for a total of 312 whales.
Nature & Wildlife
When my son and I visited California’s Monterey Bay in October a few years ago, we were enchanted by our frequent sightings of sea lions and sea otters.
