Other activities in North America
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Sun n’ Fun
You can arrange things through an agency like Sun n’ Fun, where Isla San Jorge trips cost around M$1500 for divers and M$1100 for snorkelers or sightseers, and fishing charters up to seven hours run between M$650 and M$1300 per person. Sea-fishing, snorkeling, diving, kayaking and sunset cruises are all popular. Swimming with the sea lions at Isla San Jorge (Bird Island) is an outstanding trip and the water temperature stays above 21°C from May to October.
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A
High Desert Angler
New Mexico’s truly outstanding fishing holes are better accessed from Taos and the Enchanted Circle, but there are plenty of opportunities around Santa Fe, including Abiquiú, Nambé Lakes and Rio Chama. You’ll need a license – available at tack shops like the High Desert Angler, which also sells a large selection of gear and offers guided excursions to private streams (one/two people from $275/350). A one-day, state-required license is $22.
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Coco Loco Surf Club
Coco Loco Surf Club, based at México Lindo, rents surfboards for M$50 per hour or M$150 to M$200 per day, and boogie boards or snorkel gear for M$30 per hour. It also offers surfing classes with qualified French instructor David Chouard (two-hour private class for one/two people M$350/500; two-hour group class per person M$200) and three-beach ‘discovery trips’ combining snorkeling, bodyboarding and a visit to La Ventanilla for M$280 per person (minimum four people).
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Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
The Delaware River meanders in a tight S-curve through the ridge of NJ's Kittatinny Mountains, and its beauteous image turned this region into a resort area beginning in the 19th century. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which comprises land in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was established as a protected area in 1965, and today it's still an unspoiled place to swim, boat, fish, camp, hike and see wildlife − just 70 miles east of New York City.
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B
Centro de Buceo Sotavento
La Crucecita ( [tel] 587-21-66; Local 18, Plaza Oaxaca Mall, Plaza Principal; [hrs] 9am-9pm); Tangolunda ( [tel] 581-00-51; Local 6, Plaza Las Conchas; [hrs] 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) is a friendly local company offering a range of options from a four-hour introduction (M$975) to full certification (five days; M$3850) to specialty night dives (M$4550). One-/two-tank dives are M$715/975. Sotavento also does four-hour snorkeling trips for M$260 per person (minimum two people).
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C
Calgary Parks & Recreation Department Office
Calgary is a cyclist's, walker's and runner's dream with more than 400km of paved paths within the city limits. Many of them cruise along the rivers and bisect the many urban parks. You can easily go from one end of the city to the other without having to worry about traffic. To plan your route, check out the Calgary Pathway & Bicycle Route Map, available for around C$1 from the Calgary Parks & Recreation Department Office and from most bike shops.
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Big Bus
On cold and rainy days, you'll still see passengers huddling together for warmth on the open outer decks of these colorful tour buses – luckily they can also shelter inside if a tempest hits. Stay on for the full 90-minute narrated loop or use your ticket as a hop-on hop-off pass for up to 23 stops around the city. Departures are every 15 to 20 minutes during peak season, and good-value family tickets are $90. A two-day ticket option is also offered for a few dollars more.
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D
Downtown Historic Railway
This beautifully restored, clackety old streetcar hits the ancient tracks from Granville Island to Science World during a smile-inducing 15-minute journey. The railway used to be part of the Vancouver tramcar system, and today it’s still operated by the city’s Engineering Services department –you’ll see retired uniformed volunteers, who used to work on the old cars when they were in full service, staffing the line.
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XTC Dive Center
XTC Dive Center, about 300m north of town on the coast road, offers dive and snorkel trips (from M$390) to the wondrous barrier reef just offshore, and to Banco Chinchorro (three-tank dive M$2470). It also rents diving equipment and offers PADI open-water certificates for M$5655 and NAUI instruction, as well as fishing and birding tours. To visit Chinchorro, you can get your M$50 biosphere reserve wristband here or at the park office in town.
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Lalo’s Ecotours
Lalo’s Ecotours is run by a lagoon local who has worked for Hidden Voyages and knows his birds. Tours are year-round, with binoculars included. Lalo speaks some English and also leads morning nature hikes, guided kayak and canoe trips, and nighttime boat trips during the periods of phosphorescence. He will arrange transportation from Puerto Escondido, or you can seek him out in the small village of Las Negras toward the lagoon’s western end.
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Seattle Frontrunners
Runners looking to hook up with running mates can contact a number of Seattle’s running clubs, most of which offer organized runs that usually turn into social events. Active clubs include the Puget Sound Hash Harriers, Seattle Frontrunners and the West Seattle Runners. Also, check sports stores for Northwest Runners, a monthly publication and a good resource for running-related information.
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West Seattle Runners
Runners looking to hook up with running mates can contact a number of Seattle’s running clubs, most of which offer organized runs that usually turn into social events. Active clubs include the Puget Sound Hash Harriers, Seattle Frontrunners and the West Seattle Runners. Also, check sports stores for Northwest Runners, a monthly publication and a good resource for running-related information.
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Cenote Dos Ojos
About 4km south of Xcacel-Xcacelito – and 1km south of Xel-Há – is the turnoff for Cenote Dos Ojos, which provides access to the enormous Dos Ojos cave system. You can take guided snorkel (M$300) and dive tours (M$780 to M$1170) of some amazing underwater caverns, floating past illuminated stalactites and stalagmites in an eerie wonderland. With an aggregate length of nearly 57km, it’s the third-largest underwater cave system in the world.
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Debonne Vineyards
Hey, if the guys across the border in Canada can do it, so can Ohio. Ten state wineries, most along Lake Erie, began making ice wine a few years ago, and they're reaping big praise. The local weather - long autumns, followed by winters cold enough to freeze the grapes but not so cold that the vines die - results in a sweet dessert wine with hints of melon and apricot. Tour and try samples at Debonne Vineyards in Madison, east of Cleveland.
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Balmorhea State Park
- Texas, USA
- Activities › Other
Swimming, scuba diving and snorkeling are the attractions at the 46-acre Balmorhea State Park, a true oasis in the west Texas desert. The swimming pool covers 1.75 acres, making it the largest spring-fed swimming facility in the US, 25ft deep and about 75°F year-round. The park is at Toyahvale, 5 miles south of the town of Balmorhea (pronounced bal-mo-ray), which itself is just off I-10 and midway between Pecos and Fort Davis on Hwy 17.
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E
Ghost Tours of Québec
Local theater actors or storytellers lead you through the streets of the Old Town by lantern recounting the hangings and hauntings of Old Québec. The 90-minute tours are great fun and usually finish with a visit to the city’s most haunted building. Tours leave from the sitting area (98 Rue du Petit-Champlain near Blvd Champlain) in the Old Lower Town. Buy your tickets from the Ghost Tours of Québec office or from the guide 15 minutes before the tour.
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Las Vegas Motor Speedway
For adrenaline-pumped Nascar, Indy, and dirt-track and drag races, drive out to this $200-million facility featuring a 1.5-mile superspeedway, a state-of-the-art dragway, a paved oval short track called ‘The Bullring’ and a racing school (for ride-alongs). Show up early for autograph sessions at the track before start time. In March, Nascar Weekend draws more than 300,000 spectators. Buy tickets, which quickly sell out, as far in advance as possible.
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Manglares de Dzinitún
About 1km inland from the beach on Calle 11, there are signs to this new ‘ecotour’ operation where you can kayak, canoe or mountain bike all in one day. A canoe tour runs M$200 per person for two hours, and takes you through a mangrove tunnel and good birding spots, made all the better by the lack of engine noise. You can camp here for M$800 a night (everything included), and there are also very basic cabins for an exorbitant M$600.
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Stawamus Chief Provincial Park
Attracting hardy climbers, it’s called ‘The Chief’ and it’s the highlight of Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. You don’t have to be geared-up to experience the summit’s breathtaking vistas: there are hiking routes up the back for anyone who wants to have a go. Consider Squamish Rock Guides ([tel] 604-892-7816; www.squamishrockguides.com; guided climbs half-/full-day from $75/115) for climbing assistance or lessons.
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Vancouver Trolley Company
This company operates jolly replicas of San Francisco trolley cars (without the tracks), providing a hop-on hop-off service to attractions around the city. The circuit takes 80 minutes and you buy your tickets from the driver – attraction tickets are also sold on board. If you're here in late October, the buses are decorated in spooky Halloween garb, while Christmastime sees a karaoke theme adopted for those who like to ride and sing at the same time. Check the website for discount tickets, especially off-season.
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Landsea Tours
Landsea's comfortable tours in 24-passenger stretch minibuses attract an older crowd. Treks include a three-hour city highlights tour (adult/child $65/42), departing 9am and 2pm; and a six-hour North Shore and Grouse Mountain tour (adult/child including admission $119/85). Additional guided tours to Victoria or Whistler are offered if you fancy traveling further afield.
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Crystal
Just off the eastern flank of Mt Rainier National Park, this majestic ski area offers unparalleled views of Mt Rainier, Washington’s highest mountain, and some of the best skiing on the West Coast. Located 80 miles from Seattle, Crystal is the largest of the ski areas with the most accessible peak skiing, a solid variety of terrain and a reputation for powder. It is consistently rated by ski magazines as a top North American ski destination.
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Sea to Sierra
The Mexican-owned Sea to Sierra offers a wide range of active adventures through remote, gorgeous territory. Choose from mountain-bike tours (four- to eight-hour tours M$300 to M$900), diving (one-/two-/three-tank dives M$850/1200/1500), snorkeling excursions (per person M$600, per boat M$1500 to M$2500) and horseback adventure tours (two-/seven-hour tour M$600/1200). Ask about the multiday ecoadventure and cultural tours.
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Fiesta Texas
This popular theme park has plenty of rides that you must be ‘this tall’ to ride, for grown-ups to lose their lunch over. There are more than 25 kids’ rides for the vertically challenged, as well as swimming pools and water rides over in the White Water Bay area (open May to September). The setting – against a limestone quarry that looks similar to the Arizona desert – is dramatic, and there’s plenty of music and shows. Parking is $15.
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Mineral Springs
At Hierve El Agua, 13km southeast of Mitla, bubbling mineral springs run into bathing pools with a dramatic cliff-top location and expansive panoramas. Hierve El Agua means ‘the Water Boils,’ but the mineral-laden water is actually cold. Water dribbling over the cliff edge for millennia has created mineral formations that look like huge frozen waterfalls. Altogether the pools here make for a unique bathing experience.
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