Top Destinations for Active Adventures: April through June

In case you're scrambling together a last-minute trip over the next few months, here's some food for thought as far as top places to visit this time of year. Many of these fit low cost, high value deals too. You can compare these with the low cost short list that I blogged about earlier for specifics. Hmm...speaking of food, I wish I had something wicked and sinfully delicious from Aussie land's vibrant, coastal metropolitan city, Sydney. Check out any of these top 10 gourmet food shopping spots, if you decide to venture there.

April

Cinque Terre, Italy, Europe will just take your breath away when you're hiking along craggy cliffs and staring down at sapphire blue waters and frothy waves. With 5 coastal villages to explore, you have plenty for your eyes to feast on.

Igaucu Falls, Brazil, South America offers the world's greatest waterfalls, an eyeful of the Devil's Throat (El Garganta del Diablo) and a potential glimpse of a jaguar or a brightly colored toucan.

Galapagos, Ecuador, South America will still be at its greenest and at its coolest and driest. These volcanic islands, aptly named after its huge, world-renowned tortoises, will expose you to a bounty of wildlife both on land and in the water.

Cinque Terre

May

North Island, New Zealand, Australasia puts you in touch with your inner surfer once you head north from Auckland, which offers you a taste of diversity and characteristic friendliness in this urban city. Once you break free of the city, the shark-free aqua waters and comfortable subtropical weather make this a prime locale to catch waves times and time again.

Atlas Mountains, Morocco, Africa beckon you with hikes among the wildflowers and romantic notions of camping in Bedouin-style tents.

La Paz, Bolivia, South America gives you a chance to hike among the clouds, if you can handle the elevation of 4000 meters in the world's highest capital. If you're a particularly brave mountain biker, you can also try out the "World's Most Dangerous Road", Yungas Road.

June

Yunnan, China, Asia sits in the southwest, and Lijian, considered one of China's loveliest, connects trekkers with Tiger Leaping Gorge, the world's deepest gorge.

Reykjavik, Iceland , Europe, often known as the land of fire and ice, reveals a geologist's haven, given glaciers, lava fields, thermal spas, waterfalls, and more. To see the famous "Northern Lights" known as “aurora borealis” though, you need to head there by April.

Kruger National Park, South Africa, Africa can give you the safari experience of a lifetime during these short days of winter. If you're lucky like I was, you get the rare opportunity to spot the big 5: lion, leopard, African buffalo, African elephant, and the white rhinoceros.

Kruger National Park

Note: Special thanks to Eyewitness Travel’s photo-filled book, Travel Where to Go When for my daydreaming fodder. Some of these destinations may not currently be available as trips through Zicasso due to its stringent criteria for selection of premium, qualified travel companies.