2012 was the most incredible year of my life for travel adventures! I visited 13 countries on four continents. Here are my favorite adventures from 2012.

1. My Top Travel Adventures of 2012
monkeysandmountains.com /travel-adventures-2012
2012 was the most incredible year of my lif e f or travel adventures!
I visited 13 countries, not including Germany where I live. This included Spain – 5 times!, Cz ech Republic, Finland,
Austria – 3 times, Italy – twice, Luxembourg, England, Switz erland France – twice, Canada, United States, South Africa –
twice, Swaz iland, and Australia, plus numerous shorter trips within Germany.
Although I do have a favorite destination of 2012 (coming in a later post), what really stood out in my mind were the
adventures I experienced while traveling.
Here are my top 12 Travel Adventures of 2012:
(in no particular order)
1. Get t ing THISCLOSE t o a Rhino Mot her and Baby at Hlane Royal Park, Swaz iland
Hlane Royal Park lets visitors out of the safari jeep to get closer to the rhinos on special tours. When I visited there was
a baby rhino whose mother was hiding it behind some bushes. I creeped behind our guide slowly, trying to fade into the
bushes. He walked silently, never taking his eyes off the mother rhino. Eventually he stopped when we were about 5
meters away from the mother. She stared at us…and went on eating. Never in a million years would I have ever thought
I would get SO close to a rhino, let alone a mother and a baby. It was the experience of a lifetime!
2. Snowmobiling in Finland

2. I live for adventure travel, and was totally up for the adventure of snowmobiling for the first time through a forest. Little did
I know how adrenalin packing it would be…and SO much fun! See: Snowmobiling in Iso- Syöte, Finland.
3. Hiking in t he Drakensberg, Sout h Af rica
The Drakensberg are the highest mountains in all of southern Africa and they put me to the test – in the best way
possible. I never would have thought about hiking in South Africa before but now I’m convinced it should be on every
nature lover/hikers list of things to do. It’s a great way to take in the scenery and perhaps even meet a new primate
friend along the way as I did in Monkeys and Mountains: My EPIC Day in the Drakensberg.
4. Summer Advent ures in t he Nassf eld, Aust ria

3. The Nassfeld is a well- known ski area in Carinthia (Kärnten in German), but I loved all the adventures it offered in
summer. In just one day I rode down the mountain on a Summer Rodelbahn, climbed through a rock labyrinth, and
swung through the trees on a Flying Fox and High Ropes Course. And that is to say nothing of all the hiking and rock
climbing the area offers. A seriously action- packed fun day!
5. Observing Hippos in iSimangliso Wet land Park, Sout h Af rica
This was not adventurous per say since I observed the hippos from the safety of a boat while on a Hippo and Croc Boat
Safari with Heritage Tours and Safaris, but it was an incredible experience to be SO close to a large herd of hippos and
it was my first time observing hippos in the wild. And it was in one of Africa’s most dangerous estuaries…but that’s a
whole other story.
6. Cycling in Cost a Brava

4. I have always wanted to take a cycling holiday and I finally got the chance to do so in Costa Brava. It was everything I
imagined it would be and more. I loved that I saw things (like a hidden waterfall) and small villages that I would have
missed if traveling by other means of transportation. Plus the cuisine in Costa Brava is mouth- watering good, so it was
easier to justify all the food I was eating with cycling. See: Cycling in Costa Brava.
7. Kayaking wit h Crocs in Kat herine Gorge, Nort hern Territ ory, Aust ralia
Considering that the crocs can be longer than your kayak, and my paddling skills leave something to be desired, I was
a bit intrepid about this adventure. Not only did we see a croc, but we saw him snap at our guide who inadvertently got
to close! Amaz ing! And why I’ll remember Kayaking with crocs in Katherine Gorge for a very long time!
8. Paragliding Over Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm) in It aly

5. Not only was it my first time paragliding but the weather was being temperamental and I was communicating with my
guide in German. The first few moments are terrifying as you literally jump off a cliff….then incredibly blissful as you get
a bird’s- eye view of the world below you while Paragliding Over Alpe di Siusi.
9. Volunt eering wit h Chimps in Girona, Spain
I have worked with gorillas before, but my first
love has always been chimps. I was beyond
excited when I had the opportunity to
volunteer with them for a few days at MONA, a
chimp sanctuary that rescues chimps that
have been previously kept as pets or were
used in circuses. It was both heart breaking
and inspiring. I’ve yet to write about it (post
coming soon), but you can read about one
chimp who made quite the impression on me:
My Chimpanz ee Love Affair in Girona, Spain.
10. Hiking in t he Pyrenees, Spain
P h o to co u r te s y o f MO NA, u s e d wi th p e r m i s s i o n .

6. As regular readers know I love mountains. I’ve also been spoiled growing up in the Canadian Rockies and living close
to the Alps. I didn’t have high expectations for the Pyrenees, but they were beautiful! So beautiful that I just had to hike
and convinced our anxious guide that I, along with two fellow travel bloggers would hike back down instead of taking the
train down with everyone else. I’m sooooo glad that I did and now I want to go back for more Hiking in the Pyrenees
now that I know how breathing they are!
11. Shark Diving Wit hout a Cage in Sout h Af rica
I love diving

7. I love diving
with sharks.
I’ve done it
close to a
hundred
times, each
time without
a cage.
Shark diving
without a
cage is not
for the faint
of heart. But
still, I felt
completely
safe
surrounded
by up to 17
curious
Oceanic
Black Tips
that I
encountered
while diving
at Protea
Me wi th a n O ce a n i c B l a ck Ti p S h a r k. P h o to co u r te s y o f J o o s t va n Uffe l e n .
Banks with
African Dive
Adventures and Aliwal Shoal with Agulhaus House and Diving. You can read about what it’s really like to go Shark
Diving in South Africa – Without a Cage. After close to a hundred sharks dives, I still can’t get enough of diving with
sharks. It is seriously addictive!
12. My f inal t ravel advent ure?
This one also happens to be my favorite travel adventure and was coincidentally also my favorite destination that I
visited in 2012. Any guesses? Check back to find out where it was and why it was incredibly special!
Wishing you all the best in 2013. Happy and safe travels!