When it comes to the pre-Columbian past of Peru, most of us automatically and understandably think of the Incas. But there were many other cultures and civilizations in these lands, some of them much older than the Incas. Several of these elder civilizations originate in what is now desert regions up and down the country's coast north and south of its present-day capital, Lima. One example you've heard about is the Nazca people, because of their…

Some hotels and resorts throughout the world make a big deal out of their collections of painting and sculpture. But leave it to the Japanese to go all the way and actually build a hotel around an art museum. The wee island of Naoshima, in Japan's Inland Sea off the Honshu coast between Osaka and Hiroshima, has gotten quite the elegant little rep in recent years for its modern art museums, of all things, thanks to a local textbook publisher called Benesse. That includes the Chichu…

A trip down one of Costa Rica’s rivers, either by raft, canoe, kayak or small boat, is an excellent way to see some of the country’s extraordinary wildlife. The rivers in Costa Rica are as diverse as the terrain through which they flow.

Trees that line most river banks may hold troops of monkeys, lounging iguanas and…

by Sheri de Borchgrave



I've faced down grumpy hippos on safari in Botswana's Okavango, dodged camel spit on a trek in Mongolia, and kept my lunch down on a hurtling dogsled driven by ebullient Lapps. But hanging out with headhunters? Less adrenaline rush, maybe. But creep-out factor? Erk...

I was on the world's third-largest island (a bit over the size of Texas) as part of my visit to…

By Roy Heale

Named in 1865 by the original settlers in honor of a Welsh Baron, the Atlantic coastal town and seaside resort of Puerto Madryn is renowned as the whale watching capital of Argentina. It is also the gateway to the Peninsula Valdes World Natural Heritage sanctuary since 1999 and a major wildlife conservation area. The region encompasses approximately…

One fact hit home when visiting Downtown New London's Historic District on the Thames River waterfront just a salty breeze away from Long Island Sound on Connecticut's southeastern shore. New London's entire population is well under 30,000...pretty small compared to other CT coastal cities like Bridgeport and New…

by Tripatini staff

This vegetarian zucchini pancake recipe, delicious whether you're an herbivore or carnivore, comes from the CIA. No, not that CIA; the…

Some people were born to be underwater.  Submerged beneath the waves, their bodies take on skills and movements befitting a marine creature.  For them, nowhere under the ocean surface can be left unexplored in the quest for a little piece of submarine magic.  And for these born divers, the Dominican Republic is a paradise with two…

Two must-see destinations on your…

Forget the kitschy song and dance show at the Hilton on Waikiki; it barely scratches the surface of the amazing richness and depth of Hawaiian natural and cultural history. Here are three recommended spots to wet your feet in what will hopefully be a lifelong interest in and admiration of this beautiful chain of islands.



Bishop Museum…

Vacation getaways that are both appealing and off-the-grid are an endangered species to begin with. But even in this rarefied company, the San Blas Archipelago, stretching across the lower half of Panama Caribbean coast, is in a class by itself. Eighty-percent uninhabited, these more than 350 islands, reachable by puddle-jumper flights from Panama City, are as pristine a paradise as you'll find anywhere…

by Mary Bergin

Scattered throughout Chicago, Illinois is evidence…