Believed to be the eighth largest diamond reserve in the world, Crater of Diamonds. offers a unique adventure of seeking treasures at the world’s only public mine and finders are keepers as any diamonds found can be kept. A diamond of nearly 2.75 carats was found last week by a thirteen year old female who was walking a trail.

For a small fee (adults $6.50, children $3.50), prospectors can seek your fortune in 37 acres of an ancient diamond-filled volcanic pipe located in Murfreesboro, Arkanasas.
Shovels and other supplies are available for rent. The first discoveries were a 3-carat white diamond and a 1.5 carat yellow diamond by “Diamond John” Huddleston. The largest diamond ever found in the United States came from this volcanic pipe. The “Uncle Sam” is over 40 carats! The crater also yielded the most perfect diamond ever certified by the American Gem Society, 3.03 carat. Since 1972, the area became a state park and over 25,000 diamonds have been taken home from the “crater”. Most diamonds are small and are collected as souvenirs. Semi-precious stones such as garnet, amethyst agate, and jasper dot the mine. Some of the most famous diamond finds are:

“Uncle Sam” Found: 1924 Rough Weight: 40.23 carats Cut Weight: 12.42 carats
“Amarillo Starlight” Found: 1975 Rough Weight: 16.37 carats Cut Weight: 7.54 carats
“Star of Arkansas” Found: 1956 Rough Weight: 15.33 carats Cut Weight: 8.27 carats

Other adventures including trout fishing, camping, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and wildlife viewing can be experienced near Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park or within driving distance. For those who don’t want to rough it up too much or want to add some creature comforts to the wilderness experience, the park has a water playground, restaurant, and much more. Who knew that there is so much treasure hidden in the state of Arkansas?

Every day is an adventure whether it’s locally or a trip to some far away distant land. Each adventure presents many photo opportunities and yet there are those few chance moments where you suddenly find yourself with the photo opportunity of a lifetime. Photography contests give you a chance to submit those pictures to share with the world and to win great prizes and titles.

www.condenastetraveler.com presents Joe Hunt’s “Sentinels of the Serengeti”. Although photos don’t pay justice to the actual scenery, events, and emotions of the moment, Joe happened to capture a candid shot that only chance could grant him-or almost anyone. As he was leaving the Ngorongoro Crater of Tanzania, a surreal scene appeared before his eyes. Sixty miles behind lay the horizon line as five Masaai men stood in the forefront. Joe stated that the scale of this image was incredible! The driver would not stop as they were already running late and the only frame that worked was a result of rushing to change the camera setting and holding the camera out the window at arm’s length. Now talk about a chance photo opportunity of a lifetime!

There are many photo contests out there that give you the chance to enter your chance photos. You don’t have to be a professional photographer (and yet there are contests that are geared just for you pros). The true National Geographic type pictures are the ones that capture the expression just right, describes the moment exactly how it happened without using one word, and shows the light (or darkness) precisely how Mother Nature had painted it.

Loads of photo contests with great prizes and recognition are out there. Don’t pass up the opportunity to share your photos. Whether you only pick up a camera once a year, only on vacation, as a willing (or unwilling volunteer), as a hobby, or as a wanna-be or true professional, there are contests out there just for you. Take the time to enter your photos. You never know what may happen!

More travelers are looking to combine volunteerism with adventure travel for a more meaningful experience. This can be a win-win situation for all. According to a survey by “The Voice of Travel Survey” as posted by the Travel Wire Industry 47% of participants (ages 35-47) were interested in taking a vacation that allows them to volunteer. Can you imagine the difference between a holiday spent on the beach or sunning by the pool versus learning how to carve a canoe with the natives as you work with local children to learn the ancient skill? You’re also gaining invaluable experience while making a difference in your destination. Not only is beneficial to those who volunteer and those who receive the services, it’s also a great way to experience travel and adventure without spending lots of money.

Adventure travel that is fulfilling, where the positive impact is not placed only on the traveler but also on the people and places being visited, can lead to even more challenges and fulfillment. Embark on journeys that give greater freedom to mind, body, and spirit such as ringing birds on the Greek island of Antikythira. If that’s not your forte then how about

volunteering to restore the charming village of Provence. If you are a pet lover and want to learn the culture and life of Mexico, try spending some time with our furry friends at the Humane Society on the island of Cozumel. You can get all the info at www.islacozumel.net

Just remember it’s what you do in your free time that makes the greatest impact on your world and you!

Blend travel and adventure with your career. Vacation and work at the same time. Ever wonder what’s on the other side of the cubicle? What’s it like to be out of the rat race? Well, there are jobs that will let you work hard and play hard. Don’t limit your wanderlust to just holiday time and don’t just keep your work experience and education to the corporate world. Mesh fantasy with reality and choose the destination and job of your dreams. Many companies and businesses offer jobs that let you meet the bills by pursuing active travel. You don’t have to be born in an exotic location, hold a degree in geology, or have traveled all the continents

For you water babies, jobs that let you bob in the water include canoe guides, captain of a boat, cruise ship staff, kayak guides, white-water rafting guides, fishing guides, and river guides. Surf sites to learn more about these jobs:

www.great-adventures.com
www.backdoorjobs.com
www.backroads.com

For you landlubbers, these employment opps will keep you close to shore and to adventure: tour guides, cycling guides, camp staff, trail staff, safari guides, horseback guides, ski guides, rock climbing guides, and safari guides. Check out land job descriptions at:

www.atlantickayak.com
http://www.denaliraft.com/
www.adventurejobs.co.uk

The jobs get more creative as your skills and imagination climb the extreme thermometer. Outdoor adventure employment include: mountaineering guides, trekking guides, outfitting staff, wilderness specialists, and outdoor educators. These jobs and careers can even be searched by location such states, regions, and countries so go and map it at some of these websites:

www.madventurer.com
www.moondanceadventures.com
www.alltournative.com

Like other jobs, you have to do the research, interview, and provide the necessary stuff. Find a good match in jobs and location. Interview them as well. See how the company matches you. Look at their goals and objectives. Make sure it’s a win-win situation. Although travel adventure jobs and careers are not considered “typical”, the steps still remain pretty much the same in your job search and interview, in a sense. However, when you do land the adventure career that you want, it’s not just a j.o.b.!

“Writer and photographer James Martin, author with Mark Twight of Extreme Alpinism, has turned his attention to the vanishing ice of planet Earth. Embarking on a new book, Planet Ice, Martin will blog exclulsively for GreatOutdoors.com over the next two years as he visits the polar regions, the last of the Equatorial glaciers, and the ice of more temperate mountains, to document how they show, all too clearly, the devestating results of global climate change.”

Check out the first entry from Antarctica here. 

Thanks and spanks to the fine folks at Gadling, for a recent link to my post on the rockin’ hot-waterfall near Lago Izabal, Guatemala. Totally worth checking out over at their shop is the diary of Dia Draper, who is going around the world with the venerable Semester at Sea program. Her journey has just started with a launch from Fort Lauderdale and stops in Nassau an Puerto Rico already under her belt. Follow along for a little bit of vicarious adventure. Next stop, Brazil!

After a month of beaches, volcano climbing, cave swimming, failed attempts to surf, and countless bus rides from the Yucatan to El Salvador and back again, we have finally returned to the land of American Idol and Awesome Blossoms. It may still take a while to back in the swing of things, but we will now begin to return this Logue to its regularly scheduled programming with more from the Adventure Travel World beyond just Central America, but I’ll also be filling in some of the blanks from this latest adventure, too. Stay tuned and as always, feel free to add any of your own comments or questions.

As if this great little pool and the steamy falls weren’t delightful enough, peer behind the veil of the falls and you’ll find just enough room for a natural sauna. Steam from the shoulders up while staying cool. We could have stayed all day if we hadn’t gotten prune-y.

The site may inspire me to add something to my packing list next time – a water proof flashlight. Just behind the small sauna space is a passage beneath protruding stalactites into the inner caves. To get there, you’ll have to do a bit of swimming. There’s just enough clearance to wade into the inner caves, with about six inches between the ceiling and the surface of the water, just enough room to keep your nose above water. Unless of course you’ve got that waterproof torch and a good pair of goggles to take the low road beneath the surface.  Maybe next time. I don’t recommend watching the “Descent” before you try this one!

We’re on Caye Caulker, the country’s second most popular island destination, where we’ll be wrapping things up with beachtime and snorkelling before heading north for a quick swing by the ruins at Chichen Itza, then back to Cancun and home. More on Belize later, right now, the beach beckons…

While we were in Antigua a few weeks back, we rented a car to make the three hour drive up to Western Highlands of Lake Atitlan and great market in the Mayan town of Chichicastenango. The route took us up the Central American highway for most of the way, a fine two-lane road that is patrolled by a surprising amount of police. I´m fairly sure none of them are armed with scanners, however.

Driving here does require a bit of aggression if you ever want to get anyplace, as the speed of traffic varies wildly between overloaded trucks and speeding buses (By the way, Guatemala´s famous chicken buses earned the name not because of the poultry on board, but because of the classic road game, which we played with them several times, and always lost.)
Things went smoothly on the highway, but by the time we reached the local road to Chichicastenango, we were plunged down a narrow road winding around absurdly steep, blind curves. For these turns, its best to turn the radio down and listen for the honk, the lone sign that a truck is barrelling around the curve, taking up both lanes and slowing down for no one. The steep grades also mean you will inevitably be caught behind a struggling old diesel belching exhaust and making very little headway uphill. It´s hear that you´ll have to decide whether it´s worth taking your life in your hands to make the blind pass or spend the rest of your afternoon gagging on this guy´s fumes. Just pray there isn´t a bus driver faced with the same decision around the next corner.

Oh, and ALWAYS pay the extra five bucks for the full insurance coverage. It´s well worth the peace of mind.