Category: Wildlife

TheHotFlashPacker loves wildlife - birds, fish, and all the animals of the earth

Places to Visit in Falkland Islands on Your Antarctica Cruise

Antarctica is a growing tourist destination.  If you want to explore more than just Antarctica, there are many longer cruises that also visit the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula.   If you can afford it, I highly recommend this longer option.  These cruises start with Falkland Islands, not as spectacular as South Georgia …

Continue reading

South Georgia Penguins and Other Birds – How Cute are They?

A visit to South Georgia Island, which you will do most likely via an Expedition Cruise, is like visiting another world.   While South Georgia is inhabitable due to its remoteness, weather, and mountainous topography, it’s a great place to visit during the “Summer” months of October to March.  I had the pleasure to visit for 4 days …

Continue reading

Visiting the Fascinating Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming

One of the best things to do in northwestern Wyoming, other than visiting Yellowstone National Park. Grand Tetons National Park, or the under-visited Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, is to visit the Bighorn Medicine Wheel, high up on a mountain on the western side of the Bighorn Mountains. What is the Bighorn Medicine Wheel? There …

Continue reading

Driving the Top of the World Highway + Having Fun in Chicken, Alaska

The Taylor Highway and the Top of the World Highway stretches 171 miles from Tetlin Junction, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon.  The highway is paved in Alaska, but the driving the Top of the World Highway (Yukon portion) is gravel.  This highway is great for views and unique experiences in Chicken and Dawson City – …

Continue reading

Best Things to Do on the Alaska Highway (All 1,450 Miles of it!)

The Alaska Highway, aka the Alcan Highway, was built during WWII to connect the 48 states to Alaska, which wasn’t yet a state.  It was over 1,700 miles when completed, but now it is closer to 1,400 miles due to rerouting.  The miles of the Alaska Highway stretch between British Columbia, Yukon, back into BC, …

Continue reading

10 Denali Shuttle Bus Tips (Like back in Grade School but with Grizzlies)

If you want to go to the end of the road in Denali (approximately 92 miles, and the same return), there are two options – the Kantishna Experience Tour at almost $240, and the Denali Shuttle Bus, costing around $64 to go to the end of the road.    Sure, the tour includes lunch and a …

Continue reading

Driving the Denali Highway (WOW, just WOW)

The Denali Highway should not be confused with Denali National Park.  The Denali Highway does not run directly through Denali National Park, nor directly to the entrance of the park, but on a clear day you can get incredible views of the Denali Mountain (aka Mt. McKinley), the highest mountain in North America from the …

Continue reading

Anchorage to Homer Driving (Driving the Sterling Highway and What to Do)

Anchorage to Homer Driving takes just over 4 hours for 222 miles if you drive straight through, but why would you want to?  There are so many things to see on the drive from Anchorage to Homer, on the so called Sterling Highway.  These are my favorite things to do on the drive from Anchorage …

Continue reading

Best Things to Do in Seward, Alaska

As part of my 2-month trip to Alaska, I spent three full days in Seward, Alaska.  Seward is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park.  Unfortunately, it rained two of the three days, but I still found plenty of things to do in Seward, AK. Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center Most of this National …

Continue reading

Kenai Fjords Tours Northwestern Tour (Wildlife + Glaciers = Fun)

Kenai Fjords Tours in Seward, Alaska has multiple boats and multiple tours that visit Kenai Fjords National Park and surrounding areas.  Their longest tour is the Kenai Fjords Tours Northwestern Tour.  I arrived into Seward, Alaska on a Thursday morning at 7:40 am since I had been camping at the Turnagain pass and the cold …

Continue reading