Mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Photo credit: Volcanoes Safaris.

Love mountain gorillas?  If you’ve always dreamed of seeing mountain gorillas in their natural habit, then take a look at Volcanoes Safaris.

The luxury safari company runs mountain gorilla safaris in Rwanda including the 6-day Gorillas in Parc National des Volcans and Culture in Mgahinga.

This safari offers guests “insight into gorilla and local community life in Uganda and Rwanda and demonstrates how they are linked by responsible tourism.”

Safari guests spend two days tracking mountain gorillas on the slopes of the volcanoes. Then guests transfer to Mount Gahinga in Uganda and learn about the Batwa community.

What will safari travelers see? Here are more mountain gorilla photos by Volcanoes Safaris:

All above photo credits: Volcanoes Safaris.

Mallorca, an island hiking destination in Spain. Photo credit: Sherpa Expeditions.

Taking an island holiday in Europe?  Whether you’re heading on an all inclusive holiday to Greece or Canary Island hopping, you can always go on hiking or walking excursions on your island destination.

Make sure you plan your island hikes ahead by getting informed through consulting the local tourist boards and online travel resources.

If you’re interested in guided group hiking tours, then contact Europe hiking experts like Sherpa Expeditions. This travel company is part of World Expeditions which specializes in small group trekking and activity holidays.

Here are 3 Europe Hiking Destinations:

• Sierra de Tramontana, Mallorca: The island’s northwestern spine, the Sierra de Tramontana is a massif of limestone peaks which reach the Mediterranean Sea. In this island range, travelers can go on mountain and sea cliff hikes through forests and olive groves, over rocky peaks and coastal paths.

• Akamas Peninsula, Cyprus: This beautiful island offers hikers rugged, forested mountains, woodlands and orchards and vineyards. The island’s western part, the Akamas Peninsula, is popular for hiking because its temperatures stay warmer than in the mountains.

• La Gomera, Canary Islands:  Originally volcanic, the popular Canary islands are known for their stunning and dramatic landscape. “Feeling like walking alone with nature”, mountain hikers can experience this island’s high rocky mountains to cloud forest and banana plantations. The island has a relaxed vibe and population of only 20,000 people living in the capital San Sebastian and northern villages.

This post is brought to you by First Choice UK.

Mountain biking in solitude in Colorado, USA.  Photo credit: Colorado Tourism.

Planning a Colorado Rockies holiday?  If you’re in the UK, head to the Destinations Show 2012 in London and talk to Colorado tourism experts there.

The U.S. mountain travel destination is exhibiting at the show in Earls Court, London which runs Thursday, February 2nd until Sunday, February 5, 2012.

For mountain travelers, Colorado is one of the world’s exciting adventure travel destinations for every mountain activity from skiing, snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking to whitewater rafting.

Destinations Show 2012

London

Earl Court

Website: www.destinationsshow.com

Meteorito wine. Photo credits: Meteorito Wine.

Mountain and wine traveler?  Then you might fancy wine tasting tours in Chile with Meteorito Wine.

Recently, these South American wine tours in Chile’s Colchagua Valley have been featured in Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 10 Best Wine Travel Destinations 2012.

At Tremonte Vineyard in central Chile, Meteorito is the “first wine believed to be aged with a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite.”

Chile. Photo credit: Tumuñan Lodge.

About two hours from Santiago, the wine tasting tours are offered at Tumuñan Lodge with the Meteorito Cabernet Sauvignon creator Ian Hutcheon.

Tumuñan Lodge is a family-run mountain haven which offers rest and relaxation, hiking, horse-riding and fly fishing in the Chilean countryside.

Along with other excursions in the Colchagua Valley, tours of Tremonte Vineyard hosted by the owner can also be arranged.

This valley is famous for its vineyards, being a “haunt of Charles Darwin”, fossilized dinosaur footprints, volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls and condors.

For more info, visit Tumuñan Lodge online.

A musher forges ahead in the race. Photo credit: IPSSSDR.

The International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) kicks off today in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The race will travel through nine Wyoming towns to the finish in Park City, Utah on February 4, 2012.

Dogs playing it cool before the Park City final stage. Photo credit: IPSSSDR.

Some 22 teams of champion mushers and their elite canine athletes will compete in the event.

The race was founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley to make sled dog racing more accessible to the public.

For more info, go to the IPSSSDR site.

Glamping in style in Oman.  Photo credit: Scott Dunn.

Mountain camping can be an incredible mountain travel experience.

One of the latest travel trends is glamping trips to destinations like these luxury tented camps in Wahiba Sands and in the Hajar Mountains (above).

Luxury travel specialist Scott Dunn is offering this camping adventure with private yachting along Muscat’s coastline.

Travelers stay at the desert and mountain camps and on a private yacht, dropping anchor at desert islands with white sandy beaches.

Desert + mountains in Oman. Photo credit: Scott Dunn.

After the desert camping leg, the journey continues north into the Hajar Mountains.

The tour stops enroute at the old settlement at Mizfa near Ibra. Travelers hike the rest of the journey into the mountains on foot including a visit to the deserted village of Birkat Al Mawz and ruins of Tanuf.

Finally, travelers make the ascent to the Tanuf Mountain camp situated at 1,000m with views of Jebel Shams, Oman’s highest peak.

A desert glamping site. Photo credit: Scott Dunn.

The seven-night itinerary includes:

• One night at the Chedi Muscat on arrival;
• One night luxury camping in Wahiba Sands;
•  One night in the Hajar Mountains;
•  One night on a private yacht charter;
•  Three nights at the Shangri-La Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa and
•  Oman Air flights and transfers.

For more info, visit the Scott Dunn site.

The turquoise river Soca in Slovenia. Photo credit: Hedonistic Hiking.

Feel like a hiking holiday in Europe?  Then you might fancy a guided walking tour from Slovenia into Italy with walking tour company Hedonistic Hiking.

The nine-day hiking tour will start in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.

Then the hike will continue through the Julian Alps, crossing the border between the two countries into Friuli, Italy’s northeastern region, and finishing in Venice.

Slovenia, the sunny side of the Alps. Photo credit: Hedonistic Hiking.

Highlights of the tour will include:

• Lake Bled with its fairytale castle;
•  Three nights beside Lake Bohinj;
• Turquoise river Soca;
• Historic Kobarid and its fine restaurants;
• Visiting the Unesco World Heritage sites of Cividale and Aquileia and
• Wine tasting in the Collio region.

Venice: the final destination. Photo credit: Hedonistic Hiking.

The holiday runs in the summer and fall.  Tour group sizes are limited to 16 people and a support vehicle is provided.

For more info on the tours, visit the Hedonistic Hiking site.

A hiking and biking destination: the Drakensberg mountains, South Africa. Photo credit: Acacia Africa.

From Cape Verde holidays to Mount Kilimanjaro climbing expeditions, Africa is an ultimate adventure travel destination.

“Africa is certainly gaining in popularity, and the traditional gap year in Asia is being replaced by a much more eclectic travel map,” says Leanne Haigh, project development manager, Acacia Africa.

“Couples, 30+ solo travelers and more senior adventurers (are) choosing to quench their thirst for adventure, culture, and adrenaline on the continent.”

What are Africa’s hottest destinations for 2012? Here are Acacia Africa’s predictions:

• Zimbabwe:  “Over the last year, the country has had plenty of hardened adventurers beating down its less well-traveled paths. These intrepid travelers have put the country back on the mainstream map.”

• South Africa: “With adventurers looking to travel further and wider for less, KwaZulu-Natal, one of the Rainbow Nation’s up-and-coming provinces is tipped to be a 2012 hotspot. A stronghold of the Zulu tribe, the region is also home to South Africa’s oldest Big Five game reserve, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi.”

• Kenya and Tanzania: “These (countries) have enduring crowd appeal when it comes to the annual migration, the wildlife spectacle drawing hordes of tourists to East Africa.”

• Malawi: “Now being viewed as one to watch on the continent, the country has invested heavily in eco-tourism over the years. The yearly “Lake Of Stars” festival bring(s) the warm heart of Africa out of relative obscurity to centre stage.”

This post is brought to you by holidayhypermarket.co.uk.

Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand. Photo credit: TIME Unlimited Tours.

Leah Prendergast wrote this guest post on exciting women travel destinations.

Are you a woman and solo traveler?  There are so many exhilarating, empowering and beautiful holiday and mountain destinations around the world.

Here are 5 Exciting Travel Destinations For Women:

New Zealand

Rock Climb in New Zealand: The gorgeous mountain landscape of New Zealand offers rock climbing opportunities for beginners and experts alike. Professional tours and outfitters can guide you safely up even the craggiest of cliffs, and the more independently-minded woman can always head off with a group of friends to make their own adventure.

Uganda

Hike with Gorillas in Uganda:  Support conservation efforts by taking a guided tour of the Ugandan rainforest, deep into the habitat of Mountain Gorillas. Basic journeys are usually three days long. Longer tours can also take you into Chimpanzee territory and the most scenic locations in Uganda.

Baja

Track Gray Whales: Every year, gray whales descend on Baja, California as part of their annual migration. It’s here that they mate, give birth, and frolic through the winter months. Rented boats can take you near these gentle giants as they tend to their calves. A quick trip around the peninsula will find you in the waters of even more species, such as the humpback and blue whale.

Australia

Watch a total eclipse in the Australian Bush: 2012’s total eclipse will be best visible in the Australian wilderness. Take advantage of the rugged beauty of an Australian holiday, combined with an event you’ll never forget. Group viewing parties will ensure a safe trip into the countryside and optimal viewing locations for the total eclipse.

Rio de Janeiro

Hang glide in Rio de Janeiro: You haven’t truly appreciated the splendor of a holiday destination until you’ve seen it from the air. Hang gliding is an adrenaline rush that every woman should experience at least once in her life. The forests and beaches of Brazil make a perfect canvas for your aerial exploits and other enjoyable activities on the ground.

This post was brought to you, in partnership with HostelBookers.com, a travel booking company providing cheap accommodation all over the world (including cheap hotels in Los Angeles).

The LUXE Niseko Mobile App for iPhone. Photo credit: LUXE City Guides.

Niseko Village has been named the top ski resort in Japan.

This ski travel award further named Niseko “one of the world’s most popular ski destinations.”

Snow Japan conducted the online poll about international ski resorts.

Global ski travelers voted online at the Snow Japan’s website, ranking ski destinations  based on aspects including lift systems, courses/ terrains, Apres Ski and the snow conditions.

For more details, visit the Snow Japan site.