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.

The Needles.  Photo credit: © Michael Forsberg/MichaelForsberg.com

National Museum of Wildlife Art’s new exhibition “Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild” showcases work by conservation photographer Michael Forsberg.

The Jackson Hole exhibition of 60 photographs will be on display through January 30, 2011.

Riding the Range. Photo credit: ©Michael Forsberg/MichaelForsberg.com

Says Forsberg:

“When I am photographing wildlife, I often feel that I’m chasing ghosts, capturing surviving wild spirits of species whose numbers have been decimated or all but eliminated from these wide-open spaces.”

The Great Plains stretch nearly treeless for some 2,500 miles from southern Canada to the Texas panhandle.  This vast, barren landscape has become a personal mission for the Nebraska native.

Sandhills Windmills, Photo credit: ©Michael Forsberg/MichaelForsberg.com

Over three years, Michael Forsberg crisscrossed the region, capturing wildlife, habitats and a conservation message to create the exhibition.

His oversize giclee prints on display are drawn from Forsberg’s coffee table book of the same title.

The award-winning photographer’s work has appeared in publications including Audubon, National Geographic and National Wildlife.

Video courtesy of The Nature Conservancy

Wandering the world’s mountains, Live Travel Mountains calls British Columbia, on Canada’s West Coast, one of our favorite places.

Stunning and adventure-filled, these beautiful videos are part of the Super, Natural British Columbia series by Tourism BC.

One of our favorite regions is BC’s Sunshine Coast, which has beaches, mountains and fjords along the province’s southwest coast.

Known for its artists and festivals, this summer/fall, the Sunshine Coast will offer events including:

• Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts,  August 12 – 15;

• Blackberry Festival, August 14 – 20;

• Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival, August 19 – 21 and

• 1st Annual Sunshine Coast Art Crawl, October 23 – 24.

Videos courtesy of Tourism BC

Call it the ultimate Antarctica and Africa adventure.  Adventure travel company Bridge & Wickers is now offering its White Desert, White Lion adventure departing this December.

The two continent adventure will combine an “unforgettable stay” on Antarctica and “behind-the-scenes safari” in South Africa.  Trip highlights will include wildlife viewing; visiting an Emperor Penguin colony; sleeping in an igloo and ice climbing.

This 13-day adventure itinerary will be:

• 2 nights’ B&B at The Constantia in Cape Town;
• 8 nights’ full board and drinks at Whichaway Camp in Antarctica;
• 2 nights’ full board, drinks and a massage at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve;
• Activities in Antarctica and on safari and
• Non-stop return flights London – Cape Town and flights between Cape Town and Antarctica.

For more info, visit the Bridge & Wickers website.

Image courtesy of Bridge & Wickers.

Are you an adventure traveler?  Then think about packing some outdoor clothing and heading out on a trip with Bridge & Wickers.

The adventure travel company has earned a reputation for its custom holidays to Australia, New Zealand, Indochina, Thailand, the South Pacific and Canada (above).

Recently, the travel company introduced a new Africa program featuring wildlife safaris, beaches, cultures, luxury lodges and the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean.

The program countries will be Southern Africa (South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe); East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda and Rwanda); the Indian Ocean (Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles) and Oman.

Says David Wickers, co-founder of Bridge & Wickers:

“No matter how many ‘Africa in the wild’ documentaries you may have watched, nothing can prepare you for the experience of seeing the real thing. Safari is arguably the most evocative word in the entire travel dictionary, and Megan and Sam have such depth and breadth of knowledge that we can offer an Africa experience like no other.”

The company is featuring special offers in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia and Madagascar including:

• South Africa Classic Highlights. “Stay in exceptional accommodation on a two week self-drive through South Africa’s Cape Town, winelands and the Garden Route combined with a safari.”

• Madagascar and Beach Tour. “Explore Madagascar’s remote southern region, visiting some of the most endangered habitats in this unique country including the gallery forest, home to the iconic ring-tailed lemur and the eastern littoral rainforest.”

For more info, visit the Bridge & Wickers website.

Images courtesy of Bridge & Wickers.

Planning a mountain adventure in the wild Canadian Rockies?  Then become BearSmart, buy bear spray and check out these top BearSmart tips in this informative video from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. 

Human-bear encounters have been increasing, according to the Government of Alberta.  Statistics show that since 2000, there have been 30+ serious conflicts involving black and grizzly bears.  Every year, in Alberta alone, an average of 2,350 bear-related occurrences are reported.

Learn more about being bear smart at Alberta’s BearSmart website here.

Greenland has captured the imaginations of Arctic adventurers for centuries.   Now travelers can see Greenland on the Hurtiguten which has added three new trips in 2010.

The cruiseline’s newest ship, MS Fram,  has been built specifically to sail in polar waters. Each trip will feature  lectures, landings and shore excursions and the experience of culture, wildlife and communities of Greenland’s remote areas.

These three new trips include:

• PEAKS, RUINS AND ERIC THE RED “A journey from Greenland to Iceland taking in the south and eastern region before sailing across the Denmark Strait to Iceland. From ancient Viking settlements to the beautiful setting of Evighedsfjorden, this voyage offers the chance to discover something of Greenland’s vast array of natural and historic treasures before ending in Iceland. “

• GREENLAND’S REMOTE AND WILD COAST “Exploring the isolated communities around North East Greenland this voyage offers the chance to visit Scoesby Sund – the largest Fjord in the world and home to some huge icebergs. “

• IN THE WAKE OF THE VIKINGS “Following in the footsteps of the Norsemen of old this voyage travels from Iceland to southern Greenland and then onto Labrador and Newfoundland. This incredible adventure encompasses some of the most spectacular natural and historical landscapes that Greenland and eastern Canada has to offer.”

For more info, check out Hurtigruten online.

Image courtesy of Hurtigruten.

Photography holidays are an exciting, emerging trend in mountain travel.

In Europe, Tatra Photography now offers photography workshops including a three-day photography holiday in Germany’s Bavarian National Park and a landscape course in the surroundings of the Tatra Mountains.  An additional week- long break will feature the mountains’ peaks and valleys.

While in Slovakia, the company will offer three-day photography breaks in the Tatra Mountains focusing on the lakes and waterfalls and week long breaks in the peaks and valleys of the mountains.  These packages will  include staying in remote mountain lodges and lake locations for reflection and sunrise shots.

A longer photography course will feature a special overnight stay on Lomnicky Peak, (2634 metres above sea level), to photograph sunsets and sunrises and star trails. This  peak is reached by cable car from Tatranska Lomnica.

Wildlife breaks in Germany will give photographers “the chance to capture some of Europe’s great predators including: brown bears, wolves and lynx as well as the endangered European bison, deer, otters, wild horses and birds of prey.”

Slovakia photography breaks will highlight Tatra Mountains known for their giant waterfalls, lakes, valleys, deep green forests, blue mountain tarns, snowy peaks, brown bears, wolves, lynx and deer and diverse flora.

Award-winning photographers Chris Weston, Nick Jenkins and Andrew James will lead these photography holidays.  The holidays are designed for moderately fit photographers of all abilities who work in digital or film, from 35mm up to large format.

Photographic tuition will cover composition, exposure, shutter speed, focus and depth-of-field, apertures and understanding histograms.  Participants will learn to ‘read’ the landscape, create panoramas, HDR imaging and black and white photography.

For more info, check out Tatra Photography online.

Images courtesy of Tatra Photography.

Are you passionate about photography and mountains?  You’ll find some stunning mountain photography at the Wild Wonders of Europe project.

Some 67 of the world’s top nature photographers completed the 14-month project, which included 118 photo assignments to all 48 European countries.

Says Florian Moellers, Wild Wonders of Europe spokesperson:

“Braving soaring heat, deep seas and extreme cold, our Dream Team of photographers have created a breathtaking document of our shared natural heritage. Physical proof of an amazing comeback story and showing a side of Europe previously not well known – with really wild landscapes and charismatic species. It is truly a unique achievement.”

In 2010, “International Year of Biodiversity”, the project will share the beautiful images in its flagship book and its Outdoor Exhibition series “The Great Wild Show”.

The exhibition is expected to reach 45-100 million during its 3-year tour to all European countries.  Wild Wonders of Europe says the exhibition’s main messages are  “Joy of Wild beings and places” and “Yes we can, nature conservation works”.

Photo credits: Wild Wonders of Europe

After a lovely UK city break and staying at London hotels, you might fancy walking on the wild side of Scotland.

You can go eco-touring wild Scotland with eco-tour specialist Natural Habitat Adventures which offers carbon neutral trips worldwide.

The award-winning company has been named the 2009 Best Adventure Travel Company by National Geographic Adventure and 2009 World’s Best Tour Operator by Travel + Leisure.

For May 2010,  Natural Habitat Adventures recommends its tour Scotland’s Wild Highlands & Islands where you’ll see  “nesting seabirds of the remote Outer Hebrides to young wildlife in the boreal forest and heather moors with a journey so new it’s still ‘exploratory’.”

Read all its recommended 2010 Eco-Tours here.