LATIN AMERICA Get into hot water


Explore Fiji, kayaks optional.


Camp without tramping ABEL TASMAN, NEW ZEALAND


Abel Tasman National Park on the South Island is renowned for its spectacular “tramping” (hiking), but a tour of this unspoiled wilderness by kayak is just as scenic and a lot less work. Kaiteriteri Kayaks combines paddling with a water taxi and kayak sailing for an exclusive three-day tour of the entire park coast. Says Kaiteriteri’s Maria Bernstone, “Our trips are about good times, not hard work.” With azure lagoons, dozens of beaches and plentiful wildlife, including two colonies of friendly fur seals, the Abel Tasman’s 44-kilometre coastline brings your daydreams to life ($430 Cdn, www.seakayak.co.nz).


NORTH AMERICA


Master the Minganie MINGAN ISLANDS, QUEBEC


Stretching like a necklace of stone jewels from the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the islands of Minganie are a sea kayaker’s Valhalla. Relentless wind and waves have eroded this limestone tableland into a fantastic array of sculpted rock, grottoes and turrets—a watery maze to which the kayak is perfectly suited. Odyssée Minganie leads one- to five-day interpretive voyages around the national park’s western islands, home to puffins, penguins, porpoises and lots of other things that start with the letter ‘p’ ($115–$760 Cdn all-inclusive, www.odysseeminganie.ca).


Go north ELLESMERE ISLAND, NUNAVUT


The Far North is one of the few remaining landscapes of pristine wilderness, raw and untamed by the mollifying hand of civilization. Arctic aficionados and those simply tired of pedestrian peregrinations head to Ellesmere Island at the 79th parallel in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. A 12-day backcountry odyssey amidst icebergs, walruses, and 24-hour sunlight is just a Twin Otter flight and a paddle stroke away. Let Whitney & Smith Legendary Expeditions take care of the travel arrangements (in July/August for passable sea ice) and transform your arctic fantasy into reality ($6,775 Cdn, www.legendaryex.com).


See a great bear CENTRAL COAST, BRITISH COLUMBIA


Which came first, the kayak or the mothership? Dunno, but any paddler who’s hunkered in a campsite soaked by the B.C. rainforest’s eponymous drizzle has surely dreamed they’d booked the mothership first. Captain Ross Cambpell and family assure you’re well cared for aboard former hospital ship the Columbia III. The days on Mothership Adventures’ 9-day Great Bear Rainforest cruise (in Sep- tember for prime grizzly viewing) are packed with paddling to earn you the organic delights of a shipboard chef and the comforts of a warm, dry berth ($3,975 Cdn, www.mothershipadventures.com).


PUMALIN NATIONAL PARK, CHILE What could be better than spectacular fiord and mountain scenery, towering waterfalls and ador- able marine life on a kayaking expedition? One word (OK, actually two): hot springs. Replenish your spirits and rejuvenate your body in natural baths at the edge of the Pacific. Do as local people have done for centuries and add seawater to the springs to attain the perfect temperature. Chilean outfitter Yak Expediciones leads four-, six- and 11-day self-supported trips in the northern fiords of Pumalin National Park, sharing their intimate knowledge of local culture, history, language, and of course, hot springs (six days, $988 Cdn, www.yakexpediciones.cl).


Idle in an idyll


PARADISE ISLANDS, BELIZE Running the length of the Belizean coast, the Barrier Reef forms one of the richest marine ecosystems on earth. Kayak to world-class snorkelling and diving sites or simply hang a hammock and drink cocktails beneath the sway- ing palms. Island Expeditions offers a unique five- day experience of the Paradise Islands. The trip is lodge-based but still fully guided—which means no camp chores and lots of free time to take advantage of your guide’s expertise in kayaking, snorkelling, and local nature and culture ($1,596 Cdn, www.islandexpeditions.com).


Cocktail hour, Belize. ADVENTURE KAYAK | | 41


PHOTOS FROM TOP: KANJI SAITO; COURTESY OF ISLAND EXPEDITIONS


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