Issue 162: St Kilda Wildlife Cruise

Hey Explorer,

This is Adventure Fix, the newsletter that helps you discover extraordinary journeys and experiences across the globe.

Here’s what we've got for you today:

• Paddling: Rafting the Landsborough River

• Cruises: St Kilda Wildlife Cruise

• Natural Wonders: Kazakhstan’s Singing Dune

Rafting the Landsborough River

Located in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, the Landsborough River offers some of the best multi-day whitewater rafting in the world.

The river carves its way through deep gorges, surrounded by towering mountains and lush rainforests, providing rafters with a spectacular backdrop as they navigate the rapids.

The adventure usually begins with a helicopter ride into the remote headwaters, adding to the excitement as you fly over rugged terrain and get a bird’s-eye view of the landscape. From there, the journey downriver offers a mix of thrilling whitewater sections and calmer stretches, where you can soak in the breathtaking surroundings.

On multiday trips, paddlers stay at campsites that are often set against stunning backdrops, with opportunities to explore hidden waterfalls, swim in crystal-clear pools, and enjoy evenings under star-filled skies.

Explore more:

• Rafting the Landsborough River (blog)

• Landsborough Multi-day Paddle (trip)

St Kilda: A Wildlife Cruise to the Outer Hebrides

St Kilda, a remote archipelago 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides, offers a truly unique wildlife cruise experience.

The journey across the Atlantic leads to dramatic cliffs and untouched landscapes, with the main island of Hirta surrounded by smaller islands like Boreray and Soay.

As you sail through scenic, secluded bays and anchor near lonely islands, you’ll witness breathtaking wildlife, including sea and golden eagles, porpoises, seals, basking sharks, and even orcas and minke whales.

The ultimate destination is Village Bay on Hirta, the largest of St Kilda’s four islands. Rising dramatically from the Atlantic with the UK’s highest sea cliffs, the St Kilda islands host vast seabird colonies, including puffins, gannets, fulmars, and Leach’s petrels.

On the return journey, you may anchor at the remote Monach or Heisker Isles, known for their vibrant wildflowers, sandy beaches, and large grey seal colony. The cruise also explores the Outer Hebrides and the Small Isles, offering an unforgettable blend of spectacular scenery, rich history, and abundant wildlife at every turn.

Explore more:

• Why Visit St. Kilda? (article)

• St Kilda Wildlife Cruise (trip)

Kazakhstan’s Singing Dune

The Singing Dune of Kazakhstan is a natural marvel located in the Altyn-Emel National Park.

This massive sand dune is renowned for the unique sound it produces—a deep, resonant hum that resembles the tones of an organ or the distant rumble of a low-flying airplane.

The phenomenon occurs when the sand grains slide down the dune's steep slopes, creating vibrations that result in the mysterious "singing" sound.

This sound is most likely to occur when conditions are dry, and it often becomes more pronounced during strong winds or when large amounts of sand shift.

The Singing Dune is one of only a few such dunes in the world where this natural acoustic phenomenon occurs reliably, adding to its unique appeal.

Explore more: 

• The Singing Sand Dune of Altyn Emel (article)

• Kazakhstan’s Singing Sand Dune (video)

If you are planning your next adventure trip and still haven’t decided where to go next, here are some suggestions of epic trips you can start planning now to travel next year.

Don’t forget to check out the Trip Planner September Edition for a full list of tour recommendations.

Unique Experiences: Overnight Arctic Circle train to world's largest ice hotel

Tech: 6 great hiking apps for adventurous travelers

Exploration: Discovering an underwater lake 6000 feet deep

Parenting: Here’s why I’m glad I took my 7 year old son to the Galapagos

Wildlife: How to see Katmai's famous brown bears up close

Where in the World

Wanna flex your adventure geography skills? Guess where this pic was snapped!

Stumped? No worries. The answer is at the end of this email.

The Adventure Fix Community is full of interesting people who run companies that take travelers to the wildest places on Earth. Bijay Thapa from Rolling Adventure Holidays is one of them.

His company offers incredible adventure experiences in Nepal where they offer guided hiking holidays to some of the finest trails of the Himalayas.

They’ve got some unique trips like the Zen Trail of Manaslu or the Annapurna Circuit Yoga Trek.

If you’re planning a trip to Nepal, make sure you check them out!

You can also get yourself or your company featured on Adventure Fix by referring 3 readers, like Bijay did.

I’d love to hear what you think of this issue, scroll down to the poll to let us know.

Until next time…

Keep exploring,

-Amanda

 ANSWER: El Nido, Philippines