Tour du Mont Fort Fontaney - Cabane Mont Fort - Col de la Chaux - Grand Désert - Lac du Grand Désert - Lac de Cleuson - Tortin A high-altitude big day hike with some spectacular, otherworldly vistas. Recommended for those who are fit and sure on their feet. There can be sections of snow and ice to traverse over even in the height of summer. Make sure you align your hiking times with the cable car schedule (especially to be able return to Verbier!) DISTANCE: 18,39km MOVING TIME: 5hrs 40min | TOTAL TIME: 6hrs 49min ASCENT: 809m | DESCENT: 1188m Route Description Many hikers choose to begin t ..read more

Fionnay to Bonatchiesse Fionnay - Lac Louvie - Col su Sarshlau - Bonatchiesse This was one of the most scenic and enjoyable hikes of our entire time in the Swiss Alps. It is a challenging day out, with a couple of very steep sections. In particular, Col su Sarshlau is not to be attempted by those with vertigo. Avoid if the conditions are wet or slippery. The views are incredibly rewarding though! DISTANCE: 13 kms MOVING TIME: 5hrs 37min | TOTAL TIME: 6hrs 26min ASCENT: 1,399m | DESCENT: 1,307m Route Description With your back to Fionnay town, cross the main road to Mauvoisin, and join the ..read more

Col Termin Les Ruinettes - La Chaux - Col Termin - Fontenay This is scenic, but accessible half-day hike. This is highly recommended for those who are not experienced hikers but still want to enjoy some dramatic views of the Grand Combin, and feel as though you are in high mountains. It is well marked and very secure underfoot the entire way. DISTANCE: 15,46 kms MOVING TIME: 5hrs 07min | TOTAL TIME: 6hrs 25min ASCENT: 762m | DESCENT: 562m Route Description Exit Les Chaux gondola station in the direction of La Dahu restaurant. Walk past the restaurant and veer to the right, towards the cow ..read more

7 Of The Best Novels Set In Italy These are some of the best novels set in Italy to inspire wanderlust and travel. I’ve made a selection of the top 7, with a healthy mix of genres, including history, crime, romance, and thriller. All have in common a superbly crafted landscape over which your imagination can roam. Firenze - the setting for A Room with a View A Room with a View, EM Forster No list of Italian novels in English is complete without this classic. Set in the early 1900s, it follows the mishaps and adventures of a young woman, Miss Lucy Honeychurch, who is touring Italy with her ove ..read more

Leadership Coaching X Yoga Retreats - An Interview with Malina Malina Poshtova Delamere is the founder of Vida Rose Coaching Solutions, and we've collaborated to bring you female leadership coaching retreats! Malina and I met in 2018 on a Botswana & Cape Town Yoga Safari. Malina was a guest on the retreat and we have stayed in touch over the years. She has had a varied career - journalism, communications, marketing, and business strategy - and is now turning her talents towards leadership coaching. Malina and I share a passion for adventure, nature, sailing and personal growth, and we dec ..read more

Most of us have seen African animals in a zoo, or in a wildlife TV series or documentary. You might readily hear David Attenborough’s voice in your head, and perhaps you had a mangled collection of ‘Big Five’ soft toys that fed your imagination and wanderlust as a child.  Even at a zoo a large cat, rhinoceros, or elephant, is a majestic sight to behold. And yet in those confines they are only a shadow of their full potential as a vital creature. Seen in the wild, raw, and unspoilt African wilderness, these animals are something of a spiritual encounter. Their beauty and energetic power is ..read more

Yoga and Menstruation: What is Safe and Healthy? It is likely that you have heard yoga teachers casually announce in class that if you are on your ‘moon cycle’, or menstruating, you should avoid certain poses. Some yoga traditions - Ashtanga, for example - strongly advise against all yoga practice and exercise on the first few days on a woman’s cycle. This has been the ‘traditional approach’ . Contemporarily, there are plenty of divergent opinions on the matter. Some yoga professionals and resources now openly advocate for rigorous practice during a moon cycle. As a yoga practitioner and ..read more

CONTENTS What is ecotourism and sustainable tourism? Kenya as an ecotourism destination The top 6 lodges Sirikoi Olepangi Farm Watamu Treehouse Little Governors Camp Porini Amboseli Lodge Tawi Lodge What is sustainable tourism, ecotourism, and responsible tourism? Global tourism accounts for an estimated eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Tourism is a major international industry and a source of livelihood for hundreds of millions of people. The catchphrase from the Sustaining Tourism organization goes, “whilst not everything depends on tourism, tourism de ..read more

The northern white rhino species has been declared functionally extinct. The window period before the species is fully extinct is closing, as only two females remain in northern Kenya, Najin and Fatu. Najin is elderly and has health problems, Fatu is her daughter and although relatively young at 20 years, she cannot carry a calf to term. Scientists, spearheaded by a non-profit initiative, BioRescue, are on a mission to save the species by planting an embryo in a surrogate mother, Owuan, a southern white rhino. There are five embryos frozen in a storage facility that represent the last gasp hop ..read more

Ayurveda and menstruation In Ayurveda the menstruation cycle is considered to be a natural and powerful process of detoxification for the body that aligns to the 29.5 days of the lunar cycle. Like all bodily processes, menstruation is governed by the doshas. In fact, the cycle is divided up into different phases - Vata, Pitta, Kapha phases. If you have any imbalances in your constitution, you are likely to experience irregularities, pain, PMS, insomnia, and any number of difficulties. Although we all have different bodies and needs, and there are a number of case-specific ways you may need to ..read more