South Africa

It isn’t always fun planning family vacations. Each family member has their own idea of the perfect vacation. With kids of varying ages, it can also be challenging to find a place suitable to keep them all occupied and happy. And then, of course, parents have their own idea of fun too! Don’t forget the additional challenge of packing everyone and everything in the family car and trying to figure out how to keep everyone entertained until reaching the destination.

This year, instead of struggling with plans and itineraries to keep everyone happy, why not experience one of our Austin Lehman family adventure vacations? We handle all the details so that families can journey to their destination and save all their energy for fully experiencing the rest, relaxation and fun that adventure vacations are meant to be….for everyone.

We offer worldwide adventure vacations for families with activities for all ages. Experience North, Central or South America as well as Europe, Africa or the Middle East. No matter which location, each day is planned with the goal of allowing families to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of the rich offerings of any place or country they visit. Our guides also host separate kid activities to give Mom and Dad a little extra time to themselves.

Start planning your family’s getaway by visiting us online to view our exciting destinations, activities and packages custom designed for family fun!

If – during my 38 years of guiding bicycle tours – I would have gotten $10 for every time someone asked me what’s my favorite ride, I would no longer need to work. Not that I’d ever want to quit my job, because I love it so much!

Naturally, being the salesman that I am, my answer would always be a trip they hadn’t done yet.

But here it is, my official Top 10…, eh….Top 11 best bike rides in Europe (and there’s no way these can be ordered, because they all have their reasons why they should be #1)

1) France: Dordogne valley between Argentat and Beynac (110 miles); One of my favorite regions of France, for its authenticity, the peace, the great food, the old Romanesque churches, the castles and the history (such as the Hundred Years War between France and England). Make sure to divert from the valley every now and then to visit villages like St-Céré, Autoire, Loubressac, Rocamadour, as well as the lively town of Sarlat.

2) Italy: South-Tyrol from Reschen Pass to Merano(50 miles); Starting at the top of the pass, it’s all pretty much all downhill for about 50 miles on specially marked bike paths, and you’re always surrounded by some of the most majestic mountains of the Alps. Pass by villages, lakes, meadows, apple orchards and end your ride in the noble spa town of Merano.

3) Italy: The Tuscan hills around Siena; Tuscany has some of the prettiest hills in the world. Surely you have seen those epic photos of fields of red poppies, the cypresses, the ‘Siena’ colors of the soil, multiple horizons and hill-top towns like Monteriggioni and San Gimignano. Seeing it from the bicycle seat is like immerging into this landscape of Chianti Classico and the eternal ‘Le Crete’ hills.

4) Spain: Rioja vineyards between Logroño and Haro (35 miles); this is best done in the fall (October), when the leaves are turning. The colors are so incredible no matter in which direction you look. And you’ve got the roads to yourself. Villages/towns to include are La Puebla de la Barca, Laguardia, Navaridas, Elciego, Baños de Ebro, San Vicente, Rivas de Tereso, and of course Haro. Prepare yourself for some hills. And be sure to visit some of the tapas bars in Haro for an unforgettable and fun meal while mingling with the locals!

5) Germany: Tauber Valley from Rothenburg to Wertheim (63 miles); Take two days to follow the Tauber river until its confluence with the Main river. It’s easy to follow, and you’ll pass through many villages and medieval towns without having to study the map. Don’t forget to visit the splendidly carved Riemenschneider altar pieces in Rothenburg, Detwang and Creglingen.

6) Germany: Mosel Valley from Trier to Koblenz (132 miles); You’ll need four days to do this stretch. Every couple of miles you’ll pass another quaint wine village, each tempting you with its delicious white Riesling wine. Throughout the trip you will always be surrounded by the steep hills covered with vineyards, whereas you stay on you bicycle down by the river. Essentially, it can be considered as a downhill trip (very, very gently) and you are even making use of the prevailing winds. Numerous Roman buildings to be discovered in Trier, and a hilltop castle or ruin around every bend of the river .

7) Austria: Salzach Valley from  Gerlos Pass/Krimml to Salzburg (115 miles); This could very easily be the most scenic of all the routes listed here. With the snowcapped Grossglockner and many other mountains by your side, enjoy lots of downhill and flat meadows (and a few ups) as you descend from Gerlos Pass (1628m = 5340 ft) to Salzburg (443m = 1450 ft).

8) Austria: Danube Valley from Linz or Enns to Krems (80 miles); Easy cycling along the wide river makes this an unforgettable experience. Especially the stretch through the wine region Wachau between Melk and Dürnstein (23 miles) is some of the most pleasant cycling you’ll encounter anywhere in Europe. And be sure to visit the Baroque abbey of Melk: it’s a masterpiece!

9) Netherlands: the canals of Giethoorn (4 miles); This community is nicknamed Venice of the North because there are no roads as all transportation takes place on the canals. One cyclable path passes through the village, consisting of an endless string of humpback bridges. Stay in low gear and do it either in early in the morning or evening. It’s outrageous! However, you should feel comfortable on the bike, because it does take some skill to negotiate the bridges.

10) Netherlands: Tulip fields near Keukenhof (in April: 20 miles); does this need any further explanation? The colors and the scents of the flowers (tulips, narcissus, hyacinth) get you high…, in a natural way! And the North-Sea is nearby, across over the dunes.

11) Denmark: Danish Riviera between Copenhagen and Helsingør (30 miles); the route consists of bike paths along Denmark’s ‘gold coast’, consisting of sumptuous villas, quaint fishing villages, and dotted with interesting museums such as the Karen Blixen Museum (author of Out of Africa), the Nivagaard art museum and the supreme Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in an incredible setting overlooking the Sound.

your friendly European expert,

Ron van Dijk

We’ve all shot impala, right? Whether at the zoo or in the field, their giant ears, Cleopatra-like eyes, long triangular faces and attractive coloring make them irresistible. I shot this small herd in the Sabi Sabi Private Game Preserve (on the edge of Kruger National Park) while on Austin-Lehman Adventures South Africa trip last year and the antelope alone in the acacias a half dozen years before in Kenya.

It will sound odd, but I’m always reminded of my times photographing butterflies with a macro lens when I’m glassing an antelope and composing the scene. Their similarity of habit is remarkable momentary, almost absolute stillness, lulling you into taking those dangerous extra seconds just to look at these beautiful creatures before taking your shot then WHOOSH, they’re gone. That’s what happened with the butterfly below (taken on ALA’s Costa Rica adventure trip in the butterfly house we visited). Had I waited a split second longer I’d have missed the shot!

The thrill of catching that first good snap of an animal or insect is palpable, and in truth I never tire of shooting the same things. But that same level of satisfaction does not extend to the resulting photographs. That is, after a while my shots of these immobile lovelies begin looking the same, even after altering the angle, the composition, the background colors and lighting – all the many variations we all make to a subject when we’re striving for a novel look or feel. What’s left to capture?

Ah, in my opinion this is one of the most creative moments in photography, the instant not of executing the photograph (usually an easy enough thing to do) but the more difficult job of deciding what it is that you want to capture long before the camera is in your hand. Most of us travel photographers (you and me, everyone who travels and takes a picture now and again) never even consider this question until the moment is upon us, until the antelope are staring back or the butterfly lights on a flower nearby. This is understandable. Without really thinking about it we buy a camera before a trip, toss it into our pack, and when something looks interesting we take a snap. We’ve recorded what we see. The trip is our subject and we’ve just preserved a bit of it for ourselves and for others back home. There’s not a thing wrong with that. Not a thing until you notice that all your pictures are looking somewhat the same.

That’s when you begin doing what I listed above changing compositions, backgrounds, colors, lighting. If you still are feeling that you’re missing something, maybe it’s time to work at putting motion into your shots. It’s not a static world out there, after all, especially if what you’re trying to record is an adventure tour.

Now, there are a number of ways to put motion into photographs, and due to space considerations I’ll discuss just one at present pan-blurs. But I’ll mention the easiest of all before we get to panning that of just keeping your camera still when the antelope or butterfly races off, but tripping the shutter as it does. The results most often aren’t worth keeping, and if you were (or still are) shooting film you’d hesitate at the waste. But if it’s only pixels you’re burning, why not?

Here’s a butterfly (also taken in the Costa Rica butterfly house) that fluttered past my lens while I was standing still, camera to my eye and trained on a leaf where I’d seen two others light for few seconds. I was hoping for a third, and was pre-focused and composed. Then, suddenly, this fellow comes fluttering past. He or rather, she, as I soon discovered was headed to the curled frond at the very bottom of the photo. As I watched, amazed, she laid an egg! I had snapped as she descended, holding the camera as still as I could (notice that some of the leaves are in focus). What I love about this lucky snap is that we get to see what the human eye cannot the fast-beating colorful wings and those delicate legs, poised for a landing like a NASA moon rover descending to the surface. I didn’t get the shot I was after, another immobile, in-focus snap that would have looked much like the others I’d already taken. But I did get something just as interesting as those which let us count the hairs on a butterfly’s back.

So that’s one way to put motion into your photos holding very still, pre-focused on a spot (or on the creature itself) and snapping as the action of entrance to the scene or exit from it occurs. This, of course, requires a quick trigger finger and luck, but if it was too easy it wouldn’t be any fun.

Pan-blurs, in comparison, are far more fun, for instead of just standing still and tripping a shutter you are going to swing your lens with your subject as it passes. How clearly and cleanly you smear the background colors across your resulting photograph while keeping your main subject in focus depends upon how fast and how smoothly you make that swing and what shutter speed you’ve chosen (Pan-blurs can be taken even with point-and-shoots which don’t allow you to change your shutter speed, though you will of course sacrifice that element of creativity). Faster shutter speeds will put the moving subject into greater focus, and blur the background less. Slower shutter speeds will reduce the focus of both, giving your canvas a more impressionistic look. Here are two examples from the cross-Iowa Ragbrai ride, attended that year by a mere 8500 or so riders. What a lotta lycra to photograph!

In the first shot, the cool-looking blue-shoed, red-jerseyed cyclist’s face, arms, and hands are in near-perfect focus, while everything else in the picture says exactly what I was seeing as I shot it action. My shutter setting was 1/100th, and I obviously lucked into a nice, even swing of the zoom-telephoto lens I was using (Note: Some internally stabilized lenses have a special setting to help steady your lens as you pivot with the subject). Though one can pan (rotate) with any moving object (cars, horses, joggers), I prefer bikers because of the feet, spokes, and tires which are moving at different speeds and directions from the cyclist, resulting in blurs all their own.

In contrast, the second biker has not a single in-focus point anywhere in the picture. I snapped this rider at a 1/60th shutter speed, but when shooting pan-blurs the speed of the subject is as determinative of the result as is your shutter setting. Part of the fun of pan-blurs is that you don’t know what you’ve captured until you look at the picture on your computer screen, for even the largest of back-of-the-camera screens are too small to provide the necessary overall view. Practice will of course give you a better guess at what you’ve shot, but if you’re after a mix of pan-blur effects you should employ multiple shutter settings and alter the speed of your pivot.

As you can see in the shots, the background of a pan-blur is of great importance. Trees, a picket fence, a row of tall bushes or a high cornfield, all will be interesting when blurred. Other riders are an especially good background, and if they’re in different colors and riding at somewhat different speeds you’re doubly blessed. Choose your background, decide upon the spot where you’ll trip the shutter as your moving subject comes along, and focus for that spot. Pre-set your exposure (both shutter and aperture) for the lighting conditions, or choose shutter-priority alone (as I prefer, thereby letting the camera select the aperture according to the lighting present when your subject appears). Plant your feet firmly and practice the swinging motion, rotating just your upper torso as you do.

Another option is to use auto-focus, so that you can shoot before or after your pre-determined spot if things look good to your eye. And don’t stop your panning action after you’ve clicked the shutter, especially if you’re shooting at 1/30th of a second or slower. Sticking with that long, smooth glide of the lens will increase your chances of getting what you want.

Your best pan-blurs will probably be those you get when planning ahead, as I’ve done on adventure tours when pedaling hard for a minute to break from my fellow riders, then jumping off my bike at what looks to be a good location and hurriedly setting up before the others pass. But this is a technique that can be employed on the fly with a momentarily still subject as well, if you’re ready for it.

Take your best still shot of whatever it is that you’re expecting to bolt (like that antelope herd above), then quickly change your shutter speed to something slow enough to blur the background, and wait for them to speed off. Their pretty heads and erect ears will be in focus, while their flying hooves and taut leg muscles as well as the grass and trees in view will show the motion you’re wanting to pan.

In future Photo Corners we’ll discuss other ways to put action into pictures. Until then, enjoy perfecting your panning technique!

There are not words enough to describe the perfection of this afternoon. Today we traveled from our hotel in Stellenbosch to Ant’s Nest lodge in the Waterberg. We flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg and were picked up by our driver, Tefo, to continue the rest of the way in a van.

During the drive we had a very interesting conversation regarding HIV and AIDs in Africa. Growing up, what I largely remember about Africa is the AIDs problem and how terrified I was of it. I had to know whether or not it was something that also concerned Carmin, as she grew up in South Africa. She said it absolutely had been something that scared her! From our conversation I discovered that all of Africa suffers from the HIV and AIDs problem and that it was particularly prevalent along the trucking routes through the continent. Many African cultures regarded wearing a condom as emasculating for men and the idea of discussing HIV as taboo, which made the infection spread much more quickly. Tefo told us that there is a newspaper writer and a radio host that both are open about their HIV infection and encourage discourse regarding the issue. Also, it is required that you be blood tested before you get a job and every two years thereafter.

After driving for around four hours, we arrived at Ant’s Nest. Carmin has found us the most amazing place to stay. I am blown away by the rustic magnificence and tranquility of the lodge.
Our hosts, lodge managers Peter and Helen, are very welcoming and engaging. As soon as we arrived we discovered that Carmin had reserved the entire place for us as it is rented on an exclusive basis. I felt like I was in a reality TV show for a moment because we were sent to look at all the different rooms, everyone had to pick one. Dan and Dennis’s rooms were chosen quickly, and Carmin told me to pick whichever room I wanted. I wound up with an amazing suite!

All of the rooms here have thatched roofs that smell wonderful like sweet hay. The attention to detail in decorating is incredible. Dennis asked about the room dÃcor and we were told that Tessa (one of the owners) decorated them in a Kenya theme as she is from there. I kept pacing from living room to bedroom to bathroom completely speechless.

Upon our arrival we’d decided to go on an excursion in the jeep to view animals. After tea and chocolate cake, we headed out and it was not long at all before we had our first sighting a cluster of zebras. They’re so beautiful! We all thought they were posing for Dennis. I think they may be my favorite safari animal so far. We also spotted impala (much smaller than I imagined), warthog, blue wildebeest and kudu on the drive.

Everyone kept having to shoosh me! It was so exciting to see these animals in their natural habitat. We are also lucky to have arrived after the first heavy rains of the season so the grass is young and bright green. Impalas have the ability to become pregnant but not give birth right away holding their babies inside themselves until conditions are just right. Due to the abundance of grass after the long dry season, the impala just started giving birth, so there are tons of little ones running around! As we drove along, despite the fact that Dan taught me what to look for in animal spotting, I was busy staring far into the distance at the beautiful green, tree-covered hills and blue sky with sparse puffy white clouds when I heard Carmin telling us there was something on our left.

Three incredibly tall giraffe heads extended over the trees and bushes where they had been eating. I felt so oblivious for not even noticing them at first. They were so remarkable! There were two females (cows) and one male (a bull). We hopped out of the jeep at Peter’s suggestion and tried to get a little closer. It wasn’t long before they ran away at full speed but even that was a lovely sight.

The sun was getting low in the sky, and as we rounded a bend and came into a clearing, I noticed lawn chairs set up for all of us, including a table with drinks and snacks. We were able to watch the sunset and relax with a gin and tonic. Carmin said Gin and tonics are the quintessential old-time African drink because the gin contains quinine which drives mosquitoes away.

Dinner this evening was served outside at the lodge. The star filled sky, unpolluted by city lights, was our backdrop. Midway through dinner our hosts heard snorting from beyond the courtyard. Four white rhinos had wandered over and were pulling up the grass to eat. It was so unreal! We were so close to them we could clearly see their heavily textured skin and big, jutting horns! Dinner was absolutely delicious as well stuffed peppers as an appetizer, beef fillet with chunky fried potatoes and sweet beans as the main course, and a chocolate torte with ice cream and raspberry sauce. Everything was complemented by a cabernet sauvignon/shiraz blend from the Stellenbosch wine region we’d visited the day before. I am so looking forward to another day at the Ant’s Nest. Tomorrow morning we’re heading out on horseback to see more animals!

Installment 1 of 3

Who doesn’t want to travel the world, seeking out amazing hikes along pristine trails, discovering hidden gems like gourmet restaurants nestled in mountain towns, or top-notch art galleries in small Mexican villages?  Today I am interviewing Dan Austin, Co-Founder and Director of Austin-Lehman Adventures – the man behind many exciting vacations here at ALA.

Dan, your job sounds so exciting!  You own and run an adventure travel company. Has this always been your dream job?

I was destined to be involved in adventure travel as long as I can remember.  I grew up in California and organized trips to the mountains as soon as I could drive. Shortly after graduation I headed north and ended up not getting too far, stopping in Oregon, which led to my first official involvement in Adventure Travel where I ran a small rafting company to feed my thirst for adventure.  From there I moved to Alaska (with a few other stops along the way). Anyone who’s ever lived in Alaska knows that you instantly become that friend in Alaska that helps everyone with their incoming travel plans.” That was just the case for me. I spent years creating the perfect Alaska Adventure for all my relatives and visiting friends.  It only made sense that my first new trip some 15 years ago with Backcountry Tours was Alaska.  So I guess it is safe to say this is truly my dream job and what I was destined for.

What got you started in the business?

That one is pretty simple, as I said I loved setting up trips for others and after some 25 years in construction was looking for a change. An opportunity presented itself to become a partner in an established company, Backcountry Tours, and I jumped in with both feet.

Do you get the opportunity to go on many ALA vacations in a year?

I think that is a bit of an understatement.  My role has evolved over the years to focus more on trip development, quality control and strategic planning.  So yes, I do get to see a lot of country.  Just last year I was in Panama, Costa Rica, South Africa, Germany, Holland, Alaska and Washington to name a few.  But there are some trips I just cannot get enough of. I try to get on our Yellowstone Adventure at least a few times a year.

What’s your favorite thing about adventure travel?

Honestly, it has to be the people – those I have met and will get to meet. From our great guides and staff to seeing a youngster light up at the sight of their first bear or whale on one of our adventures,  I never tire of sharing the experiences of adventure travel with others.  I have been blessed with quality travel opportunities and try and share it with as many people as I can.

Let’s talk about trip planning.  I’ve always wondered what goes into developing a new adventure.  When you’re building a new vacation, what do you look for?

That is a tough one. It varies from destination to destination.  I mean, I wouldn’t look for the same thing in a South Africa Adventure as I would in a new bike trip in Germany.  Typically I start with some level of insight or a suggestion from someone that has been there or wants to go.  In other words, we might have a past guest that says something like, Hey Dan, why don’t you build a new adventure in Peru? We have always wanted to see Lake Titicaca and I hear it’s fabulous.”  Another time you might have a guide just come back from a personal adventure from someplace like Havasupai in the Grand Canyon and say something like, “Geez, why don,t we have a Havasupai Adventure?  It’s incredible with all the pristine waterfalls and beautiful trails and camp spots.”  Both of these examples have led to new trips.

What kind of research do you do when you decide on new destinations?

Once I get a “tip” I just start looking further into it.  Researching on the web has made trip development a lot easier, but I also use great resources like the magazine National Geographic Adventure.  I can honestly say the one thing we do not do is just knock off other tour operators.  We want each trip to be an Austin-Lehman original.  Once I have a better understanding of an area, that’s when the fun starts and a trip to the area is scheduled.  If I can bring along a guide or someone that has been there, great.  If not, I just start knocking on doors and checking out trails and rides and such.  It often takes several visits, endless hours of research, and several dry runs to get a trip where we want it.

Do you personally scout out all the new trips and destinations?

Paul and I agreed many years ago that we do not want to put guests on a trip unless one of us has run the program start to finish.  That too has evolved over the years. Sometimes we invite our Alumni to join us the first time we run a trip with guests; we call these “First Ascents.”  Typically on a First Ascent either Paul or I (or both) will have developed the trip and run it through at least once without guests, tweaking along the way.  Once we run the trip with Alumni, we look to them for good constructive feedback.  We recently ran a new program, our Washington Cascades Adventure, and got some great feedback from 9 of our Alumni.  We have improved the trip to the point it’s now one of my all time favorites.

Read the second installment of my interview with Dan covering our exciting new European vacations!

Read the third installment of my interview with Dan about adventure trips and tips.