Adventure Travel

Family vacations have taken a new meaning in this day and age. Hiking trails and tent camping have taken a completely new meaning with today’s adventure vacations travel industry. Bike tours and kayaking are no longer a solo man’s journey in the wilderness. Today families are setting out internationally to places that where only once frequented by the casual backpacker. A region that has seen more than its share of backpackers until recently is the Mayan world. This is the region that Duende Tours seeks to preserve through an alternative style of adventure vacations meant to educate, entertain, and culturally enrich the foreign traveler.

The Mayan world is comprised of five countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Within specific regions of these countries exist protected, some more than others, Mayan Jungle zones. Over the past decade, these zones have become one of the adventure travel industry’s main attractions. Beyond the traditional jungle trips that include hiking trails, tent camping, and the occasional canoe, new businesses have sprouted within the jungle community either from foreign or domestic origin, and are beginning to offer more “alternative” trips. Take for example the traditional biking tours in Colorado: the tours are done on trails meant for off road biking. But this is not so much the case in the Mayan Jungle, where the trails are, at best, incipient. This doesn’t stop tour companies from offering their product, and it certainly doesn’t stop families from buying and enjoying it; this is just one of the wonders of third world red tape (it doesn’t always exist).

tent camping If biking tours aren’t quite appropriate for the family, then the next best, or sometimes vise-versa, is horseback riding. There’s not much in the world that could ever compete with riding a horse or bicycle through the dense, lush, exotic jungles of the Mayan World, traveling on routes that the Maya used to take thousands of years ago to ancient Mayan pyramids and Mayan temples.  

These are the type of tours that Duende Mayan Jungle Tours offers. In a globalized world Duende seeks to preserve the culture and environment that escapes the world’s manufactured human problem. Adventure vacations, according to Duende Tours, should not be just about escaping from the world to which you belong, but also about learning, appreciating, enjoying, and experiencing a completely different way of living and traveling. The point is to take your newfound experiences and knowledge home and apply it you your way of living, one that will hopefully help preserve not only are vanishing jungles, but the earth’s environment as a whole. Taking family oriented adventure vacations that include bike tours, tent camping, crocodile watching, local community interaction, and Mayan culture learning is something that every member of the traditional or untraditional family can enjoy, learn, and grow from in ways that were never imaginable only 20 years ago.

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Indiana -The original homeland of the American Indians, was reached by White Settlers in the mid-1700s and they made there own colonies and settled there in growing numbers.

Many famous fiction authors were born in Indiana between 1895 and 1965. Attention is paid to preserve the natural heritage both by public and private organizations. Many natural parks and areas were also preserved.

There are lots of historic sites preserved well in this State.

The best site preserved in North America is Angel Mounds. Also there is the federal farm house of Colonel William Jones, he was a politician, merchant and a Civil War Colonel.

Gene Stratton-Porter lived here in Rome City – a widely read female author. Her house is located on the picturesque banks of Sylvan Lake.

At Whitewater Canal you see the nation’s only still functional working underground canal and you can watch the grist mill grind flour for sale.

Mansfield Rolling Mill is a water powered mill that has its original machinery from reconditioned 1870 equipment.

Pigeon Roost is a monument that is dedicated to the memory of all those settlers who died in the battle of 3 September, 1812.

T.C.Steel is the home, studio and property of T.C.Steele. He was an impressionist artist and a member of the Hoosier Group.

An exciting and fun filled place called Holiday World has all the amusements for the whole family. A ride on the Monsoon Lagoon excites you at 60 miles an hour through tunnels, over a lake, between trees and down a hillside track.

The ride named the Raven here is the world’s top-ranked wooden roller coaster.

Grissom Air Museum is an outdoor exhibition of vintage military aircrafts. It is also a museum of aviation facilities.

If you wish to know anything concerning the ancient Indians then you should come to Indiana State Museum. On its four floors you can find their natural and cultural prospectus.

To know more about the heritage of Indiana’s oldest city, visit Vincennes. It depicts the buildings and locations, interpreting the rich heritage of the people who used to reside here.

Located on state route 10, Bass Lake State Beach, is an exotic and fourth largest lake of Indiana state. Its camp ground is open on weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Charlestown is located in easy access from interstate 65.Check out the rugged terrains and lots of bird watching while hiking, and camping can be done in late summer also.

Indiana’s first state park, McCormick’s Creek, presents limestone formations and beautiful waterfalls. Here you will notice its well manicured grounds as they used to be originally. The atmosphere they created is preserved in the same manner.

Natural lakes are in abundance at Pockagon which is located off interstate 69. It borders between Lake James and Snow Lake offering really majestic beauty.

Lots of recreational activities can be found at Spring Mill with reconstructed village delights and it will take you to the 1800s era. Explore the canyons and see The Grissom Memorial, made to honor ‘Gus’ Grissom, the second American astronaut who went into space.

Chain O’ Lakes is a lake country and boaters paradise. In this county you will find eight connected lakes. Hire a pedal boat and explore all the lakes while watching the scenic parks adjacent to the lakes.

In a very peaceful setting, Shades State Park is simply a paradise for hikers, campers and canoe-loving people. The extremely beautiful sandstone cliffs overlooking Sugar Creek and lots of flowing shady ravines provides excellent scenery.

A huge herons home is at Fort Harrison State Park is in 1700 acres area. It has the largest unbroken hardwood tracts in central Indiana. Truly it is the natural treasure of Indiana offering hikers various trails for hiking.

Monroe Lake area is full of lushly wooded areas, scenic bluffs and great ways of exploring the lakes. The area is surrounded by forests and woodlands making it a beautiful place for nature’s lovers.

Lots of caves are waiting to be explored at Patoka Lake reserve. This area is rich in history and tropical forests providing an ample opportunity for campers and hikers to explore.

The hungriest bass can be found at Turtle Creek Reservoir. It is the best place for fishermen who drive hundreds of miles to do fishing and hunting. It is a well managed place full of animals worth hunting (if you enjoy killing things!).

Thanks to a recent hatchery and water quality program, West Boggs Lake has shown improvement in fishers reaching here and finding lots of variety of fish.

The best place for striped bass fishing in the whole state is Brookville Lake. It is located in the picturesque valley of White Water River and many fishing varieties are available.

In Greene-Sullivan State Forest you will also find many spectacular lakes in this area (Green County) full of fish.

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