Adventure holidays and trips for 2014: Latin America and the Caribbean

2014冒险之旅：拉丁美洲与加勒比
Trek on a Caribbean island, chase lightning or swim with whales … There's no shortage of adventure in this part of the world
跋涉加勒比小岛，追逐闪电或是与鲸共泳······世界的这一角落永不缺少冒险。

Chasing lightning in Venezuela 追逐闪电，委内瑞拉

Photograph: Alasdair Baverstock 摄影：阿拉斯代尔 巴夫斯托克

Between April and November, on any given night at Lake Maracaibo – a large brackish bay connected to the Gulf of Venezuela – lightning bolts, appearing 200 to a minute, draw great cracks across the sky illuminating the night. The lightning here is so intense and frequent that it has just won a place in The Guinness Book of World Records. You can travel here from Mérida, itself something of an adventure destination where thrillseekers will be able to experience the world's highest cable car when it opens later this year.

四月到十一月之间，任选一个夜晚到马拉开波湖 —— 一个与委内瑞拉海湾相连的咸水湾——闪电每分钟出现200多次，划破天空，照亮黑夜。这个地区闪电出现得如此频繁以至于它在吉尼斯世界记录大全上占有一席之地。你可以从梅里达州游至此地。梅里达州本身就是一个冒险之地，年底通车之后，寻求刺激的游客能在这里乘坐到世上最高的缆车。

From the historic town, tourists go north through the Sierra La Culata national park to catch a speedboat to the lake-top fishing communities at the heart of nature's own plasma ball. This untouched land is remote enough to retain a wilderness feel, even without the lightning, and is home to jaguars, alligators, boa constrictors and monkeys, all of which retreat as the storms draw closer in the small hours. And when the lightning arrives – caused by heat, humidity and Andean winds, and accompanied by roaring thunder – it explodes in all directions burning jagged bolts into your retina. A unique Central American experience.

从历史悠久的小镇出发，北经委内瑞拉国家公园，搭乘快艇至位于大自然等离子球中心的湖巅钓鱼群落。这块无人问津的土地所在偏远，即使没有闪电，仍保留了原始荒原之感。 这里也是美洲豹、短吻鳄、大蟒蛇和猴子的家园，它们会在凌晨风暴来临前撤回。当闪电出现的时候——由热度、湿度和安第斯风引起，伴随着咆哮的奔雷——它向四面八方爆裂，参差不齐的闪电直劈到你的眼睛里。这是独一无二的中美洲体验。

Town and country, Colombia 城镇与乡村， 哥伦比亚

Colombia is an intriguing mixture of modern cities and remote wilderness, and on this trip you can experience both. It takes in the multicultural city of Bogotá, before heading north to the Caribbean coast and then plunging into the jungles of the Sierra Nevada mountains for a challenging five-day hike to the lost city of Teyuna, the last stage being a climb up 1,200 stone steps. From there it's on to the Amazon Rainforest, on the border with Peru and Brazil, and a camp sited on a tree-top platform from which you can kayak to see caiman, monkeys and sloth.

哥伦比亚是现代城市与偏远荒原的美丽碰撞，一段路途，两种体验。徜徉于多元文化的波哥大，北游加勒比海岸，再深入浓密的内华达山脉丛林，徒步五天后抵达遗失的城市特俞那，最后再爬上1200级阶梯。亚马逊雨林从那里开始——秘鲁和巴西的边界。在树顶平台上安营扎寨，你可以乘独木舟观赏到凯门鳄，猴子和树懒。

Sky train, Ecuador 空中列车，厄瓜多尔

Photograph: Amar Grover 摄影：艾马尔 格鲁佛

Ecuador's Trans-Andean railway reopened last year after several years out of action. Although the famous Tren Crucero was created for trade purposes, it now operates at a leisurely speed for tourists wanting to see banana plantations, active volcanoes and plenty of wildlife on a four-day trip. With a maximum height of nearly 3,000 metres, getting back down again, via a nerve-inducing series of switchbacks (the aptly named Devil's Nose) is a memorable white-knuckle experience.

厄瓜多尔跨安第斯铁路在多年停运之后于去年重新通车。虽然著名的空中列车最初因商业目的而创建，它现在常以一种悠闲的速度运行，以让游客们的四天的旅途中尽情观赏香蕉树，活火山和大批的野生动物。最高海拔将近3000米，高低起伏，一系列让人捏汗的曲折回环（被合适地称作“魔鬼的鼻梁”）组成了难忘的惊险之旅。

Trekking, Brazil 徒步旅行，巴西

Photograph: Alamy 摄影：阿拉米

The Chapada Diamantina national park in the state of Bahia is a beautiful area of dramatic flat-topped mountains, waterfalls, sparkling blue pools and lush rainforest. In the 1840s diamond prospecters flocked here but now it is a protected area and very peaceful. The six-day trek goes deep into the park, passing waterfalls – plenty of swimming opportunities – and spectacular rock formations with homestay accommodation. The walk starts and finishes in the pretty colonial town of Lençóis, then you will visit Salavador and Rio for a couple of nights' recuperation.

位于巴伊亚州的巴西国家公园是一块美丽的土地，拥有引人注目的平顶山、瀑布、波光粼粼的蓝色泳池和茂盛的雨林。十九世纪四十年代，钻石勘探者们蜂拥而至，而今这里受到保护，十分安静。六天的跋涉会带你深入公园内部，经过瀑布——游泳的大好机会——和壮观的岩石，还能寄宿当地人家里。旅途起止点都是美丽的殖民城市伦索伊斯，之后再游览萨尔瓦多和里约以恢复体力。

Tour of Patagonia 巴塔哥尼亚之旅

Puerto Natales is the gateway to Torres del Paine national park. Photograph: Alamy

纳塔莱斯港是通向智利百内国家公园的门户。摄影：阿拉米

On this tour through Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia you'll experience the wonder and scale of one of the wildest places on the planet, and see everything from whales and penguins to glaciers and Andean peaks. The trip will explore the Beagle Channel by boat, spotting birdlife and whales en route to Estancia Haberton, one of the first settlements on Tierra del Fuego. From there the expedition heads to the Patagonian ice field and the Perito Moreno glacier. Other activities include horse-riding through the stunning El Calafate and trekking in the Torres del Paine national park. Accommodation includes a traditional wood cabin near Bariloche with a log fire and home-cooked meals.

在这次穿越阿根廷和智利巴塔哥尼亚的旅途中，你会体会到星球上最原始的土地独有的魅力和规模，并观赏到鲸鱼、企鹅和安第斯山峰等等。这次旅程中游客将乘船通过比格尔海峡，在去哈伯顿牧场的路上观察鸟类和鲸鱼，那是火地山上出现的最早的聚落之一，再从牧场出发往巴塔哥尼亚冰原和莫雷诺冰川。其他的活动还包括在绝美的卡拉法特冰原上骑马，穿越智利百内国家公园。住宿包括临近巴里洛切的传统木屋，内有壁炉和自制晚餐。

Trek across Dominica 穿越多米尼加岛

Photograph: Kevin Rushby 摄影：凯文 罗什比

The Waitukubuli Trail is a 115-mile trek across a landscape filled with deep jungle, precipitous ridges and huge waterfalls. Along the way are a few tiny settlements and isolated farms that retain the pace of the old Caribbean. The trail follows old runaway slave paths high into the rainforested interior and takes in beaches and dramatic gorges.

韦图卡布里小径是一条115英里长的行山线，穿过丛林深处、险峻的山峰和巨型瀑布。一路上分布着小型的聚落和单独的农场，保留着古老加勒比独特的节奏。这条小径循着旧时奴隶逃亡的线路，引向雨林深处，经过沙滩和动人心魄的峡谷。

Swim with Humpbacks, Dominican Republic 与座头鲸共泳， 多明尼加共和国

Every year thousands of humpback whales head to a limestone reef 70 miles north of the Dominican Republic for the breeding season. In this adventure, you sail to the Silver Bank in a liveaboard dive ship then, twice a day, move out on small boats to locate the whales. Once in the water you wait for them to approach, which they do, sometimes with their young. You will hear whale song and see them breech and nurse their babies – who themselves are often very curious about humans.

每年繁殖季节，上千只座头鲸游向多明尼加共和国北70英里的石灰岩礁。在这次旅途中，你在可供住宿的潜水船上航向银色浅滩，然后一天两次划出小船寻找鲸鱼。只要你静静地等着他们靠近，有时它们真的会这样，甚至还带上他们的小宝贝，那么你会听到鲸鱼的歌，看到它们分娩以及照料鲸鱼宝宝。小鲸鱼总是对人类充满好奇。

Sailing, Belize 起航， 伯利兹城

Belize has the world's second largest offshore reef, a fabulous place to explore by boat. Take Doris along and the exploration becomes hugely exciting, and also extremely comfortable. She is a 50ft catamaran equipped with sea kayaks, fishing and snorkelling gear plus a well-stocked bar, and a chef. Head out to Goff's Caye, a palm-fringed tropical atoll then island hop to Tobacco Caye where, on the right night, there is magical bioluminescence. With luck you'll also spot giant rays, turtles and manatees.

伯利兹城有面积世界第二的滨外礁，这是一个船上探险极好的去处。带上“桃瑞丝”，让这次探险变得十分兴奋、十分舒适。“桃瑞丝”是一艘50英尺的双体船，配备皮筏艇、渔具和浮潜装置，再加上存货丰富的酒吧和一名大厨。朝戈夫小岛驶出，经过棕榈密布的环礁，然后引向烟草小岛，如果你在对的时候抵达那里，会在夜晚看到奇幻的发光生物体。如果再幸运一些，你将会看到巨大的鳐形目鱼、海龟和海牛。

Mountain trekking, Peru 徒步山野，秘鲁

One of the greatest adventure stories of recent years must be Joe Simpson's Touching the Void and this trip takes you around the 30km long cordillera of Peru's Huayhuash mountains where that epic story unfolded. Travelling with donkeys, you trek over several high passes and camp in emerald green meadows beside glacial lakes surrounded by snow-capped peaks. You need to be fit and strong but there are three days of acclimatisation before you go to just over 5,000 metres.

乔·辛普森的“攀越冰峰”可谓近年来最伟大的探险之一。这次探险带你走过长达30千米的安第斯山峰，故事就在那里展开。驴上骑行，你跋涉过高高的栈道，在冰湖边碧绿的草地上露营，周围是积雪覆盖的山峰。你需要强健的体魄来完成这次旅行，但在那之前会在海拔5000米的地方给你一个适应期。