Wild Planet Adventures has a new twist on the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing mountain gorillas in their native habitat in Uganda. To minimize the impact on the gorillas, conservation experts limit the number of permits issued each day for trekkers, and if you’re lucky enough to see a family, you usually get to spend just 60 minutes with it.
Wild Planet has a new tour working with researchers that expands the viewing time to up to four hours. Two versions of the trip are available. An eight-day itinerary adds a chimpanzee-habituation experience to the gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and includes Kibale National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park and the likelihood of seeing tree-climbing lions and mongoose.
It’s priced from $6,498 per person, double occupancy. Info: 800-990-4376, http://tinyurl.com/h2ayarq. A 12-day version adds South Africa, where wildlife encounters are likely to include meerkats, cheetahs and rhinos. Cost is from $9,998. Info: http://tinyurl.com/zyj967y
Best beer bars in America
Beer lovers who also love to travel can hoist a mug to toast the folks over at Craftbeer.com. For its 2016 Great American Beer Bars competition, the website asked its readers to nominate their favorite. The resulting list is a roster of the 51 best beer bars in America, with one in each state plus the District of Columbia. In Illinois, the honors went to The Bavarian Lodge in Lisle. Miami’s The Mighty ruled in Florida. Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore was the Maryland winner, and Torst in Brooklyn was the New York pick. Get out your road atlas, and check out the list at http://tinyurl.com/jb7tk4r.
‘Game’ in Spain
As the popular HBO series “Game of Thrones” unveils its sixth season this spring, tour companies are jumping on the bandwagon to offer trips tied to filming locations. From Zicasso is a 12-day Game of Thrones Spain Tour: Season 6. The tour combines Thrones sites with other Spanish attractions while spending time in Barcelona, Costa Brava, Tortosa, Almeria, Granada and Seville. Six UNESCO World Heritage Sites are on the itinerary, and there’s an opportunity to ascend the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor, where Cersei Lannister began her walk of atonement last season and to follow in Arya Stark’s footsteps as you explore Braavos and Oldtown in search of the Many-Faced God in Girona. A private culinary lesson in Valencia teaches guests how to make paella, and the fun continues with a hot-air-balloon ride over Costa Brava. The tour is priced from $8,399 per person, double occupancy, which includes 11 nights’ luxury lodging, 10 privately guided tours, admission to the World Heritage sites and more. Info: http://tinyurl.com/z75lonr
Phil Marty is a freelance reporter.
