adventure travel Archives - Page 8 of 12

The Adventure of a Lifetime in the
Span of an Hour

Posted on May 5, 2019January 11, 2021 by Alison Miller

From traditional Thai boxing in Koh Samui to floating in a hot-air balloon high above the Serengeti, these Four Seasons–curated adventures prove that the most gripping experiences can take place in the span of an hour. Whether your heart’s pounding from vigorous exertion or skipping a beat on account of incredible sights, one thing is certain: Your choice is well worth the time.

Soar Above the Serengeti via Hot-Air Balloon

A lioness silently eyeing an unknowing wildebeest. A pod of hippos lolling in the muddy river. Ostriches running at full tilt. These are scenes that unfold by the minute in Tanzania’s vast Serengeti National Park, home to the kinds of animals most of us have only seen at the zoo. You’ve watched it on screen, but nothing – not even rumbling through the park in a safari vehicle – compares to the bird’s-eye-view.

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania

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See all you can experience at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti has teamed up with long-time aerial outfitter Serengeti Balloon Safaris to take guests to a new level of wildlife viewing. You’ll float over an ocean of undulating savannah with no end in sight – the paradisiacal home of elephants, giraffes, buffalo, zebra, rhinos, lions, leopards and cheetahs. The trip is timed for dawn, when animals are most active and the rising sun casts a golden hue over the expanse below. Plan to arrive for the Great Migration in Central Serengeti (April through June and September through November) and you’ll witness one of the earth’s greatest primordial traditions, exponentially increasing your chances of seeing every one of the famous Big Five.

Set Off on a Zen Hike in Scottsdale

Scottsdale’s Pinnacle Peak rises 600 feet (183 metres) above the Sonoran Desert, but it’s not the summit that matters here – it’s the journey. The Zen Hike offered by
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale begins in a quiet corner of the Resort grounds, where a yoga instructor guides you through a sensory exercise designed to open you up to the sounds, sights and smells around you. You’ll stretch and breathe and also set an intention, a practice commonly done at the beginning of a yoga session in order to focus your mind and body on a goal.

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

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See all you can experience at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

A hiking trail conveniently connects the Resort to the base of Pinnacle Peak. Upon arrival, you’ll steady yourself in mountain pose while gazing up at the granite pile above. On the way to Grandview, the first lookout point, several more posture stops ensue, all designed to deepen the hiking experience both physically and mentally.

Learn From a Muay Thai Master in Koh Samui

Thailand’s native sport is more than just boxing. In Muay Thai, a close-contact pursuit dating back centuries, the human body becomes a multifaceted battle machine – hands act as swords, shins and forearms become shields, elbows serve as heavy hammers, legs and knees are the axe and staff. Also known as the “art of eight limbs,” it’s an exhilarating workout, whether you’re facing an opponent or simply honing the skills.

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

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See all you can experience at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

Built into a hillside overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, the outdoor ring at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui offers an exquisite opportunity to try the sport or improve your practice. Your coach, a professional Muay Thai boxing master, tailors the tutorial to your experience level. Want more? Upgrade to the Mini Boot Camp, which begins with a Rocky-style run on the beach and ends with a specially designed restorative massage, or the Ultimate Muay Thai package, including VIP seats for a pro fight at Chaweng Boxing Stadium.

Go Dogsledding in Megève

An unmatched base for slaloming the French Alps, this debonair ski town recently acquired another reason to visit: In 2018, Four Seasons Hotel Megève took on its own pack of sled dogs, who reside with their professional musher steps away from the Hotel. The captain and her huskies will pick up your group at the Hotel’s front door, and you’ll embark on a jaunt over the snow-covered hills of Golf du Mont d’Arbois, a veritable winter wonderland framed by the not-so-distant Alps. Commemorate the outing by inviting a professional photographer to join in. She’ll bring her camera and deliver what is sure to become the most coveted holiday card in the stack.

Four Seasons Hotel Megeve

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See all you can experience at Four Seasons Hotel Megeve

Conserve Coral Reef in Seychelles

Since 2012, Four Seasons Resort Seychelles has partnered with marine conservation group WiseOceans to support the Resort’s natural surroundings and introduce exclusive experiences to guests. The crescent beach fronting the Resort is home to a reef recovering from toxic algae bloom and bleaching caused by warmer-than-usual waters.

Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

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See all you can experience at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

In 2015, WiseOceans and Four Seasons Resort Seychelles launched the Petite Anse Reef Restoration Project with the goal of restoring 10,000 square metres of limestone reef. Researchers collect broken coral fragments and monitor them in an on-site aquatic nursery until they’re ready to be fastened to steel rods around the reef, a safe way to foster further growth. During a guided snorkel, you can adopt their own fledgling bit of coral and watch as it’s placed on the reef. Along the way you’ll encounter parrotfish, angelfish, eagle rays, squid and octopus, all navigating this vibrant undersea neighbourhood.

The unforgettable can happen in one day, one hour or even one minute. Find your Daily Discovery.

Your Journey Begins Here

Where will you seek adventure next?

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A Mother-Daughter Quest to Reconnect

Posted on April 5, 2019December 19, 2023 by Krissy Rouse

My mother is everything to me. I was born when she was 23 years old. Although we had a small support system, it was mostly just the two of us. But I never felt that I was lacking another parental figure. That’s a testament to how amazing she is: Life was always an adventure.

She instilled in me a desire to chase experiences instead of objects, whether hiking in the summer, ice-skating in the winter or spending entire days daydreaming at the library.

As an adult, I’ve often felt that life is like pulling on a loose thread and worrying everything will unravel.

As an adult, I’ve often felt that life is like pulling on a loose thread and worrying everything will unravel. In the past two years, I’ve had the added pressure of devoting myself to work. I love my job – but working as a social media manager often goes beyond the standard nine-to-five. I feel I must be constantly answering direct messages from clients or e-mails from management.

A lot of times I feel the need to travel – it’s that sense of wanderlust and being away from it all.

Rediscovering What Matters

My mindset shifted with a surprise five-night stay with my mother at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest.

Upon landing, we were greeted by Drew Clarke, Director of Marketing at the Hotel, who whisked us away to a handsome VIP lounge. He made our luggage appear within minutes. I knew then that the entire journey to come would be flawless.

It was impossible not to be excited. And I soon discovered it was impossible not to stand in awe of the Hotel, a restored palace steeped in history, with its millions of mosaic tiles and intricate wrought-iron peacock gate, Páva Udvar. After settling into our room, I couldn’t help feeling profoundly grateful as I looked out on the Chain Bridge along the Danube.

After settling into our room, I couldn’t help feeling profoundly grateful as I looked out on the Chain Bridge along the Danube.

The next morning, at the Spa, my mother and I received Omorovicza facials using luxurious local ingredients, followed by a traditional Hungarian facial massage. The experience was a firm reminder: Self-care is necessary. The treatments gave me a stretch of uninterrupted time to take a breath and reach for thoughts and ideas that I often feel too busy to dive into.

That sense of awareness and presence permeated the trip. One night, my mother and I, along with Katalin Czeller, a tour guide introduced to us by
Four Seasons, boarded a private sunset cruise on the Danube. Watching from the water as Budapest shifted from day to night is something I’ll always remember.

Instead of my phone, I held my mom’s hand, intoxicated by the cool air, the grandeur of the Hungarian Parliament Building staring back at us, and the light reflecting on the water.

Finding Transformation

One of the best parts of the city is its ever-present creative buzz. Ruin bars, unused spaces converted into the city’s liveliest places to drink, are perfect examples of Budapest’s brilliant ability to rebuild and reinvent itself.

One afternoon, Drew took us to Szimpla Kert, an iconic ruin bar based in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest’s 7th District. Twenty years after my mom told me not to vandalize anything, she handed me a pen and said I should draw on the wall. I went over to the wall – already scribbled with thousands of notes – and left a part of myself there.

Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest

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I began to notice that my mom was somehow different, too. I’d never seen her so open and adventurous. So much happened on our trip: She relinquished control and let the chef and sommelier at the Hotel’s Kollázs – Brasserie and Bar give her a blind taste test of foie gras, Tokaji sweet wines and horseradish ice cream. Drew and Katalin taught her how to greet strangers in Hungarian. At the Workshop, a bar that embodies Budapest’s creativity, she drank shots of Unicum, a dark, bitter herbal liqueur that packs a punch, and relaxed with an artistic, laidback crowd.

I couldn’t have asked for a better travel partner or better arrangements. I already knew that would be the case, but it really hit me one morning when we were ice-skating together, the way we did when I was a kid.

Travelling with my mom and being cared for so well by the Hotel, I was able to let go
of the incessant pressures of work and actually be present. I was doing something familiar – made even richer by being in a new place – with the person who knows me better than anyone in the world.

Take Your Time in Budapest

ONE MINUTE: Admire Fairy-Tale Views

Immerse yourself in the beauty of the gleaming lights of Budapest’s skyline while sipping a glass of sparkling wine from the comfort of your Danube River-View Room.

ONE HOUR: Take Tea at the Palace

Taste lavish cakes and savoury delights served in Herend hand-painted fine porcelain sets. Lean back in your comfortable armchair and enjoy live piano melodies under a magnificent glass cupola inside the Hotel’s historic Peacock Passage.

ONE DAY: Tour and Taste

Learn the history and secrets of the city with our expert guides, followed by a blind taste test dinner, where the chef and head sommelier at the Hotel reveal a five-to eight-course meal paired with wine tailored just for you and your loved one.

Photography courtesy Muse Storytelling, Krissy Rouse, iStock

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE

How will you take your time?

Double Exposure:
Photographer Nicolas Ruel
Captures the Majestic Serengeti

Posted on February 14, 2019February 21, 2020 by Bifen Xu

Photographer Nicolas Ruel

Nicolas Ruel has always viewed the world a little bit differently. “I never wanted to do what everyone else was doing,” the photographer says. “I wanted to see things from a unique perspective.”

In 2007, Ruel started experimenting with a new technique, shooting a subject with an eight-second exposure. “I start the exposure, cut it, turn the camera, count in my head, close and come back,” he says. “Visually, there’s a choreography to this style.”

He describes his technique as taking a photo and then putting a second photo on top of it so that the two pictures blend together. The resulting image, which he prints on stainless steel, seems to capture movement.

Ruel travelled to 70 cities across 40 countries to produce his main series, Cityscape, Civilization and Industrial, featuring emblematic urban centres with a futuristic angle.

Recently, he had the chance to visit Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti in Tanzania as part of the Envoy by Four Seasons, a program that gives storytellers and artists in a range of genres the chance to immerse themselves in a destination and create work inspired by their experiences.

Here, Ruel shares highlights from his journey.

Guests often see elephants gathering beside the Lodge’s infinity pool.

What most excited you about participating in the Envoy by Four Seasons program?

My fascination with the Maasai people goes back years. I wanted to share their way of life – one so different from my own – in my own way, with an artistic documentary approach.

How do you describe your creative process?

It starts with a passion for a particular subject or idea, and then from there I think of the best way to make that idea come to life through my photography and using different media to print.

Ruel captures a member of the Maasai.

Is there any artistic style comparable to your technique?

There’s a lot of similarity between what I do and cubism, where artists show two angles of the same subject. The idea is the same: A subject looks different from a different perspective.

How did seeing the Serengeti from a hot-air balloon change your sense of the landscape?

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a chance for a bird’s-eye view of the savannah at the break of dawn. At sunrise, the air is still and allows for a unique perspective in terms of scale and photographic opportunity to shoot the wildlife below. Silence was my friend, as the animals below were undisturbed.

A pair of lions gaze out into the plains.

How is photographing wildlife unlike photographing people?

With people, trust is made much more easily, whether verbal or non-verbal. When photographing animals, I enter the situation with patience and rely heavily on instinct. Shooting the unpredictable is much more challenging.

What did you learn about going on tracking expeditions with the Maasai?

It let me move to the rhythm of my own pulse, guided by their steps, jumps, smiles and passion for life. And almost rubbing shoulders with animals in the natural environment made me realize how fragile life is and how important it is to live every moment to the fullest.

Four Seasons Envoy Nicolas Ruel explores the Serengeti through photography.

What was your wildlife highlight?

I had almost given up on photographing a cheetah, but while heading to the airport we spotted two. They were in predatory mode, hunting gazelles. They aligned themselves in preparation to attack, and at full speed they were off. I was lucky enough to get my shot. Sometimes the moment you are waiting for happens when you least expect it.

Do you think your work subtly helps people think about conservation?

I hope my work inspires people to look deeper, not only into the work itself but into the fragility of these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat. If people are able to make an emotional connection to this world and its wildlife, then my hope is that they are moved to address the issues that threaten the animals’ existence.

From a hot-air balloon, Ruel captured images of the savannah coming to life.

What did you learn about yourself during this trip?

Discovering different cultures allows me to deepen my knowledge of man and his environment, but most of all to be as close as possible to my own emotions. This experience in the Serengeti has taught me the importance of living in flow. I found myself deep in my work and losing track of time completely. Being in this flow state allowed me to get closer to my source of inspiration – the animals – without thinking about the next shot. It was a form of meditation and something I will carry forward with me on my next adventure.

Ruel explored the beautiful landscape of the Serengeti with Maasai guides.

All photography courtesy Muse Storytelling

Your Journey Begins Here

How will you step out of your comfort zone?

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My Journey to the Edge of the World

Posted on January 21, 2019April 9, 2024 by Jessica Nabongo

In 2017, I set out to become the first black woman to visit every U.N.-recognized country in the world. As of June 2019, I have covered 176 out of 195 countries. This quest is not just about shifting the narrative about what and who a traveller or tourist looks like. It’s about changing travellers’ perception of places.

The Middle East, for example, is one of my favourite regions. In my experience, the hospitality there is among the best in the world.

This was especially apparent on a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, where Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre went above (literally) and beyond. The Extraordinary Experiences curated by the Concierge are just that – extraordinary invitations to adventure. I participated in one called Journey to the Edge of the World, and I’m still pinching myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

Photography by Alex Parker

From the Hotel, we made a two-hour drive – in the comfort of a Cadillac Escalade – to the historic oasis of Ad’Diriyah, the former seat of the Saudi royal family. Along the way, we passed a herd of camels. I had to get out for a photo. Later, my guide showed me the lively market centre in Al Bujairy, where I took in the wondrous, clean-cut adobe architecture from the 15th century. It is the gateway to historic Riyadh, and it was magical. Today, restaurants, cafés and parks are mixed in. Every step of the way, my needs were fulfilled. I felt like the star in my very own movie.

Fs Mag Edge Of The World Al Bujairi Library

Photography courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Photography by iStock.com/andreviegas

Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre

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From there, we drove deep into the Arabian desert. The landscape was alien and breathtaking. But nothing could prepare me for the main attraction, Jebel Fihrayn, a narrow escarpment nicknamed the Edge of the World.

Jebel Fihrayn is as awe-inspiring as the Grand Canyon, and somehow even more expansive and dramatic. Unlike the Grand Canyon’s top sites, you may find yourself alone here. You can’t help but feel connected to the canyons, the plains and the world beyond in a profound way.

I wouldn’t have believed that the experience could be elevated even further. It was, though, with my bird’s-eye view on a micro-light flight.

Photography by iStock.com/vdvornyk

After landing, we returned to a Bedouin tent surrounded by bright carpets. It must have taken hours to set up. My guide also immediately appeared with cold hand towels and sweet, tender dates. There, we also savoured a fragrant spread of lamb chops, grilled vegetables, hummus and other dips, and tagines.

We finished with my new favourite dessert, kanafa, made from phyllo and cheese. Seeing how much I enjoyed the feast, the pastry chef later showed me how to make it on my own.

To be almost alone in this vast environment, while treated to this level of service and food, is something I will never forget. Another is watching the landscape change colours as the sun began to set.

Photography by iStock.com/AkayArda; Photography by Alex Parker

Saudi Arabia, country 146 out of 195, was a big deal for me. Western tourists have only recently begun exploring its wonders under a new visa system, and it was fascinating to get a peek at everything going on there. I was surprised to learn that women are no longer required to cover their heads in public. Most still do, and I did out of respect.

As for clothing, when I arrived, my luggage had been lost on the way. Fortunately, the team at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh offers all of its female guests robe-like abayas throughout their stay. I was grateful for this touch and how it considered the cultural context.

The Hotel, which is set high up in Riyadh’s iconic, 65-storey Kingdom Centre, also offers two women-only floors and a gym exclusively for women. I appreciated the way these touches considered the cultural context.

Photography by Alex Parker

Seeing the World With Four Seasons

During my travels I have been fortunate enough to stay at several Four Seasons hotels. Four Seasons Hotel Tunis is a game-changer. Even if you aren’t staying there, you should go for dinner. The flavours of Spain, France and Italy can be tasted in the top-floor Creek Bistro Chic as you look out on blue waters. I now tell people to skip Mykonos and discover Tunis instead.

Thanks to the partnership between Four Seasons and NetJets, I flew privately from New York City to Miami for their Pop Down event, a one-night-only gala coinciding with Art Basel and held on board a custom-designed superyacht.

Just as Four Seasons allows me to discover the world in new ways, I invite you to do the same. Follow along at @thecatchmeifyoucan.

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE

What discoveries will you make?

Photo-Worthy Mountain Escapes

Posted on January 10, 2019September 30, 2024 by Brittany Johnson

There’s a moment that comes between hopping off the ski lift and slaloming to the base of the run: a moment of awe. But it’s important to remember that elation comes at every elevation. Here, mountain insiders share their favourite photogenic après-ski delights to top off finding scenic slopes.