Tanami East | Camping: Kakadu National Park | Kakadu National Park is half the size of Switzerland and a real adventure. If you rent a car, you could 

northern - Fernwayer Travel Stories & Experiences

Australia

Kakadu National Park is half the size of Switzerland and a real adventure. If you rent a car, you could drive along the road for weeks, camping in different places and experiencing nature in a way you can't anywhere else.

After leaving Darwin in a rented 4x4 jeep, we made the long drive to Kakadu National Park. Take plenty of drinks and snacks with you, as there aren't many stops on the road. Along the way, we visited several refreshing waterholes and waterfalls, had an open-air barbecue, and saw many birds, snakes, anthills, and farmland along the way.

At night we mostly stayed at campsites that provided tents, and the beauty of the night is incomparable. You can hear, smell, and see countless species of animals, from alligators swimming in lakes at night to dingoes howling, to weirdly chirping insects.

We hiked to a hidden waterfall and discovered some hundreds-of-years-old wooden paintings done by the ancestors of Australia's indigenous people. A must-see in Australia for sure!

Camping: Kakadu National Park

United States

Iceland

On a snowy winter evening, we stand on a ridge and see the brightly-lit church through the mist ... an evocative but calming place. 

Very different from 1000 years ago as Vikings stood here and declared the laws of the land ... the oldest continuous two weeks in the summer parliament. People heard from their leaders, settled disputes and traded.

The best part of the Golden Circle circuit, Thingvellir National Park has hiking trails, waterfalls, summer cottages for the affluent (singer Björk has a home) and the Silfra fissure divers can explore between the American and Euroasian tectonic plates.

The sky is changing color. We should leave, we tell each other ... but we are drawn to the scenery like a moth to the flame.

Northern Mists

Svalbard & Jan Mayen

On a rainy day, at 78°N, M/S Polar Girl sets out from Longyearbyen to Pyramiden. Even in dreary weather, there is joy in watching the puffins swimming alongside the boat.

Then we step on to the most surreal of ghost towns, Pyramiden, a Russian mining settlement with the northern-most statue of Lenin. 

The decision to abandon in the 90s was sudden. People were given just hours to leave. Signs of a hasty departure are everywhere. Dried up plants. Rusted playground swings. Utensils and stoves left in disarray. Hand-drawn artwork taped on the walls. 

The guide points out the men’s and women’s dorm buildings, euphemistically called London and Paris. Everything is trapped in a 1970s time-warp. A blast from the Soviet past. 

Trust Arktikugol (Arctic Coal), a Russian state owned coal mining company, continues to run this, now as a tourist destination. Perfect for filming a James Bond movie.

Back on the boat, we have views of the glacier and freshly barbequed burgers to cheer us up.

Mining the Past

Tanzania

We spend nearly four amazing hours in the Sand River Circuit in the midst of a spectacular head of grunting wildebeest. Led by “collective intelligence”, these animals complete a 1000 mile loop over the course of a year, and most survive for several seasons of this tough journey! 

When we arrive in the Grumeti Reserves, further south, we find the last few hundred thousand or so wildebeest. Here they are extremely purposeful and move in a single-file. Perhaps they have realized that they are late and will miss out on all the new green grass in the northern plains. They kick up a storm of dust as they move forward with determination - though it is not unusual to see the whole herd running swiftly back if something ahead spooks them. 

It is here that we see the consequences of the ‘battle’ - injured animals or those too weary to complete the journey. This is sad to watch as they will soon become easy prey to the predators. 

Such is the ⭕️ of life.

Australia

Northern Territory

Camping: Kakadu National Park

Iceland

Southern Region

Northern Mists

Svalbard & Jan Mayen

Svalbard

Mining the Past

Tanzania

Mara Region

One Million Wildebeest