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Rain Forest Adventures
Borneo
Getting wet is a whole lot more fun when you’re on vacation. And the opportunity to see monkeys, elephants, sloths and bears makes the trip even more spectacular. Here are 12 rain-forest experiences you shouldn’t miss.
The Malaysian rain forest is home to a variety of miniature versions of animals found elsewhere on the planet: deer no bigger than a toy poodle, pocket-size owls and pygmy elephants. On the other end of the spectrum is the proboscis monkey, with the biggest nose in the primate kingdom, and the Rafflesia plant, whose 3-foot-long flowers are by some measures the world’s largest. See all of this and more with a stay at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, a 31-chalet camp on the banks of Sabah’s Danum River. Costa Rica
You can see monkeys almost anywhere there’s a rain forest. But it’s quite another thing to be a monkey, zipping from treetop to treetop. But that’s exactly what’s in store at Costa Rica’s Monteverde Cloud Forest. The operators of the Original Canopy Tour have safely given more than a million visitors a bird’s-eye view of the forest, not to mention the thrill of a lifetime. The excursion begins with a spooky climb up the inside of a hollowed-out giant strangler fig and ends with an exhilarating rappel from Scary Tree. Peru
You’ll see a different part of the world’s most magnificent rain forest every day of the week on Jungle Expeditions’ seven-day riverboat cruises of the Peruvian Amazon. These small vessels hold a maximum of 30 passengers, keeping things intimate. After days spent paddling through jungle rivers and lakes, fishing for piranhas, meeting local indigenous people, trekking through the jungle, seeking out sloths and iguanas and splashing about secret swimming holes, you can return to the comfort of your air-conditioned cabin with running hot water and electricity. Alaska
The Tongass National Forest, which surrounds southeastern Alaska's Inside Passage, is America’s largest national forest and home to a stunning variety of landscapes. Within an area the size of West Virginia, visitors can kayak with whales and otters through misty fjords, bike through Gold Rush-era ghost towns, fish for salmon, raft down a river replete with bald eagles, and even ride a dogsled atop the Mendenhall Glacier. Southeast Sea Kayaks offers guided tours and rents kayaks to those who prefer to explore on their own. Maui, Hawaii
The Heavenly Road to Hana travels through Hawaiian rain forest, with more than 500 twists and turns and one-lane bridges along the way. Take it slowly, stopping frequently to hike through stands of bamboo, enjoy a shave ice or tropical fruit and plunge into waterfall-fed pools. The first dip is at Twin Falls, just 18 miles from the starting point in Paia. Others follow at Piinaau Stream on the Keanae peninsula and in Hana itself. Beyond Hana is Oheo Gulch, home to far more than the "seven sacred pools" of its misnomer. British Columbia, Canada
Not a tropical rain forest, but in a temperate one like the Great Bear Rainforest on British Columbia’s coast. The terrain here is too rugged for roads, so hotels sit atop barges that are towed into the area as soon as winter retreats. Great Bear Nature Tours runs two- to seven-night grizzly-bear viewing trips to the area. Even more luxurious accommodations — and a spa — are available at King Pacific Lodge , reachable only by private charter and float plane. Keep your eyes peeled for the elusive spirit bear, an albino version of a black bear. Madagascar
Remote, isolated and surrounded by water, Madagascar is Africa’s answer to the Galapagos, a place where nature marches to a different beat than in the rest of the world. That has resulted in more than 150,000 species found nowhere else on the planet, including beet-red frogs, hissing cockroaches, and lemurs, lemurs, lemurs. On a World Primate Safari, you’ll travel through the rain-forest habitat of 12 species of lemur, including the rare golden bamboo lemur. Most trips end with a visit to Madagascar’s other treasure: its spectacular palm-fringed white sand beaches. Washington
Olympic National Park is the land of giants — and not just the 250-foot-high old-growth Sitka spruces and western hemlocks. More than 4,000 massive Roosevelt elk thrive here, too. Temperate rain forest that once extended from southern Oregon all the way to Alaska is now limited to the Quinault and Hoh river valleys within the park and national forest. The 17-mile-long Hoh River Trail is one of the best places to marvel at moss-shrouded big-leaf maples and 500-year-old Douglas firs. The crowds thin out the farther you hike. Shorter nature walks include the 0.8-mile Hall of Mosses and the 1.2-mile Spruce Nature Trail. Belize
During the rainy season, July to December, you can strap on a headlamp and plop yourself into an inner tube as you stream through the seven-mile-long River of Caves beneath the jungle of Belize. If the river is too low for tubing, let a guide show you how to survive a night in the wilderness, including ways to find food, build a shelter and brew medicinal teas. If that doesn’t sound like a vacation, you can simply relax in your very own jungle tree house perched high above the Caves Branch River. Ghana
Africa’s only hanging rain-forest bridge takes you 100 feet up into the jungle canopy in Ghana. Seven bridges in all traverse a distance of about 1,000 feet. No climbing is required, but it’s not for those who fear heights or teetering rope walkways. From this height, you’ll look down on Ghana’s Kakum National Park and see eye to eye with its abundance of Diana monkeys, Fraser's eagle-owls, African gray parrots and more than 500 species of butterflies. Hire a local guide to show you how to spot elusive mammals such as rain-forest elephants or yellow-backed duikers. Australia
Australia isn’t all dry and dusty outback. The land Down Under’s northeastern corner is rain-forest country, the perfect habitat for frogs, snakes and, of course, crocodiles. More than half of the continent’s bird species have been recorded within 120 miles of the Port Douglas area. You can wander Daintree and Cape Tribulation national parks on your own in search of rainbow lorikeets, black swans, chestnut-breasted manikins, and blue-winged kookaburras. But if you’d like an expert to show you around, try Del and Pat Richards’ Fine Feather Tours. Brazil
High above the beaches of Rio de Janeiro is Tijuca National Park, the world’s largest urban rain forest, just 25 minutes from the pulsing city below. More than 30 waterfalls cascade through this habitat for monkeys, birds and butterflies, but the views back over the surrounding metropolis are just as memorable. Rio Hiking offers half-day and full-day excursions through Tijuca, and often include a visit to the massive Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado Mountain. Jeep tours of the rain forest — no hiking required — will have you back in Rio in time for afternoon caipirinhas.
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