The WSL still hasn't published a 2026/27 date for the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, and that gap is the whole story. Here's how the waiting period, the Green Alert system, and a real swell forecast actually work, plus where to watch safely and how to plan a flexible trip around the pattern rather than a rumour.
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Ningaloo Reef's 2027 whale shark season opens around mid-March and runs into Coral Bay's late June, Exmouth's late August. Here is how the two destinations actually differ — beyond the spotter-plane myth — and how to time a trip around the coral spawn that draws the sharks in each year.
Trekking & hiking Agencies sell April and May as one interchangeable 'spring' window on Mount Toubkal, but the two months are not the same trek. Here's what actually changes between them, why the Toubkal Refuge charges a tariff most blogs never mention, what the mandatory guide really costs, and a full breakdown of what climbing North Africa's highest peak costs once every hidden fee is counted.
Diving & snorkelling Ningaloo Reef's 2027 whale shark season opens around mid-March and runs into Coral Bay's late June, Exmouth's late August. Here is how the two destinations actually differ — beyond the spotter-plane myth — and how to time a trip around the coral spawn that draws the sharks in each year.
Trekking & hiking No government office sets the Everest Base Camp spring season's opening day, but the trekking operators, airlines and permit offices all plan around one anyway. Here's how March, April and May actually differ, why your Lukla flight will likely leave from an airport called Manthali, what the two required permits cost, and a realistic week-by-week route to Kala Patthar.
Trekking & hiking Peru hasn't published an official 2027 reopening date for the Inca Trail, and tour operators are all quietly planning around March 1 anyway. Here's the real story behind the annual February closure, how the permit system and its 2027 sale window actually work, and why the year-round Salkantay Trek is worth booking as more than a fallback.
Kayak & rafting The WSL still hasn't published a 2026/27 date for the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, and that gap is the whole story. Here's how the waiting period, the Green Alert system, and a real swell forecast actually work, plus where to watch safely and how to plan a flexible trip around the pattern rather than a rumour.
Via ferrata & climbing Ouray Ice Park is the world's largest human-made ice climbing venue: 200+ routes farmed by hand into a Colorado gorge, free to climb since 1995. The season usually runs mid-December to mid-March, though the winter of 2025-26 showed just how fragile that window can be.
Via ferrata & climbing The Dolomites via ferrata 2027 season opens around mid-June when snowmelt uncovers the steel cables on Italy's most iconic iron paths. From the heroic Ivano Dibona to family-friendly Sentiero Colodri, here is everything you need to plan your alpine climbing trip across Cortina, Val Gardena, and Trentino.
Wildlife & safari One silverback's gaze, and a species that was nearly gone. Rwanda's gorilla trekking dry season is the most sought-after wildlife experience in Africa, with only 96 permits daily and twelve months of advance booking required.
Ski & winter From November 28 to May 5, Niseko delivers 15 metres of legendary Japow powder across four interconnected resorts. Complete guide to lift passes, CTS transfers, backcountry gates, onsen culture, and spring skiing under Mount Yotei.
Ski & winter A fatal 2024 collapse rewrote the rules for Iceland's ice caves: a formal May-September closure, capped guide ratios, and mandatory certification. Here's how the 2026-2027 season actually works, and how Crystal, Katla, and Langjökull compare before you book.
Wildlife & safari Every winter, hundreds of orcas and humpback whales chase overwintering herring into the fjords around Skjervøy, staging one of the most concentrated marine wildlife spectacles on Earth. Here is how to plan a well-timed, responsible trip for the 2026-2027 season.
Wildlife & safari Eighteen vehicle permits. Thirty-five kilometres of tracked tundra. A six-week window when the world's largest land predator converges on the shore of Hudson Bay. Churchill's polar bear season is the most precisely timed wildlife spectacle in the Northern Hemisphere.
Diving & snorkelling October 2026 opens a six-week window where oceanic whitetip sharks peak at Elphinstone and the Brothers Islands, visibility exceeds 40 metres, and the Red Sea proves itself a distinct world-class diving destination — at a quarter of the Galapagos price. This is your complete liveaboard planning guide for 2026-2027.
Trekking & hiking The Matterhorn Ultraks returns to Zermatt on 21-23 August 2026 with six race formats from the 4.9km VERTINIGHT to the 49km SKY. Complete guide to the Skyrunner World Series EXTREME, course terrain, logistics, and what to do in Zermatt if you are not racing.
Trekking & hiking UTMB 2026 returns to Chamonix on August 24-30 with eight races from the 15km YCC to the iconic 174km loop of the Mont Blanc massif. Complete guide to courses, Running Stones qualification, Geneva logistics, and race week activities.
Diving & snorkelling The Galápagos Marine Reserve holds the world's highest documented biomass of sharks. From December 2026 to May 2027, the warm season brings giant manta rays, hammerhead schools, 15-30m visibility, and the only place on Earth where adult female whale sharks aggregate in mass. This is your complete planning guide.
Wildlife & safari Each winter, up to 12,000 humpback whales trade Alaskan waters for the warm, sheltered Maui Nui Basin — one of the most accessible large whale encounters on the planet. Here is everything you need to plan a well-timed trip for the 2026-2027 season.
Trekking & hiking Oman by UTMB returns to the UTMB World Series in December 2026 with five trail races through the Hajar Mountains. Here is your complete guide: race distances, race village logistics, acclimatisation hikes and what to do when you are not at the finish line.
Trekking & hiking Bariloche opens the global Skyrunner World Series every February with the Cuatro Refugios Non Stop. Here is your complete 2027 Patagonia trail running calendar -- from the SWS opener to the Andes Mountain Skyrace in Chile and the full austral summer race season.
Trekking & hiking The Torres del Paine W Trek is Patagonia's most iconic multi-day route: 75 km, 5 days, three unforgettable landscapes. Here is everything you need to plan the hut-to-hut version in 2026-2027, from booking refugios 6 months out to surviving the Patagonian wind.
Kayak & rafting 74 islands, one world-record beach, and a coral reef that has survived six bleaching events. Here is how to plan the Whitsundays sailing season 2026-2027 — from the right month and the right tour format to Hill Inlet's tidal secrets and the truth about reef health in 2026.
Wildlife & safari Up to 8,000 wildebeest calves are born every single day. The Serengeti calving season is the Great Migration's most remarkable — and most underrated — chapter, and Ndutu is where it all happens.
Kayak & rafting La Paz Bay in Baja California Sur is home to the world's most strictly protected whale shark aggregation — up to 400 individuals per season, regulated by CONANP to guarantee intimate, ethical encounters. Here is everything you need to plan your swim for the 2026-2027 season.
Wildlife & safari Tromsø sits directly under the auroral oval, making it the world's most reliable city for northern lights. Here is everything you need to plan the 2026-2027 season: the best months, how to read the KP index, how to choose your tour, and how to combine auroras with Sámi culture.
Ski & winter Zermatt is the only Alpine resort guaranteeing snow from November to May at 3,883m. Here is everything you need to plan your 2026-2027 ski week: opening dates by sector, pass prices, the new Patrullarve chairlift, and the January closure of the Italian crossing.