Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25044
trek through bhutan-In the eastern Himalaya between India and China lies a small kingdom simultaneously admired for its intensely traditional culture and looked upon warily for its flaring ethnic tensions. The Drukpa, devout Buddhists originally from Tibet, form the majority of the population. They also occupy most gov ernment positions and, in an attempt to instill a new sense of national identity, banned Nepali from being spoken. The move infu riated the southern Hindu Nepalese that make up 25 percent of the population. An intensely beautiful, if sometimes tumultuous, country, Bhutan didn't begin modernizing until 1961 . Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century monasteries, a strenuous nine-day trek brings you to a high mountain region where semi-nomadic herders still live in yurts-traditional yak-wool tents-and snow leopards prowl the valleys. Departures have been pushed back so the trip can coin cide with the Paro Festival-a four day religious celebration with music and dancing. DEPARTURES: 418-ႀ䊉 4 (MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK 800-227-2384) .. " .. _:* .. " .. _. 'I" _ •• to II __ • " .. _ •• " .......................................... ! .... ...............................••. tr.ek through mali-Cultural adventures, and the chance to mingle with tribes living deep in the bush, are increasingly common . ©l�If� �©l Mali, home to the "mysterious" Dogon, is now a popular destination on the culture trail. The Dogon are a remarkable people-hardcore animists who worship ancestors, a pantheon of gods, one star not discovered by Western astronomers until 1970 (Sirius B) and another still undiscovered (Emma Va meaning sorghum female). They have a vibrant, if slowly fad ing, way of life. Centuries ago, the Dogon hid from invaders in caves along the steep terrain of the Bandiagara Escarpment and live there to this day, practicing a mostly agrarian life. Their intricate arts (masks and other carved talismans) have gained a worldwide audience in the past few decades. A journey down the Niger River with visits to the sandcastle cities of Mopti and Djenne and a stay in Timbuktu supplement the trek. DEPARTURES: 1/8-1/24, 1/29-2/14 (WILDERNESS TRAVEL 800-368'2794) . I tracking koalas on kangaroo island-Cute and cud dly and breeding like rabbits. In the early 1920s, 18 koalas were intro duced to Kangaroo Island off the southwestern coast of Australia. Today some 5,000 are hanging out in trees, casually munching leaves. Makes for nice photos but an even greater problem: koalas are notoriously tlnicky and eat only certain types of eucalyptus-up to two and a half pounds of vegetation a day. Unfortunately, only one percent of the trees on Kangaroo Island satisfy the koalas and the trees are taking a beating. If the trees disappear, so too will the world's largest leaf-eating marsupial. Dr David Paton, of the University of Adelaide, and Barb St John, from Australia's Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, are leading a study on how to manage the population. As alternatives to culling, Koala contraception, relocation and revegetation have all been suggested .. Vou will provide hard data-through radio-track ing, observing behavior and measuring tree damage and recovery-for policy makers. Spend your free time roaming limestone dunes, woodland plateaus and jagged cliffs. DEPARTURES: 1/14-1/25, 3/6-3/17 & 5/6-517 (EARTHWATCH 800-776-0188)