Deal of the Week: Dog Days in Idaho

Text by Christian Camerota

If an escape to a secluded Idaho riverside lodge sounds like a good cure for those dog day doldrums of late summer, then we know the spot for you. Row Adventures, celebrating their 30th year in the hospitality/adventure business, is offering a few deals that should get you up and out of that leather armchair you're stuck to at home. 

From now until September 1, you can buy a two-night or longer stay at their River Dance Lodge and get a free float trip on the adjacent Clearwater River. The trip includes a riverside lunch, a guide, and runs from about 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. There's also a number of other activities to wile away the time, including guided fishing tours and some hefty cutthroat trout waiting to be caught (and released, per the lodge's policy). "One of the things that we try to emphasize on all of our trips are meaningful natural and cultural history interpretations," says Peter Grubb, Row's President, Founder, Head Honcho, etc., "guides that are trained in the local flora and fauna and local culture and will bring that to you."

The Catch: The private cabins at the River Dance run around $229/night total and officially sleep four people, though six is possible depending on how well-acquainted everyone is beforehand or plans on getting. The trip, itself, is worth $320, so getting it gratis is nothing to shake a fly fishing pole at. Row Adventures also has a four-day Middle Fork of the Salmon rafting trip on August 25th that they're offering for $995/person (usually, they only do six day trips at $1,700+).

I'm In: Go to Rowadventures.com or call 1-800-451-6034.

New Travel Deal Sites: Bing and Other Contenders

Text by Catharine Livingston

Fan of kayak.com? You’re in luck. These days, new metasearch engines for travel—which scan hundreds of sites to bring you the best deals—are popping up all the time. Here’s a look at our three favorite rookies.

1. Voyij.com: The most comprehensive deal-finder yet: Enter your starting point and dates of travel, then hit “Find Sales.” Up comes a list of cheap flights, hotels, and packages.

+BEST FEATURE: Need inspiration? The “Featured Experiences” tool kicks off the search by theme (“fishing,” “outdoors”), then guides you to the most relevant bargains from there.

+DOWNSIDE: Only covers North America and Europe. Stay tuned for Asia and Africa next year.

+ADVENTURE RATING: 4 Stars

2. Bing.com/travel: Microsoft’s much buzzed about foray into the metasearch world covers the basics well (hotel and flight searches), with useful extras like Farecast’s price-predicting system and topical travel blogs.

+BEST FEATURE: The “Hotel Rate Indicator” compares current prices with past rates to see if your chosen digs are indeed offering a good discount.

+DOWNSIDE: The “Destinations” tool only pulls up hotels for a given area. We’d like to see local highlights and activities too.

+ADVENTURE RATING: 3 Stars

3. Optifly.com: The first flight-search tool to scan more than 200 low-cost carriers (think JetBlue for foreign countries) in addition to major airlines, letting you build the cheapest itinerary, period.

+BEST FEATURE: Synchronizes with Google Maps to help you visualize your route—and avoid out-of-the-way connections.

+DOWNSIDE: The destinations could include more teeny-but-key airports (we found Kathmandu, but no Telluride).

+ADVENTURE RATING: 3 Stars 

Deal of the Week: Climb Kilimanjaro This Summer!

Text by Annie Hay

If there was ever a time to knock off one of the world’s Seven Summits, it’s now. This summer Alaska Mountain Guides International is offering a 20 percent discount on its ten-day Kilimanjaro expeditions, cutting the total price per person from $3,150 to $2,520. You’ll follow the Machame path to the top of the 19,340-foot behemoth and descend via the Mweka trail, taking in views from both the east and west sides of the mountain. Plan on ten days total from start to finish, and don’t worry about feeling rushed—AMGI attributes their 93 percent summit-success rate to the extra day they allow acclimation, which is something few other Kilimanjaro outfitters do.

The Catch: You must book by July 15th to receive the 20 percent discount on the Kilimanjaro climb, and trips are filling up fast. The discount also only applies to trips on July 30th, August 8th and 17th, or September 15th.

I’m In: Contact 800-766-3396 or visit and mention you saw the discount listed on the National Geographic ADVENTURE website.

Deal of the Week: Calling All Wrangler Wannabes - 50 Percent Off Montana's Lazy E-L Ranch

Normally we’d steer clear of a deal called “Red Neck Bailout,” but this one is too good to pass up: This summer, Lazy E-L Ranch, in Roscoe, Montana, is offering wrangler-wannabes a 50-percent discount on weeklong stays, knocking the starting price per person from $1,895 to about $950 (covers six nights and all meals). The 108-year-old cattle ranch sits on 12,000 acres of rolling terrain beneath the Beartooth Mountains and sleeps guests in three old-but-plush cabins (past visitors include Roy Rogers and Robert Redford). Spend your mornings herding cattle on horseback—Lazy E-L has some 2,300 yearlings to tend—and afternoons however you please. You can hike the Beartooths, raft the nearby Stillwater, or cast to trout on the ranch’s West Rosebud River. Yellowstone’s East Gate Entrance is also less than two hours away....

THE CATCH: Cabins are booking up fast and only certain weeks remain from now through the end of September—your best bet is to call the ranch directly and ask about what’s left. Also, the discount applies to the maximum price for each cabin. So if, for example, you book the three-person cabin, which typically costs $5,685 ($1,895 x 3), expect to pay half of that ($2,842.50), even if you only have two people in your party.

I’M IN: Visit lazyel.com or contact 406-328-6858

Deal of the Week: Save on Sea Kayaking British Columbia

God’s Pocket Marine Provincial Park in British Columbia was determined one of the best cold-water diving areas in the world by none other than the late Jacques Cousteau. This was due to its abundance of marine wildlife. However, cold water and challenging dive conditions sometimes discourage all but the most seasoned divers. Luckily, the park can also be enjoyed from the surface on summer kayaking trips. 

Sea Kayak Adventures Inc is offering 20 percent off its lodge-based sea kayaking tours in the pristine waters around the numerous islands and islets that make up the park. Each five-day trip includes introductory kayak lessons and guided trips to the famous Browning Wall to observe both verterbrate (orcas, seals, dolphins, otters) and invertebrate (anemones, urchins, sponges soft corals) sea life. Or take a day off from paddling to enjoy the hiking trails in Hurst Island's temperate rain forests.  

And, as long as you book in the month of June, you get five days of all-inclusive fun for $1,516. Although the park is largely undeveloped, staying in one of the seven rooms in God's Pocket Resort, which offers ocean views along with all the amenities, will ensure that you feel far from roughing it. 

Trip Dates: July 20-25; July 27-Aug 1; Aug 3-8. 

The Catch: The water temperatures never get much higher than the low 50s so don’t expect to spend much time swimming with the whales and the orcas. 

I’m In: Contact 800-616-1943 or www.seakayakadventures.com

Deal of the Week: Celebrate Darwin's Birthday in the Galapagos

Photograph courtesy of Souther Explorations

True, 2009 marks the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species (and the 200th birthday of its famed author-explorer), but here’s an even better reason to visit the Galápagos this summer: incredible deals. The best we’ve seen? Southern Explorations (read their profile in The Adventure Ratings) is offering an $800 discount on its eight-day cruise aboard the eight-cabin Athala II, knocking the total cost down to $3,375 per person. The price includes all meals on board, plus two nights in a four-star hotel in Quito (one before the voyage, one after). And, of course, quality face time with the Galápagans themselves. Ever seen a 600-pound tortoise?

THE CATCH: The discount only applies to the June 27th departure (there are other deals for other dates and itineraries, but this is the cheapest offering from Southern Explorations) and you are responsible for your own airfare from Quito to the Galápagos (about $420), as well as a $100 park fee and a $10 transit card.

I’M IN: Contact www.southernexplorations.com or +1 206 784 8111 and say that you are interested in the special onboard the Athala II in the Galápagos.

Deal of the Week: Spring Preview of Grand Teton and Yellowstone

Photograph courtesy of Hotel Terra

As a gateway town to two of our greatest national parks, it’s no wonder that tiny Jackson Hole explodes with visitors every summer (3.4 million to be exact). But if you want to skip the crowds—and peak hotel rates—you should go now. Eco-conscious Hotel Terra is currently offering a “Passport to the Parks Package,” which gives you four nights in one of its chic, LEED-certified rooms at a 20 percent discount, four breakfasts for two at its on-site Terra Cafe (arguably the best breakfast hole in Jackson), and a pass to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. All told, it’ll cost you $540 for two people—or less than half the price of a high-summer visit.

THE CATCH: From now through May 20, rooms with the parks package discount start at $135 a night (or $540 for four nights); from May 21 - June 17, the starting room rate with the parks discount is $173, bumping the total bill to $692 (still an excellent deal). Late-spring weather in Jackson is unpredictable–you might score sunny bluebird days in the 70s, chilly afternoons in the 50s with clouds and rain, or both.

I’M IN: Contact 800-631-6281 or hotelterrajacksonhole.com

Deal of the Week: Rafting Canada's Spectacular Firth River

Photograph courtesy of O.A.R.S.

It doesn’t get more out-there than this: The Firth River winds through the tippy top of Canada’s Yukon Territory, from its headwaters above the Arctic Circle to the Beaufort Sea. And for those of you who enjoyed our 2008 feature article about the legendary waterway, you know that it doesn’t get more spectacular, either. Which is why our ears pricked up when we heard that O.A.R.S. is offering $1,000 off its 11-day Firth River Rafting trip, bringing the price down from $6,294.75 to $5,244.75. Still costly, we know, but a bargain if you consider everything it includes—from the puddle-jump flight to the trip’s middle-of-nowhere start, to every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to face time with some 150,000 caribou of the West Porcupine Herd (O.A.R.S. has timed the trip to coincide with the great summer migration). This isn’t just a summer deal—it’s a trip of a lifetime.

THE CATCH: The deal only applies to the June 21 trip (there are two departures in July, too, which cost the regular price). Given the region's remote location, you will likely need to organize (and pay for) pre- and post-trip lodging and meals.

I’M IN: Call 800-346-6277 and say that you found this deal on National Geographic ADVENTURE's website

Deal of the Week: Wild Ireland

It was around this time last year when Wilderness Travel priced its journeys for 2009—back when the Euro was up and the dollar down. Which is why the California-based outfitter can cut some pretty sweet deals today. Our favorite: “Ireland’s Wild West Coast.” Spend nine days roaming the country’s spectacular northwest coast (think rugged mountains, golden beaches, people-who-still-speak-Gaelic) and sleeping in historic inns and converted country houses. Wilderness Travel will book the trip in Euros and let you keep the savings—which, based on today’s exchange rate, will land you about $500. They’re also tacking on an additional $250 discount for the July departure (there’s an August option, too). That’s $750 off a $5,000 trip.

THE CATCH: The moment you book your trip, Wilderness Travel locks in the price in Euros. Meaning that if the dollar is stronger today, you’ll save more than if you book it tomorrow (and vice versa). Also, the $500 deposit is nonrefundable.

I’M IN: wildernesstravel.com, 800-368-2794

Deal of the Week: South African Steal in Kruger, Cape Town

Photograph courtesy of African Safari Company

Stay three nights, get the fourth free—we’ve all seen these. But here’s one we haven’t: Stay three nights, get three more. At a four-star hotel. In Cape Town. You heard right. African Safari Company is currently offering a killer combo package where, if you buy three nights at the Hoyo-Hoyo Tsonga Lodge in Kruger National Park, you’ll get three free nights at Cape Town’s four-star Cape Milner Hotel. The total bill? $1,080 per person. Price includes airport transfers, all Hoyo-Hoyo meals and game drives (you get two per day), and breakfasts in Cape Town (but not activities—for those you'll have to shell out extra).

THE CATCH: Valid for travel between May 1 and September 30, 2009.

I’M IN: Contact African Safari Company at 800-414-3090, ascexpeditions.com