Best in Travel - The best places to visit in 2020

5 Alaska adventures that offer a new perspective

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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It’s no wonder people often refer to<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/alaska" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;"> Alaska</a> as the trip of a lifetime; it’s a wild and wonderful place with eight national parks, <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/attractions/denali/a/poi-sig/1466634/361772" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">North America’s tallest peak</a> and rare wildlife sightings. Think orcas, muskoxen (which have been around since the Ice Age) and wolverines.</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Make<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/alaska/anchorage" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;"> Anchorage</a> your launching pad for exploration. From there, it’s easy to access a whole slew of adventures, including heli-biking down an active volcano, scaling a mountain and landing on a massive glacier. What do all these activities have in common? They all provide sweeping views from above that will give you an even deeper appreciation for the 49th state.</span></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Heli-bike down an active volcano</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For adventurers, <a href="http://tordrillomountainlodge.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">Tordrillo Mountain Lodge</a>, a luxury retreat about 60 miles west of Anchorage, is the ultimate playground. To get to this remote area, make your way to Lake Hood Seaplane Base where<a href="http://www.alaskasport.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> Sportsman’s Air Service</a> will shuttle you over in a floatplane. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here is when you sign up for<a href="https://www.tordrillomountainlodge.com/alaska-summers/heli-biking/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> heli-biking</a>, which is exactly what it sounds like: you'll hop into a fancy chopper with bike racks attached to the sides. Then, you’ll swoop across wide-open spaces and be dropped off in a remote location.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">After choppering over south-central Alaska, it’s time for a quick test ride on your fat-tire bike. Next stop: Crater Ridge, an active volcano covered by pumice and surrounded by beauty. To your right: Capps Glacier at the base of Mount Spurr. Oh, and a 5,000-foot drop off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The unbelievable surroundings actually make it hard to concentrate on the riding. There’s open alpine tundra as far as the eye can see. Plus, every valley you race down on your mountain bike is different from the last. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The coolest thing is: Very few people have biked this area of brushless terrain. Why? It’s reachable only by helicopter and because heli-biking is relatively new; Tordrillo Mountain Lodge became the first resort in the nation to offer heli-biking in 2017. Because the Lodge has access to 70 miles by 40 miles of potential biking space, there is an endless amount of opportunities. And although it may sound like a daring excursion, it doesn’t have to be. Lodge guides can take anyone who can ride a bike, from a child to a senior citizen, on a customized heli-biking adventure. </span></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Climb a mountain via-ferrata style</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.tordrillomountainlodge.com/alaska-summers/via-ferrata/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">Alaska’s first via ferrata</a>, a 1,200-foot iron path that leads you up and down killer rock faces in the Tordrillo Mountains, will simultaneously put a big fat smile on your face. Not only does the route offer up dreamy views of the Triumvirate Glacier, which spans 28 miles, you can also see Windex-colored glacial lagoons, hundreds of feet of ice and deep crevasses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Start from 4,000 feet above sea level and climb 900 vertical feet. Then, cross two suspension bridges with dizzying views all the way down to the ice. If you dare to look down, that is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In June, Tordrillo Mountain Lodge put the finishing touches on the climbing route, which is strategically located 80 miles away from the nearest road. This means only a handful of people have ever walked or climbed here. What’s even cooler is, you can only get there via chopper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While via ferratas are popular around the world, they are only just starting to become popular in the U.S. There are less than 10 across the nation, and this one is the most remote, by far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Back at the Lodge, rest and recover in the hot tub or at the spa. And get ready for more adventure the next day: The Lodge’s excursions include ice climbing, wake surfing, heli-fishing in the summer. In the winter, choose from things like heli-skiing, hiking and sky trekking.</span></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hike up Rainbow Peak</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For the next part of your trip, check in at <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/anchorage/hotels/the-lakefront-anchorage/a/lod/b8c08b3d-f918-4aaa-b4da-23910b748683/361731" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Lakefront Anchorage</a> and meet up with your<a href="https://www.gohikealaska.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> Hike Alaska</a> guide who will take you up Rainbow Peak, an epic trail in<a href="https://www.anchorage.net/discover/the-chugach/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> Chugach State Park</a>. The 4.5-mile trail begins with a stroll among the paper birch tree forest. Then, it’s time to scramble over boulders and try not to lose your footing on the scree. Pass Saskatoon berry bushes and take a PB&J break for a quick breather. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Pro tip:</span> It helps to grab onto the Cottonwood trunks to help make your way up the super steep sections. The serious scrambling pays off with the ultimate view of Turnagain Arm, the top of Cook Inlet and the town of Hope. You can also see Beluga Point from here, a spot where belugas are often seen from mid-July through August. </span></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Trek the North Face Trail</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The next day drive to <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/alaska/girdwood" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Girdwood</a>, a cozy little ski town about a 50-minute drive from Anchorage. For a challenging hike without the scrambling try the<a href="https://www.alyeskaresort.com/mountain/summer-hiking" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> North Face trail</a> at<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/girdwood/hotels/alyeska-resort/a/lod/78477715-83c7-4697-966d-e6bdd1867061/361732" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;"> Alyeska Resort</a>. Besides the views of Mount Alyeska and the hanging glaciers of Turnagain Arm at the top, you’ll also be rewarded with a meal at Bore Tide Deli. From this vantage point, you can actually see the<a href="https://www.anchorage.net/blog/alaska-bore-tide-viewing/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> Bore Tide</a>, a wave that brave souls actually surf for miles and miles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Starting at the hotel, it’s easy to find the 2.2-mile trail. As you ascend 2,000 vertical feet through steep inclines and narrow switchbacks keep an eye out for moose and bears. Speaking of that, don’t forget your bear spray. Good news is: You can take a complimentary <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/girdwood/attractions/alyeska-resort-tram/a/poi-sig/1464382/361732" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">aerial tram ride</a> back down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Afterward head back to Anchorage for a bite to eat at The Lakefront Anchorage, where seaplanes pass overhead all day. If you haven’t have any luck spotting wildlife yet, <a href="https://www.alaskawildlife.org/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center</a> is a surefire way to safely hang out with rescued animals of all sorts. Moose, brown and black bears, musk ox, caribou, wood bison and porcupines call this place home.  </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Once you’re back in Anchorage, rent a bike at The Trek Store Anchorage and explore the<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/anchorage/activities/tony-knowles-coastal-trail/a/poi-act/1006426/361731" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;"> Tony Knowles Coastal Trail</a> for moose-filled forests and views of the impressive 20,310-foot Denali.</span></div>
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<img alt="a woman crouches low over a brilliant blue lake on the top of a glacier with mountains in the background" height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/DSC03123.JPG?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="DSC03123.JPG" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Land on one of Alaska’s most active glaciers</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Last but not least, end your trip at<a href="http://knikriverlodge.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> Knik River Lodge</a>, just outside of Anchorage in <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/alaska/palmer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Palmer</a>, Alaska. Stay for a few nights in one of 22 cabins overlooking the Knik River Valley. Then, book yourself a glacier tour. Alaska has more than 300 named glaciers, and you can reach 60 of them fairly easily from Anchorage. This one is special because not only it is one of Alaska’s oldest and most active glaciers, you can only reach it via helicopter or plane. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here’s how it goes down: 1) Board a chopper. Score insane views within a few minutes of taking off. You’ll be surrounded by glacial landscapes and ancient ice fields flowing out of the Chugach Mountains. 2) Fly over the <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/palmer/attractions/knik-glacier/a/poi-sig/1466188/361733" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Knik Glacier’s</a> expansive crevasses and glacial lagoons. 3) Land on the glacier. 4) Squeal with glee; you and your group of six have the place to yourselves. Roam among the bizarrely beautiful ice formations and take a sip from the glacial lagoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Once hunger strikes, dine at<a href="https://knikriverlodge.com/ravens-perch-restaurant/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"> Raven’s Perch Restaurant</a> for wild berry salmon caught nearby and a vegan mixed bowl made with fresh ingredients from Palmer farms. Not to mention stellar views of the Knik River Valley. Other epic adventures from the lodge include dog sledding, Aurora-viewing tours and ATV excursions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ultimately, you could spend an entire lifetime exploring Alaska and still not see it all. The 49th state is more than twice the size of Texas. In other words, you can never run out of amazing things to do in the Last Frontier. </span></div>
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5 Alaska adventures that offer a new perspective

It’s no wonder people often refer to Alaska as the trip of a lifetime; it’s a wild and wonderful place with eight national parks, North ...

Get on board: the best train journeys in Sri Lanka

Ngọc Kute 0 4:48 PM

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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are train rides, then there are Sri Lankan train rides. The teardrop island in the Laccadive Sea may be small, but it packs in some of the world’s most thrilling rail journeys. You could find yourself rattling past suburbs with a fellow commuter dozing on your shoulder or perhaps weaving in and out of emerald-green tea gardens and thickets of tropical rainforest while tucking into a packed-to-go meal of curry and rice; sometimes both in the same journey.</span></h2>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTb44tj7pTU/Xdz04dQqa6I/AAAAAAAAC1Q/13HIrxQuj7gQxtksFh_5BPFsRNEenkTogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Train_crossing_bridge_sri_lanka_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="800" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTb44tj7pTU/Xdz04dQqa6I/AAAAAAAAC1Q/13HIrxQuj7gQxtksFh_5BPFsRNEenkTogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Train_crossing_bridge_sri_lanka_s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The steam trains that once transported tea and spices along these weaving rail lines have mostly vanished, but the colourful diesel locos that replaced them offer the same evocative transect through the Sri Lankan landscape. If you’re a lover of travel by locomotive, make sure you book tickets (in advance!) for one of these four epic train journeys around <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Sri Lanka</a>.</span></div>
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<img alt="A view of the exterior of a blue Sri Lankan train, taken by an on-board passenger leaning out of the window. The train is travelling through the Hill Country, and is surrounded by green jungle. Up ahead, a tunnel is visible." height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Exterior_of_train_Sri_Lanka_G.jpg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="A train rumbling through Sri Lanka's Hill Country" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Head up country to Kandy</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The one rail journey that features on almost every Sri Lankan itinerary, the three-hour trip from <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/colombo" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Colombo</a> to <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/kandy" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Kandy</a> will whisk you away from the big city sprawl to the genteel greenery of Sri Lanka’s spiritual capital, home to the legendary <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/kandy/attractions/temple-of-the-sacred-tooth-relic/a/poi-sig/450797/357477" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic</a>, enshrining what’s claimed to be a genuine tooth of Buddha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On the way, you’ll rattle past rolling hills, paddy fields, lush stands of tropical forest, palm trees waving like giant hands, and miniature village train stations with tin roofs and station attendants standing to attention in immaculate uniforms. You’ll also feel the air cool as you leave the baking coastal plain for the more pleasant climate of the hills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Colombo to Kandy line was the first major route established by the newly formed Ceylon Government Railway in the 1860s, slicing through the forested hills inland from the capital to bring tea and coffee down to the coast, to further the economic ambitions of the British Empire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Today, travellers ride in the opposite direction, on a journey that serves as the perfect introduction to Sri Lankan train travel, and offers by far the most atmospheric and enjoyable way to reach the <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/the-hill-country" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Hill Country</a> from Colombo.</span></div>
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<img alt="Tea pickers working in a tea plantation in Sri Lanka. Though small, the workers stand out against the green fields due to their colourful saris." height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Tea_plantation_Sri_Lanka_G.jpg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="Tea pickers on a tea plantation in Sri Lanka" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ride the Main Line to Badulla</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The trip from Colombo to Kandy is just a warm up for Sri Lanka’s most spectacular train ride: the British-era Main Line, built as a conduit for Sri Lanka’s most famous export – tea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The journey from Kandy to <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/the-hill-country/badulla" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Badulla</a> takes seven to eight hours, and carves through Sri Lanka’s tea country, passing swirling, curling plantations that appear hollowed into the hilly green landscape like the enormous fingerprints of a giant. Tidy fringes of lemongrass and canna bushes provide an ornamental trim around the edges, while tea-pickers in rainbow saris create vivid flashes of colour amongst the emerald sea. To make the most of the views, stake out a vantage point in one of the open train doorways, with your feet dangling above the track – try doing that on a train back home!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The final stage from <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/the-hill-country/ella" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Ella</a> to Badulla is perhaps the most dramatic section of the journey, with some spectacular feats of 19th-century engineering carrying the train across valleys and ravines and around problem outcrops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Just north of Ella, the tracks curve over the brick-and-stone Nine Arch Bridge before tackling the Demodara Loop, where the line circles a hilltop and passes back under itself. Many travellers end the journey at Ella and <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/ella/activities/little-adams-peak-nine-arch-bridge-full-day-private-trek/a/pa-act/v-16052P191/357474" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">hike to viewpoints around the bridge</a>, for one of Sri Lanka’s most popular photo opportunities.</span></div>
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<img alt="A parallel view of a red train travelling from Colombo to Galle, taken by a passenger on board the train. The tracks runs alongside the coast, with the sea coming right up to the tracks. A small, palm tree-backed beach is visible in the middle ground, while in the distance, the skyscrapers of a metropolis, presumably Colombo, can be seen." height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Galle_train_Sri_Lanka_G.jpg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="A train speeds along Sri Lanka's coastline" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Breathe in the sea air on the coast line to Galle</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Indian Ocean washes almost up to the rail tracks on the ride south from Colombo to the Portuguese-founded city of <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/the-south/galle" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Galle</a>, bringing fresh breezes and the smell of sea salt right into the carriages. So long as you sit on the right-hand side of the train, you’ll have views out over the ocean as the train clatters out of Colombo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The rail line meets the shore just south of <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/colombo/attractions/galle-face-green/a/poi-sig/1195122/357443" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Galle Face Green</a>, a large urban park on the outskirts of the capital, and follows it for almost the entire length of the journey. If the lure of the big blue gets too much, passengers can hop off the train at beachside towns including Moragalla (via Hettimulla station), with snorkelling opportunities amidst coral reefs, or <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/west-coast/hikkaduwa-and-around" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Hikkaduwa</a>, where surfers ride the swells and sip smoothies in shorefront cafes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Whether you choose to temporarily alight or not, make sure you sample the wares of vendors who join the carriages at tiny rural stations. Grab some buttered sweetcorn, sliced fruit or packaged curry and rice and take in the bucolic scenes of coastal life – from children and dogs playing in the surf to stilt fishermen sat atop their wooden perch – all the way to Galle.</span></div>
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<img alt="A view of a colourful kovil, located in Trincomalee, northern Sri Lanka. The temple is painted in a number of colourful patterns and includes sculptures of figures from Hindu scripture." height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Kovil_north_Sri_Lanka_G.jpg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="A colourful kovil in northern Sri Lanka" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
<figcaption class="content__caption -contained" data-testid="image-caption-txt" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 2rem; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When it comes to religious monuments, things start to get a lot more colourful up north © Elke Meitzel / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Swap Buddhism for Hinduism on the Northern Line</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The rail line to the far north of Sri Lanka was severed by fighting between southern Buddhists and Hindu Tamils during Sri Lanka’s long civil war. When the last Yal Devi Express rolled into <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/jaffna-and-the-north/jaffna" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Jaffna</a> on 13 June 1990, it was marooned by bombing. Empty carriages were repurposed into military bunkers, tracks were ripped up for scrap metal and stations fell into ruin. For 25 years, rail travel to Sri Lanka’s Hindu north was a distant memory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And then, In 2014, the shrill whistle of locomotives returned to the north as the Yal Devi Express rumbled back into Jaffna, on gleaming new tracks, for the first time in a generation. Today, the three-and-a-half-hour ride from the ancient Buddhist city at <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/the-ancient-cities/anuradhapura" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Anuradhapura</a> to Jaffna offers a window onto a different Sri Lanka. You’ll leave the gleaming white <em style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit;">dagobas</em> (stupas) behind at Anuradhapura, and in their place multi-hued <em style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit;">kovils</em> (temples) start to colour the countryside as you steam into Sri Lanka’s Hindu north.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On the final approach to Jaffna, the landscape flattens out, and patches of water and saltpans appear as the train crosses Elephant Pass – the heavily militarised bottleneck guarding the entrance to the Jaffna peninsula. Tall palmyra palms rise over a landscape that still bears the scars of war, but also green shoots of rejuvenation, as villages and townships pick themselves up after decades of conflict. Waiting at the end is Jaffna itself, a vibrant Hindu city with a colonial heart – an easy leaping-off point for some of Sri Lanka’s most idyllic, unspoiled islands and beaches.</span></div>
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<img alt="A girl wearing sunglasses sits in a window seat on a Sri Lankan train from Colombo to Galle. A book rests on her lap as she stares out of the open window, where green countryside is visible." height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/Woman_on_train_G.jpg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="Woman riding the rails from Colombo to Galle" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
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<span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How to travel by train in Sri Lanka</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Trains zip to most corners of the island, charging slightly more than buses, but offering more atmosphere and better views. The website of <a href="http://www.railway.gov.lk/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">Sri Lanka Railways</a> has details of every route, but you’ll need to go through an agency to book online – <a href="https://12go.asia/en" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">12Go</a> and <a href="https://www.visitsrilankatours.co.uk/train-tickets-1.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank">Visit Lanka Tours</a> have a good reputation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Third class is a free-for-all, where you’ll have to fight for space in a carriage as jammed as a sardine tin. Going second class gives you windows that open, plus reasonably comfy padded seats and fans overhead to keep cool, while first class brings more comfort and air-conditioning. Top of the line are the first class ‘observation saloon’ carriages with giant windows for sight-seeing, but the thick glass can make you feel a little isolated from the country you are passing through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Make reservations for first and second class seats and berths at the station a few days before you travel, or a week ahead of time for observation saloon carriages. For third class, just rock up, buy a ticket and take your chances in the scrum. On most trains, the best seat is a spot on the floor in one of the open doorways between carriages, with the warm breeze blowing through your hair.</span></div>
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Get on board: the best train journeys in Sri Lanka

There are train rides, then there are Sri Lankan train rides. The teardrop island in the Laccadive Sea may be small, but it packs in some o...

Getting to know Joshua Tree National Park

Ngọc Kute 0 4:47 PM

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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ask a dozen different people what they love most about<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/guide-to-joshua-tree" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;"><span> </span>Joshua Tree National Park</a>, and you’ll get a dozen different answers. For some, it’s all about the trees. For others, photographing the Milky Way tops the list. For me, it is the Chasm of Doom, a bunch of piled up boulders wedged within a tunnel-like slot canyon. </span></h2>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kUehPMKKekU/Xdz0hgi4XEI/AAAAAAAAC1E/IgdkXBu-rS4lrWTM0IQz6aWvTcVLDUR7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/JoshuaTree_LG_03%2B-%2B%2BCREDIT%2BLance%2BGerber%2Bwww.nuvueinteractive.com%2B%2528website%2Bnecessary%2529%2BInstagram%2BCredit_%2B%2540lncnuvue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kUehPMKKekU/Xdz0hgi4XEI/AAAAAAAAC1E/IgdkXBu-rS4lrWTM0IQz6aWvTcVLDUR7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JoshuaTree_LG_03%2B-%2B%2BCREDIT%2BLance%2BGerber%2Bwww.nuvueinteractive.com%2B%2528website%2Bnecessary%2529%2BInstagram%2BCredit_%2B%2540lncnuvue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<figcaption class="content__caption -contained" data-testid="image-caption-txt" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 2rem; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Joshua Tree National Park – named for the trees that dot the desert – is an oasis for all kinds of animals, a dark sky park and an amazing place for climbing rocks © Lance Gerber / www.nuvueinteractive.com</span></figcaption></figure></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'This is the most epic place for climbing rocks,' says park ranger Christian Delich.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What makes it so special? For starters, its entrance along the Hidden Valley Nature Trail is well concealed. I only found it because I was tagging along with a seasoned pro. It is also the exact opposite of what you think you’d find in the High Desert. Forget tumbleweeds, sunshine and wide-open spaces: The Chasm of Doom is a series of dark boulder tunnels with extremely tight squeezes that have a tendency to turn adults into giddy 5-year-olds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The narrow entryway, in fact, involves hoisting yourself up a staircase of boulders that start out small and eventually top out at SUV size. You must squeeze through cracks, jump off of boulders and employ climbing-up-a-chimney type of maneuvers. Not to mention, there’s a section affectionately known as the Birthing Canal or The Coffin. The best way to get through this area is to plop down on the dusty desert floor, then, slide your legs beneath a massive boulder (wedged between other boulders and suspended a few feet above you) and inchworm along on your back.</span></div>
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<img alt="A slend white woman in green hiking pants and a grey t-shirt with a black cap climbs a wedge-shaped rock in the Chasm of Doom in Joshua Tree National Park" height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/IMG_6569%202.jpeg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="IMG_6569 2.jpeg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
<figcaption class="content__caption -contained" data-testid="image-caption-txt" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 2rem; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Christian Delich climbs through the Chasm of Doom a place that often leaves adults grinning like five-year-olds © Sarah Sekula / Lonely Planet</span></figcaption></figure></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As we make our way through the maze of monzogranite, it hits me: Joshua Tree National Park is so much more than meets the eye. Sure, I expected to be scrambling; this park is a<a href="https://www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/play/things-to-do/activities-recreation/rock-climbing-and-bouldering/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"><span> </span>rock climbers mecca</a>, after all. But I didn’t expect to be exploring an awesome cave-like structure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I’m also stunned by the variety of life that exists here. Thanks to the varied elevation almost 800 species of plants grow in the park. On the hike to the Chasm we spot everything from prickly pear cacti to pinyon pines. Plus, desert willows, junipers and, my favorite, the teddy bear cholla, which can grow taller than humans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And then, there’s the unexpected wildlife – about 57 mammal species, roughly 46 different reptiles and 250 types of birds. If you only spend time in the park during the day, you will miss out on most of the park’s residents. Sure you’ll see bunnies, birds, lizards and a chipmunk or two. But at dawn and dusk, it’s a whole different story. That’s when bighorn sheep, coyotes and black-tailed jack rabbits make a cameo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In other words, a quick drive through the park just doesn’t do it justice. To really get to know Joshua Tree, you must dig a little deeper. And perhaps go with a guide.</span></div>
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<img alt="The black silhouette of a Joshua tree stands against a twilight sky that gradients from blue to yellow, with large rocks framing the tree in the composition" height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/DSC04367_0.JPG?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="joshua-tree-humwichawa.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
<figcaption class="content__caption -contained" data-testid="image-caption-txt" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 2rem; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Suessian trees called Humwichawa by the Indigenous people who have lived in the area for thousands of years may not survive the next century © Sarah Sekula / Lonely Planet</span></figcaption></figure></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><strong style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;">Further reading:<span> </span></strong><a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/guide-to-joshua-tree" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;">Joshua Tree National Park is turning 25: here's how to celebrate</a></span></h2>
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<strong style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What's the deal with the trees?</span></strong></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Joshua trees have been around since the Pleistocene epoch when giant sloths and woolly mammoths roamed these parts. With furry looking trunks and haphazardly angled limbs, they are a sight to see.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'They live about 150 years on average depending on where they are growing,' says Delich. 'In an area that gets more reliable precipitation, they grow faster. Like in the northwestern part of the park where it’s the wettest, the trees do really well there.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'Why do some of them reach toward the ground like that?' I ask. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'No one can tell you why they look so strange,' he says with a laugh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To spot the thickest forest of Joshua trees, we drive out to the Keys View. At the lookout, we can see the Little San Bernardino Mountains, Coachella Valley and the San Andreas Fault. On a really clear day, it’s possible to see Signal Mountain in Mexico. As we climb back into the car we discuss what the future holds for the beloved Joshua trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'Our emissions right now are at a little over 400 parts per million for CO2,' he says. 'If it’s business as usual up until 2100 that number is going to be really high, and it doesn’t bode well for Joshua trees. If it gets warmer they’d have to have to retreat north.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'They may not be found here in a hundred years,' he says. 'But most likely there will be far less of them in the national park; that’s what the models are saying.' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sad, indeed. However, just because they might not do well at Joshua Tree National Park in the future doesn’t mean they can’t thrive in other places. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'Most people believe that they only grow here,' he adds. 'But that’s not the case; they do grow in four different states—here, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.'</span></div>
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<img alt="Ancient indigenous petroglyphs mark a rock with a shallow arch worn into it in Joshua Tree National Park" height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/GettyImages-1131859972.jpg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="joshua-tree-petroglyphs.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
<figcaption class="content__caption -contained" data-testid="image-caption-txt" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 2rem; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Petroglyphs from Indigenous people who used the area for its many plants and other resources adorn various rocks throughout the park © jstewartphoto / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure></div>
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<strong style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">History of the land</span></strong></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before Joshua Tree was declared a national park, many people called it home. About<a href="https://www.visitpalmsprings.com/blog/history-joshua-tree-national-park" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"><span> </span>8,000 years ago</a><span style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit;"><span> </span>this area is where Paleo-Indians were believed to have lived. The Mojave, Serrano, Chemehuevi and Cahuilla people all used areas within and around the park for many generations and many still make their homes near the park. Visitors can see native art in many places in the park in the form of rock pictographs and petroglyphs. And people are still sighting previously undocumented petroglyphs. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">'The Oasis of Mara at headquarters in Twentynine Palms is a really important site to them (Native Americans),' says Delich. 'Their ancestors have lived there for thousands of years. So anytime we make a management decision in that area we consult them.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">By the time the 1800s rolled around, miners had moved to the area in search of gold.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As we walk along the<a href="https://www.nps.gov/jotr/learn/nature/barker-dam-loop.htm" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"><span> </span>Barker Dam Loop</a><span> </span>it’s easy to take a step back in time and picture miners and cowboys passing through. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In 1994, the Desert Conservation Act expanded the park and gave it national park status. That bumped up the visitation and now nearly 3 million people visit each year. </span></div>
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<img alt="A pastel pink and lavender sunset tints the sky over the jumbo rocks in buff, tan, and light orange shades that make up the desert floor of Joshua Tree National Park" height="" src="https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/image_browser/GettyImages-523563972.jpg?fit=max&q=40&sharp=10&vib=20&w=800&auto=format" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;" title="joshua-tree-sunset-national-park.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="" /></div>
<figcaption class="content__caption -contained" data-testid="image-caption-txt" style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 2rem; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While the Joshua Trees are certainly a draw, the many rock formations in the park are a stunning attraction © Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott / Getty Images</span></figcaption></figure></div>
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<strong style="border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A wonderland of rocks</span></strong></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As Delich and I sit in the shade of a giant rock formation, I dream up things to do on my next trip to the park — a<a href="https://www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/play/things-to-do/activities-recreation/stargazing/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;" target="_blank"><span> </span>night sky</a><span> </span>photography workshop, camping with friends and a day of scrambling through the<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/attractions/wonderland-of-rocks/a/poi-sig/1437604/361822" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(226, 231, 234); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #277bba; text-decoration: inherit; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: color;"><span> </span>Wonderland of Rocks</a>, which Delich reminds me is best to do with a guide. It’s meant for expert hikers with excellent map and compass skills. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of his all-time favorite experiences in the park was the first time he scrambled to the Astrodomes, steep rocks that offer an overwhelming view of the Wonderland’s 12 square miles of rocks.  </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">'You could call this entire park the Wonderland of Rocks,' he says. 'And it would be a very fitting name.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I wholeheartedly agree. Joshua Tree is a weird and wonderful place worthy of our attention. </span></div>
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Getting to know Joshua Tree National Park

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