mountains

One of the most beautiful roads in the world spans seventy-five miles and takes you from Te Anau to Milford Sound in New Zealand. This path, also known as State Highway 94, weaves through the Fiordland National Park in southwest New Zealand. As you drive along this winding road, you can take in the impressive natural landscapes of rain-forested mountains, towering waterfalls, and glassy lakes. Though the drive only takes two hours, there are plenty of stops along the way that make this one of the most scenic and exciting highways in the world.

Need a fresh idea for weekend activities during your Chilean study abroad? Bored on your business venture? Wishing for one more week of good skiing? Portillo’s got you covered.

The view from the front seat of a tour van highlights the windy path.Enveloped by the lush greenery all around, I couldn’t tear my eyes from the sheer mountain slopes above and below the one-lane dirt road beneath our van. At the bottom of the deep chasm dropping away to our right, the grand Urubamba River swiftly swirled. In every direction, the sharp peaks of the Andes Mountains rose above us, shrouded in gray mist, proud in their legendary beauty.

Alpine climbing offers a fantastic physical challenge to people who want to climb the world’s beautiful, ice-capped mountain peaks. Alpine climbing is a self-sufficient way to tackle a mountain—climbers hike for a few days in a row and carry their own food, shelter, and other equipment the whole way. Sure, some of these cliffs have names like Death Face, but conquering them offers climbers a cosmic view of the world. If you want to join in this challenge and surmount the summits of these grandiose cliffs, you’ll need some specific gear.