Armchair Explorer

Whether you known him as Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti, Thla'Thla, Sninik, or something else, you've heard the legends - the stories of the hairy mountain man who lives, as writer John Zada says, "in primeval nature and collective memory." And today, we're plunging deep into Canada's ancient forests to find him. But make no mistake - this isn't Bigfoot searching like you've seen before. There are no in...

Botswana is the Africa in our heads, the one we see in nature documentaries, and think of when we say the word. It is a vast and untempered land filled with one of the richest concentrations of wildlife on the continent. In a single game drive you could see up to 50 different species: elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard, hippos, baboons and more. But beyond the wildlife there is something else too. A...

Do you want to know what it's like to go kayaking with a whale?  How about climbing to the top of Crater Lake National Park to see one of the most beautiful views in America? Well, that’s what we’re doing today. Our Bucket List episodes highlight what we think are the best adventures on the planet, and these two certainly fit the bill. Recorded on-location in surround sound audio, this bucket list...

Today, we’re sharing a special episode honouring a true explorer who we lost last week. Dr. Jane Goodall was a pioneering primatologist, and conservationist best known for her groundbreaking work with wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. With no formal scientific training at the time, she began observing chimpanzees in 1960 and soon made discoveries that redefined our understanding of animals — including...

In this episode, recorded on location, we’ll discover a side to Rocky Mountain National Park that most people don’t even know exists. Beyond the beautiful mountains and trails, the park is a Living Laboratory of science with about 100 scientific projects happening at any one time. Some of the most cutting-edge ecology, biology and conservation in the world is being done right here. Rocky Mountain...

Bhutan is the last of the great Himalayan kingdoms. Still largely untouched by outside influences, shrouded in mystery and magic, this Buddhist country, hidden for centuries on the roof of the world, is like nowhere else on the planet. Follow British Travel Writer of the Year Emma Thomson as she explores the culture and majesty of Druk Yul, Land of the Thunder Dragon, as it's known by its people....

"A life worth living is lived at the edges, where it is wild" - Rick Ridgeway Rick Ridgeway is one of the greatest mountaineers of all time. In this in-depth interview he shares the adventures that have come to define his life, and the wisdom he has learned along the way. Highlights include Getting lost while sailing across the Pacific Ocean in search of Tahit.i Taking the famous newscaster Tom Br...

Every month on Pathways , host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer . It’s part travel hangout, part behind-the-scenes, and a whole lot of part “wait, you did what ?” Special Offer: we’ve revived our ⁠NEWSLETTER!⁠ (scroll to the bottom of our homepage to sig...

Our Bucket List episodes showcase the greatest travel experiences on the planet. Today, we’re going to the deserts of Arabia to go stargazing with the Bedouin and learn their secrets of the stars. This episode is about learning to see the stars through the eyes of a people who have lived in the Arabian desert for thousands of years, and whose very existence, and survival,l was shaped by the night...

Today we’re sharing an episode from the Red Bull podcast: How to be Superhuman. How To Be Superhuman is about pushing the limits of human potential, from conquering terrifying climbs and kayaking down jaw-dropping waterfalls to swimming the world’s longest rivers, running through uncharted mountain kingdoms, and embarking on solo expeditions to the most remote corners of the globe. In each episode...

“The first time I entered here I was 18 years old…I'd always heard about the Pendleton Roundup, it's just iconic. I was driving in thinking, I've made it, you know, I've made it” “You can name any sport, basketball, football, whatever. [Rodeo] just isn't that way. These events started and evolved from ranching. They've molded it into a sport, and that's just outta cowboy try. I have a ranch, Pat h...

Alastair Humphreys is a legend in the world of adventure. If you haven’t heard of him, here’s a few of things he’s gotten up to over the years … “Aged nine, he completed the 20 mile Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge, then the National 3 Peaks in 24 hours aged 13. At 15 he cycled off-road across England … Then after leaving school, he cycled from Pakistan to China, Land’s End to John O’Groats, Turkey to...

In this series, we’re going to take you on a journey into the heart of one of the most ancient kingdoms on Earth. Located in the northwestern corner of Saudi Arabia, Alula is an oasis in the desert layered in 200,000 years of human history. But, until recently, it was closed to outsiders, and to this day only a handful of visitors have ever been. If you haven’t listened to our three-part on locati...

We thought we knew the Oregon Trail… Turns out, we only knew half the story. “The settling of the West,” says Bobbie Conner, “was the unsettling of the West for our people.” In this episode of The Hidden Trails of Oregon , we’re exploring the past, present and future of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, whose ancestral homelands stretch across Eastern Oregon. In 1993, the 150th anniver...

"There are people out there that have found incredible success in ultra-running and things by being tough as nails…and it just doesn't work for me.  But what I can do is wake up in the morning and be like, oh, like I'm gonna stop for a coffee in 10 miles and that coffee's gonna taste so good…Relying on speaking positively to myself and…to other people, I think offers a lot more potential” – Chris...

Every month on Pathways , host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer . It’s part travel hangout, part behind-the-scenes, and a whole lot of part “wait, you did what ?” Special Offer: we’ve revived our ⁠NEWSLETTER!⁠ (scroll to the bottom of our homepage to sig...

Follow Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras on a quest to discover South America’s hidden wonders. From the Last Incan Bridge and the Machu Picchu of the North to the Everlasting Lightning Storm and a statue of a squid fighting a whale the size of the statue of liberty (yes, you read that right), this is an epic ride through Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru’s weirdest and wildest wonders. Th...

"We paddled out to the first net, and there were 12 pilot whales huddled up against it, completely traumatized because they could hear the other 40 members of their pod being massacred yards away. They were screaming. I remember a little baby pilot whale breached and stuck her head out to look at us with curiosity. I took as a request - a sacred compact to speak for those who cannot speak for them...

It might’ve been my first rodeo, but it won’t be my last!  “It’s part action movie, part rock show blurring into the superbowl. It feels modern, but bull riding itself goes back to the bronze age. And that’s true for rodeo contests in general: bull riding, barrel racing or wild cow milking, they’re all based on tradition, and in keeping those traditions alive.  ‘Let ‘Er Buck’ makes a lot of sense...

Every month on Pathways , host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer . It’s part travel hangout, part behind-the-scenes, and a whole lot of part “wait, you did what ?” Special Offer: we’ve revived our NEWSLETTER! (scroll to the bottom of our homepage to signu...

We’ve got something a little different but very special for you today. This episode comes from Winging It , a travel podcast hosted by my friend James Hammond, who you’ll hear from shortly. He takes us on an immersive, on-location audio adventure through San Salvador, El Salvador – and trust me, it’s a journey worth tagging along for. James has a brilliant way of mixing practical travel tips with...

We're back for part two of our Discover series on the less travelled, but adventure-rich state of South Australia. Our Discover Guides are deep dives into new destinations, where we interview experts to get the ‘drum’ on the places they live and love. This series is produced as a road trip through a lesser-known part of Australia filled with natural wonders, wildlife and more than one hilarious Au...

“At home, mindfulness is an app, a tool to fight the noise. In the wild, peace and calm rule by default … Out in the open, my mind is released from the noise. It sways with the trees and flows with the rivers. It blows over snow tipped mountaintops and down into wide sunlit valleys expanding to fill its surroundings. The vistas are bigger, but there is less to know.” -        Jude Kriwald   Today,...

G’day and good onya! Our Discover Guides are deep dives into new destinations, where we interview experts to get the ‘drum’ on the places they live and love.  Today we’re excited to share the first of two episodes exploring South Australia, a less-trodden state rich in adventure, wildlife and natural beauty. This two-part series is produced as a road trip through a lesser-known part of Australia f...

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world. Covering an area of 135,000 square miles, it is bigger than the United Kingdom, Holland and Switzerland combined. Lay it out across Europe and it would reach from London to Moscow, making it is the largest living structure in the world and the only one visible from outer space.    Today, we’re going to the best place in the world to e...