Adrenaline-pumping wheelchair-friendly adventures
MOROCCO (GN): Adventure and sporting opportunities are increasing for people with physical disabilities thanks to organizations such as Adaptive Adventures. But for more than three million Americans relying on a wheelchair daily, finding these activities and verifying that they have proper equipment can still be a challenge.
There are some awesome adventures to be had—from riding a camel in the Sahara to soaring high in a hot-air balloon. Here are a few of our favorite wheelchair-accessible experiences around the world.
Hot-air ballooning
in Catalonia
Less than a two-hour drive from Barcelona, Catalonia’s Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park features lush greenery, Roman-era landmarks, and accessible hiking trails. Make the day more scenic with Vol de Coloms, a hot-air balloon company that takes high flyers over dormant volcanoes and provides remote-controlled seats for wheelchair users. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Mediterranean Sea and Pyrenees Mountains.
Riding a camel in Morocco
After getting lost in the souks of Marrakech, take the nine-hour drive to Merzouga for the ultimate bucket-list experience. Morocco Accessible Travel Consultants offers travelers with limited mobility an adaptive camel saddle with a backrest and headrest to provide comfortable support while trekking through the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, the largest in Morocco.
Tourist killed by elephant in Namibia
KUNENE (CNN): A 59-year-old Austrian tourist has been killed by an elephant while on a camping trip in Namibia, the southern African country’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism said Friday.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was among a group of tourists staying at an undesignated camping site on the Huab river in the Kunene region of northwestern Namibia, the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.
“This is a very unfortunate incident and highly regrettable,” the statement said. “We wish to express our sincere condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the deceased.”
No further details were provided about how the man died.
The ministry and police were investigating and hoped to establish whether the tour group had a guide, the statement said.
Initially, Namibia’s tourism ministry reported that an Australian tourist had been killed. Officials later told CNN they determined that the person was Austrian.
Namibia is home to more than 20,000 elephants, according to the tourism ministry. Visitors to the country are warned to “be cautious and adhere to the rules and regulations put in place for their safety.”