What’s a little snow when you’re determined to up your find count? When the temps go down, it’s time for you to get up and get caching. Here are 10 tips for geocaching in a winter wonderland.
Author: Janelle
Kind to animals.
Loved by children.
Excels at DNFs.
Three Cheers for Brazil, Geocaching’s Newest Country Souvenir!
Yes folks, the time has come: Brazil is getting its very own Geocaching Country Souvenir! You’ve seen Croatia, Italy, Mexico, Belgium, and now you get to see Brazil!
Souvenirs are virtual pieces of art that are displayed on your Geocaching profile page when you find a geocache in certain locations. This holiday season we’re releasing six beauties to decorate your profile!
Take a virtual vacation and tour of some of Brazil’s best geocaches. After all, Brazil is known as the Land of Happiness, so let’s get happy, and let’s get going!
1. First on our list is GC4KZEY Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) EarthCache in Rio de Janeiro. This EarthCache is located in a public area atop the Urca and Sugarloaf hills. The cable car leaves a ground station located at the base of the Babilônia hill to the Urca hill and then to the Pão de Açúcar. And if that isn’t exciting enough, you could always reenact that famous action scene from the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker (…just kidding, that’s much too dangerous!)
2. Next stop on the tour is also in Rio at GCX2R1 Na Padaria (RJ). Some geocachers wonder if this geocache is really a T3, or more of a T5. If you decide to see for yourself, make sure to hike with a friend, bring some water, and wear sturdy shoes. Geocachers have been known to see monkeys on these hills, submarines in the water, and unparalleled views of the world while on this trek.
3. Time for a visit to the exotic rainforests of Brazil. GC3AN8N Fig tree Traditional Cache is placed in one of the most important remnants of the Atlantic Rain Forest in Southern Brazil. The forest extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from the Rio Grande in the north to the Rio Grande in the south, and as far inland as Paraguay and Argentina. Countless types of species and plants can only be found within this Eden on earth.
4. The Iguazu River forms the boundary between Argentina and Brazil. Legend has it that a deity planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In a rage, the deity sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.
Take a day to visit the falls and the traditional geocache GC3FMPF Frederico Engel. The namesake of this geocache was a man of German heritage who fought against the privatization of the falls. Find him and shake his hands and post your photo!
5. No list of Brazilian geocaches would be complete without the ultimate of all geocache types, the rarest of all icons that can still be claimed, and one of the most famous geocaches in the world, GCC67 Mission 4: Southern Bowl Project A.P.E. Cache!
In 2001, fourteen geocaches were placed in conjunction with 20th Century Fox to support the movie Planet of the Apes. Each geocache represented a fictional story in which scientists revealed an Alternative Primate Evolution (A.P.E.). These geocaches were made using specially marked ammo containers and contained an original prop from the movie. This one is the only A.P.E. geocache left in the world.
After 13 years in the jungle, this elusive geocache has acquired over 300 logged visits, and only 1 DNF. The tagline for this movie was, “Rule the planet”…and you just might if you obtain this cache.
Ready to go bananas for Brazil? We will unveil the last of the six country Souvenirs on Thursday, December 18th, and then retroactively award them ALL on Monday, December 22, 2014 to anyone who’s ever geocached in these countries!
A list of of currently available Geocaching Souvenirs and even the ones you’ve already earned can be found on Geocaching.com.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or right here on our Blog to find out what’s next!
Have you dreamed of finding, or actually found Brazil’s A.P.E Cache? Tell us about your dream journey!
Viva la Mexican Geocaching Souvenir!
Officially known as the United Mexican States, did you know that Mexico:
- had it’s first geocache placed on Christmas day in the year 2000
- has a geocache located 5,564 m (18,253 ft) above sea level on an inactive volcano called Pico de Orizaba
- is an extremely popular geocaching vacation destination, and…
…is the newest Geocaching Country Souvenir to be released this month? Yes it’s true! If the allure of white sandy beaches, ancient civilizations, rich culture, delicious food, and tequila wasn’t enough, now you can also earn a geocaching Souvenir for Mexico (this, in addition to Croatia, Italy, and three other new Souvenirs to be revealed soon). Souvenirs are virtual pieces of art that are displayed on your Geocaching profile page when you find a geocache in certain locations.
To wet your whiskers for this occasion, we’ve put together five must-see geocaches from the birthplace of the sun. Enjoy!
1. GC319DN – Lands End – EarthCache
We begin our journey on the verrrrrrrrrrrrry southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, a.k.a. Lands End Arch. Make sure you travel by boat to find this geocache, otherwise you’ll have come a long way for a DNF. Besides, it’s really the ideal way to view the Cabo San Lucas rock formation. There are several small beaches located in this area, and according to the geocache page, “…an entire Love Life-Cycle can run it’s course at Lands End. Fall in Love at Lover’s Beach, conceive children in Pirates Cave, and ends at Divorce Beach.”
2. GC3B5XW – Gringo Gulch Lighthouse – Traditional Geocache
Now onto the mainland, and the Mexican beach resort city of Puerto Vallarta. There you will find an old lighthouse from the 1930’s that has been decommissioned and restored as a landmark. It is now a navigational beacon and popular tourist attraction. And if you make the trek and climb to the top of the spiral staircase, the geocache page promises you’ll see, “…one of the finest views of Puerto Vallarta’s traditional red-tiled roofs, not to mention the entire bay, from Yelapa at its southernmost end to Punta De Mita at the northern tip.”
And here’s a little known fact: Puerto Vallarta was catapulted into international consciousness in 1963 when The Night of the Iguana directed by John Huston, was filmed there. This film starred Richard Burton, and he brought his soon-to-be-wife Elizabeth Taylor to the location during filming. Their relationship had recently become public knowledge and they were hounded by the press.
3. GC1DDE – Pyramid of the Sun – Virtual Geocache
Our next stop on the tour is located about 40 kilometers (25 mi) northeast of Mexico’s capital city, Mexico City. There you will find the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican city known as Teotihuacan, The New World’s First Great City.
Enormous in size, at its zenith, Teotihuacan housed up to 200,000 residents and encompassed 12 square miles. The civilization which flourished at Teotihuacan was contemporary to that of ancient Rome. However, unlike that fallen city, Teo’s civilization lasted centuries beyond Rome’s demise. Remarkably, Teotihuacan seems to have sprung up out of nowhere, having no precedent in the ancient world. Archaeological evidence does indicate that the geographic area of Teotihuacan was inhabited by humans as early as 500 B.C. However, actual construction activities of the great city didn’t commence until 1 B.C. with the initial building phase of the site’s famous Pyramid of the Sun.
4. GC1JX5J – Ruinas Arqueologicas – Traditional Geocache
Do you like animals? We mean all types of animals – feathered, fuzzy, or scaled. If so, head on over to the Yucatan Peninsula and the surrounding grounds of the Ruinas Arqueologicas. Three Mayan Pyramids are located on this site with many native animals making this non-commercial piece of property their home as well. You’ll see plenty of birds, an occasional coatimundi, and quite a few iguanas. And oh yeah – look out for the snakes. 🙂
5. GC2NTRK – The Secret River – EarthCache
Our final destination is a D4/T4 full of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and helictites. “What are those?” you may ask. Well, you’ll just have to visit this EarthCache to find out. The cache page describes this experience in alluring beauty:
Close your eyes. You hear nothing but silence and the faint sound of trickling water in the background. Imagine you are 80 feet below ground with your eyes open in the pitch black. You are one with Mother Earth. You are somewhere along an 800 meter stretch of a 14 kilometer underground river that originates in the interior of the peninsula and empties into the sea. The lights come back on. Look up and see thousands of jagged-edged stalactites pointing towards your head like the tips of poison Mayan arrows. It looks like you are either on another planet or on the set of a blockbuster Hollywood movie.
So there you have it, amigos. Five glorious reasons to travel to the wondrous land of Mexico and earn yourself yet another souvenir.
We will unveil two new Souvenirs each week until all SIX are officially released and awarded on Monday, December 22, 2014 to be proudly displayed on your profile. A list of of currently available Geocaching Souvenirs and even the ones you’ve already earned can be found on Geocaching.com.
Follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or right here on our Blog to find out which countries are next!
Have you found a geocache in Mexico? How was your adventure?
Croatia! Hrvatska! New Country Souvenirs! Ura!
Croatia, a.k.a. Republika Hrvatska, is a centuries-old country that is situated between central and eastern Europe and the Adriatic Sea. It covers 56,594 square kilometers (21,851 square miles) with a population of over 4.3 million. Croatia has it all – mountains, beaches, bustling cities, big outdoor adventures, culture, art, and of course, geocaches. Lots and lots of geocaches.
Country Souvenirs are virtual pieces of art that are displayed on your Geocaching profile page when you find a geocache in certain locations.
Today we proudly unveil the Geocaching Souvenir for The Land of a Thousand Islands: Croatia! To celebrate, we are also highlighting five must-see geocaches from this marvelous land. Ura!
1. GC34ZA7 – Tkalca – Zagreb – Traditonal Geocache
We begin our tour in the capitol city of Zagreb on Tkalčićeva Street. Full of restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, and plenty of nightlife, this is a great place to meet up with friends, take a stroll, or grab a traditional geocache. And while you’re there, make sure to visit the statue of Marija Juric Zagorka, a Croatian journalist, novelist, and dramatist.
2. GC1FNKR – plitvice lakes – Earth Cache
Next we head south to the very famous series of 16 cascading lakes known as Plitvice Lakes. This breathtaking natural wonder ranges in color from tropical blue to slate grey depending on the amount of minerals and/or organisms, and the angle of the sunlight. At 282 Favorite Points, this geocache is the most geo-beloved in the entire country.
If you need more, check out this link to a virtual panorama and an interactive map from the Plitvice Lakes National Parks website.
Third stop on our tour is in Cape Kamenjak. So says the geocache page:
…one of the most beautiful areas in the vicinity of Pula, near the small and pittoresque village of Premantura. It’s the southernmost part of the peninsula of Istria, a strip of land fully exposed to the sun and the sea.
The coastline and beaches of Cape Kamenjak are rocky, some small gravel beaches are situated in beautiful coves – and you wouldn’t believe it, but there also exists a tiny and small sandy beach in this area, one of the very few sandy beaches all over Istria! In summer it is crowded, of course, but in spring or autumn it’s a nice place to take a bath in the clear and blue waters of Cape Kamenjak. This little traditional will lead you to this cove…have fun!
So grab a picnic basket, some sunscreen, and your cache-bag, and start searchin’!
4. GC322MF – Zadar Sea Organ – Zadar – Traditional Geocache
The amazing sculpture/instrument known as the Sea Organ (Croatian: Morske orgulje) is made up of tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps underwater. The movement of the waves crashing over the tubes creates music. At sunset, the Sun Salutation switches on and displays a series of bright colorful lights. The motion of the lights depends on the solar energy collected throughout the day as well as the power of the waves and mimics the motion of the solar system. All eight planets are represented by solar lights placed at their proportional distances from the sun. Both installations were designed by the architect Nikola Bašić. Far out!
5. GCG8XE – Port a Foot – Dubrovnic – Virtual Geocache
Our final destination is Dubrovnik (also spelled Dubrovnic), known as the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’. Dubrovnik is believed to be one of the ten best preserved medieval walled cities in the world. It’s full of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces, and fountains. Absolutely gorgeous!
Yep. It’s definitely time to book your flight to Croatia to see the amazing sites and earn this sweet souvenir!
We will unveil two new souvenirs each week until all SIX are officially released and awarded on Monday, December 22, 2014 to be proudly displayed on your profile. Souvenirs that are currently available can be found here. You can view which ones you’ve already earned by checking out your Souvenirs on Geocaching.com.
Follow us on social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or right here on our Blog) to find out which countries are next!
What’s your favorite geocaching souvenir that you’ve earned?
It was a Dark and Stormy Night… for Reading about Geocaching
We here at Geocaching HQ love to hang out with each other during work, while throwing a few back at a local happy hour, and of course while geocaching together on the weekends. So when one of our lackeys suggested starting a book club, we got pretty excited and wondered about geocaching-themed books that may be out in the world. Turns out that there’s a LOT. There’s even a thread in our forums about it. Here are some of our top picks for geocaching books out in the world:
Ahh, romance and Tupperware in the woods. In Tracy Krimmer’s Caching In: A Geocaching Love Story, we meet broken-hearted Ally Couper who’s, “…had enough with her ridiculous life. Her job at the bank is going nowhere, and her love life might as well be non-existent. Determined to try something new, Ally becomes absorbed in the world of geocaching. The high-tech driven scavenger hunt introduces her to Seth, and she realizes the game isn’t the only thrilling part. Ally’s bad luck may finally be changing, until the past threatens to halt her future with Seth. Can they find happiness together, or is love the one cache Ally can’t find?” I hope this doesn’t have any DNFs!
Romance & caching seem to go hand in hand, but apparently not as much as mysteries & ammo cans. Check out these “whodunits”:
Cache a Predator: A Geocaching Mystery by Michelle Weidenbenner is a Gold Medal Winner in the 2014 Readers’ International Awards and gets high review marks from online book seller sites. “M. Weidenbenner plants the emotion of one vigilante’s mission into the cache boxes of a gripping tale that will leave readers locking their doors…” Plus, someone is planting body parts in geocaching sites. I wouldn’t want to be FTF that geocache!
The synopsis of Cached Out: A Cliff Knowles Mystery by Russell Atkinson already has me on the edge of my seat. “Newly retired from the FBI and alone after the tragic death of his wife, Cliff Knowles takes up geocaching. While looking for a cache in the mountains he comes across a human skeleton and reports it to the sheriff’s office. Then a second body is found – a fresh corpse this time – right after Cliff found another geocache nearby. When it turns out the first remains are those of a fugitive he was supposed to arrest years earlier, he becomes a suspect in a multiple homicide investigation. He has no choice but to use his sleuthing skills to identify the mysterious cache owner, known only as Enigmal, and free himself from suspicion.”
But what about the kids? Oh the little ones certainly have a lot to choose from, too:
As a kid I loved the Boxcar Children series and the adventures of Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden. In The Box That Watch Found (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #113) by Gertrude Chandler Warner, their dog Watch discovers a mysterious box that turns out to be, you guessed it, a geocache! But just as the Alden kids start to embrace their new found hobby, they find that several geocaches in the area are disappearing. This book is a great way to introduce kids 7-10 to the world of geocaching or enhance their already established hobby.
Young teenagers might actually consider taking a break from texting and putting their smartphones GPS to use after reading Hide & Seek by Katy Grant. This 240 page chapter book follows 14-year-old Chase who, “…finally gets a chance to go on his first solo geocaching adventure. Using his GPS, he uncovers the geocache-a small metal box-hidden deep in the woods in some undergrowth. Inside, with a few plastic army men and a log book, is a troubling message for help in a child’s handwriting.” This one gets high points from both readers and educators in online reviews.
Is this a good place to plug The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Geocaching: Third Edition by The Editors and Staff of Geocaching.com? No? Alrighty then, moving on… 😉
Finally, you clever cachers really have thought of everything, haven’t you? Including a book club themed geocache! If you ever find yourself in Ridgecrest, California and need a new read, hop on over to Paperback Book Cache GC1ADKF. The Ridgecrest California Geocachers Club says that this 2d/2t geocache is and easy to find, and bring a book if you want to take a book. One log said, “I took two books, one by Gordon R. Dickson that I haven’t even heard of, and one in the Honor Harrington series by Weber. Left two of Rysten’s books, signed by the author. Enjoy!”
So how about you? Read any good (Geocaching) books lately? Tell us in the comments below!
