Travel Tidbits

In Mombacho National Park, Nicaragua, a 4x4 truck took us to the top of the crater of Mombacho Volcano. We ascended the steep slope and passed by some coffee plantations. Our 2-hour nature walk was beautiful — many orchids plus other flowers in bloom and many photo stops. Wear good shoes, as it can be slightly cooler on top with mist, making it slippery. There was a small café on top plus rest rooms. — PHYLLIS CORRIGAN, Valley City, OH

Just a few miles from Krákow, Poland, we visited the amazing Wieliczka Salt Mine on a tour with Elderhostel (800/454-5768, www. elderhostel.org). A huge labyrinth of chambers dug deep into the earth, it has been a working mine since at least the 13th century! The guided tour included a lot of walking and many stairs. I must emphasize the word “guided,” because a tourist would never find the way out alone. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this remarkable experience, so climbing all of those stairs was well worth the effort! — EDITH GARVEY, Torrance, CA

At the marina in Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores, long-distance sailors from all over the world have hand-painted signs and their logos on the wall and sidewalk. — CAROLE WARDELL, Spring Valley, NY

The ever-changing, sculpted sand dunes of the Red Dunes in Namibia are the tallest in the world. The heat also rivals that of the hottest deserts. In the late November we visited, it was cooler than what we’d experienced in the Kalahari in October. My wife, Elaine, found a cardboard box in our truck and proceeded to climb to the top of a dune. A half-hour later she was ready for her slide down, and slide she did — completely out of control, wind in her hair and sand in her teeth. — ROBERT G. JUHRE, Kettle Falls, WA