Happy Friday! This is Adventure Fix, the #1 email newsletter for channeling your inner travel addict.

Here’s what we've got for you today:

• Natural Wonders: Polar stratospheric clouds

• Expedition Cruises: Cruising Australia’s iconic Kimberley

• Scuba Diving: Exploring Japan’s Yonaguni Monument

• Wildlife Experiences: Searching for the rare Sunda clouded leopard

Diving Japan’s Yonaguni Monument

Have you ever heard of Japan’s Atlantis?

The Yonaguni Monument is a rectangular, stacked pyramid-like formation that’s hiding beneath the waves off the coast of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. Some believe it’s the remains of a long-lost Pacific civilization. Others think the site is a natural formation.

Curious divers can take the plunge and decide for themselves.

Explore more:

• Japan’s Mysterious Underwater City (article)

Adventure cruise in The Kimberly

If you’re looking for a truly Australian adventure, here you have.

The Kimberly is an ancient land that is a panorama of mountains, gorges, caves, rainforests, and waterfalls shaped by geological forces over eons.

Sparsely populated and difficult to get to, the best way to experience this remote region is by a small ship expedition cruise.

You’ll get up close to the area’s most iconic sites, including the thrilling Horizontal Falls, the King George River with its twin waterfalls, and the picturesque Prince Regent River leading to the King Cascade waterfall.

Along the way, immerse yourself in the rich history of the area as you explore Indigenous rock art galleries, discovering the ancient Wandjina and Gwion Gwion art.

Sail to Montgomery Reef, once hailed as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World,' where marine life thrives, including turtles, sea birds, sharks, octopuses, and dugongs.

Explore more:

• An Expedition Cruising Guide to Austalia’s Kimberley Coast (article)

• Kimberly Expeditions (video)

Polar stratospheric clouds

Here’s one for the nephophiles (lovers of clouds).

The strange clouds in the picture above are polar stratospheric clouds. Spotting them is tricky because they only occur in high latitudes when the conditions are just right.

The rainbow light show in the sky is caused by the way the sunlight interacts with the tiny ice crystals that make up stratospheric clouds. These ice crystals are so small that they can float in the air. When the sunlight shines through these tiny ice crystals, it gets scattered and bent in different ways. This bending of light makes the clouds look iridescent.


Explore more:

• Mesmerizing mother-of-pearl clouds over Norway (video)

Searching for the rare Sunda clouded leopard 

Hiding the dense jungles of Borneo and Sumatra is one of the rarest cats in the world, the Sunda clouded leopard.

Seeing one in the wild is a real challenge. Its sharply defined black clouds on its velvety grey coat camouflage it against the shadows of the jungle. On top of that, you’ll have to go nocturnal to match the leopard’s activity pattern.

With a lot of determination and a bit of luck, you might get a peek at the most exquisitely beautiful wild cats around.

Explore more:

• On the Trail of the Sunda Clouded Leopard in Borneo (article)
  

Interview: Climbing photographer Drew Smith with Sidetracked Magazine.

Nature: Iceland’s deserts are turning purple - here’s why.

Animals: Robotic spy beaver makes friends with beaver family.

Photography: Shooting the Northern Lights with a phone. 

Rewilding: Driven out by decades of conflict, giraffes return to Angola.

Where in the world

Wanna flex your adventure geography skills? Guess where this pic was snapped!

Stumped? No worries. The answer is at the end of this email.

 ANSWER: Senja - Norway