Happy Friday! This is Adventure Fix, the weekly email that’s like a digital museum of wild and incredible experiences curated by professional adventure junkies.

Here’s what we've got for you today:

• Wildlife Experiences: Snorkeling with a ‘River Dragon’

• Natural Wonders: Iran’s Rainbow Island

• Extreme Experiences: Overnight in an ice cave

• Unusual Animal Behaviors: Whale Tail Sailing

Overnight in an ice cave

Strap on your snowshoes and get ready to leave the artificial lights from Svalbard behind and trek off into the arctic wilderness under the magic light from the Polar night sky.

Polar bears roam the area, so setting up camp is not an option.

A tunnel in the snow leads to your home for the night. Yep, that’s right, into an ice cave.

Entering the cave feels like you’ve been transported to an arctic wonderland. It’s a hidden underground world with halls, narrow passages, and icicles that hang from the roof.

There are usual bubble formations that are formed by the ice. Strangely enough, they feel plastic and dry to the touch.

After dinner, crawl into your sleeping bag and experience spending the night inside the belly of a glacier.
 

Explore more:

• 24 Hours Inside an Ice Cave (video)

Snorkeling with the ‘River Dragon’

As a kid, I loved to explore the creek near my house. Hours would slip by as I collected rocks and tadpoles. There was some kind of pull to discover something really unusual.

A trip to rural Japan to get a glimpse at these “River Dragons’ would definitely bring back that sense of childhood wonder that has often disappeared from our lives.

Don your wetsuit, wade into a shallow river, and duck your head underwater. At the first scan, you might see nothing but small fishes and flattened river rocks piled together.

As you keep searching, you realize that the flattened rock is actually the huge head of a giant salamander. It’s the second largest amphibian in the world, topped only by the slightly longer Chinese giant salamander.

While they are usually lethargic creatures, when a fish comes close, they are capable of lightening fast lunges.

If you’re into the weird and wonderful, this adventure might be for you.

Explore more:

• Snorkeling with Giant Salamanders in Japan (tour)

Iran’s Rainbow Island

Nestled along the southern coast of Iran, Hormuz Island is known for its vibrant, kaleidoscopic landscapes, creating an otherworldly visual spectacle.

Thanks to volcanic activity, there are plenty of unusually shaped formations and rocks in hues of orange, red, green, gold, and blue.

One hotspot on the island is Rainbow Valley whose soil formations create a surreal palette of colors.

At Red Beach, the black-silver shoreline turns ruby red where there is a ton of iron oxide. The blood-red hue of the soil mixes with the water and contrasts against the azure Persian Gulf.

Explore more:

• A Travel Guide to Hormuz Island (article)

Tail sailing whales

This is a new section where we spotlight uncommon animal behaviors to look out for on your next wildlife encounter. Hit reply and let us know what you think of this new section.

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Whale tail sailing is when a whale lifts its colossal fluke clear out of the water for long periods of time. It’s a unique behavior that’s rarely observed by humans and scientists are unsure of why they do it.

One theory is they use their tails to catch the wind and ‘sail’ through the water. Another guess is that it’s a method to cool down. A third theory suggests that the whale is feeding close to the sea floor.

Explore more:

• Sailing Tail (article)

• Whale Tail Sailing Encounter in Transparent Kayak (short)

Film: Skagerrak - Europe's Unique Marine Animal Habitat.

Wildlife: How humans are reshaping elephant evolution.

Exploration: What is this mysterious golden orb scientists found on the ocean floor?

Nature: The mathematical code hidden in nature.

Photography: Unlock your creativity.

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: Mangystau Desert - Kazakstan