Cusco city tour Map FREE!

This city tour Map is a complete guide to know the most important Inca landmarks in town. It's for free (but tips are welcome).

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Nat Geo Releases Atlas For The iPhone!

National Geographic has released an iPhone version of their popular World Atlas, allowing us to take it with us wherever we go.

The new app, which can be found at this link, cost just $1.99, but offers everything you'd expect from the printed version, and then some. For instance, the program offers seven levels of cartography provided by National Geographic themselves, as well as an addition seven layers of maps provided by Microsoft Bing. The high-resolution imagery used to render those maps are the same as those found in Nat Geo's wall maps and printed atlases, giving you the best looking and most comprehensive maps in the world, right in your pocket.

If that wasn't enough, the app also includes access to the Flags and Facts database, which offers a wealth of information on countries and cities from around the globe. You can also search for information on more than 7 million locations, bookmark your favorites, and use the iPhone's built in GPS to locate your current position at any time. All of that, and more, is wrapped up in an easy to use interface that quite literally puts the world at your fingertips. To find out more about this app, click here.

I'm a huge fan of National Geographic's maps and atlases. In fact, I received a beautiful, framed wall map as a Christmas present that is simply beautiful and amazing. Having their World Atlas right on my iPhone seems like a dream come true. As if I needed another app to keep me playing with Apple's wonderful little gadget.

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Gear Box: Nat. Geo. Topo Software

I recently had the opportunity to check out a new software mapping package from National Geographic's TOPO! line of software. which is touted for giving us the ability to create and print our own custom trail maps. The software is a powerful tool that offers a ton of options and details, and should prove very helpful for hikers and backpackers who are planning outdoor adventures in the areas covered by the various packages.

The version of the software that I was sent covers the Moab area of Utah. The region is one of the best in the country for hiking and mountain biking, and the maps included on the CD cover such national parks as Arches and Canyonlands, two popular, but lesser known destinations. The area covered also stretches into the Grand Junction region of Colorado as well, offering amazingly detailed topographic maps that include roads, trails, and points of interest such as campsites, paddling launch sites, scenic overlooks, and much more.

The software allows for multiple levels of zooming, so you can set the level of detail on your custom maps, while also easily adding 3D and topographic profiles to the mix as well. Additionally, you can add your own custom notes or pre-created ones, draw your own routes, and a lot more. And when you've constructed your perfect map, it can be saved to a simple file format and shared with others or printed out to accompany you on your next hike. If you have a handheld GPS, routes and way points can be uploaded to it as well, making it even easier to take your map with you.

While the software is indeed powerful, it comes with a bit of a learning curve, and it takes a bit of practice to put it all together. The interface on the software takes a bit of getting use to, but the manuals, found on the CD in .pdf format, and the online help system help ease the process some. And once you do have a grasp of the system, you'll be building well designed and informative maps in no time.

One of my favorite tools included with the Topo! Maps package is the Trail Chart. Selecting this option, gives you a new window that has a list of all the trails found on the map. The Trail Chart also indicates the type of trail (hiking, jeep, etc.), as well its name, location, and length, along with a brief description. Clicking on any one of the trails takes you directly to it on the map, making it simple to find a hike or ride very quickly. It's a great resource, even if you aren't going to print any of the maps.

The TOPO! software is available for both Mac and PC, and the are both found on the same disc. I used the Mac version, and while it was easy to run the program directly from the disk without installing, I found that performance improved dramatically when I ran from the hard drive instead. I'm also running the latest version of Snow Leopard (10.6.2) and that was causing issues with some of the icons and graphics displaying properly, but a recent update has cleared up this issue, so I recommend you use the "Check For Software Updates" option from the "Help" menu on which ever version of the software you're running.

The MSRP on the TOPO! software is $24.95, with a number of different options available in the National Geographic Store. With the holidays quickly approaching, this is a great stocking stuffer for the backpacker on your list.

In compliance with the new rules governing reviews by bloggers, I am letting everyone know that this software was provided to me by National Geographic for review. As always with Nat. Geo. however, they allow me to write my thoughts without conditions. They continue to provide great products, and I simply write my thoughts. :)

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More Adventure Maps from Nat Geo

Late last year I wrote about a couple of very cool masp from National Geographic that covered all of Baja and offered everything you could possibly want from a map and then some. Now, they've got a couple of new offerings, with the same high quality, that cover Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, two great adventure destinations.

These maps fall under Nat Geo's Trails Illustrated series, and offer great topographical information, plenty of trail routes, campsites, roads, and plenty of other points of interest. They also come with plenty of useful navigational information, with Lat/Long coordinates, UTM gird, and more. They also have the Tread Lightly rules for both land and water travel printed right on the map, as well as the the Leave No Trace philosophy too. And if that wasn't enough, there are also special safety notes and important phone numbers listed as well, putting all the information you could possibly need right at your fingertips.

The maps are, as you would expect, of very high quality as well. They are both waterproof and tear resistant, which means they can stand up to punishment in the field, and you can toss them in your backpack without fear of them becoming damaged, and shredded by the end of your trip. They also happen to be printed in a very high resolution, making everything easy to read, including the sometimes very tiny topographical lines.

Each of these two maps offer plenty of coverage of their respective areas too. For instance, the Mt. Hood map covers Badger Creek, Bull of the Woods, Mount Hood, and Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness Areas, as well as the newly legislated Clackamas & Roaring River Wilderness Areas, amongst plenty of others. As if that wasn't enough, it also gives information on permits required to enter the wilderness areas or to climb the mountain itself. Likewise, the Columbia River Gorge map has Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness Area, White Salmon, Pacific Crest and Oregon Trails, Mount Hood, Columbia River Gorge, Historic Columbia River Highway, and Yakima Scenic Byways and more as well. It also lists scenic water falls within the region.

As far as maps go, these are indispensable for hikers and climbers heading to these two regions to say the least. And if you're not heading to Mt. Hood or the Columbia River Gorge, then check out the other maps that National Geographic has available. There are plenty of other great destinations that they cover as well, and will have a similar level of information on those maps as well.

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Exploring Baja with National Geographic Maps

I recently got my hands on a set of National Geographic Maps for both the Baja California and Baja California Sur, and as you would expect from Nat. Geo., the level of quality is outstanding, with lots of nice details and useful features.

These two maps are part of the Adventure Map line from NG, and come printed on high quality, water-proof and tear resistant paper. The full color maps offer a wealth of information, including topographical info with shaded relief, well marked roads, ferry routes, and more. You'll also find the locations of points of interest such as national parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the best spots to go surfing, kayaking, diving, whale watching and so on. These handy maps even tell you where to find fuel, distinguishing between gas and diesel.

When combined, these two maps cover the entire Baja peninsula, and are perfect for planning your adventure in the region. They even include nicely detailed city maps for places like Ensenada, Mexicali, La Paz, Tijuana, and more for when you have to head back to civilization to grab some grub and a bottle of tequila. Each of them are individually priced at $11.95 or you can buy them as a bundle for $19.95.

I recently confessed my love of maps here on the blog, and these adventure maps from Geo don't disappoint at all. From the moment you unfold them, you are struck by just how high quality they are. The material that they are printed on feels great in your hands, and you never feel like they are going to fall apart while you're using them. The fact that they are waterproof means that you don't have to worry about spilling something on them or stowing them in your kayak when you're paddling some of the amazing waters off of the peninsula, and once you familiarize yourself with the layout, you begin to see the wealth of data that is at your fingertips.

Anyone planning an adventurous trip south of the border would do well to add these maps to your pack. They'll be an excellent aid in planning the trip ahead of time, and prove invaluable while in the region as well. And National Geographic has other great maps in their adventure line as well, with locations such as Costa Rica, Panama, Everest Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit, and more. Excellent stuff and perfect stocking stuffers for the adventurer in your life.

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