About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

The best part of any good hike is the reward of an epic view.You sweat and trek your way to the top, and your hard work is repaid with a view that makes you realize just how small you are in a very big world.

My hike to the Holy Trinity Monastery in Meteora, Greece did just that. Nestled 1,300 feet up in the cliffs, this modest monastery is one of six that sit atop the natural sandstone pillars. As I ascended the last stone steps carved into the rock, I looked down at the doll-sized town of Kalambaka and felt my stomach drop. As much as I love the beauty of the world from up high, I don’t think I’ll ever kick the fear of tumbling to my death.

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My trip to Meteora was filled with moments like this: feelings of awe and reverence for the natural wonders around me mixed with twinges of fear as I pictured myself accidentally tripping over a pebble and falling thousands of feet. I think the original “hermit” monks would have appreciated these sentiments since they chose these daunting cliffs for their homes in the 9th century to not only keep the public out, but to require a great leap of faith from anyone who dared to join them in their solitude.

Originally, the monks lived in the hollows and fissures of these great rocks that could only be accessed by careful climbing, precarious ladders and pulley systems. According to the stories, the ropes were only replaced “when the Lord let them break.” Comforting.

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Today, all of the monasteries are accessible by car. Since I visited in the tourist off-season, I was lucky to enjoy the beautiful views from each monastery with relatively few people. Chanting monks were the perfect soundtrack for gazing at the beautiful cliffs and mountains in the distance, which had just received their first dusting of snow.

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Of the six monasteries, two are inhabited by nuns—though I only had the pleasure of meeting one monk who came to offer me homemade sweets. He was dressed as all the monks are: in black robes and a black hat with a long grey beard.

With the requisite skirt wrapped around my yoga pants, I walked inside one of the worship chambers at the Holy Trinity Monastery—my favorite one (and not just because it was where the final scenes from the James Bond movie “For Your Eyes Only” were filmed). The walls were covered with jewel-toned images of religious figures accented in gold. Ornately carved wooden chairs lined the room. I could picture the monks sitting in here, looking out the tiny windows to the natural wonders around them as they prayed together. It was the first time I felt like I could understand the life they had chosen here.

Meteora, Greece

Closer to sea level is another site worth seeing: the 11th century Virgin Mary church located at the beginning of the footpath to the Holy Trinity Monastery in the town of Kalambaka. The intricate wall murals covering every inch of the church merit a visit.

Kalambaka and the smaller village of Kastraki have a number of great restaurants and accommodations, but I would recommend ditching the larger hotel for traditional lodgings such as the Monastari Guesthouse (the Greeks’ translation of Bed and Breakfast). Enjoying a glass of wine and olives in your room next to a roaring fire is the perfect complement to a day of hiking and sightseeing in Meteora.

Marybeth Bond