Armchair Explorer

In this first episode of our seven-part road trip through Arizona, we walk among the ancient cactus forests of Saguaro National Park. Then we saddle up at White Stallion Ranch for legendary guns, dusty arenas and a campfire under the stars with a cowboy poet. It's a journey into the heart of one of the most remarkable deserts in the world, and into the mythology of the American West that this landscape helped shape.
This is Arizona - the Wonder of the Desert.
Episode Highlights:
The Desert Miracle
Hear why Ranger Jordan Camp from Saguaro National Park calls the giant saguaro a "miracle of the desert," and discover the extraordinary biology behind one of nature's most remarkable survivors.
The Symbol of the West
Find out how a cactus that grows only in the Sonoran Desert became Hollywood's defining image of the Wild West, and why the real desert is nothing like the movies.
Guns of the Wild West
Step into the armory at White Stallion Ranch as the resident gunslinger and raconteur lays out some of the most legendary weapons in American history, from the Colt revolver made famous by Wyatt Earp to Billy the Kid's fast-draw pistol.
Team Penning
Get into the heart of the action as Aaron, mic'd up and in the saddle for the first time, attempts to herd cattle on horseback at White Stallion Ranch. Spoiler: the cows were not impressed.
The Keeper of the Fire
As the sun drops behind the Tucson Mountains and the saguaros turn to silhouettes on the horizon, gather around a campfire with cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton, and hear a song about memory, tradition and what it means to keep a flame alive.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a road trip you can take. Recorded entirely on location over two extraordinary weeks, Wonders of Arizona follows a new, bookable itinerary designed and road-tested by presenter and award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar (The Times, National Geographic Traveller and more), told through the voices of the people who know these places best. Hear it first, then make the journey your own.
To find out more go to:
USA and Worldwide Listeners: wondersofaz.com (https://www.wondersofaz.com)
UK Listeners: search up Wonders of Arizona at HaysTravel.co.uk (https://www.haystravel.co.uk/destinations/americas/rest-of-usa/arizona/wonders-of-arizona/wonders-of-arizona/) ... Or phone: 0800 408 4048.
FOLLOW VISIT ARIZONA:
Instagram: @visit_arizona
Facebook: @arizonatravel
CREDITS:
Thank you to our guests:
Ranger Jordan Camp, Saguaro National Park
The whole team at White Stallion Ranch (WhiteStallionRanch.com)
Cowboy poet and musician Buck Helton (BuckHelton.com)

The Wonders of Arizona podcast is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Field recording and audio production by Jason Paton. Pre-production and itinerary by Brian Thacker. Produced by Armchair Productions
Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

At the start of every season, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming
up on Armchair Explorer, play some of their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most
excited to share. A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, and two people telling travel tales down the pub, our Pathways episodes are your guide to choosing your adventures with us.
Season five episodes:
SEVEN WONDERS: Join us On Location for a 2,000-mile road trip in search of the Seven Wonders
of Arizona. Play cowboy at White Stallion Ranch beside Saguaro National Park, stand on the rim
of Meteor Crater, the best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth, and hike down into the
Grand Canyon to touch rocks 1.8 billion years old.
SIBERIA INVASION: Explorer Charlie Walker sets out to walk the frozen rivers of Arctic Siberia
and meet the people who live in the coldest inhabited places on Earth. Then, just as he lands,
Russia invades Ukraine, and his months-long journey becomes a story nobody saw coming.
ICE AGE TRAIL: We hike the Ice Age Trail, one of America’s least-known long-distance footpaths.
It follows the edge of the last Ice Age across Wisconsin, where a glacier up to a mile thick
carved out kettle lakes and forested hills. Plus, we paddle by canoe into the wild North Woods.
UNWILDED: Aaron hangs out with adventurer Alastair Humphreys in the UK to talk about his
new book, Unwilded, and why adventure is about your mindset, not your geography. It’s also
the reason Aaron climbed a tree.
PLUS: Our first ever game show, Two Travel Truths and One Travel Lie. Can producer Jason spot
the fake fact about Japan, Iceland and Finland?
ALSO COMING UP IN SEASON 5:
Hiking in Slovenia, an igloo festival in Quebec, long-distance trekking in Japan, a tapas safari in
Spain, a night in a former asylum that’s now a hotel, and Providencia, Aaron’s secret Caribbean
island.
***
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right
now. Go on, do it. It means you get to choose what episodes you listen to, rather than the
algorithm guess (wrongly) and kick us off your feed.
Reviewing the show helps other people discover it and helps us continue to produce it. If you
like episode, please consider a quick review on your favorite podcast platform. You don’t have
to write anything just click those five (hopefully) stars!
Following the show on socials will definitely maybe bring you good travel karma!
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton
presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design.
Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Rising over 1,000 feet straight from the red desert of Australia's Northern Territory, Uluru is one of the great wonders of the world. At sunrise it glows pink, gold, and amber. At dusk, it forms the backdrop to one of the most spectacular sunsets you will ever see. But that's just scratching the surface. What most visitors never discover is that the real wonder of Uluru lives in the stories, and culture, of the people for whom it is not just a wonder - but a part of them.
In this Bucket List episode, Kylene Randall, a traditional custodian of Uluru and member of the local Anangu people, takes us deep into the Aboriginal heart of this extraordinary and sacred place.
We'll discover the ancient creation law of Tjukurpa, hear the story of the Stolen Generation and how Kylene's grandfather found his way home, walk the stories at the base of Uluru, learn hands-on bush skills and traditional culture, and find out what the four pillars of Anangu wellbeing might teach us about how to live our lives too.
This is a journey into the soul of Uluru and the people who have kept watch over it for more than 30,000 years.
Episode Highlights:
Walk the Stories at the Base of Uluru
Travel with Kylene on an indigenous-led walk around Uluru, hearing the story of the Mala people, their ceremony, their fight, and the lessons it contains.
Hear the Story of the Stolen Generation
Learn how Kylene's grandfather was forcibly removed as a small child, spent his life searching for his mother, and ultimately found his way back to his culture - and how that extraordinary act of resilience changed her life and continues to inspire her work today.
Experience Culture Hands On
Discover what it's like to make traditional tools, learn bush medicine from native plants, dig for honey ants, cook kangaroo tail on a fire, and spend a night on country beneath a sky full of stars.
The Four Pillars of Holistic Wellbeing
Hear Kylene's grandfather's teaching on the four things that make us complete - family, country, spirit, and law - and why, when we are disconnected from any one of them, we cannot truly thrive.

FIND OUT MORE
This Bucket List episode is the second in our series on Australia's Northern Territory. If you missed the first - Into the Wild: A Road Trip Through Australia's Northern Territory - go back a few episodes in the feed. Together they make an extraordinary two-week itinerary that finishes right here at Uluru.
To experience Uluru with Kylene and her family, visit talikatu.com or follow on Instagram at @talikatu
PLAN YOUR TRIP
We designed this itinerary with a company called Down Under Endeavours, who specialise in authentic Australian adventures — wide open spaces, real wilderness, and the kind of local characters you'll be telling stories about for years.
Armchair Explorer listeners get $500 off any trip. Head to downunderendeavours.com/armchair and use the code ARMCHAIR at checkout.
You can literally book this exact trip or design something entirely your own. You can book from anywhere in the world, and even if you're just dreaming right now, the website is worth a visit. The dream is half the fun.
Know Someone Who Needs This?
If this episode moved you - and it will - do us a favour and send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Hit the share button in your podcast app, it takes about ten seconds, and it makes a genuine difference to the show.
FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com
CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show and continue to bring these stories to you.
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions.
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
Wayfinding is an ancient Polynesian way of navigating by reading the ocean, stars and wind. No compass, no map, just deep observation, and experience passed down through generations. But because of that, wayfinding is more art than science. It's about trusting your instinct and using all your senses - and it's exactly the kind of travel Daniel Scheffler believes in, and exactly what this conversation is all about.
Daniel Scheffler is one of the world's most successful travel writers, and in today's episode he and host Aaron Millar swap tales like a couple of mates having a laugh down the pub. Expect scorpion bites in Angola, voodoo ceremonies in Benin, Berber festivals in Morocco, and lots more.
But between the wild stories, this episode is about something much deeper too. If you want to be inspired about not just what to see, but how to see - and how to make travel more than just Google reviews and ticking off lists - this is the episode for you.
HIGHLIGHTS
Hear how Daniel survived a scorpion bite in Angola, three minutes from death, and the tribal leader who saved his life by sucking out the venom.
Travel with Aaron to a Festival Fantasia in the foothills of Morocco's Atlas Mountains, the biggest culture shock he's ever experienced, and why that discomfort was exactly the point.
Discover what it's like to sit inside a voodoo ceremony in Benin, a belief system entirely outside Daniel's own, and why he calls it one of the best things he's ever done.

FIND OUT MORE
Daniel Scheffler writes regularly on Substack at Without Maps find more of his writing and adventures there.
And don't miss his own podcast, Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel - if you enjoy Armchair Explorer, we think you'll love it too.
Listen to Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts: Wayfinder: Life-Changing Travel on Apple Podcasts
PASS IT ON:
If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favor - send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wayfinding inspiration in their life … Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint! Every single share genuinely moves the needle. Thank you for whatever you can do.
FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com
CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring this content to you.
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Theme music by Sweet Chap. Produced by Armchair Productions.
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.

Check out the new Smart Travel Podcast
This episode is supported by Smart Travel a new podcast from Nerd Wallet. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.Smart Travel Podcast
There is a state in New England where ancient mountains rise above the treeline into bare Arctic tundra, where sheer granite summits look out over oceans of forests, and where one of the fastest wind speeds ever recorded was once clocked here at 231 miles per hour.
But New Hampshire is also the place where Thoreau came to reflect, Thornton Wilder was inspired to write his seminal play Our Town, and the oldest summer stock company in America stills performs in an 18th century barn.
New Hampshire is art and adventure, natural wonders and quintessential charm. But most of all, like the state’s nickname suggests, it is a place to live free and to the fullest.
In today’s episode we set off on a seven-day road trip through three of the state’s most rugged and fascinating regions - from backpacking in the White Mountains and scrambling up waterfalls to discovering art inspired by nature, and nature infused with an artistic eye.
Get ready for the Live Free Road Trip.
Highlights include:
Hiking the Presidential Traverse - three days, and four peaks above 5,000 feet, including Mt Washington, the highest (and windiest) summit in New England.
Discovering the ‘business class of backpacking’ staying in the Apallachain Mountain Club’s backcountry huts - three-course dinners, epic views, and cosy beds.
Finding out about the MacDowell Institute, a legendary artists' residency founded in 1907, whose past guests include Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, James Baldwin, Thornton Wilder and hundreds of other world-class artists.
Hiking Mount Monadnock - reputedly the second most climbed mountain in the world after Mount Fuji, with views across New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Hear why this was one of Thoreau’s favorite hikes!

FIND OUT MORE
Produced in collaboration with Lonely Planet: LonelyPlanet.com
Find inspiration, itineraries and everything you need - including how to book this exact road trip - at visitnh.gov (Visit New Hampshire) or follow them on social at @VisitNH
Thank you to our guests:
Marielle Fibish, senior outdoor guide at the Appalachian Mountain Club.Find out more at: outdoors.org
Ben Cote, Newport local and outdoor fanatic. Connect with him at tracylibrary.org
Michelle Stahl, Executive Director at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture. Find out more at monadnockcenter.org
Know Someone Who Needs This?
If this episode lit something up in you, do me a favour — send it to just one person. One friend, one family member, one person who needs a little wonder in their life right now. Or go old school and tell someone about it over a cheeky pint. Every single share genuinely moves the needle.
FOLLOW US:
Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast
Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast
CONNECT WITH US:
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you're reading this on right now. It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring these stories to you.
Armchair Explorer is written and presented by Aaron Millar. Audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Produced by Armchair Productions
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around
the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Network, a collection of some of the world’s best travel podcasts. Explore more at Voyascape Podcast Network For advertising or sponsorship opportunities on this show and across the network, email advertising@voyascape.com or you can find more information at Voyascape Advertising.