Nicole ✨AdventuresOfLilNicki (@adventuresoflilnicki) Instagram photos and videos

A balloonless sunrise over #Bagan. I was supposed to be on one of those balloons but it got cancelled.. so I got stuck in the mud on my scooter like 30 times to catch the sunrise 😂 #myanmar #sunrise

I have a really hard time saying no to an adventure. So it should come as no surprise that when @tayzertravels and I were buying our #MachuPicchu tickets that we opted to add on the climb for #HuaynaPicchu. Huayna Picchu is that super recognizable mountain that towers over the famed Peruvian archaeological complex. So after watching the sunrise over Machu Picchu, we booked it over to the start of the trailhead up Huayna Picchu, signed into the book at the warden’s hut and started the 40ish minute climb to the top where you really get a different perspective on the ancient Incan site. When we decided to start the descent back down we noticed a sign for a trail marked La Gran Caverna. Should we see where this goes? We’re already here, so why not? We started the trek down the backside of Huayna Picchu. That’s where this photo was shot. The La Gran Caverna trail ended up being my favorite thing we did on our day at Machu Picchu. How could I not love the golden morning sun beaming down on us and the haze lingering on the mountains in the distance? Anyways, this trek eventually leads you down to the Temple of the Moon after a long, steep, somewhat rugged trail. The best part? We only saw one couple and one single woman on this stretch of Huayna Picchu, making you feel like you had it all to yourself. So nearly 3 hours after our little detour we finally finished up the trek that wraps all the way around the mountain. #Peru #experienceperu #southamerica #dametraveler #mountaingirls #wearetravelgirls

A few things I learned after our #campingtrip to #WhiteSands, #NewMexico two years ago: 1. Don’t continue to do shots at the airport bar with @thisisthelife_akv, saying things like “it’s a celebration bitches, drink up” while @grantarendphotography who has done more damage to a liver than most pleads with you guys to stop. When the seasoned party animal says to stop, you should probably put down the shot glasses. 2. Don’t book a ticket a Tucson because it’s cheap. We didn’t bother to look at the drive time from Tucson to Alamogordo before making that decision. It’s a 6 hour drive. 6 HOURS. Through the most flat, boring, uninspiring desert I’ve ever experienced. Combo that with a hangover so bad even @grantarendphotography was still green by Las Cruces. 3. Camping in the desert out here at #WhiteSands in April is FUCKING COLD. I’ve camped in below freezing temps in Alaska, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and more... and let me just tell you this was one of the coldest nights of my life. Don’t let the hot, sunny day time temps fool you. I fought to stay in the middle of our dogpile in the tent during my brief nap that night. ....and yes, we did have sleeping bags and layers, still cold. Oh, and you can’t have a fire in the park, just FYI. 4. Do take the opportunity to camp at White Sands. Even if you freeze your ass off, it’s worth it. Yes this photo is edited, but not as much as you’d think. Yes, long camera shutter speeds paired with high ISO pick up an insane amount of light that you’re eyes just can’t see. However, I’ve never seen the stars and the #MilkyWay as impressive as this anywhere else in the world, and I’ve seen some phenomenal starry nights in my 31 years. This place is a stargazer’s dream. And a little bonus shred of info: there is light pollution, even though you’ll read that there isn’t any out here. If you position yourself down low between dunes you can block a lot out. But in the case of this photo, the cause of the pink and yellow of the horizon is the lights of nearby Alamogordo. 5. Be at the visitor center for White Sands when it opens at 9am, there are only 10 campsites. #dametraveler #mountaingirls #wearetravelgirls #longexposure

The reality behind this photo: I wasn’t actually taking a picture of this majestic flying creature that frequents dumpsters in most parking lots in towns everywhere... cough..cough... I mean seagull 😂. I was taking a photo of the valley with late evening sun shining down on it. Meanwhile my friend Geena was just happening to take a photo of the lake to post on her Snapchat (I absolutely hate Snapchat, but that’s not the point here), and the bird flew into both our frames. So it ended up making for a cool photo. And while I’ve got you guys here reading: I have an exciting announcement tomorrow so come back and check it out! Hint: it involves a country I was supposed to visit last fall and found out I wouldn’t be able to at almost the last minute. #alaska #thealaskalife #wearetravelgirls #letsgoeverywhere

Hi 👋🏽 My name is Nicole and in case you wanted to know some random shit- I have a tripod, not an Instagram husband and I like to disappear into the mountains alone, a lot more than the average person. Nor do I have a Lightroom preset to sell you, or a blogger retreat I’m hosting, or an Instagram course to teach you how to become an influencer... Oh, you wanna know how to get to where I’m sitting in this photo? You better sort out a way to get to #Tajikistan, get a map and strap on some hiking boots.

Exploring #Khiva is like jumping into a living museum, especially in late October with freezing cold days and foreign tourists few and far between. Wars have leveled the ancient city and has been conquered time and time again from the Arabs to Genghis Khan, on to Amin Timur and finally the Soviets. Khiva is home to several impressive madrasas, mausoleums, and caravansarai that were constructed over the years as Khiva was a well known trading post along #Uzbekistan’s stretch of the #SilkRoad. Pictured here is Mohammed Rahim Khan Madrasa. The madrasa was completed in 1876 under the order of Said Mohammed Rahim Khan. #centralasia #beautifuldestinations #madrasah

Did you know there are over 2000 lakes in #Tajikistan? Those 2000+ lakes only account for 1% of the land within its borders. The majority of the rest? Mountains ⛰. Mountains cover 93% of Tajikistan’s surface area. If you love mountains and lakes click the link in my bio to find out more about the tour @inertianetwork and I will be taking to Tajikistan’s wild mountains. #centralasia #travelstoke #beautifuldestinations #beautifultajikistan

Ever wanted to experience the traditional nomad life? Come experience just that with me in the remote #Pamir Mountains in #Tajikistan this summer with @inertianetwork. We will also be visiting parts of Western China as well as the Gilgit-Baltistan province in Pakistan. If you want more information click the link in my bio! And make sure to head over to adventuresoflilnicki.com tomorrow to see 10 reasons why you should visit the Pamirs! #beautifultajikistan #centralasia #travelstoke

Water cutting through limestone over thousands of years created the walls of #AvakasGorge on #Cyprus’s #Akamas Peninsula. My favorite part? This giant boulder wedged between the gorge walls. Wanna know the best time to visit? Around sunset, when you’ll get the changing light hitting the rock walls... and you’ll only run into a couple other tourists out there that time of day. #mountaingirls #sheisnotlost

This turned out to be my favorite photo from exploring Twenty Mile Glacier on Friday, because it really gives you perspective of how massive it is. #alaska #travelalaska #thealaskalife #wearetravelgirls #dametraveler

Friday ice cave adventures ❄️ - Coming home from the tropics to spring in #Alaska isn’t so bad when you have the awesome spring weather we’re having right now. Wanna see more from flying around Girdwood, the inlet and the glacier adventures I had yesterday? Check out my #instagram stories today! - If you’re looking to #travelalaska and wanna do it without blowing your budget head over to https://adventuresoflilnicki.com/travel-alaska-on-a-budget/ for tips on travel here. ———————————————- #wearetravelgirls #dametraveler #thealaskalife. @grantarendphotography @thisisthelife_akv

My last adventure in 2017 was roadtripping #Morocco’s South Atlantic Coast with my friend @geena7. The best part about heading this direction was the amount of perfect secret spots we found by driving down random dirt roads to overlooks like this one to peer out at Marabout Beach near the town of #Mirleft. And not to mention the hilarious stories we have, anywhere from peeing in plastic bags while driving down the toll road (we were about a half zillion miles from anything toilet-like), the time I got in a fight with a police officer and the other time when I was telling Geena about how tiny people rolled their joints in highschool (while giving the 👌🏽 hand gesture to visually show how tiny, in conversation while driving) and made a guy next to us on a motorbike literally lose his shit (given the context of the story and the fact that I was talking to a friend in the car a briefly forgot that 👌🏽 means 🖕🏽in several countries 😂). #dametraveler #wearetravelgirls #africa