Aubrey HilllSecond in length only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, this coral formation in the southwest Pacific runs for nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) through the islands of New Caledonia, encircling a vast lagoon. Species found here are so diverse that many are still being discovered, though 1,000 kinds of fish are known. Turtles love the … Read more
This is the desert at its most beautiful, but the footprints you leave here won’t last long. An erg is a strange phenomenon – it’s a mountain range of sand that drifts at the will of the wind. Watch the blazing sun cast weird and wonderful shapes and shadows over the pristine surfaces of the … Read more
These fabulous falls in Peru’s Northern Highlands drop an astounding 2,530 ft (770 m) in two tiers. They were only “discovered” a few years ago, and until planned access roads are completed, you’ll need to complete a 5-hour trek through dense jungle to reach them. But that trip itself, radiant with colorful birds and chattering … Read more
It’s no wonder this state park was named after America’s most famous color film – Kodak’s Kodachrome – known for capturing “hot” colors well. The bright hues of the rocks are truly outstanding, especially on the “sand pipes” – chimneys of rock thought to be the sediment of extinct geysers that remained after the surrounding … Read more
On the ferry from Mull in Scotland to the Isle of Staffa, the chances are you will be serenaded by Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave Overture over the boat’s loudspeaker system. And when you reach the giant opening in the basalt rock that rises out of the sea like a huge stick of broccoli, you will see … Read more
One of the most picturesque spots in Europe, this canyon is not too daunting to explore. It is a wonderful spot for walking, and kayaking and white-water rafting are popular in the dazzling turquoise waters that seem to give the whole landscape its luminous, optimistic air. The limestone canyon walls also make this a center … Read more
Visitors boarding a ferry at Anacortes on the Washington mainland and gliding into the glorious San Juan archipelago for the first time might well feel that they are entering an enchanted land. Here, in a maze of inlets and channels, more than 450 islands – 172 of them named – emerge from the bright blue … Read more
NEED TO KNOW The Waitomo Glowworm Caves attraction is a cave at Waitomo on the North Island of New Zealand. It is known for its population of Arachnocampa luminosa, a glowworm species found exclusively in New Zealand. This cave is part of the waitomo streamway system that includes the Ruakuri Cave, Lucky Strike, and Tumutumu … Read more
NEED TO KNOW Lake Baikal, Russian Ozero Baykal, also spelled Ozero Bajkal, lake located in the southern part of eastern Siberia within the republic of Buryatia and Irkutsk oblast (province) of Russia. It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth (20 million–25 million years old), as well as the deepest continental body of … Read more
NEED TO KNOW The atoll is comprised of four large coral islands which enclose a shallow lagoon; the group of islands is itself surrounded by a coral reef. Due to difficulties of access and the atoll’s isolation, Aldabra has been protected from human influence and thus retains some 152,000 giant tortoises, the world’s largest population … Read more