Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord, Iceland, Greenland

The Ilulissat Icefjord is a fjord, or narrow waterway, lined by steep cliffs, on the west coast of Greenland. The fjord was formed from the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier, one of the most active glaciers in the world, calving (or breaking down) the ice sheets very frequently. As the sheets of ice break off, the glaciers can reach up to a kilometer in height, lodging them in the waters of the fjord. The fjord and icebergs have been a common location for researchers to study glaciers for many years.

Visitors to Ilulissat Icefjord can admire the largest glacier outside of Antarctica (Sermeq Kujalleq), and experience the natural beauty of the region. A vast array of wildlife around Ilulissat includes whales, many species of fish, seals, and seabirds like gulls. On land, wildlife includes the Arctic fox and hare, reindeer, and polar bears, though these land mammals are much more rare than the sea life. Ilulissat Icefjord became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Suez Canal , Egypt

Suez Canal , Egypt

The Suez Canal, sometimes called the Highway to India, is the link between Europe, Africa, and Asia, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. A man-made waterway, the Suez Canal is a work of impressive engineering that has facilitated international commerce since first opening in 1869. Before the canal was constructed, cargo ships traveled around the southern tip of Africa to travel from Europe to Asia, or overland.

Today (after expansion projects), the Suez Canal measures 193.3 kilometers (120.11 miles) long and 205 meters (674 feet) wide, and about 24 meters (79 feet) deep. The waterway is controlled by Egypt but is under and international treaty so that its usage is shared. The Suez Canal takes on more traffic and larger ships than the Panama Canal.

Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument

Designated a National Monument in 1915, Dinosaur National Monument contains dinosaur fossils like the Allosaurus and Stegosaurus that were found there at the park. The dinosaurs were buried in the area, brought by a flood millions of years ago. Over time, the dinosaurs were covered with sandstone and sediments, which eventually formed rock. Many years later, the rock was eroded and in 1909, paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of the dinosaurs and other animals.

Today, more than 1,500 dinosaur bones can be viewed in the rock wall of Carnegie Quarry at Dinosaur National Monument. In addition to the dinosaur fossils, there are petroglyphs and pictographs from the Native Americans who once called the region home.

Visitors to the monument can go hiking at the Gates of Lodore, go rafting down the rapids of the Green River, and go backcountry camping.

Sea World in Australia

Sea World in Australia

Sea World is a marine animal theme park, oceanarium and resort. The park offers roller coasters (including Sea Viper and Jet Rescue) exhibits like Dinosaur Island, and live shows such as Imagine – the dolphin show. The park also features marine life attractions with dolphins, penguins, polar bears, rays, seals, sharks, and seabirds.

Several Animal Adventures are offered at Sea World that allow visitors to the park to interact with the marine life, including dolphin encounters (with an extra fee).

The Sea World Resort contains hotels, spas, shopping, and the Wet ‘n’ Wild Water Park.

Times Square in New York

Times Square in New York, USA 

One of the most iconic attractions in the world, Times Square has become a symbol of the bustling city and thriving culture of New York. Named for the newspaper The New York Timesafter it moved its headquarters to the square in 1904, Times Square is now a major entertainment center, home to television studios, businesses, and hundreds of bright flashing billboards.

Times Square is the most visited tourist attraction in the world, with about 40 million annual visitors. Every year since 1907, hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Times Square on New Years Eve to watch the crystal ball drop at the strike of midnight, ushering in the new year. Today, millions of people flock to the square, and many more watch the celebrations on the annual New Year’s Eve television special.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, US

Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico, USA

Chaco Culture National Historic Park is part of the National Park System of the United States. It is noted for archaeological sites of the ancient indigenous Chaco culture of the area. Left at the site are the dwellings of the ancient people, known as ancestral pueblos. The largest pueblo of Chaco Canyon is called Pueblo Bonito, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

 The Chaco are an ancient indigenous people of the American southwest, located near the Navajo Nation. These desert people constructed their great houses, or pueblos, from sandstone around 850 to 1250 AD. The town served as a central hub of the region, but was abandoned sometime around 1300, probably due to climate change.

 The park is located amongst New Mexico’s canyons and mesas, notably Fajada Butte, which can be viewed near the park’s south entrance, towering 400 feet high above the canyon. The Sun Dagger is an ancient artifact that may have been used to track the date of the summer solstice, suggesting that the Chaco people practiced archaeoastronomy with their structures.

Benedictine Convent of Saint John

Benedictine Convent of Saint John at Müstair, Switzerland

The Benedictine Convent of Saint John, also called the Abbey of Saint John, is located in Müstair, Switzerland. This quaint Swiss village is a unique destination in itself and home to a majority of speakers of the Romansh language. The Convent was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, offering examples of Carolingian art, well-preserved heritage of the Carolingian  (from the reign of Charlemagne and his heirs). This art includes Early Middle Ages frescoes, Romanesque frescoes, murals, and other historical architecture.

The frescoes include Biblical scenes from both the Old and New Testament, and are fine and rare examples of art from the important Carolingian period from around the year 800. These frescoes are created in varies hues of reds and browns.

Other significant art in the Benedictine Convent of Saint John includes the stucco statue of Charlemagne, and a relief of the Baptism of Christ in the Romanesque style, created in 1087.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Home to one of the  most active volcanoes on Earth, the Kilauea volcano,and one of the world’s most massive volcanic mass, Mauna Loa, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is one of the most popular attractions of the state and a sacred place for the native Hawaiians. The volcanoes are highly active and the volcanic activity is constantly expanding the island. Kilauea is called “the world’s only drive-in volcano”. In its current level of activity it generates 250,000-650,000 cubic yards of lava each day. The natives worship Pele, the volcano goddess, who lives here.

Spanning over 333,000 acres from the summit of Maunaloa to the sea, the park offers visitors about 150 miles of hiking trails. The part showcases extraordinary natural diversity and visitors can find volcanic craters, deserts and rainforests within the park precincts. Apart from the unique experience of watching the lava from Kilauea as it flows into the sea, the Kilauea Visitor Center, the Crater Rim Drive, the Halemaumau Crater, the Thurston Lava Tube, and the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum form the key attractions of the national park.

Durmitor National Park

Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, Europe

Durmitor National Park is a natural area of northern Montenegro in Europe. The park’s features include mountains, canyons and gorges, rivers, and underground streams formed by glaciers as they melted during the Quaternary period. Main features of the park include Mount Durmitor plateau and the valleys and canyons of the Tara River, considered one of the last wild rivers in Europe. The Tara River Canyon is home to the deepest gorge in Europe at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) deep.

The park has a wide altitude range from the mountain peaks to the canyon floors, creating multiple microclimates, like Mediterranean and alpine. There are three major geo-morphological features: canyons, mountains, plateaus.

The area is heavily forested, with pine forests that include the rare black pine, and the 400-year-old trees often reach 50 meters (160 feet) in height. There are 18 glacial lakes, the largest of which is the Black Lake, which feeds both the Tara River and the Komarnica River.  Durmitor National Park is also home to a variety of plant and animal life, such as the brown bear, wolf, wild boar, wild cat, chamois, and various species of eagle.

Lago de Atitln in Guatemala

Lago de Atitln Guatemala

A crater lake (and an endorheic lake, meaning it does not flow into the sea), Lago de Atitln is the deepest lake in Central America, with a maximum depth 340 meters (1,115 feet). The lake is surrounded by the Maya people, whose towns offer a view into the local culture.

Three volcanoes loom over the southern bank of the lake, called San Pedro, Tolimn, and Atitln. The Atitln Lake formed after a volcanic eruption 84,000 years ago, its name meaning “at the water” in the local Nahuatl language. The volcanoes have left rich soils that are great for the cultivation of typical Central American crops, including coffee and squash, and support a variety of wildlife.

 Visitors to the lake can participate in many types of water activities, including swimming, diving, and kayaking. Other activities include tours of the volcanoes and hikes around the lake, and experiencing the local culture and markets in the towns.

The Falkland Islands in South America

King Penguins at Volunteer Point on the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) in South America.

A beautiful archipelago of about 778 islands – small and big – in the South Atlantic Ocean, the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) are home to just over 2,500 natives but offer some stunning views to the tourists who keep pouring in in ever-increasing numbers. A British Overseas Colony, Falkland Islands have long been the center of contention between European colonists and Argentina which continues to stake a claim on the territory. Despite the dispute, the Falkland Islanders continue to remain British citizens and acknowledge the monarchy of the Queen.

Stanley, the capital and the largest city, continues to be the administrative hub of the islands. The capital has a population of over 2100. The islands are demarcated into East and West Falkland. Mount Pleasant is the next biggest hub with a population of about 500. The archipelago is small but self-contained. The enterprises and establishment here reflect the rich cultural legacy and rustic bend of the community.

Falkland Islands have everything that make for a great vacation, including some great accommodation options, internal ferries, and air services. About 60% of Falkland Islanders are native born but the rest are immigrants who have come in drawn by the sweeping farm lands and dreams of an idyllic life. Sheep rearing and pisciculture are major economic activities and ornithology (the study of birds) the favorite activity of visitors. The islands are home to a huge avian population. Tiny hamlets, nested harbors, flocks of sheep, stretching grasslands, and sunny coastlines – all connected by an incredibly well-maintained road network. That is the mystique of Falkland Islands.

Statue of Liberty National Monument

Statue of Liberty National Monument

A symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty stands in the New York Harbor, welcoming newcomers to the United States. Given to the United States as a gift from France, the statue was designed by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated in 1886.

The sculpture is designed in the neoclassical style, and represents the Roman goddess of freedom, Libertas. Lady Liberty, as she is often called, holds a lit torch and a tablet, called thetabula ansata, on which is written July 4, 1776 — the date of US independence. A broken chain sits around the base of her feet, symbolizing breaking free.

The Statue of Liberty is maintained by the National Parks Service, and visitors can make reservations to voyage up into the statue to the crown observation deck.