Category: Travel
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The crystal clear waters of Blue Nelson Lake, New Zealand
The Blue Lake in Nelson, New Zealand, or Rotomairewhenua (“land of peaceful waters” in Māori name), contains the clearest natural body of fresh water on Earth. The water is so lucid, as visually transparent as distilled water, that one can see down up to 262 feet down into the lake. The beautiful Southern Alps surrounding […]
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Waterfall of the Bride in Peru
Is nature greater than any human artist? There’s a beautiful 165-foot waterfall outside the city of Cajamarca, Peru, that forms the shape of a bride in her wedding dress. Ghost in the water The water source for the cascade is a cave that starts 650 feet above the falls. The hidden cave and sudden barrage […]
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Walking the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks
The Hopewell Rocks is a series of sandstone pillars along the coast of the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. The unique-looking rock formations, cliffs, and coves result from centuries of tidal erosion, yet another reminder of how nature crafts its own beauty. Home to the highest tides in the world The tides at the […]
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Impossible heights: Lighthouse of Thridrangar, Iceland
Are you searching for your next getaway? There’s a lighthouse off the coast of southern Iceland that sits 120 feet upward on the highest of three steep rocks. It is one of the most remote lighthouses in the world. Constructed in 1939, the Thridrangar (Þrídrangar) Lighthouse, Þrídrangar means “three rock pillars,” is undoubtedly one of […]
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The beauty of Madagascar’s giant Baobab trees
The Grandidier’s Baobabs (Palmate adansonia) are giant trees indigenous to Africa. Nicknamed the “mother of the forest,” this species of Baobab trees are predominantly found off Africa’s mainland in the island country of Madagascar. Baobabs can live up to 800 to 1000 years with their unique ability to act as a water storage tank. The […]
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The spot where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic ocean
Where in the world can you see an infinite beach? Try the Namib Desert in Namibia, where some of the world’s tallest dunes meet the sea. The Namib Desert is the world’s oldest desert, going back at least 55 million years. While devoid of surface water, there are nearly a thousand miles of desert coastline […]
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How Australia’s Lake Hillier gets its pink color
Lake Hillier located off the south coast of Western Australia (Middle Island) is an iconic lake known for its vivid pink color. Scientists postulate that the lake’s solid bubblegum color results from the intermixing of Halobacteria and a salt-tolerant algae species called Dunaliella Salina. When mixed with salt-tolerant microalgae, the bacteria produce red pigments that […]
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The beauty of Slovenia’s Bled Island
Bred Island is a small tear-shaped island floating in the middle of Lake Bled in northwestern Slovenia. On the island sits Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary, a Baroque church established in 1534. The mountains and forests surrounding the lake add to the picturesque view of the church. During the winter, the frost over […]
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A trip to Portugal’s stunning Benagil Sea Cave
The Benagil Sea Cave, located in a small fishing village 3 hours from Lisbon, is arguably one of the most interesting tourist attractions in the world. Accessible only by boat, the cave contains a peculiar domed ceiling and natural oculus shaped by wave attrition and Miocene limestone built-up over 20 million years ago. Hiding under […]
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The Wave in Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona
The Wave is a sandstone rock formation located in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on the Arizona and Utah borders. The swirling stone waves combine water and wind eroded sandstone dunes, calcified vertically and horizontally, and fossilized over 190 million years. The rich red-vermillion rocks get their colors from iron oxide pigments. Only 20 people can […]
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Colombia is home to the tallest palm tree in the world, the palma de cera
The tallest palm tree in the world resides in the Colombian Andes in Los Nevados National Park, amid the Cocora Valley. Colombia’s national tree, the palma de cera or wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), stands nearly 200 feet tall. But seeing it is no easy trek — hikers have to walk through a cloud forest that […]
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Say hello to the swimming pigs of the Bahamas
The uninhabited island of Big Major Cay in the Bahamas is populated entirely by swimming pigs. Known as the Swimming Pigs of Exuma, the feral pigs swim freely in the shallow, clear-water ocean and play amongst themselves on the beach. How the pigs got on the island is still a mystery. Some believe that they […]