1.Great barrier reef ( Queensland, Australia )
The seas of Australia's Great Barrier Reef are a rhapsody
in blue, a shifting mosaic of sapphire, cobalt, and aqua-
marine, beneath which lies a still more beautiful world
of almost infinite marine variety. Spread across 133,000
square miles (344,000 sq km), the reef is the world's
largest living structure.
2. Guilin ( Guangxi,China )
Nature's fancy for the fantastical and fairy-tale is
given full rein in Guilin, in southern China, where
wind, water, and time have created one of the
world's most spectacular karst landscapes, carv-
ing vast limestone towers, cliffs, and pinnacles
from the mountains and pastoral hills that flank
the curves of the Li River.
DON'T MISS
To enjoy the best of the scenery, take one of the numerous
daylong Li River boat cruises from Guilin downstream to
the picturesque little town of Yangshuo.
3.Na Pali Coast ( Kauai, Hawaii )
Not for nothing did the coast of northwest Kauai
feature in the movie Jurassic Park. The region's
vegetation-swathed and deeply fissured Na Pali
cliffs, which plunge thousands of feet to pristine
and secluded beaches, look like a strange, prehis-
toric world. The cliffs have been formed by a twin
assault from the incessant pounding of waves
and the swift-flowing streams-fed by 460 inches
(1,200 cm) of rainfall a year-that carve deep
clefts and valleys as they crash to the sea from
the island's precipitous interior.
DON'T MISS
View the cliffs, seabirds, and marine life (dolphins, turtles,
and monk seals, plus whales from December through April)
on a boat trip or by walking to Hanakapi'ai Beach (4 mi/
6 km) or hiking the demanding Kalalau Trail (22 mi/35 km
round-trip).
4.Crater lake ( Klamath, Oregon )
At 1,943 feet (592 m), Crater Lake in south-
central Oregon is the United States' deepest
lake. Because it is fed by precipitation-
notably 45 feet (14 m) of snow a year-and
has no inlets or outlets, it is also one of the
country's purest, famed for the clarity and
startling blue of its water. Formed after
the eruption of Mount Mazama, part of the
Cascade Range, around 7,700 years ago,
it is surrounded by the jagged, cliff-edged
rim of the former volcano and dotted with
islands created by subsequent eruptions.
DON'T MISS
Two viewpoints offer wonderful vistas across the
lake: the Cloudcap Lookout, accessed as part of
the East and West Rim Drives (open to cars in sum-
mer only), and the three-hour hike to Mount Scott
(8,929 ft/2,721 m) on the lake's eastern flank.
5.The Everglades (Southern Florida)
The constant creep of slow water weaves a
spell in Everglades National Park, beautiful-
ly shaping and transforming one of the wild-
est and most diverse wetland ecosystems in
North America. Cypress swamps, sawgrass
marsh, mangrove forest, and numerous
other habitats across the park's 1.5 million
acres (6,070 sq km) provide a rich refuge
for wildlife that includes such rare species
as the manatee, Florida panther, and Ameri-
can crocodile.
DON'T MISS
Take a naturalist-led boat tour to get to the dense,
swampy heart of the Everglades, twisting through
thick mangrove forest, or to the park's more open
saltwater margins on the trail of alligators, raccoons,
bobcats, dolphins, and other wildlife.
the explorer gaurav
The explorer gaurav blog
12explorer
12explorer blog
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