Celebrate the centennial by having the park all to yourself at Phantom Ranch, an oasis of historic log and stone cabins by the banks of the Colorado River, the only accommodation inside the canyon itself. Salar de Uyuni, in southwestern Bolivia , is the largest salt flat in the world.
About 4, square miles of stark white hexagonal patterns stretch out to an infinite horizon, like the surface of another world. The world above is reflected in perfect symmetry; below, you can walk on mirrored clouds in the day or float amid the Milky Way at night. This year, you can see it in style, too. Kachi Lodge, which opens in spring, is the first permanent luxury camp on the flats, made up of just six luxury geodesic domes, each gorgeously designed, with panoramic views across this strange, ethereal world from the comfort of your plush double bed.
See it : Kachi Lodge opens this spring. For thousands of years, a total solar eclipse filled humankind with dread. In ancient China , people believed it was a dragon devouring the sun. In Hindu mythology, it was the head of a demon. In Babylonia, the wrath of the Gods. Today we know better: an eclipse is simply a fluke of nature, when the moon momentarily blocks the sun and casts its shadow across the earth. Nonetheless, seeing one first hand, watching day turn to darkest night and then back again, is an eerie experience that resonates long after the spectacle has receded.
That narrow band of complete darkness is only ever visible in a few locations around the globe. But this year, on 2 July , it falls across one of the most beautiful places in South America — the lush winelands and valleys south of Buenos Aires, Argentina. No matter where you see it, a total eclipse is a wonder; here it is truly breathtaking.
See it : The total eclipse will be visible in Chile and Argentina on 2 July. For details of a tailor-made trip to see it, visit pura-aventura.
For more information, go to chile. It is one of the most exclusive wildlife experiences in the world, with only a handful of people able to witness it each year — and one of the most endearing sights. In mid- February , hundreds of new cubs emerge simultaneously, exploring the icy world for the first time, slipping on the snow, playing, learning how to hunt and survive in this extremely inhospitable environment.
Sea ice levels are declining at alarming rates, and polar bears depend on ice for survival. The bears are literally losing the ground beneath their feet. Since then, tourism has taken its toll, with the marks of millions of visitors diminishing its grandeur. The Valley of the Kings holds 63 mausoleums in total in its vast necropolis stretching across the red desert, including the elaborately painted tomb of Ramesses VI and the vast subterranean chambers of Sety I.
Visit egypt. In September , the oldest human drawings ever recorded were found in Blombos Cave, miles east of Cape Town. Created about 73, years ago, these simple cross marks etched in ochre, like some kind of primeval hashtag, blow away previous estimates by more than 30, years. Drawings such as these represent the birth of human creativity and symbolic thinking, marking a turning point in evolution when we began to transcend our animal instincts and expand our imagination.
The Blombos Cave proves that this process started far earlier than previously thought possible. Learn more about these fascinating excavations at the Blombos Museum of Archaeology. See it : The Blombos Cave is currently closed to the public due to ongoing excavations, but you can visit nearby Blombos Museum of Archeology in Stilbaai hesva.
The 50 most beautiful places in the world. Extraordinary photos of the tallest volcano on every continent. The most colourful places in the world. The Great Barrier Reef , located on the Queensland coast of north-eastern Australia , is the largest living structure on the planet. Covering an astonishing , square miles, it is bigger than the UK , Holland and Switzerland combined. Lay it out flat and it would reach all the way from London to Moscow. Reports this year indicate that increased ocean temperatures, as a result of global warming , are leading to catastrophic levels of coral bleaching when the coral expels the tiny algae that live inside it, providing it with food and colour — if it continues, the coral dies.
The Great Barrier Reef, which has survived for the last 18 million years, could now be in its last days. See it: If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef, consider a volunteer conservation holiday that enables you to enjoy the underwater world while aiding its protection.
No Limit Adventures offers a day learning-to-dive and reef-monitoring holiday based in Cairns. Find out more about the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. On 3 May, following a 5. In local mythology, Kilauea is the home of Pele, the destructive goddess of volcanoes, and eruptions are an expression of her fiery temper.
Seeing an eruption at night is like watching fireworks. But beyond their beauty, volcanoes are also world builders. Whether you believe the legend or not, dozens of rocks are mailed back each year by tourists who failed to heed the warning.
It is a boundless, wild land, and this year it got even more spectacular: in January , one million acres of private land were formally donated to the Chilean people from the estate of the late Doug Tomkins and his wife Kris, owners of the Patagonia outdoor-clothing company, matched by a further 10 million acres from the Chilean government, creating the largest continuous network of national parks in the world.
There are many magnificent sights here, but there is only one wonder of the world. Torres del Paine is quite simply breathtaking, rising 6, feet from the Patagonian steppe. There is something almost otherworldly about the three sharp granite towers of the Paine massif — as if you are looking at the spires of some great fallen cathedral or vast temple of stone, the remnants of a lost fabled kingdom. See it for yourself and help prove the Tomkins right: that this land deserves to be preserved for all time.
Latin American specialist Pura Aventura has a new itinerary which takes in many of these highlights, staying in gorgeous boutique hotels and guest lodges along the way. Meet chef Francis Mallmann in Patagonia. The Paysis, a deep-water submersible, was conducting scientific research at 4, feet, in complete darkness, when suddenly a bright spotlight shone on it for several seconds from an unknown source.
To this day it has never been identified. Most itineraries take about two weeks and include a stop-off at Lake Baikal. We may not have taken that one giant leap ourselves yet, but that we are now exploring other planets is beyond question. In order for the rover to reach Mars, NASA scientists had to perform one of the most daring manoeuvres in the history of space flight.
After a journey of million miles, approaching the atmosphere at some 8,mph, the probe first deployed a supersonic parachute and heat shield, then performed a complicated sequence of rocket blasts before being finally lowered down on a sky crane. And it had to land in precisely the right place. It was like finding a needle in a haystack from the other side of the solar system.
That we can build such machines is an engineering marvel. Made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, it weighs metric tons and is located at the peak of the metre Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. Construction began in and it was completed in Chichen Itza. It was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people, and was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities.
It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico, and consists of buildings like the El Caracol or observatory of Chichen Itza, Temple of the Warriors, Grand Ballcourt, Venus Platform, and others. Originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu, Petra is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan.
It is believed that the area around Petra was inhabited as early as 7, BC, and the access to the city is through a 1. It had remained unknown to the world until Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it in Great Wall of China. As the name suggests, it is located in China and the Great Wall is the collective name given to a series of fortification systems built across the borders of the country. The purpose of the Great Wall was to protect as well as mark the territories of the Chinese states and empires.
Several of the walls were found to have been built as early as the 7th century BC, but the most well known sections were built by the Ming dynasty — And not only Petra awaits you in this circuit. Amman, the Dead Sea or Wadi Rum are some of the places that will be recorded in your retinas forever.
When we talk about the 7 Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal is usually one of the first that comes to mind. It is true that India is a distant country, but that does not mean that you can not visit it. At Exoticca we are passionate about India. Peru hides a cultural heritage that is simply beyond reach. The whole country could be considered one of the 7 wonders of the World, but the fact is that Macchu Picchu is the chosen site. Write down our proposal to conquer this magical place, a cradle of a millenary culture whose roots are still observed in the daily life of Peruvians.
And also knows Lima, the largest salt desert in the world and Bolivia, the neighbouring country, as impressive as Peru itself. You might know the Mayan Riviera, Puerto Vallarta or Acapulco better, but one of the seven wonders of the world is found in Mexico and is Chichen Itza. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Here you will find an important representation of the Mayan and Toltec cultures. The Great Pyramid or Castle, the Temple of the Warriors and the Caracol are, together with the Temple of the columns, the great monuments of this enormous archaeological complex.
But there is much more to see in Mexico. Brazil is a paradise. That is why it seems reasonable that at least one of the 7 Wonders of the World is located precisely in this country. The Christ the Redeemer dominates the bay of Rio de Janeiro and has become one of the icons of the country.
There is something to see in this impressive city.
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