The Mercantour National Park is in the northern Provence region, running along the border with Italy. it covers much of the northern part of the alpes-Maritimes Department. The parc offers a great variety of habitats and environments and an equally wide range of flora and fauna. It covers some 685 km², and consists of a central uninhabited zone comprising several valleys (Roya, Bévéra, Vésubie, Tinée, Haut Var/Cians, Verdon, Ubaye – and a peripheral zone that includes a couple of dozen... 

The Lofoten archipelago is located north of the Arctic Circle in the county of Nordland, Norway. The archipelago is known for its exceptional natural beauty, the picturesque Fishing settlements, the Rorbu (Fishermen’s cottages) and the stockfish. The Lofoten Islands are draped across the turbulent waters of the Norwegian Sea, far above the Arctic Circle. Between the mainland and the Lofoten lies the open Vestfjord. This rare wilderness outpost offers an untrammelled landscape of majestic mountains,... 

Toubkal is a mountain peak in southwestern Morocco, located in the Toubkal National Park. At 4,167 metres, it is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, Anti Atlas, North Africa and the Arab World. The Toubkal Massif, enclosing the High Atlas’s highest peaks, is the target destination of nearly everyone who goes trekking in Morocco. Mountain villages offer a stark contrast to the previous roadside towns, with Berber houses, stacked one on top of another in apparently organic growth, appearing... 

The Madeira Islands, an archipelago 750 miles southwest of Lisbon in the Atlantic Ocean, have a nearly perfect climate, warm in winter and never too warm in summer. You can enjoy Madeira´s beautiful flowers throughout the year. Madeira has one of the best preserved vegetation of Macaronesia. The native flora, called Palearctic by botanists, is akin to the northwest of Europe, and the seeds here been brought by the wind, the birds and the ocean currents. About 16% of Madeira´s plants are endemic... 

Patagonia is a territory shared by the countries of Chile and Argentina. The region of Patagonia encompasses the southern section of the Andes mountain range to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean (Chilean side) and from the east of the Andes to the valleys it follows south through Rio Colorado towards the Atlantic Ocean (Argentinean side). The magnificent region stretches around 260,000 square miles. The whole Patagonia has a population of about 2 million people. The Patagonian city of Ushuaia... 

Natural Bridges National Monument covers a relatively small area in southeast Utah, close to scenic highway UT 95 between Hanksville and Blanding. It features three huge, stream-carved natural bridges as well as a concentration of Anasazi Indian ruins. The bridges are named Kachina, Owachomo and Sipapu. A natural bridge is formed through erosion by water flowing in the stream bed of the canyon. During periods of flash floods, particularly, the stream undercuts the walls of rock that separate the... 

Cappadocia is one of those rare places that must be experienced at least once in a lifetime with soaring rock formations, uniquely-rippled landscapes, splendid walking trails, mysterious underground cities and rock-cut churches. Millions of years ago violent eruptions of the volcanoes Mt. Erciyes and Mt. Hasan covered the surrounding plateau with tuff. Wind and weather have eroded the soft volcanic rock into hundreds of strangely shaped pillars, cones and fairy chimneys, in colors ranging from pink... 

The Keukenhof Gardens provide visitors view at 7 million flower bulbs bloom over 32 hectares. Gardens near Lisse is the world’s largest flower garden park. It is an easy day trip from Amsterdam. It is open only two months in spring each year to show off the best of Dutch tulips, crocuses, narcissus. The main attraction of Keukenhof is obviously the flowers but the park is truly a destination for visitors of all ages. Small children will enjoy the various playgrounds while a full-scale windmill,... 

One of the most scenic areas of Central Oregon surely has to be along the Lower Crooked River. Chimney Rock overlooks a bunchgrass landscape that has been etched by the beautiful cliff-rimmed canyon of the Crooked River. A hiking trail begins on the canyon floor and winds it’s way up to the rock formation providing several great opportunities to photograph the unique rock formation and the wild and scenic river below. The trail, like all of the Lower Crooked Wild & Scenic River area, is... 

Guadeloupe is a French archipelago made up of two main islands (Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre) and a number of neighboring islands, with the most important being Marie Galante, Les Saintes and La Désirade. Many beaches in Guadeloupe have small coral reefs. If you are looking for something more recommend a tour to the protected Petite Terre island. There is an easily accessed and quite large reef with lemon sharks, many turtles and plenty of colorful fishes. credit: Craig Stanfill  Read More →