Wonders of the World

What a beautiful world we live in! There are many awesome and phenomenal places on earth, both natural and man made, with origins that sometimes can and can’t be explained. Here is a list of some must see jewels on your travels!

 Mount Everest: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, resting on the border between Nepal and Tibet with it’s peak reaching to 8,850 meters above sea level. White drifts of snow, deep glaciers with even deeper fissures, and cold winds never leave the six-mile-high peaks of Mount Everest and its companion mountains.

 Grand Canyon: The Grand Canyon is more than a great chasm carved over millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau. It is an awe-inspiring view and exploring ground for those of you who like to hike the trails, or float the currents of the turbulent Colorado River. The canyon is the most famous natural attraction in the USA and one that never fails to impress every visitor.

 Northern Lights: No words can describe the magnificence of the natural phenomenon known as the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. The Northern lights have been described in ancient times by the Eskimos, American Indians, world explorers and even mentioned in the Old Testament. Aurora was the Goddess of Dawn in Roman Mythology. These colourful clouds and rays of green, red and blue light are best viewed during the equinoxes 22 September to 22 March.

 Paricutin Volcano in Mexico: Rarely do volcanologist get to watch the birth, growth, and death of a volcano. Paricutin provided such an opportunity. Paricutin is part of a 40,000 square-kilometer field containing almost 1,000 volcanoes in Guanajuato and Michoacoan states - one of the largest such areas in the world.

 Harbour of Rio de Janeiro: The harbour defining Rio de Janeiro, on the south-western shore of the Guanabara Bay, has been dubbed one of the seven Natural Wonders of the world. The dark blue waters are studded with rocky outcrops - the best known of which is the Sugar Loaf Mountain, jutting out at 404 metres high.

 Galapagos Islands: Nature lovers adore this time capsule island, 1000km off the coast of Ecuador. It has resident creatures which disappeared from the rest of the planet eons ago. The marine iguana had to learn to swim to survive and helped inspire Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

 Pyramids of Giza: The Pyramids are more than 4500 years old, the only surviving monuments of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. An Arabic saying is that "man fears time, but time fears the pyramids".

 Great Barrier Reef: Off Queensland’s coast in Australia, this underwater wonderland is the largest reef on Earth and is popular for those wanting to fish, dive, snorkel, swim, relax on a boat or take daytrips from the mainland. It is one of the world’s most astonishing natural wonders.

 Taj Mahal: Described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, the spectacular, white mausoleum in India’s Agra is as immaculate today as when it was built in 1653. Its gardens are set out along classical Persian lines, a square quartered by watercourses with an ornamental marble plinth at the centre.

 African Safari: The chance to see the "big five" — lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. The plains are also home to zebra, antelope, giraffe, monkey, cheetah, baboon, hyena, wildebeest, warthog and 360 species of bird, as well as diverse and unique flora.

 Bora Bora: A 10-kilometre-long island in Tahiti, with smaller islands in its lagoon and a ring of islands on its reef. Bora Bora is a true island paradise get-away destination. You can spend thousands of dollars a night for luxury accommodation or stay in a family-run pension.

 Milford Sound: In New Zealand’s fiord land on the south island, the region of Te Anau is known as the walking capital of the world. Milford Sound has immense towering cliffs and sharply rising peaks. Its beauty is almost impossible to describe; it is a must for those who love the outdoors.

 Machu Picchu: High in South America’s Andes mountains, the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu give glorious views in every direction. It is a mystical and magical place that can be reached by a few days trek from the ancient city of Cusco. Rafting in the Sacred Valley of the Incas is an experience that cannot be duplicated.

 Swiss Alps: Glacier-carved valleys, breathtaking peaks topped with ice and snow, wooden chalets adorned with flowers, soft, green meadows ringing with the sound of cow bells … and that’s before you taste the chocolate!

 Kakadu: Aboriginal land stretching 100 kilometres west to east, offering superb landscape and wildlife and fabulous cave paintings. Arnhem Land runs along its eastern side, a place of grassland, rainforest and billabongs filled with lilies.

 Bali: The beautiful Indonesian island of smiling, friendly people is a wonderful place for a holiday. From temples, to incredible beaches, to fantastic food … Bali still has a huge amount to offer, for a cheap price.

 The Great Wall of China: The huge, serrated wall zigzags its way east to west, north of Beijing. It is so vast it’s said to be visible from the moon. Construction began in the seventh-century BC, with states building their own walls for defence. It stretches 6000 kilometres and has been renovated from time to time.

 Arctic/Antarctic: The ultimate destinations, stark white, silent and breathtaking. Not easy to reach, but worth the trip, especially if you are fortunate enough to see Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis, nature’s great lightshows.

 Jerusalem: A powerful and moving place, Jerusalem draws tourists and religious pilgrims from around the world. It has an intense concentration of religious sites: the Wailing Wall, the Dome of the Rock, the garden where Jesus Christ was betrayed and the Via Dolorosa, the path Christ took to his crucifixion.

 Victoria Falls: A hundred metres of crashing water forming a curtain of seven-million litres of water every second, these falls are twice as tall as Niagara.

 Ice Hotel: Sweden, Norway and Canada offer the ultimate in cool. Each winter they carve a fully-operational hotel out of ice. Everything is made out of ice, including your bed. Skin sleeping bags keep you warm. Staying overnight is quite an experience to say the least!

 Cinque Terre: These "Five lands" are made up of beautiful rural villages along Italy’s Gulf of Genoa. There are wonderful walking trails, views, rocky coast lines, seafood and the best pesto you’ve ever tasted!

 New Orleans: Home of jazz, mardi gras, the Missississippi, hot food and uninhibited people, New Orleans is an exciting melting pot of life.

 The Amazon: The world’s greatest river, second longest to the Nile, the Amazon is 6280km of water feeding the world’s biggest rainforest. You can cruise along in style, drop in to sample village life and dance to the rhythms of the rainforest.

 Zanzibar: This island off Africa’s east coast is a traveller’s dream. It has beautiful beaches, amazing markets with pungent spices and architecture straight from the Arabian Nights. Stone Town is a World Heritage site listed with the UN.

Travellers, Backpackers, Vagabonds! If you have experienced a ’Wonder of this World’ not yet listed let us know and we’ll post it online.