Beautiful Places On Earth

Ngorongoro Conservation Area is considered as one of the most important wildlife protection areas in Africa. It is situated 180 kilometers west of Arusha in northern Tanzania. Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers a total area of approximately 8,288 square kilometers, at the surrounding areas of Ngorongoro Crater. Ngorongoro is a dead volcano that has been around for 2.5 million years. Its last eruption around 250,000 years ago had formed Ngorongoro Crater, widely considered as the world’s currently largest unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera.

The Ngorongoro area was part of the Serengeti National Park until 1959, when it was separated from Serengeti and was newly declared as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area by the British. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Ngorongoro Conservation Area is wildlife’s heaven. Here you can find black rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, elephants, lions, leopards, buffalos, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs but surprisingly, no giraffes or crocodiles are found here. If you like safari, you should go to Ngorongoro Conservation Area for one of the best wildlife viewing in Africa!

Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Gobi Desert is the largest desert in Asia and is the world’s fifth largest. The desert is divided into 2 parts, 1 part covering northern and northwestern China and another part covering southern Mongolia. The Gobi measures over 1600 kilometers from west to east, bordering Siberia in the north and Tibetan Plateau in the south.

Gobi Desert is notable in history as part of the great Mongol Empire. The desert is also home to several important cities along the silk road. Its landscape is magnificent! Imagine a borderless cloudless blue sky on the top coupled with sand and sky in 1 horizon in a distant. It got to be one of the must see places before you die! The shadow of sunlight often changes the topography appearance on the desert. Crossing across the Gobi Desert will definitely bring Yurt to your view. Yurt is a traditional Mongolian home consists of as simple as a circular wooden frame covered with a felt cover. Bear in mind that majority inhabitants of Gobi Desert are still nomadic. They still carry out the traditional way of living, moving from one place to another. I would say that staying 1 night in a Mongolian yurt will be a worthwhile experience, don’t you think so?

The Gobi Desert – Mongolia

To travel across Gobi Desert, one can hire translator and jeep from Ulan Bator, the Mongolian capital. Chartered flights are also available from Ulan Bator to Dalandzagad, a city which is on the tourist route to Gobi Desert.

Panama Canal remains one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken in the 20th century. The Panama Canal is a ship canal joining the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Before Panama Canal was constructed, a ship had to travel all the way south to Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America in order to sail across the 2 oceans. The concept to build a canal in Panama was first proposed by King Carlos I of Spain in 1524. However, it was the French who first attempted to construct the canal in 1880. The attempt failed and was taken over by the United States in the early 1900s, then completed and opened in 1914. By the time the Panama Canal was completed, a total of 27,500 workmen are expected to have died during the construction.

A trip through the Panama Canal is highly recommended if you are visiting Panama. The cruise will take you from Panama City on the Pacific Ocean, traveling some 80 kilometers to the Colon City on Atlantic Ocean or vice versa. Along the way, one can enjoy sceneries along the canal as well as passing through several artificial lakes and 3 sets of locks. The following video shows a time lapse journey through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean onboard a cruise ship.

Panama Canal time lapse

The best time to visit Panama Canal is from December to April each year, when it is the dry season in Panama.

Windsor Castle is the symbol of United Kingdom. It is located 34 kilometers west of London. Windsor Castle is currently the largest inhabited castle in United Kingdom as well as in the world. The castle was first built by William the Conqueror as a defensive outpost for the Tower of London in 1070. The original wooden castle was then converted into stone by Henry II 100 years later. Today, the castle’s floor area is estimated to be 484,000 square feet. Windsor Castle has been one of the principal official residences of the British Monarch. The other 2 are the Buckingham Palace and the Holyrood Palace. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II spent much of her Majesty’s childhood in Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle

One of the famous landmarks of Windsor Castle is the Round Tower. The prominent Round Tower was constructed by Henry II and it divides Windsor Castle into 2 sections known as wards. The Lower Ward houses St. George’s Chapel, a 16th century architecture masterpiece which enjoys equal fame with the Westminster. One should not miss out on the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Windsor Castle in which the New Guard marches to take over from the Old Guard. This video shows the guards marching out after the guard change.

Windsor Castle guard march

Machu Picchu is perhaps the most famous ancient ruin in the world and is the most visited place in Peru. Machu Picchu is located approximately 2400 meters above the sea level on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. The ancient city is 80 kilometers northwest of Cuzco.

Machu Picchu is often referred to as “The Lost City of Incas”. It is believed that Machu Picchu was constructed around 1462. However it was abandoned less than 100 years later when Spain conquered Peru in 1532. Fortunately, Machu Picchu was not plundered by the Spanish. It was hidden and unknown to the outside world until 1911, when the ancient city was discovered by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has drawn international attention and become one of the most familiar symbols of the Inca Empire. Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Machu Picchu is renowned for its classical Inca architectural style. The central buildings of Machu Picchu was constructed by a technique called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together without the use of mortar. The central buildings are the Intihuatana (ritual stones arranged to point directly at the sun during winter solstice), the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows.

The legendary lost city of Machu Picchu

The best way to travel to Machu Picchu is to take a train ride from Cuzco. The railway runs alongside the Urubamba River and it takes around 3 hours to reach Machu Picchu. The final climb to the top has to be done via bus. June to September each year is the best time to visit Machu Picchu, as this is the dry season. However, lots of visitors flock there too during this time of the year.