Set in the heart of New Zealand’s southern Alpine region, Queenstown has reputation as the adventure capital of the world. Surrounded by stunning mountains, lakes and rivers, Queenstown is New Zealand’s premier alpine resort. Only 3 hours direct from Melbourne or Sydney, it is the country’s major tourist destination. The city provides perfect venues for all kinds of adventure sports and offers some of the world’s best skiing and snowboarding conditions.

Offering visitors the chance to indulge in almost every adrenalin activity, Queenstown will feed your imagination. Majestic Queenstown offers an incredible range of things to do no matter what the season. Queenstown will satisfy even the most ravenous appetite for the adventure alike. From skydiving, bungee jumping, rafting, and jet boating, breathtaking helicopter flights, paragliding in summer months to winter activities such as skiing and snowboarding.

The Hallgrimskirkja is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavik, Iceland. It is located at the top of shopping street Skolavordustigur, Reykjavik. Rising 74.5 m (244 ft), Hallgrimskirkja is the tallest building in Iceland. The statue in front of the church represents Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red.

You can see here a part of the organ, which is composed of 5200 pipes. Between mid-June and mid-August you can hear this mighty beast in action three times per week at lunchtime/evening concerts.

It built in 1974 and structure remember a basaltic mountain. The structure in a heroic, nationalist style to replace an earlier church that was destroyed by fire.

The 18th century witnessed terrible misery among Icelanders in the wake of enormous volcanic eruptions, resulting in drastic climate changes and destruction of grazing fields.

Lulworth Cove is a cove near the village of West Lulworth southern England.West Lulworth lies near the coast between the Isle of Purbeck and Weymouth. Lulworth is included amongst England’s UNESCO sites and its World Heritage. Lulworth Cove was formed approximately 10,000 years ago by the awesome powers of a river and the sea.

At Lulworth Cove, there is the famous Fossil Forest. The area supports a remarkable array of diverse natural life, particularly butterflies. There are glauconitic sandstones, sponge chert, cyclical Chalk, oil sands, lignite, ostracods, stromatolites, crocodile and fish teeth, an oyster bed, a transgressive marine pebble bed, a fluvial channel conglomerate, phosphatic strata, carbonate breccias, charophyte limestones etc.

At the western point of Lulworth Cove is Stair Hole, a series of arches formed by the action of the sea on the soft Portland and Purbeck limestone. Also Lulworth Cove is famous with the Lulworth Crumple, Durdle Door and and Man o’War, just a short walk away over the surrounding Hills to the west.

Lulworth beach provides a great place to relax where you can swim in the cove, take a boat trip, or just take in the stunning scenery. There are pubs, restaurants, cafes and beaches all within easy walking distance!

The Giant’s Causeway is a World Heritage site, National Nature Reserve and Northern Ireland’s premier tourist attraction. It is made up of some 40,000 massive black basalt columns sticking out of the sea.  Formed between 50 and 60 million years ago, takes its name from the legends of Finn MacCool. Known to the Irish as the 8th Wonder of the World.

There are 15 miles of footpaths along the Causeway Coastline, owned and maintained by the National Trust. The formation of the Giant’s Causeway was due to intense volcanic activity. Lava welling up through fissures in the chalk bed formed a -lava plateau.

Within the nature reserve, a series of paths run between the visitor centre at Causeway Head and Hamilton’s Seat.
Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides, the tallest are about 12 metres.

Sea birds can be seen off the coast around the Causeway, with species such as fulmar, petrel, cormorant, shag, redshank guillemot and razorbill being frequently observed.

One of eight provinces in Andalucia, Malaga is home to the prestige holiday resorts of the Costa del Sol. It includes about 300km of the Mediterranean Coast and is one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations. Due to averaging 300 days of sun shine each year, the Costa del Sol is the Mecca for those seeking sea side funs. The most popular resorts in Costa del Sol is like Benalmadena and Marbella.

This beautiful coast consists of a series of coves half-hidden among cliffs and sports harbors. The Costa del Sol offers an exciting selection of entertainment and relaxation options. The best sports and activities in Malaga are: golf courses, marinas and football. The nightlife is lively offers a huge variety of bars and restaurants. Other attractions include zoos and water parks, casinos, bullfights and amusement parks.

The mild climate is a major factor in enjoying the beaches and a wide variety of outdoor and water activities year round. Evidence of the area’s popularity is the fact that there are more jet skis per capita than anywhere else in Europe.

Suomenlinna or Viapori (Finnish), or Sveaborg (Swedish), is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands, today within Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The Sea fortress Suomenlinna is a unique architectural monument, a popular recreation area and museum. Although the island is located off the coast of Helsinki, it is part of the city. The Fortress was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1991!

Suomenlinna Sea Fortress was built over 250 years ago and once had a population of 4600, larger than the population of Helsinki at the time. The Swedish crown commenced the construction of the fortress in 1748 as protection against Russian expansionism. All the effort didn’t hinder the Russians taking over in 1808. Finally in 1918 the Fortress became Finnish. Nowadays it is a popular park with museums, interesting flora and beaches.

Today, the island is inhabited by 1000 residents and so you will see some kids biking around. There is a big Visitor Center, which has a 25 minute “multi-vision show” and computers about the fortress.

There are plenty of nice spots for a picnic and you can also swim and sunbathe in various locations on the island – be prepared to walk a bit though. The trip to the fortress in Suomenlinna could be carried out by using the inter-island connecting motor boat from the Port in Katajanokanlaituri.

The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed, is a Russian Orthodox cathedral erected on the Red Square in Moscow in 1555–1561. The Monument to Minin and Pozharsky is made of bronze. Not particularly large, it consists of nine chapels, built on a single foundation. According to legend, however, it was built by an Italian architect who was blinded so that he could never create anything that was similar or equal. The St. Basil’s Cathedral, along with the Red Square were inscribed by Unesco as World Heritage Sites in 1990!

The Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century to commemorate a military victory.Victory came on the feast day of the Intercession of the Virgin, so the Tsar chose to name his new church the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat, after the moat that ran beside the Kremlin.

St. Basil’s original construction involved a total of nine pillars or churches, replacing the former wooden churches, situated on a single foundation. A tenth pillar was added (1588) after the death of St. Basil and stands over his burial site.

The inside of St. Basil’s is a maze of narrow, dimly lit corridors connecting the different chapels. Each of the painted domes differs in design and colour.

Of the hundreds of churches on the island of Montreal, Notre-Dame’s interior is the most stunning with a exquisite detail. This 19th Century Basilica is in the historic district of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. Basilica was opened in 1829, making it the largest religious edifice in North America at the time. It is a very beautiful, interesting and cultural attraction!
According to records, it took two years to erect the walls of the basilica and the facade up to the base of the towers. Much of the interior is carved from rare woods – which are gilded or painted and large rose windows. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues. The eastern tower of the Notre- Dame Montreal holds a ten-bell carillon, while the western tower, named Temperance, holds a single bell, the Jean-Baptiste bell. This ten ton bell is only rung on special occasions and can be heard 25km away. There’s also a chapel in the back which is just as amazing.
The original church, designed by Father François Dollier de Casson sufficed for the first 150 years. Then a New York architect named James O’Donnell was brought to Montreal to build a new church.
This striking interior is the work of architect Victor Bourgeau, who transformed the originally stern interior into the current design between 1874 and 1880. The great organ is a Casavant and the recitals held in the church throughout the year are very popular. The basilica offers musical programming of choral and organ performances.

One  mountain landscape, which spans the contemporary national borders of France and Spain, centered around the peak of Mount Perdu, a calcareous massif that rises to 3 352 metres. Mont Perdu(meaning lost mountain) is the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees. The mountain is approached by two of Europe’s deepest canyons on the Spanish side. The landscape is a stunning mix of bleak mountains, pastoral countryside, lakes and forests. Mont Perdu site is registered on the Worldwide Heritage list since 1997.

The site is also a pastoral landscape reflecting an agricultural way of life that was once widespread in the upland regions of Europe.But the site is also a pastoral landscape, reflecting an agricultural way of life that was once widespread in the upland regions of Europe. The heritage value of the natural domain of Mont-Perdu cirques and canyons stems from a favorable conjunction of exceptional elements that fall within the province of geology, climatology and biology.

There are more than 1500 species of flowers, 171 birds, 32 different mammals and 8 types of reptile in the Ordesa.

In summertime, it’s impossible to get bored: you can canoe and kayak, parasail, raft, ride bikes, and go for trail rides.

Huacachina is a village in the Ica Region, in southwestern Peru. The oasis attracts many tourists as well as Peru’s rich families. The area around the lake is known for dune buggy trips and sandboarding. It is a tiny location, although it does have a few restaurants, bars and clubs.

In this quiet place, at a height of over 600 meters above sea level, ancient whales’ skeleton fossils were exposed by a slow process of wind and rain.  Huacachina is a very special place as.  In the middle of a massive sandy desert, surrounded by huge sand dunes was a gorgeous oasis with palm trees and a lagoon which is said to contain therapeutic properties. Particularly effective for the cure of skin and rheumatic illnesses.

Legend holds that the lagoon was created when a beautiful native princess was apprehended at her bath by a young hunter. She fled, leaving the pool of water she had been bathing in to become the lagoon.

This tiny little oasis in the desert is surrounded by the highest sand dunes in the world.

The Barron Falls are located in the Barron Gorge National Park in Queensland, Australia. The Falls are some 900 feet wide and 825 feet high. Before getting to Kuranda the train stops so you can get off and view the Barron Falls. The once mighty flow is today diverted for hydroelectricity, so now the full Falls are only seen in flow during the extreme wet season.

The Barron’s headwaters start in the Crater National Park near Mt Hypipamee at an altitude of 1200m. Flowing north 65 km across the Atherton Tablelands, after passing under the Kuranda Range highway’s bridge down the 260 metre high Barron Falls and reaches the Cairns floodplains. The walk is well maintained, accessible to all, and is a wonderful way to view these huge falls.

The actual height of the falls is now ascertained to be about 600 feet, or four hundred and thirty-six feet higher than Niagara. From the edge of the precipice, the river falls 900 feet in half a mile. In order to see the falls in full spate (which is a very impressive sight), one would have to go during wet season.

Although many animals are nocturnal, in the morning bird activity is intense, Musky Rat Kangaroos and Cassowary stalk the forest paths. And gorgeous blue-winged butterflies emerged from the crevices of the rocks. You can take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway which also has a stop at the falls.

‘Macca‘ rests at the ends of the earth. The remote wilderness is tucked away in the southeast corner of the Pacific, halfway between Australia and Antractida. A tiny fragment of land, it is of huge significance on a world scale, yet was only discovered by accident by Frederick Hasselbrorough in 1810 while he was looking around for new sealing grounds. Photo by: ailsa45

Under Tasmania’s wing, the only human inhabitants on this extraordinary wildlife sanctuary are from the Australian Antarctic Division, based on the north of the island. Over the centuries scientist have been endlessly drawn to this unsung wonder of the natural world. Each spring, around 3.5 million seabirds, mostly penguins, and 80,000 elephant seals pull themselves up on to the rocky shoreline to breed. There are pinguins galore – rockhoppers, kings, royals and gentooes. Rabbits are a less welcome sight and are literally eating away at this World Heritage Site. Photo by: cmg099

You have to work extremely hard to get to this island, but the rewards for true lovers of wildlife and wilderness are unparalleled. It’s cold inhospitable place at the best of times, but you don’t go there for the weather. Photo by: ailsa45

When to go: In the breeding season – over the summer months and early autumn. Even then the weather can be challenging. Population: Uninhabited ( expect 20 – 40 members of the Australian Antarctic Division who are based here every year). How to get there: Very unlimited access. Most visitors spending up to two days on the island and tourist boats. Photo by: esjohnson

Monastic Island of Reichenau lies in Lake Constance in southern Germany. It lies between the Gnadensee and the Untersee, almost due west of the city of Konstanz. The highest elevation on the island, the Hochwart, reaches 438.7 meters, or 43 meters above the lake surface. Today, these preserved areas are protecting species of plants and animals, which are typical for the region around Lake Constance.

In 724, the itinerant bishop Pirmin founded the monastery on the uninhabited island of Reichenau at Lake Constance. It’s becoming an important center of art and culture of the Middle Ages. During the “Golden Age” of Reichenau Island, numerous relics were collected.

The churches of St Mary and Marcus, St Peter and St Paul, and St George, mainly built between the 9th and 11th centuries. The famous artworks of Reichenau include the Ottonian Renaissance murals of miracles of Christ in St Georg, unique survivals from the 10th century.

In the year 2000, UNESCO inscribed the monastic island in the World Heritage List!

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is a National Park and a set of highlands within the Cordillera Oriental mountain range in the Andes Mountains of Colombia.  The Sierra Nevada Del Cocuy, about 8 hours from Bogota, has over 20 snow capped peaks and some forty lagoons. Temperatures oscillate in the lower part at around 23º C and go down to 3º C in the snow covered peaks.

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is a 306,000 km² protected area from which rise 23 snow peaks surrounded by waterfalls, lakes, parama vegetation. Also and tapirs, spectacled bears, Andean condors, eagles, and paramo deer.

The Park area contains several high peaks covered with snow: Pan de Azucar (5120m), Diamante (4800 m), el Pulpito del Diablo (5100 m), Toti (4800 m), Portales (4800 m), Concavo (5200 m), Concavito (5100 m) and others. Some peaks are inaccessible to man; for example, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta , on the Caribbean Coast.

Cano Cristales lies in the Serrania de La Macarena, Colombia. Often called “the most beautiful river in the world” as well as “the river of five colors,” Cano Cristales is one of those destinations you almost have to see to believe. Cano Cristales is about 100km in length. During Colombia’s rainy season, the water flows fast and deep as rivers are wont to do.

Depending on the time of year, the amount of colorful algae found in the river gives it an impressively technicolor appearance.

Blotches of amarillo, blue, green, black, and red–and a thousand shades in between–coat the river. It is indeed a unique biological wonder.

The bed and rocks of this river are covered with mosses and algae which for much of the year appear as dull green and brown water plants.