Its holiday season now and I just thought it would be good to just share among the forum the most beautiful natural sight you have seen so far on your travels.
Without a doubt, mine has to be the Great Ocean Road down in Melbourne, Australia. With the country being in the southern hemisphere so it is currently summer now, I highly recommend you guys to pay a visit sometime in February or March when the weather is slightly cooler. You wouldn't regret the long flight there!
What is the most beautiful natural sight you have seen on your travels?
Big foreign boobs.
In all seriousness, driving the ring road in Iceland was incredible.
I have done that as well, fully second your suggestion.
I have great memories of nearly running out of gas in the middle of effing nowhere Iceland but yet stilling pulling over to climb massive steaming mountains. Somewhere 30 minutes southeast of Keflavik
I definitely accidentally filled our diesel rental 2/3 of the way with petrol while we were in Hofn. It took us 4 hours, $400, and the sketchiest repairman I've ever met to get back on the road.
Lago Atitlan or "Lake Atilan"
Across a wooden skiff ride to Panajachel, Guatemala you cross the immense lake and Central America's deepest. You look down at the water below as blue at the cote d'azur then you look up and see the Sierra Madre mountains with two dormant volcanoes surrounding the lake. The volcanoes are bigger than skyscrapers and 1000 times as wide There are no boats besides yours on the lake and the surface looks like glass.
I witnessed by first animal sacrifice to the Mayan God Maximon(Ma-shi-mon) during this trip to Guatemala, to whom the locals still worship. His effigies are sold in every store and found in every temple. This is a beautiful yet dangerous wilderness as japanese tourist were killed several years back for taking photos of the local children.
Swiss Alps, Croatian beaches, and Icelandic valleys for me
Swiss Alps
Croatian beaches outside of Split. One of my best memories. Had a hell of a time at a beach club called "The Art of Doing Nothing"
Probably Te Anau's fjords in New Zealand. I was boating out on the fjords and the wind got so strong at one point that some of the waterfalls stopped reaching the bottom because the water was getting blown away. Sight to remember.
I really liked kayaking off the coast of Lagos, Portugal. The rock formations are awesome.
Sakura season in Kyoto.
Nothing beats sakura in Kyoto and Sapporo in winter. Went there ages ago, would def want to go there again.
Kachou Fuugetsu
Was just there this past Sakura season and it was incredible.
Yosemite National Park
Outside of USA: Ireland's "Ring of Kerry" in spring. China's Zhangjiajie in summer. Bavaria's Neuschwanstein lake in autumn. Swiss alps in winter (runner-up: Thailand's Ko Phi Phi).
California-only edition: Yosemite in spring, Malibu in summer, Napa in fall, Tahoe in Winter.
can you elaborate what each is?
Best viewed through Google/Bing Images, but:
Ireland's County Kerry / Ring of Kerry is a gorgeous mix of waves, cliffs, meadows, and flowers populated by truly delightful people.
Zhangjiajie is where Avatar got its inspiration for the floating mountains. The cloud-caked peaks are stunning. Honestly, threw this in summer despite the area being very, very hot during summer. I guess I could have put somewhere more temperate for summer like switching Ireland for China, but too late.'
Neuschwanstein contains the castle used as a basis for the Disney castle. Look up pictures, words do not do this place justice.
Swiss skiing is best skiing. However, winter time is peak awesome weather season for Thailand, and Ko Phi Phi is an idyllic place to launch scuba adventures.
Yosemite is my favorite natural park in the United States, hands down. Between the meadows, waterfalls, cliffs, and trails, it has it all.
The beaches of Malibu are quintessential California. Struggled between this and San Diego, e.g. La Jolla and Coronado.
Napa Valley's harvest season is August through October, so right there in fall.
Lake Tahoe is crystal clear, surrounded by the [corrected: Sierra Nevada mountains] with associated great skiing.
I can vouch for Koh Phi Phi, although, the place got very touristed lately.
Cape Reinga in New Zealand is unreal. It's the northern most tip of the North Island. Also while in NZ, journey to the South Island and check out Queenstown and visit Milford Sound.
The Matterhorn in Switzerland is a beautiful sight on a summer morning. You can still ski in July.
I was waking up in the morning and thanking God. And, I don't know but today seemed kind of odd.
I usually pee in the morning but I didn't. So anyways, I went in to the bathroom and there I saw it, the most natural beautiful sight, outside the window where the sun was shining I saw a bunch of little baby racoons and behind these raccoons, my neighbors patio had a long mirror where my beutiful face stared at me in awe.
iguazu falls maybe?
Coronado, CA. U.S.A.
Cleveland Ohio
^This
Iceland was beautiful. I went there last summer, along with every other American tourist, apparently.
My top two places though, are:
Death Valley. It's the largest wilderness area in the lower 48, and almost completely devoid of people, even in the high season. I went backpacking there a few years ago. I remember standing on a ridge, looking down at the valley down below, and seeing nothing but a spring, the mountains in the distance, and a pack of wild horses.
Alaska. Went mountaineering there. The scale of the place is mind boggling. Everything there is bigger than it seems (excluding the cities), and it all seems pretty damn big. It would've taken a day to walk across the width of those glaciers. Plus, the bar at The Cook Hotel in Anchorage has the most incredible views of any hotel bar. Panoramic views of the Chugach Range and Cook Inlet.
Damn, you are living it up. Was this before or after you started working?
Ha definitely before. Death valley was just under a week long trip, and Alaska was two weeks, so it's not like I couldn't do those trips now, but it's always harder to find time to do that stuff when you're working.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is quite a sight.
Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. Clearest water I've seen in my life.
I haven't done much travelling so far, but Pulai Langkawi in Malaysia where I am currently typing from is beautiful
Yellowstone
I need to travel more
Good question. I've been to 30+ countries and think about this a lot. Here are a few of my favorites:
-Sea to sky highway drive from Vancouver to Whistler -Roatan Island beaches in Honduras -Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley -Santorini, Greece -Maresias and Ilhabela beaches in Brazil -Yellowstone National Park -Norwegian fjords -Sedona, AZ
Iguana Island in Turks & Caicos was a pretty cool experience. I haven't traveled much, so this is the best I have to offer.
I've got to second the great ocean road. What a beautiful sight that was. Driving down New Zealand provided some stunning views with a lot of incredible rugged nature that you will not find anywhere else either.
Another personal highlight: Reaching the top of Mount Whitney!
Summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The observatories just makes the place look like planet Mars. It actually just snowed a ton on top of the mountain today.
Azure Coast in France. Could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the colour of the water there.
Also love the Oregon Coast.
Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland was absolutely beautiful in person and has great hiking trails too. Worth going if you're ever in NI on vacation.
Two nude high-end escorts in my bed. They were natural. If you're talking about something not human, the Road to Hana in Maui.
Either Rio from the top of the Vidigal favela or Lencois Maranhenses (google it).
A close third would be the Oregon coast. Oregon's got some absolutely beautiful places.
Strassbourg / Colmar in France if you like towns from the middle-ages.
Parts of Cape Town (Chapman's Peak drive, Kirstenbosch) / the Winelands (around Franschhoek or Stellenbosch) in South Africa.
Montgomery woods in northern California. It is the most beautiful and secluded stand of old growth redwoods that I have ever seen.
If you have never stood next to a redwood tree, you are truly missing out on one of the most awe inspiring sights on earth. Even if you aren't religious, it would be hard not to contemplate your existence while marveling at these 300' tall giant trees.
-Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam -Grand Tetons
Bora bora is definitely up there for me.
Pinel Island off the northern coast of Saint Martin, stopped here on a boat tour. Unbelievable views of the mountainous areas of St. Martin and neighboring St. Barts. Couldn't really beat sitting in a beach chair with a mixed drink taking in these breathtaking views...Also watching commercial planes land on Maho Beach in St. Maarten was one of the most mindblowing, exhilarating experiences of my life. Jets pass no more than a few hundred feet above beachgoers - it is one of the most dangerous/famous airports in the world because of this, look up videos on YouTube.
Edit my last comment, maybe a hundred feet at most.
My tops would be:
Driving down along rice terraces in Bali The view from the train over Lake Geneva above Vevey Pink sunrise over the Swiss Alps in winter Redwood/Muir Woods pars in CA Early night-time in Norway during the summer (for the incredible light) Lake Kivu
Just talking under the water: Reef off Bora Bora/Moorea about 10 years ago. Unbelievably healthy coral and such a diverse ecosystem. The Cathedrals off Lanai are definitely a favorite. Incredibly peaceful. The wall off of Grand Turk. Nothing makes you feel smaller than staring at a steep drop off to well over a mile deep.
Above the water: Rocky Mountains in NM. Couldn't say the exact spot but we hiked a couple days to get back there. On top of pretty much any mountain is beautiful to me. Alaska. Like everywhere. Santorini. Incredible place. Dead Sea, Jordan side. Hills in and around Petra looking out into the desert.
pebble beach
The Northern Lights in Iceland was hard to beat and the super white skin and red hair of a former classmate.
Denali National Park area.
Canadian Rockies (obviously have a trend here of my love of the outdoors)
Erg Chigaga, Morocco. Climbing the highest dune in sight and watching the sunrise in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The vast nothingness of the Sahara is very humbling.
Surfing in southern Morocco and watching a pod of Orca's pass within 100 ft of where I was sitting on my board.
Tahitian sunset through the tube of a wave.
Most sites in this thread beat mine, but the most beautiful site I ever saw was the clear blue water at St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands) the first time that I went as a child.
Travel the World: Nature vs. Man-made (Originally Posted: 01/02/2012)
Now that I have been making a little money from my PA and salary, I have started to look at places to go once I am eligible for vacation time. I never really had the luxury of going on too many vacations due to a number of reasons so this is something pretty new to me. I have started looking at a lot of different types of vacations and I am finding that places like Vegas, Macau, western Europe, do not really interest me at all. However, I was looking on Jetsetter a few days ago and I found the South African biomass migration package and my mind was instantly blown. Same for an African safari I was looking at on a different website. It doesn't have to be on an international scale either. I would rather go skiing/hiking in Wyoming than go to a major urban area like LA, Chicago, etc. For those of you with the good fortune of being able to take large vacations, do you have a preference for urban vacations, natural scenery, or as long as you are out of the office does it not matter?
If you've never been on an African Safari I can highly recommend it.
I've been to one in South Africa, but friends who have been to Kenya & Tanzania loved Safari there as well. If you go to South Africa you can combine the Safari trip with a couple of days in Cape Town for some history and the wine route. Beautiful place & people.
can you bag lions and elephants? if not = lame.
how bout machu pichu? I heard it's pretty fuckin awesome...
The cost of the hunt adds a couple thousand to the cost of the trip and I don't think it is worth it. I know someone who did it and its not really hunting, the animals are baited and it is not the same thrill as watching a 12 point buck or large bear wander into your sights. I am not saying I hold a grudge against those who bait, it just isn't something that interests me.
I have considered South America as well, not Machu Pichu specifically though. I am going to have to organize my thoughts on where to go now that I am getting really serious about it.
Nature. You're young, you'll have more money + responsibility (family?) in the future ... take the chance to do manly things now while you can and should.
istanbul is supposed to be awesome.
also, i'm a bit bias, but brazil has a really awesome combo of both. you could spend time in a cool city like rio and then travel to o pantanal and see beautiful nature
Argentina is great if you want a mix of both. Buenos Aires and Patagonia.
Africa is pretty neat. Especially in countries like Tanzania you can cover multiple types (safari, pristine beach/diving, mountain, etc.)
don't hunt animals. do it big...
I have a seperate account set up to save for a safari currently. I don't care if they bait them, milk them or felatiate them, I am going to kill the fuck out of some giant animals.
While I know you are trying to incite a response, I must say that as exaggerated as what you said sounds, it certainly beats the Zimbabwean government mowing down endangered big game with machine guns to clear farmland for redistribution.
I don't know how much time you have off, but some of these trips look pretty serious if you are an outdoor person and have a couple weeks.
http://www.dragoman.com/
As much as I would like to go to South America to check out the ladies in Argentina and Brazil, I think I am more in the safari boat as well. Ideally I would like to go on a safari and get to South Africa to go cage diving with some Great Whites. I'm also hoping to get on a few trips to Central America-ish and got diving. I know they have some seasons you can scuba with whale sharks...which would be epic.
Does anyone know what it costs to get a full body lion mount done and shipped back to the US? If it's too expensive I just might make it into a throw rug and fuck bitches on animal style, lol.
Regards
i like your style.
[quote=cphbravo96]I don't know how much time you have off, but some of these trips look pretty serious if you are an outdoor person and have a couple weeks.
http://www.dragoman.com/[/quote] Wow, some of those trips are intense. 250 days going from Alaska to Argentina? That would certainly be an experience of a lifetime.
I think you need to determine what type of vacation you're looking for. I usually classify vacations as one of the following: 1) Cultural / City Trip; 2) Beach Resort; or 3) Outdoor Adventure. If you're looking for the first category, there is no shortage of great places to visit in Europe that have reliable transportation and are safe. If you're new to international traveling, I'd start with Europe for the first category. If you're looking to relax on the beach, start with the obvious locations (Bahamas, Cancun, etc.). Once you know what you're doing you can hit up more desirable locations (Greek Islands, Galapagos Islands, etc.). For the third category, I suggest you do one of the guided programs such as the link cphbravo provided above. Trips where you go hiking, canoeing, rafting, safari's, and similar such activities are often more fun in groups and leaving the planning to an experienced organization can take a lot of the hassle out of it.
To your question, my personal preference is to rotate and mix/match if I have enough time. If I'm looking to decompress, a trip to Rome where I'm constantly running around trying to see all the sights can be more stressful than relaxing. I'm far better off hitting the beach and working on my tan in these situations. After 2-3 days a resort can start to get old though and I'll want to mix in some activities such as scuba diving, water skiing, or the like.
And finally, a piece of advice: Don't bring your laptop! If you can truly disconnect, it makes all the difference in the world.
One warning about Safari, don't overdo it. After like Day 2, it starts sucking balls. I slept through Serengeti in the jeep cause I've seen all the damn elephants, hippos, zebras and whatever else in the world in 3 other safaris (also I was tired from Kilimanjaro). Hunting is hard to catch. Freaking lions just sleep all day or hide. Mix it up with other things (gorilla, chimps, sharks, Victoria falls, bungee jumping ..).
Over our rundown of the wonderful places in India is Yumthang Valley, the endless vale with a momentous assortment of blossoms to flaunt. It offers an eye-getting vista of crests alongside Pauhunri and Shundu Tsenpa. The valley is an astounding treat where you would turn into the component of the endless picture select of any kind of encroachment.
Hoping to see Petra in Jordan some day as well as a few other national parks, especially in Utah or California.
Europe: -Bialowieza Forest in Poland (last great refuge of European bison) -Zakopane and Tatra National Park in Poland -Bornholm (small Danish island in the Baltic sea) -Swiss/German/whatever Alps
Asia: -Himilayas in Nepal -Pokhara and Annapurnas in Nepal -Sakura in Kyoto
US: -Shenandoah Valley and Appalachian mountains -The coast of Maine -Most of Vermont -Sedona and Red Rock State Park
Brazil Porto da Barra Pelourinho Caatinga during green season
Spain Sunrise in Barca after a night of clubbing Some amazing city views in Madrid. Want to go back asap
Puerto Rico El Yunque
US Moab Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park
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