Mono Lake, California

In Mono County, California, just Northeast of Yosemite National Park, lies a fascinating 760,000 year old saline lake. Mono Lake has no outlet to the ocean, and has become very salty and alkaline. The most notable feature of Mono Lake is it strange tufa formations, giving the lake an other worldly or moon-like quality. The tufa at Mono Lake are limestone formations that were once underwater but have slowly been exposed as the lake’s water evaporated. Tufa deposits are also found at Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.

Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus)

Basking sharks are one of the largest sharks of the world's temperate oceans. Only the mighty whale shark is bigger. Despite a superficial similarity to the fearsome great white shark and a massive jaw one metre wide, basking sharks are actually harmless filter feeders. They use more than 5,000 gill rakers to strain plankton from around 1.5 million litres of water per hour. Basking sharks are born travellers, covering large distances in search of food, at the very leisurely pace of only three miles per hour. There is only one species of basking shark.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Lake Bled is a glacial lake that lies in the municipality of Bled, located in northwestern Slovenia. The picture perfect lake features a small island in the middle which is home to the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church. You can often hear the bell of the church ringing, as it is believed that visiting the church to ring its bell brings good luck. The romantic church is a popular place to have a weeding, as is the nearby Bled Castle. Visitors to Lake Bled can enjoy a walk around the lake, try their hand at fishing, or take a swim in its lovely emerald waters in the summer months. There are also ample opportunities for hiking in the nearby Triglav National Park. The closest airport to Bled is the Airport Joze Pucnik Ljubljana, just outside the city of Kranj.

Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls, the largest waterfalls in the world, is a destination like no other. The falls are part of the Zambezi river, which forms a border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. At the falls the Zambezi river cascades an amazing 108 meters (360 feet) over a width of 1,708 meters (5,604 feet). The falls were named after Queen Victoria by the European explorer David Livingstone who is thought to be the first European to view the falls. The native name of the falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya which means ‘Smoke that Thunders’.

Landmannalaugar, Iceland

Landmannalaugar is a region in southern Iceland that is home to strange and beautiful geological formations. The multicolored rhyolite mountains in particular are breathtaking to behold. Visitors to this area enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and hot springs. Popular hikes include a trip up the peak of Bláhnúkur, a walk through the ice caves of Hrafntinnusker, or an extended multi-day hike along the Laugavegurinn trail. Tourists can visit Landmannalaugar between June and late September. Accommodations are sparse, consisting of only an austere mountain lodge that has room for 78 people total. Landmannalaugar can be accessed by car or by daily bus service from Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.

Shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

The shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) is believed to be the fastest-swimming of all sharks, thought to be capable of attaining bursts of speed of up to 35 kilometres per hour, and famed for making spectacular leaps of up to six metres out of the water. The shortfin makos’ high tail produces maximum thrust to propel the shark rapidly forward, both in extreme bursts of speed, and for sustained, long-distance travel. The shortfin mako also has a heat exchange circulatory system that enables the body to be warmer than surrounding water, and thus maintain a high level of activity. This large, stream-lined shark has a distinctively crescent-shaped caudal fin, a long, conical snout, large black eyes and razor-sharp, blade-like teeth. The upper body is a brilliant metallic blue, while the underside is snow-white, with older, larger specimens tending to be darker with reduced white areas. Juveniles are therefore generally paler than adults, and also differ by possessing a clear black mark on the tip of their snout. The shortfin mako can be distinguished from the only other mako shark, the longfin mako (Isurus paucus), not only by having shorter pectoral fins, but also by the white colouration on the underside of the snout and around the mouth, which is darkly pigmented in the longfin mako.

Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River, Arizona, USA

Horseshoe Bend is a picturesque horseshoe-shaped turn in the Colorado River, just South of the town of Page, Arizona. Visitors can reach Horseshoe Bend by taking a short 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) hike off US Route 89 to an overlook 1,000 feet (405 meters) above the river. Horseshoe Bend is part of Glen Canyon, which was carved by the Colorado River over a period of 5 million years. Glen Canyon is also home to the beautiful Lake Powell. Horseshoe Bend is popular with photographers and tourists who seek the beautiful canyon scenery.

Eden National Park – Great Sculpt of England

Eden National Park

Eden National Park is a mountain resort which exists at 3000 feet above the sea level. Most of the area in the National Park is man – made! It is a great sculpt that point towards the fact that man can re – create the nature and rebuilt the environment. This was exposed in the days of 1971. The resort was a logged area that was covered by the thick blanket of the wild grass. The main aim of building this resort was to restore the nature and its beauty. As soon as the roof of this resort was constructed out of the mountain slope thousands of seedlings of the pine tree was planted. As the pine grew it created high canopies which permitted other trees and plants in their growth. This led to the formation of a secondary forest. At present there are around 100000 pine trees that are prevalent in around 80 hectares of the park. The pine – trees offer a refreshing backdrop to the attraction spots of this National Park.

Nosy Iranja, Madagascar, Africa

Nosy Iranja is a small tropical island located off the Northwestern coast of Madagascar, 45km (28 miles) South of Nosy Be, a slightly larger and more popular island. Nosy Iranja consists of two islands that are connected by a bank of white sand only visible at low tide, but can still be traversed at high tide. Nosy Iranja is emerging as a popular tourist destination in Madagascar due to the idyllic white sand beaches and the excellent diving and snorkeling that can be had there. Visitors also come for the interesting wildlife, including green and hawksbill sea turtles, large coconut crabs, and many varieties of bird life.

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Once a backpacker’s secret, Thailand’s Phi Phi islands exploded onto the tourist map after the release of The Beach, a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio that was filmed on one of the islands. Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Lee are located between the island of Phuket and mainland Thailand off the West coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Ko Phi Phi Don is the larger of the two islands and is home to permanent residents and a myriad of accommodations for tourists. Ko Phi Phi Lee has spectacular white sand beaches and can be visited by boat only, with trips leaving from the larger island throughout the day. Visitors can enjoy diving, snorkeling and kayaking in the waters off both islands.

Ibiza, Spain

Nestled in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain, Ibiza is a stunningly beautiful island paradise. Known for its gorgeous white sand beaches and lively nightclubs. The three largest cities on the island are Ibiza Town (also called Vila), Santa Eulària des Riu, and Sant Antoni de Portmany. Ibiza isn’t all partying though, it is also home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Benirràs Bay’s “God’s Finger”. After checking out the tourist stops, most visitors opt to sunbathe on the beautiful beaches before hitting the towns for all night clubbing.