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Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park in vietnam, Quang Binh

 Vietnam - Quang Binh  Comments Off
Aug 202013
 

Introduction :
The Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts of Quang Binh province in Vietnam. The national park is home to a limestone zone of more than 2000 square kilometres and was created to protect one of the largest karst regions in the world with 300 craves and grottoes and the ecosystem of the limestone forest. The world’s largest cave was discovered in 2009 located in the national park with a depth of 150m and a length of almost 9 kilometres.

Aerial view of the national park
Aerial view of the national park

Entrance to the mouth of the world largest cave
Entrance to the mouth of the world largest cave
Image attribution to Kajisagook @ Flickr

Scenery around the park
Scenery around the park
Image attribution to martinunsal @ Flickr

History :
The karst in the national park was evolved since some 400 million years ago and is the oldest karst area in the whole of Asia. Massive tectonic changes results in 5 stages of Earth crust development and movement in the area. Inscriptions discovered in the late 19th century of the Champa people which was a Hindu Kingdom craved on altars in the caves shows that it was inhabited long before the area became part of Vietnam.

Inside the paradise cave
Inside the paradise cave
Image attribution to mrandmrsbackpacker @ Flickr

Beautiful waters around the cave
Beautiful waters around the cave

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the attraction is the Dong Hoi Airport (VDH) which is mainly served by the Vietnamese airport and is approximately 50 km away from the Phon Nha Ke Bang National Park

Crescent Lake of Dunhuang in China, Gansu

 China - Gansu  Comments Off
Jul 262013
 

Introduction :
The Crescent Lake is located near the city of Dunhuang in the province of Gansu in China which offers a unique oasis in the desert with a pavilion built beside it. It is a popular place with tourists with its unique beauty that lies after tiers of lofty sand-hills known as the Echoing Sands Mountains and the combination is often regarded by many as a natural wonder of the Gobi Desert with a helicopter view that looks like a crescent falling down on the desert.

Aerial view of the gorge
Full view of the crescent lake and the pavilion behind

Closer look at the lake
Closer look at the lake

Reflection of the pavilion on the waters
Reflection of the pavilion on the waters
Image attribution to black lava @ Flickr

History :
Reports has it that the Crescent Lake has been in existence for more than 2000 years, however it has been gradually disappearing due to sandstorm attacks in the Gobi Desert. In 2006, the local government in Gansu started a project to fill the lake and restore its depth to the original level.

Reflection of the pavilion on the waters
Helicopter view of the fallen crescent on the Gobi Desert

Reflection of the pavilion on the waters
Waters around the lake

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the attraction is the Dunhuang Airport(DNH) which serves the city of Dunhuang and the Crescent Lake is only around 4km south of the city.

 Posted by at 2:32 pm

Verdon Gorge in France, Alpes de Haute

 France - Alpes de Haute  Comments Off
Jul 112013
 

The Verdon Gorge is one of the world’s most beautiful gorges located in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region of Southern France and is often described as France’s answer to the Grand Canyon. The Verdon gorge measures about 25 km long and up to 700 metres deep formed by the Verdon River. The turquoise-green colour waters of the canyon is its most distinguishing features where the most beautiful part lies between Castellane and Mounstiers Sainte Marie. The Verdon Gorge is considered by many to be the ost beautiful gorge in Europe and is popular with tourists who drive around its rims or rent kayaks and hike on the limestone walls around the gorge.

The beautiful waters of the Verdon Gorge is the main attraction
The beautiful waters of the Verdon Gorge is the main attraction
Image attribution to Dave Fisher @ Flickr

Aerial view of the gorge
Aerial view of the gorge
Image attribution to ravpix @ Flickr

Bridge at the Verdon Gorge
Bridge at the Verdon Gorge
Image attribution to anchorage @ Flickr

The Verdon Gorge gateway entrance
The Verdon Gorge gateway entrance
Image attribution to Joseph Plotz @ Wiki

History :
The Verdon Gorge was also known as a real natural musuem of primitive man where hundreds of artifacts over 400,000 years old were unearth in the Grotte de la Baume Bonne and a modern Museum of Prehistory was erected near the gorge in 2001. The Verdon Gorge was largely unknown to the outside world until 1906 when speleogist Edoouard Alfred Martel did a complete exploration of the gorges during a 3 day expedition which is known as the Martel trail and still used today between Point Sublime to La Maline

Entrance of the gorge as seen from the Bridge of Galetas
Entrance of the gorge as seen from the Bridge of Galetas
Image attribution to Benh @ Wiki

Rock folds near the gorge
Rock folds near the gorge
Image attribution to Ballista @ Wiki

The Dam of Sainte Croix
The Dam of Sainte Croix
Image attribution to Rikly @ Wiki

Getting there :
The nearest international airport to the Verdon Gorge is the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport which is around a 2 hours drive away from the attraction

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