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

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

Retezat National Park in Romania, Hunedoara

 Romania - Hunedoara  Comments Off
Jun 052013
 

Introduction :
The Retezat National Park is located in the Hunedoara County of Romania in the Retezat Mountains near the city of Lupeni. Measuring over 380 square kilometres in area, the Retezat National Park is known for its glacier lakes that includes as many as 80 within the park with the biggest lake being the Bucara Lake and the deepest being the Zanoaga Lake. The park was often nominated as one of the seven natural wonders of Romania due to its expectional scenic beauty and was included in the international network of biosphere reserve of UNESCO in 1979. The park also shelters one of Europe’s last remaining primeval forest and largest single area of pristine forest in the continent.

Aerial view of the Retezat National Park and mountains
Aerial view of the Retezat National Park and mountains

The Bucara Lake is the largest glacier lake among the 80 lakes in the park
The Bucara Lake is the largest glacier lake among the 80 lakes in the park

Camping site near the Bucara Lake
Camping site near the Bucara Lake

History :
The Retezat National Park was first created in 1935 when the Romanian Government set aside an area of the Retezat Mountains to create the first ever national park in the country. In 1979, it was included into the international network of biosphere reserve in the Man and Bioshpere program of UNESCO before the national park was formally establish in 2000.

Beautiful flowers complement the scenic national park
Beautiful flowers add further compliment to the scenic national park

The Lolaia Waterfalls located at the north of the park
The Lolaia Waterfalls located at the north of the park

One of the last remaining intact primeval forest in Europe
One of the last remaining intact primeval forest in Europe

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Retezak National Park is the Sibiu International Airport which is about 182 km away from the park which takes about 3 hours by car or bus to reach the destination.

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