Things you must do before you die!
These are the places that you must see, the things you must do, & the
things you must experience at least once in your lifetime.
Go dog sledding through the last frontier,
Alaska
"The Last Frontier", Alaska is 650,000 square miles of isolated tranquility.
While having a sparse human population, Alaska has a vivid wildlife residency,
with everything from Kodiak Bears to Bald Eagles & a beautiful landscape to
boot. If you're looking for a truly unique experience try taking a dogsledding
adventure through the wilderness. It'll provide you with ample opportunities to
get in touch with your "inner self", & probably provide you with an Aurora
Borealis sighting or two as well. May companies offer trips ranging from
anywhere between a few hours to a week.
Explore the Sahara Desert in Algeria
While the ravages of civil war have taken Algeria off most people's travel
itineraries, there are still considerable reasons to visit. One of the
best location's to visit in the nation is the Tassili n'Ajjer National
Park in the southeast of the country. The park is home to a mountain range
whose sandstone composition has resulted in some of the world's more
stunning rock formations. Several eco-tourism operators offer trips
through the Algerian interior & it's worth going on an organized tour if
coming to the country.
Visit the frozen continent of Antarctica
This is the least explored place on earth, & with good reason, it's hard
to get to! It is however definitely worth it. Icebergs protrude on the
landscape & penguins dot the scenery in colonies larger than your
hometown. The most common way to get to Antarctica is to take a cruise
from the nearby countries of Argentina or Chile. There are several
different types of cruise, one could take the large luxury cruise liner,
however most of these don't offer the ability for their passengers to
actually go onto the continent's shore. The other type is an expedition
cruise, these are for the more adventurous (and the more splurging) at
heart, with many of these ships offering the ability to camp overnite on
the frozen continent. There is also a somewhat new ability to fly charter
planes to the continent's interior.
Put on your safari hat in the Okavango Delta,
Botswana
Botswana is nourished and well preserved by mother nature. Boasting one of the
world's most sound & protective environmental policy. Botswana has geared itself
to the upmarket eco-tourist in an effort to reduce impact on the wildlife, but
bring much needed financial resources to the nation. The Okavango Delta region
in the north of the country is particularly well known for its animal diversity with big names such as,
Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes, & every other possible
African animal you could imagine. There's nothing quite like staying in a
luxurious 5-star lodge surrounded by the planet's most beautiful wildlife.
Get lost in the Amazon before they cut it down,
Brazil
The world's largest rainforest, the Amazon has the world's highest diversity of birds & freshwater fish., it
spans the borders of eight countries, & one third of the world's animal species
call it their home. However despite its beauty & necessity to this planet's
environmental security, logging persists at an almost unchecked rate. The Amazon
has lost an area the size of Greece over the last five years alone. Yet another
of earth's longstanding pillars made fragile by the hand of man. This only makes
environmentally friendly tourism to the region even more imperative. People need
to understand that the quick buck from deforestation doesn't compare to the long
term viability of sustainable tourism. One of the more popular ways of touring
in the Amazon is to take boats down the Amazon River, & even luxury cruise
liners make the trip up the river to Manaus.
See humanity at its worst at the Killing Fields in
Cambodia
A long time ago (the 1970's) an entire country's population was
terrorized by starvations, work camps, & mass executions while the world
stood idly by. The Khmer Rouge regime ruled Cambodia for a short time in
the 1970's, & their attempts at forming a Communist peasant farming
society resulted in the deaths of 25% of the nation's population, & turned
Phnom Penh into a literal ghost town. Things are much changed since then
but the solemnity of the killing fields remains the same. A shady piece of
land on the outskirts of Phnom Penh where so many countless thousands
found their end. Not much is left there today, but a visit to the site
might change your perspective on the inherent good of humanity.
See the pandas in their natural habitat in
Sichuan,
China
In the over populated ever expanding country of China, Sichuan is one of the few
wildlife refuges. Stamping ground to over 80% of the world's Giant Pandas, it is
also the botanically richest site of any temperate region in the world. At the
moment the site is still a little hard to get to, it's located near the city of
Chengdu, but future development plans
are in the works to make it tourist friendly while retaining its ecologically
sound state. River rafting, rock-climbing and bungee-jumping are all things in
the lineup.
See the apes before they go extinct in the
Congo
A volatile nation distraught with civil war may not seem too high on
your list of places to visit, but the Congo does have a few things going for it,
namely it's being home to the world's largest population of Lowland Gorillas, &
is one of only three countries to house the captivating Mountain Gorilla.
However with only an estimated 750 left in existence you'd be wise to visit
soon. If only the country could manage to make its civil war a little less
bothersome.
Contemplate evolution in the
Galapagos Islands,
Ecuador
Located over 600 miles west of the South American continent this small island
chain is one of the world's most beautiful & unique destinations. Sporting a
diverse & un-encroached wildlife the Galapagos Islands were the setting in which
geologist Charles Darwin found himself immersed when he developed his theory of
evolution. He had noticed that the plant & animal life of the islands were
unique from any other he had seen, & that they seem adapted to the local
environment. Home to Green Sea Turtles, Sea Lions, & the iconic Galapagos Land
Iguana. Tourism to the islands is quite difficult however, with an annual
imposed cap of 60,000 visitors. The majority of whom come by cruise ship from
Ecuador. It's not cheap, but if you have the resources, it's worth it.
Touch the Pyramids at
Giza,
Egypt
It's obvious that the pyramids at Giza would make this list. The last
surviving ancient wonder they continue to amaze today over 6000 years
after their construction. Built as burial chambers for Egyptian kings,
they dominate the horizon & serve as a unique setting for a sunset camel
ride or anything of the sort. If you'd like more information on travelling
in Egypt take a look at my
Egyptian Travelogue.
Walk through the Valley of the Kings at
Luxor,
Egypt
The Valley of the Kings is famous for its burial chambers of ancient
Egyptian kings, including the most famous of them all King Tutankhamun (AKA King Tut). The layout of the place is
more or less how its name implies, it's a valley with dozens of underground
walkways branching off to the burial chambers. Once inside one of the chambers you can expect a long narrow
corridor accompanied by a low ceiling leading down into the centre where there's
an expanse of space & generally the king's sarcophagus. It's a unique experience
to say the least, walking down a dimly lit path, the walls covered in
hieroglyphics. Some of the chambers even had built in booby traps such as large
drop-offs on the pathway. If you'd like more information on travelling in Egypt
take a look at my
Egyptian Travelogue.
See the ice fields before they melt in
Greenland
With global warming breathing down our necks it's time to start thinking
ahead, so act quickly as this may be your one chance to see the ice sheet
before they're gone. Two miles thick & broad enough to blanket an area the
size of Mexico, Greenland's ice fields shape the world weather. Snow that
fell a quarter of a million years ago is still preserved, if the ice sheet
melts as its predicted to do in the future sea levels could rise as much
as 21 feet. One of the best ways to see the ice fields of Greenland is to
take a helicopter tour from the more temperate coast.
Watch a volcano erupt on the
Big Island
in Hawaii
It's not everyday that someone gets to safely observe a volcano erupt, &
Mount Kilauea offers the best chance to do so, having been in a continuous
state of eruption since 1983. Part of a series of volcanoes on the
big island that have over time formed the island in its entirety. The
volcano today is a large part of the island's tourism industry, with their
being everything from helicopter tours to walking trails up to its crust.
Go to a coffee shop in
Amsterdam,
Holland
There aren't many places in the world where one can legally use
marijuana let alone order it at specialized cafes, Amsterdam is the one
place. Home to the world's most lenient drug laws, & lenient laws on
just about everything else, Amsterdam is also one of the world's most
beautiful cities.
Visit the 8th continent,
Madagascar
Often referred to as the "eighth continent" in reference to the island's
break from Africa sometime around 160 million years ago. Madagascar is now home
to one of the world's more diverse eco-systems, housing 100% of the world's
lemurs. It's long absence from a continental body has allowed an entirely unique
set of animal & plant life to develop, making it definitely worth a visit.
Tropical rainforests litter the island, & unspoiled beaches dot the coast, the
easiest way to reach Madagascar is by flight from either South Africa or France.
Seeing as the island was a French colony, there are regular flights from Paris
to its capital of Antananarivo.
See the polar bears strut their stuff in
Churchill,
Manitoba
In the far north of Canada, on the Hudson's western shores lies the world's
largest Polar Bear denning area. Visitors to the region take tundra buggies over
the frozen ice for the chance to view polar bears in their natural habitat, many
mothers with young cubs, usually seen in close proximity to the vehicles. To top
all that off Churchill is one of Canada's best place to observe the Northern
Lights. Fall is the time to visit, as its when the bears are returning to the
ice after the summer, it's also the best time to observe the lights. VIA Rail,
Canada's national rail line offers trains to Churchill from Winnipeg on a
regular basis.
Witness the sights, smells, & sounds of
Marrakech in
Morocco
A beautiful city built in true Saadian style, one could say Marrakech is
the most beautiful city in all of North Africa. Marrakech's focal point is
the Jemaa El-Fna square. It's a large open space in the day,
filled with fruit stands selling cheap orange juice, & everything else from
snake charmers to story tellers. At nite however the area transforms with dozens
upon dozens of food stalls being set up offering seating & all kinds of food
dishes. The rest of the city has an understated beauty, the smell of spices, &
bazaars selling everything you could ever want. Towards the southern end of the
medina is Palace el-Badi, which was reputed to be one of the most beautiful
palaces in the world when it was first constructed in the 16th century. If
you'd like more information on travelling in Morocco take a look at my
Moroccan Travelogue.
Get married in
Las Vegas,
Nevada
It's something everyone has done at least once, okay maybe not but
Britney Spears did it once & that has to mean something. No wait, it
doesn't, & that's exactly the point. A marriage in Las Vegas is meant to
be cheap & frivolous, that's the fun part! Unfortunately the city no
longer issues marriage licences 24 hours a day, but there are still plenty
of other hours in the day to get a licence & get hitched at a chapel with
the Elvis package.
Go swimming in the world's deepest lake, Lake Baikal,
Russia
Located in Siberia, Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world with
its depth stretching over one mile below the surface, over one-fifth of
the world's freshwater is housed in this lake. Lake Baikal is also the
world's oldest lake, & it's isolated location has led to its being known
as the 'Galapagos of Russia' due to its unusual freshwater fauna. The lake
is also a great place for swimming during those short but hot Siberian
summers. The most popular way to access the lake is by the Trans-Siberian
Railway which makes a scenic loop around the lake.
Set your watch to 'Old Faithful' at
Yellowstone,
Wyoming
The world's first national park, having been inaugurated in 1872, the
park is the focal point of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest
intact ecosystem in the Northern Hemisphere. Its local occupancy includes
Gray Wolves, Bison, Grizzly Bears, & almost 60 other mammals. One of the
more popular settings to make this assemblage, Yellowstone has been an
American family road trip tradition since the invention of the automobile
with at least two million visitors to the park every year. One of the
park's true highlights is the geyser 'Old Faithful', one eruption can
shoot 8,000 gallons of boiling water 180 feet into the air.
Article written in whole by Dakota Smith
