Exploring
PLACES OF WONDER
The Padirac Chasm (Cave) is one of the most impressive natural wonders of France and although it is widely visited by the French themselves, it remains little known outside of the country.
Yehliu Geopark is an area of outstanding geological importance and is famous for its concentration of curious rock formations rarely found together anywhere else in the world. The park itself is almost entirely located on a small peninsula that juts a little over a mile into the sea. It’s located on the north coast of Taiwan near to the town of Wanli and around 21 miles, by road, from the capital city Taipei.
Perched on the edge a mountain cliff and divided in two by a spectacular gorge, is the small but ancient city of Ronda. Located in the Andalusia region of Spain, the area near Ronda was first settled in prehistoric times and the rock paintings of Cueva de la Pileta have been dated to the Neolithic period with some identified as being around 20,000 years old.
Located just off the coast of Biscay, in the Basque region of Spain, is the exceptional islet of Gaztelugatxe crowned by the hermitage of Gaztelugatxeko Doniene. The island is beautiful, the setting inspiring but what makes this place so special is the incredible walkway and stairs that take visitors from the mainland to the hermitage.
The Māoris were the first to find the strangely spherical Moeraki Boulders of Koekohe Beach and believed that they could be the eel baskets, calabashes and kumara washed ashore from the wreck of Arai-te-uru.
High above Lake Ringedalsvatnet a piece of rock extends out over the waters far below like the tongue of some giant beast – which has earned it the name ‘Troll’s Tongue’ or Trolltunga in Norwegian.
Pamukkale in the southwestern Anatolia region of Turkey is the finest example of cascading travertine pools anywhere in the world. In Turkish ‘Pamukkale’, translates as “cotton castle” but was originally known as Hierapolis – the sacred city and holy pools.
Located just south of the village of Dibab in the Muscat governorate of Oman and about 580 metres inland from the sea is the Bimmah Sinkhole and hidden lake.