Great Barrier Reef

     One of Australia's most remarkable natural gifts, the Great Barrier Reef is blessed with the breathtaking beauty of the world's largest coral reef. The reef contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays and literally hundreds of picturesque tropical islands with some of the worlds most beautiful sun-soaked, golden beaches.

     The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. This reef supports a wide diversity of life, and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labeled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

 

                                                                           

Source: http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef

            http://www.oceanleadership.org/2009/outlook-poor-for-great-barrier-reef/

            http://www.australiatravelonline.net/australia-destinations/australia-beaches-islands/great-barrier-reef-eden-of-underwater-world/418/

Phi Phi Islands

     The Phi Phi Islands are located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Andaman Sea coast of the mainland. The islands are administratively part of Krabi province. Ko Phi Phi Don ("ko" (Thai: เกาะ) meaning "island" in the Thai language) is the largest island of the group, and is the only island with permanent inhabitants, although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Lee (or "Ko Phi Phi Leh"), are visited by many people as well. The island consists of a ring of steep limestone hills surrounding a shallow bay, the Maya Bay.

    

     Maya Bay has become the main tourist attraction of Phi Phi since The Beach was filmed here in 1999. It was always very popular before the film but now people around the world who haven't even heard of Phi Phi have certainly heard of Maya Bay. According to the Lonely Planet's Thailand guidebook, the 2004 tsunami dramatically improved the look of Maya Bay. This was due to the fact that the high waves had cleaned up the beach and removed all the landscaping the Fox production team had added.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Phi_Islands
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ao_Maya
            http://www.phiphi.phuket.com/beaches/maya-bay.htm
            http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/2473722
            http://www.ko-phi-phi-don.com/

Gullfoss

     Gullfoss (The Golden waterfall) is a waterfall located in the canyon of Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. It is Iceland's most famous waterfall, and one of the natural wonders of the world. Gullfoss is actually two separate waterfalls, the upper one has a drop of 11 metres and the lower one 21 metres and also by far Europe’s most powerful waterfall. On a sunlit day, the mist clouds surrounding the hammering falls are filled with dozens of rainbows, providing an unparalleled spectacle of color and motion. Gullfoss appears on the cover of the album Porcupine by the British band Echo and the Bunnymen.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullfoss
             http://www.vulkaner.no/n/gullfoss/egullfoss.html

The Plitvice Lakes National Park

     The Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia's most popular tourist attraction, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. Located roughly halfway between capital city Zagreb and Zadar on the coast, the lakes are definitely a must-see.

     The beauty of the National Park lies in its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species.  The National Park covers a total area of 300 square kilometres, whilst the lakes join together over a distance of eight kilometres.

     Plitvice lakes are recognized as an astonishing natural monument for the benefit and enjoyment of the people now and for the generations to come. Today, 60 years after its establishment, Plitvice Park continues to provide inspiration for visitors becoming nowadays one of Croatia's biggest attractions. Thousands of people from all over the world visit the Park during summer. They come to find peace and relaxation just to experience something different as a getaway from the city.

Source: http://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/plitvicelakes/

             http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en/index.php

             http://www.widerange.org/photo/plitvice-waterfalls-croatia/

             http://www.adventure-travel.org.uk/EUROPE/plitvice.php

World's Best Cities

Bangkok named World’s Best City 2010 by leading travel magazine

  

     NEW YORK, July 22 (TNA) - Representing Thailand’s capital and receiving an award naming the Thai capital by Travel + Leisure magazine as the World’s Best City 2010 in a survey conducted among its readers. Ranked top in both the World and Asia, scoring 90.30, Bangkok shot to the top of the reader survey based on an earlier time frame, followed by Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai. Thailand’s Samui Island and Phuket Island in the South were ranked fourth and the fifth respectively among Best Islands in Asia.

Top 10 Cities:

Rank                  Name       
                                    
1                        Bangkok                                                

2                        Chiang Mai                                            

3                        Florence
                                              
4                        San Miguel de Allende, Mexico          

5                        Rome                                                     

6                        Sydney                                                 

7                        Buenos Aires                                       

8                        Oaxaca, Mexico                                   

9                        Barcelona                                             

10                      New York City                                     

 Source: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/07/22/    

              http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2010/cities

Top 10 bungee jump destinations

1. Ledge Urban Bungee, Queenstown NZ
    Queenstown offers a perfect combination of wild adventures and serene beauty. The Ledge Urban site is known for its unique runaway jumping style. It has a height of about 47m.

2. Graskop Gorge, South Africa
    As a potential bungee jumping site, Graskop Gorge offers you a peerless freefall from a height of 18-19 stories of Freefall slide.

   

3. Alta Vila Tower, Brazil

    The Alta Vila Tower of Nova Lima attracts site seers and bungee jumpers alike since it commands a breathtaking view of the mountain-surrounded Belo Horizonte. It has a height of 71 meters.

4. Corinth Canal, Greece

    The Corinth Canal works as a connector between mainland Greece and the Peloponnese. If you like to plunge down to the canal’s depth, just take a bungee jump from the bridge which is 79m high.

5. Pont de Ponsonnas, France

    If you deem suspension bridges as the most exciting bungee jumping spots, this is something you can positively rave about. Pont de Ponsonnas Bridge has a height of more than a 100m.

6. Navajo Bridges, USA

    Navajo Bridge of Marble Canyon spans across the Colorado River right over the Grand Canyon. The autumnal beauty of its natural setting makes it a lovelybungee jumping spot.

7. Perrine Bridge, USA

    You do not need a permit for year round bungee jumping from this bridge connecting the Twin Falls area to the Jerome County. You can find several BASE jumping compeers to share the excitement.

8. Bloukrans Bridge, South Africa

    This unique highest single span arch bridge adds much to the giddy raptures of bungee jumping. It is the highest commercial bungee jumping venue internationally with a height of 216 m.

9. Macau Tower, China

    This 338 m tall tower holds the provisions for an observation deck for relaxing as well as for undertaking daring sports like bungee jumping or ’sky jumping’. It counts among one of the giddiest entertainments that Macau has to offer to its visitors and locals.

10. Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge, USA

     Hanging above the Arkansas River, this suspended bridge is an all-time favorite bungee-jumping spot because of its amazing height of 321 m.

Source: http://www.toptenthailand.com/display.php?id=772

2010 World Heritage

The New Mixed Site:

1. Papahānaumokuākea, United States of America.

    Papahānaumokuākea is a vast and isolated linear cluster of small, low lying islands and atolls, with their surrounding ocean, roughly 250 km to the northwest of the main Hawaiian Archipelago and extending over some 1931 km. The area has deep cosmological and traditional significance for living Native Hawaiian culture, as an ancestral environment, as an embodiment of the Hawaiian concept of kinship between people and the natural world, and as the place where it is believed that life originates and to where the spirits return after death. On two of the islands, Nihoa and Makumanamana, there are archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement and use. Much of the monument is made up of pelagic and deepwater habitats, with notable features such as seamounts and submerged banks, extensive coral reefs and lagoons. It is one of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world.

Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1326