Similar to the man-made “world wonders”, various natural phenomena such as the Grand Canyon in the United States or the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia are sometimes referred to as such, many of which are also unesco World Heritage Sites. The New7Wonders Project conducted a worldwide survey from 2007-2011, in which more than 600 million participants from all over the world voted for the most beautiful natural wonders. The following 7 wonders of nature, of which we have seen 5 so far, have won 🙂
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The Amazon in South America
During our world tour we also did a 4-day tour of the Amazon in Brazil. The Amazon is a gigantic river system in northern South America and by far the most water-rich river in the world. A total of 20 of the world’s fresh water can be found there. The amazon’s headwaters rise mostly at an altitude of 5,000 meters in the Peruvian Andes and then flow 6,400 kilometers into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon region is much larger than the area of Europe and, according to the latest estimates, consists of around 100,000 tributaries.
Our travel oints: The Amazon in Brazil
Table Mountain in South Africa
The 1,087-metre-high Table Mountain in Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town is one of the most visited tourist attractions in South Africa. In addition to many hiking trails with different levels of difficulty, there has also been a cable car (Table Mountain Aerial Cableway) on the mountain plateau since 1929. Table Mountain is about 430 million years old and its present appearance is the result of wind and water erosion. The Massif of Table Mountain also includes Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill and the Mounts of the Twelve Apostles.
Our travelogue: Table Mountain in Cape Town
Komodo National Park in Indonesia
The Komodo National Park in Indonesia includes the three larger islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous other smaller islands. The park was originally founded in 1980 to protect the Komodowarans living there and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the meantime, however, the entire flora and fauna as well as the underwater world is protected. We visited the island of Rinca and the Komodowarane in May 2016 and also explored the absolutely fabulous underwater world in several dives off Angel Island.
Our travel ointtomy: The Komodo National Park
The Iguazu Waterfalls in South America
During our trip around the world, we visited the Iguazu waterfalls in South America, which are located in the Argentine National Park “Iguaza” as well as in the Brazilian National Park “Iguau” and are over a width of almost 3 kilometers. They consist of 20 larger waterfalls and over 250 smaller waterfalls, some of which are up to 82 metres high. The cases are separated by several larger and smaller islands.
Our travel ointies: The Iguazu waterfalls
The Halong Bay in Vietnam
During our world tour and also in 2019 we visited Halong Bay in Vietnam. Halong Bay consists of 1969 limestone rocks, which extend over an area of 1,500 km2 in the north of the country and sometimes rise several hundred meters from the water. The name (Vénh H’Long) means “Bay of the Diving Dragon”. The bay has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
Our travel oints: The Halong Bay
Puerto Princesa National Park in the Philippines
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located on the north coast of Palawan Island in the western part of the Philippines. It was founded in 1971 and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. Its incredible biodiversity and the underground navigable Sabang River make it one of the most popular attractions in the Philippines.
Location in Google Maps: The Puerto Princesa National ParkThe volcanic island of Jejudo in South Korea
The volcanic island of Jejudo is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site in South Korea. The World Heritage Site includes three natural objects on the volcanic island of Jejudo: the Hallasan volcano in the centre of the island, the Geomunoreum lava tube system in the northeast and the seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone lying offshore in the sea.
Location in Google Maps: The volcanic island of Jejudo