Posts Tagged ‘wildlife’
Ideas For African Vacations
There are many destinations and adventures that await with African vacations. Africa in probably the most diverse continent for variations in wildlife, bird species, and cultures in the world, the second being Australia and New Zealand. Here the continent of Africa has devoted vast tracks of land to National Parks, and wildlife preserves, with some of these being as large if not bigger than Texas and Alaska. Countries such as Botswana, Tanzani, South Africa, and Kenya, devoting their time and efforts to the conservation and preservation of wildlife. There are many different endangered and threatened species that owe their salvation to these people.
You can find many different types of African Vacations to choose from. There are adventures in Egypt, where you can experience not only the Great Pyramids, but also travel down the Nile, as well as many other sites in this country. There are African Safaris of all different kinds, with guided adventures through some of this continents most beautiful wonders. You can participate in an Eco-safari, where you can not only see much of the wildlife, but also have a once in a life time opportunity to live and learn about native tribes, their everyday activities, culture, and hopes and dreams. There are other vacation opportunities, especially for those that like to get their hands dirty, working with local tribes and conservationists to improve and help develop preserves and National Parks.
There are so many different parks and preserves that you could take many African vacations and not see them all. There are over a dozen in Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa alone, and measures are being taken to connect some smaller park systems into Transcontinental parks, breaking down barriers, and adding connecting corridors to link them together. Even now, there are vacation opportunities for tours through these parks, both that you can do in a vehicle on your own, or by guides who are natives to the area. There are even some centers that have reopened their doors, allowing tourists a chance to see some of the most elusive endangered animals up close and personal.
Tourist Places of Kerala
Kerala, no doubt, is one of the most vibrant states of India. It has almost everything that a traveler needs- hills, sea, culture, rivers, tradition, wildlife, delicious ethnic cuisines and what not!
However, let’s throw some light on the best tourist places of Kerala:
Trivandrum: This is the capital city of Kerala and it represents the entire state in a capsule form. It is otherwise known as Thiruvananthpuram. The city is a coffer of museums, heritage sites and temples. The places to visit are- Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Napier Museum, Shree Chitra Art Gallery, The Zoological Park, Shanghumukham Beach and so on.
Munnar: It is one of the most sought after hill stations of South India. Located at a height of at a height of 1600 m from sea level, Munnar has the history of being the summer capital of the British in this region of India. Known for its breath taking natural beauty, Munnar is home to the highest peak in South India- Anamudi. It is also famous for its tea plantations.
Alleppy: Also known as Alappuzha, Alleppy is basically held high for the back water that is something exclusive to Kerala. This also has earned it the sobriquet- Venice of The East. Here, you can enjoy a house boat ride along the water canals and explore nature and culture alike. Don’t miss out on Kuttanad also known as the Rice bowl of Kerala, because it is one of the rare places on earth where farming is done well below the sea level!
Cochin: Another major tourist place in Kerala, Cochin is considered to be the commercial capital of Kerala. It is a natural harbour and is hailed as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. The major attractions in Cochin include- St.Francis Church, Mattancherry Palace, Jewish Synagogue, and Hill Palace Museum and so on. You can go out for excursions to places like Kalady, Athirapally Water Falls and Kodanad.
Tanzania's Most Rewarding Wildlife Parks
There is no other country in the world that can match Tanzania for its excellent combination of wildlife and scenery. It has well over 20 wildlife parks in total, each with its own unique characteristics, however narrowing down which ones to visit can be a tricky task. Here are a few of the parks which I think are most rewarding if you are visiting Tanzania for a safari holiday.
Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti is ultimately the best wildlife park in the world. It features many different types of surroundings, which are of course inhabited by a variety of different animals. The land can change within a matter of minutes worth of travelling – from swamp land, to the terrain which this park is most famous for, its long and endless flat plains. Big cats are commonly found when on safari in the Serengeti, and it would be unusual to visit this park without a lion sighting.
Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Crater is an old caldera which was the result of a 2+ million year old volcano collapsing in on itself. It makes the perfect location to preserve the wildlife inside the area – which are protected by 2,000 foot high walls. Ngorongoro is ultimately famous for sightings of the big 5 – something which is hard to come by in most other Tanzanian parks these days, but can be spotted in 1 trip to the crater floor.
Selous Game Reserve
Selous is a huge park, and is jam packed full of many varieties of wildlife. Its boundaries are said to be larger than the size of small countries, and it is filled up with beautiful scenery and lively wildlife. This is a park for people who want a real African adventure, and are travelling through remote bush areas, without a single other tourist in sight, and would like the spotting of wildlife to be a real challenge, and not just laid out on a plate for them.
A Safari in Tanzania
Tanzania, located on the Indian Ocean in East Africa, is known for Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa’s highest mountain) and also its famous game reserves. Tanzania, which is a very vast country, has amazing wildlife, most of which is contained within its’ national parks and game reserves.
If you want adventure, you should take your holiday at a Tanzanian safari. Safaris are full of adventure, and you can guarantee it will be an unforgettable experience for you, as Tanzania offers some of the best wildlife watching in the world.
In southern Tanzania, Selous Park has the highest diversity of wild and exotic wildlife. Selous is the largest reserve in Africa, with a land area of 55,000 square kilometers. The reserve is undeveloped, but Selous Park has a huge variety of game – including the largest single population of elephants. The reserve is crossed by the Rufiji River and there are numerous lakes making Selous an excellent location for boat safaris. The best time to visit for this is between June and February.
A premiere wildlife reserve in Tanzania is Serengeti National Park, which is the oldest game reserve in the area. The highlight of a safari in Serengeti National Park is the wildebeest migration, where up to a million of these animals cross the river to look for better grazing. You will see gorgeous lions, huge elephants, beautiful giraffes, unique zebras and much more. You might want to have lunch at the hippo pool, where you can eat with both hippos and the crocodiles – not at the same table though!
Costa Rica National Park Guide
Costa Rica has become an increasingly popular destination for people who want to experience the beauty that nature has to offer in this country. Although it has lost many of its forests, the government has made great efforts to protect its wilderness in the form of a huge system of national parks.
The park system encompasses 10.27% of the country while 17% more is dedicated to wildlife refuges, Indian reserves, forest reserves and “buffer zones”. The number of national parks include some 32 different locations. Included in these is around 75% of all the flora and fauna species found within Costa Rica, representing a great legacy.
Corcovado
This extensive park covering 425 km, provides a home to a wide variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and crabs. Within the crabs alone, there are 70 different varieties. Of the mammals, there are 50 different types of bats.
Other mammals represented are monkeys, sloths, anteaters, otters, raccoons, peccaries and several cats including jaguars, ocelots, jaguarandis, pumas and margays. Endangered species include Baird’s tapir, harpy eagles and squirrel monkeys. One reason that there is so much variety and great numbers of wildlife is because of the variety of plant life with a great variety of forests, as well as swamps and beaches. The beaches are well worth a visit all on their own.
The park is open to the public for both day trips as well as for camping in specified areas. Trails are numerous but care needs to be taken. On some, there are rivers to be crossed that can be dangerous if they are at high tide. Crocodiles and bull sharks can be found in some when the water is high. The currents in places as well can represent a danger.