Maandelijks archief: juli 2013

Wonderful Wednesday 17/7/2013

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Beantwoorden

Time for wonderful dreaming! Where would I want to be in the world coming fortnight?

Off to see The Great Migration from Tanzania into Kenya.

Photo taken by Thomson Safaris guest, Patti Sandoval, during her Signature Thomson Safari in October 2012Foto Thomson Safaris

One of the greatest spectacles in the natural world: the migration of over two million herbivores with about 200 000 zebra and 500 000 Thomson’s gazelle behind the main players… 1.5 million wildebeest!

Each year the troupes gather up their young and start their long trek from Tanzania’s Serengeti Plain, further north to Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. They follow the rain, in search of food and water. Their journey runs clockwise and the animals cover a distance of nearly 3000 kilometers.

wildebeestmigration2

One of the most spectacular sights is when the herds cross the Grumeti River (Tanzania) and the Mara River (Kenya) from July through September. Not without danger; crocodiles are lying quietly in the water waiting for the weak and feeble animals that can’t cope with the strong currents or lose their mothers.

A very tough journey.

Wonderful Wednesday is a biweekly  series of places, festivals, destinations, hikes, etc etc where I would like to be in the world the coming 14 days, if no restrictions would apply.

Wonderful Wednesday 3/7/2013

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Beantwoorden

Time for wonderful dreaming! Where would I want to be in the world coming fortnight?

Right now I want to escape the rain! Enough, let’s go to the driest place on earth:

Chile’s Atacama desert & San Pedro de Atacama.

on our way to Valle de LunaThe landscape is surreally beautiful. Red canyons, grassy gorges, bare volcanos, turquoise thermal lakes, lagoons and geysers. Yet some parts of the region have never received a drop of rain, or at least not as long as people have been keeping track of such things.

The small town of San Pedro de Atacama, population 2,500— attracts bohemian types to its funky adobe hotels and restaurants. They’ve been coming here for decades, looking for “unplugged” getaways before the term even existed. Recently luxury hotels have popped up for the well-heeled travelers seeking to combine adventure with scrumptious meals, swimming pools and spa treatments.

You can get there by flying to Calama in the North of Chile or by a spectacular bus ride across the Andes from Salta in Argentina. Crossing the border at 4200m is breathtaking (literally) as is the view along the ride.

Wonderful Wednesday is a biweekly  series of places, festivals, destinations, hikes, etc etc where I would like to be in the world the coming 14 days, if no restrictions would apply.