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Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar)
by catsholiday Anarafantsika National Park Ankarafantsika is one of the best examples of dry deciduous forest in Madagascar. We flew to Mahajanga, a port on the west coast of Madagascar where we were met by a guide and driver then we drove to the Sunny Hotel five minutes from the airport. The next day we were collected at 8 am and driven 2 ... hours inland along a reasonably good tarmac road to Ankarafantsika National Park next to the village of Ampijoroa where we stayed a night in the en-suite lakeside bungalow at Gite de Ampijoroa with all meals included. This National park is particularly known for its rare endemic birds such as the Madagascar Fish eagle which we saw when we were on our boat trip on the lake. The lake is also known for its population of Nile crocodiles and there is some evidence that the Madagascar Nile crocodile might actually be a slightly different species to that found on the continent of Africa. We did hear the local legend about the lake and saw the spot where a zebu is sacrificed every year. According to legend the King of a Sakalava tribe lost a battle to the king of the tribe from Antananarivo and rather than be made a slave he threw himself into the lake. The next day people saw a crocodile in the lake and so they believe the king was re-incarnated as a crocodile. In the lake are about forty crocodiles now and tilapia, Nile perch and carp. There are a number of heron types as well as a pair of sea eagles which we did see the next day. On our second day at 3pm we were taken for a walk along the road past all the village stalls and down to a small flat bottomed boat. This was a much more pleasant way of exploring the lake and we saw so much more that I really don't know why they walked us around it the previous day as we had three walks that day and two were in the heat of the day. On the boat trip was when we saw the sea eagles, the crocodiles and a number of water fowl and we also enjoyed a pleasant breeze and had a stool to sit on. Not too far from the lodge and within the National Park you can see three trees which are the tallest Baobabs in the world. They were enormous and certainly worth a visit. On the way to the Baobabs we passed other native trees one of which was a large raffia palm native to Madagascar that fruited only once in its life, strange sort of pine cone looking fruit from the outside but orange flesh and a large seed. Within the dry deciduous forest the most famous resident is Coquerel's sifakas which look like cuddly white teddy bears with brown fronts and arms and tops of their legs. Their heads are white and fluffy and their faces black. They are just beautiful and look at you with big round eyes and are totally irresistible. They leap from tree to tree with such speed and agility and are really quite tall when stretched out fully. Our guide pointed out the most amazing insects that looked like a sort of tree fungus until you shook the branch then they all moved around. Each individual insect looked like a small flower. They were called flaccid Leaf bugs and I have never seen anything quite like them before, they were weird. We saw them again at night when they all clumped together into one lump on the branch and looked like a white clump of small flowers. The guide told us that they change and became butterflies at some stage later in their life cycle. Within the lodge grounds there is a turtle and tortoise breeding program set up by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to preserve endangered species of Madagascan turtles and tortoises. We couldn't see much from the outside but it is nice to know that something is being done to preserve these lovely creatures. The park is also known for a great variety of bird life and while we staying there were two groups staying in the lodges looking at the birds and they all had the most enormous cameras and lenses they carted around with them. We were very lucky at we saw a number of the Vanga species including Vam Dam's Vanga, the Blue Vanga and another that I forget now. Our guide told us that the birdwatchers would be very jealous at the one we saw was number one on the list of ' Top Ten birds to see'. Our final walk was a night walk along the edge of the forested area and we saw a number of mouse lemurs, the Golden and the Grey mouse lemur as well as a Sportive Lemur all of which are nocturnal. The night sky was so clear that the stars were really beautiful. I am sure we could see the whole Milky Way. This walk was about an hour and a half and so we felt we had earned our beer that evening. This was another very special place with regard to animals that can only be seen in this one area. It was certainly worth the rather uncomfortable night in the hot and mosquito ridden lodge and the poor food to experience these fabulous animals. Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name. ©Catsholiday Read the complete review |
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Red Rock Canyon (USA)
by Novabug Back in 2007, I took the trip that I had been wanting to do since my teenage days, and finally got to see Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert. This, for a less-travelled person such as myself was a big deal, and one of my top ten the places to visit. I find the mixture of human indulgence and extravagance, set in the natural geological ... beauty of the american west a fascinating concept. Of course, I wanted to balance my trip with the bright lights of Vegas with the surrounding natural wonders, and one of the places I saw was Red Rock Canyon, just outside of Las Vegas itself. I have never wrote about my experiences here, so I thought this would be a good place to start as it served as a precursor to visiting the much more impressive Grand Canyon. These is my thoughts on this wonderful and unique area of the Mojave desert, Red Rock Canyon. --Rocks are Red, Sky's are Blue, Vegas is...Neon??-- After getting settled in to the surroundings of such an infamous city, looking for the many places to visit outside Las Vegas was a top priority, and the first area me and the girlfriend went to was Red Rock Canyon. Under the protection of the Bureau of Land Management, the Canyon is a National Conservation Area, and so cannot to built on or effected by it's neighbouring concrete and neon sideshow. The area spans nearly 200,000 acres, and has a striking red and orange colours to the landscape that can be seen clearly from the highway as you approach. Red Rock Canyon's history goes right back over 600 million years, and today is a visual masterpeice of geolocical formations interspersed with the native plants and wildlife of Nevada. The primary rocks and boulders that make up the area are a mixture of limestone, sandstone and petrified wood. Many of the mountains have names, such as the Calico Hills, and are signified by the red colours that runs through the landscape as a result of oxidisation and the development of natural compression to the Earth crust. This has created what is know as the Keystone Trust, a line of red, grey and sometimes yellow fault rock that produces a layered effect to the rocks, walls and ridges. This is quite amazing to see first hand, as is the wind sculpted Aztec Sandstone, a real physical demonstration of the power of the Earth's elements. Taking time to stop and stare, the contrast of the colourful landscape with the clear blue sky is a breathtaking, and is a beautiful picture painted only by the higher forces of nature. After being declared a protected area in the 1960's, mostly the area has been left unaltered, with the only additions of a small visitor centre, sporadic toilets and picnic tables, and a basic scenic roadway that follows the natural lines of the mountains. --Getting There and Prices-- Red Rock Canyon is approximately 24 miles from McCarran Airport, and from the centre of Las Vegas where many of the hotels are, is a rather direct route along Charlston Boulevard (Route 159) heading west out of the city centre. You will have to drive, as I'm not aware of any public transport passing Red Rock Canyon, apart from the more expensive coach excursions you can find in the hotels and tourist information places in Vegas. Along the way, there are several signposts to guide you to the canyon, and the primary entrance is clearly signed with a brown and red sign, set into rock and themed to match with the essence of the area. This takes you about 50 minutes to an hour to reach, so it's not a long drive. After you come off the highway, there is a small complex of payment kiosks which lead you onto the main Scenic loop road up to the visitor centre ran by the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association. I thought the prices here, for being so close to an affluent tourist attraction are very good. For a car to enter, no matter how many occupants is $7, and for this you get to see the museum and have the freedom of exploring the Canyon in your own time. For bikes and people walking it is $3 each. You can also buy an annual pass to the scenic loop for $30. After the entry prices however, the normal form is restored for the cost of refreshments and souvenirs for the typical tourist. This is expected and not a major headache, my bottle of Diet Coke cost me $3! The scenic loop road is open every day of the year with times changing slightly during the year. November to February - 6am to 5pm March - 6am to 7pm April to September - 6am to 8pm October - 6am to 7pm The visitor center is open daily from 8am to 4.30pm --Visitor Center and Facilities-- The visitor center building is a flat, modern but not outlandish design in natural colours of greys and browns. It doesn't stand out or spoil the views of the canyon, and creates a nice portal to what your person trail of exploration may contain. It has a generous car park, spaced with wooden rails and stone pathways. The roads here are tarmacked, but lead onto the rustic road style of the scenic loop. The doors and areas inside are wide and quite spacous, allowing for disabled access well. It's clean and well presented, and the displays of the history of the canyon are interesting, eye-catching and clear to read. One exhibit is a lovely dipiction of the four natural elements and how they have combined over the centuries to colour and shape the rocks of the canyon, this is all rather humbling and enjoyable to learn about. Their are also viewing areas from inside and outside, for photographs of the landscape to be taken, as well as an outside area focusing on the animals and plant life that can be found in the vicinity. Everything is very well presented, and really inspires you to go out into the canyon and find what you will. The toilet facilities inside the visitor center are clean, and take advantage of this, because once you are out into the canyon, the few toilets that are there are simple wooden shacks that sometimes are just holes in the ground. Modern and new buildings and areas are not common, thus keeping the park as natural as possible. Liquid refreshments are available from vending machines and the gift store, the latter being the only slightly congested part of the complex. Many books and guides are sold here, with a mixture of natural rock fragments and sometimes the typical tacky souvenirs like keychains and ornaments for sale, all at rather inflated, but predictable prices. The staff are knowledgeable and polite, and will gladly help you with information about hiking, climbing, horse-riding and camping activies the park provides. --A Red Rocky Road-- Setting off from the visitor center, armed with a guide map and drinks, we followed the road up to the first formation of rocks and immediately stopped to admire planet Earth's nature. There are designated stopping points all along the scenic loop, and it is really the form to stop here if you wish to have a wonder around, but you can stop on the loop anytime if you take care to park out of the way. The guide map can show you where to look, and what names the peaks and rocks have been given, and it's fun to identify these throughout your trip. Each time we stopped, I took it upon myself to do a little hiking and climbing up the more safer slopes and boulders. Apart from a few cut pathways leading into various formations and places of interest, its mainly been left for nature to take its course, so be wary of your constraints and physical ability. Not everyone can climb up onto a rather unsafe looking rock, so take care and be careful of what you choose to do, as a fall will hurt. A Lot. During my scampering around and scuttling up peaks like a kid in a playground, you can forget how awe-inspiring the surroundings are. The colours and patterns of the keystone thrust fault lines are amazing, and almost look like they have been painted onto the rocks, but no human artist could create such natural beauty. The size of some of the rocks and walls is surprising too, looking like small peaks from a distance and thinking "I want to climb that!", and getting there to discover to would be hard pushed to achieve that in a safe manner. At one point, I ran up a sloped ridge, which was rather hazardous with some sharp looking desert plants poking out of it, bush grasses and many cracks and crevices to get a foot stuck down. I came to the top, and looked out, and simply became a statue of Red Rock Canyon. The views are incredible, the horizon of red peaks against the barrenness of the Mojave and the perfect blue sky really do make you admire what our planet has to offer. You can also find the early human interaction with the canyon too, and chancing upon the petroglyph's carved into the sandstone by native Americans many years ago is yet another reminder of the history the canyon has to offer. After a brief picnic stop, we continued to follow the loop road, and at some points there are side roads leading off into other parts of the canyon. These are for off-road vehicles only, and you have to have permission to use them, so don't take your hired jalopy down one. Whilst exploring, some parts of the canyon are like a maze of rocks and flora, so be aware of where you parked and where the rest of your companions are. Keep and eye out to for any wildlife. A few cheeky lizards and jack-rabbits bouncing over the desert floor I personally spotted, but rattlesnakes can be hiding in some cracks, so be careful of this. Some of the formations have small freshwater pools and oasis's, and again bring an added beauty to the canyon, and the odd waterwall looks very temping in the desert heat indeed. After you have finally decided to leave and finish, which I assure you will be when you are exhausted, you can follow the loop road either back to the visitor center, or exit the canyon via re-joining the highway which you came in from. This exit is a few miles further away from Vegas, but gives you one last time to gaze at the canyon from afar, tipping a final nod to a wonderful place before returning to the madness of Las Vegas. --Conclusion-- I know a lot of people will travel to Las Vegas, solely wanting to experience to hustle and excitement of Sin City itself. This is also a great experience of course, but after witnessing a natural attraction like Red Rock Canyon, puts the fakery and self-importance of Vegas to shame. I would recommend wholeheartedly you visit Red Rock Canyon if you are staying in Vegas. It makes for a nice change from the bright lights and big money, and returns you to a more grounded view of what Nevada was all about. Take a camera, have a reliable car and remember to pack refreshments, and this trip makes a lovely day out to admire nature, and if you are going to visit the Grand Canyon too, makes it all the more impressive when you get there. Very good prices with all the bases covered for tourists, Red Rock Canyon is a terrific place to see and appreciate, with views that you won't forget in a hurry. For more information, visit - http://redrockcanyonlv.org/ Thanks For Reading. © Novabug Read the complete review |
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Mesa Verde National Park (USA)
by catsholiday Mesa Verde National Park, Utah This park covers a huge 52,000 acres of stunningly beautiful canyon country and is America's premier "archaeological wonder" and it was named by National Geographic's Traveller magazine as one of the fifty "Must see" places of a lifetime. This was America's first World ... Heritage Site and it was the home of the Anasazi or Ancient Puebloans over 700 hundred years ago. PRICES The National Park costs $15 per car in season or $10 low season but if you have the season ticket known as "America The Beautiful Card" then your entrance to the park is already paid. If you would like to go into either Cliff Palace, Balcony House or Long House Cliff dwellings then tickets are an extra $3 per person per dwelling and you have to buy these for a specific time from the Far Visitor's Centre within the park and 23 miles from the Park Entrance. During peak times you may have to choose one or other of the ranger guided dwellings to visit but we were lucky as we managed to visit both of these. Times and dates are quite complicated so if you would like to visit then plan your trip and use the website to check dates and times of opening. A TINY BIT OF HISTORY Just to put the place in context. No one is really sure who these tribal people were or why they came to the area and still even stranger why did they choose to build these places in the cliff with no easy access? Then they left the area, what happened to cause this departure? For those of you who have an interest in this history then it is possible to download a brochure about the archaeology of this area on www.mesaverdecountry.com. It is thought that these people farmed the land in the area growing corn, beans and squash until around 1300 but as the climate changed and became drier they struggled to farm the land. Archaeologists believe that the cliff dwellings were not jut normal dwellings, they were possibly built for religious reasons and the important people lived in these almost inaccessible dwellings. Ordinary people would bring supplies in by climbing up and down the walls using just finger holes in the rocks. Other people have suggested that the dwellings were constructed under the cliffs for defensive reasons but there is little evidence of any hostility. Did they move under the shelter to be better protected from the weather? Around AD1280 the Pueblo people left this area and moved down southwards to New Mexico and Arizona. They believe they left after a prolonged drought and so years of failed crops and less game to kill for food must have driven them southwards. CLIFF PALACE This cliff dwelling is open from April 10 to November 12 and it can only be visited as part of a ranger guided tour with a pre purchased ticket $3 per person bought from the Far Visitor Centre. The tour takes about an hour and you must be at the Cliff Dwelling at least ten minutes before your ticket tour time. Distances in the park are quite long and so you must plan your visits carefully. The Cliff Palace is about 8 miles and they suggest that this can take about 30 minutes to drive from the Far Visitor Centre and then you have to park your car and get to the meeting area for the tour. The tour requires you to walk a distance of about quarter of a mile but that is the easy part. You also have to be able to climb ladders which are high, hanging over the edge with only ropes or rather basic metal rails to hang on to. There are a total of five ladders each of which are about ten feet long and then finally you have a 100 foot climb which is vertical on ladders in order to exit the dwelling. You are met by your guide in an area where you can clearly see the cliff dwelling and you are able to take photos from above and watch the groups in front of you make their way down and then up and out. The guide reminds you about the ladders then you start the descent to the cliff dwelling. This is actually not a bad climb down as there are stone carved stairs and a path under the cliff. You stop about half way down where you can see the dwelling or village a bit more closely and then the guide tells you something about the history of the people who built the dwellings and why they think they built them in such inaccessible places. You are then taken to the dwelling or village and each 'house' and building s explained. This dwelling had a number of 'kivas' which are religious or spiritual underground meeting places. Because there are so many of these 'kivas' archaeologists believe that these cliff dwellings must have been for specially important people in the tribe or religious leaders rather than just normal people. In one building you could clearly see the imprint of a corn cob in one of the clay bricks. It was very interesting to hear the theories about why they built the very challenging buildings under the cliffs and to walk in a place where so much history and history that is still such a mystery had taken place. Was it difficult? Well yes it was not for anyone with a fear of heights as the ladders were steep, up against the cliff face and there was not a lot around you for safety. Sometimes you had to move from one ladder to another and that is what I found most nerve wracking as you had to move across with just a rather wobbly rail to hold on to. The last climb of 100 foot vertically upwards was also quite a challenge. It was quite hot and so you had to ensure you had enough water, sunscreen on and wear a hat that you were sure would stay put as you couldn't hold on to it and climb upwards. Was it worth it? Yes it was a really interesting experience and we struggled with the ladders. The original builders of the dwelling used the cliff face and hand holds in the rocks alone, it did make you appreciate their climbing skills. BALCONY HOUSE This dwelling is open from April 24 to October 15 and costs $3 per person for the guided ranger tour. This dwelling is 10 miles which they suggest takes about 35 minutes driving from the Far Visitor Centre so make sure you leave enough time to get there in time for your ticket tour time. This dwelling is slightly more challenging than the Cliff House in that you have to climb ladders to get into the dwelling as well as to get out. The experience starts with a climb of 32 feet up a vertical ladder with wide rungs to get into the dwelling. This dwelling is longer than the Cliff House and is not a photogenic. It is called Balcony House as it has wooden balconies on some parts of the building. They believe that these are for storage but it was interesting that these wooden structures had survived all these years as the climate is so dry and the dwellings are safely protected from most weather by the cliffs over them. As you move through this dwelling you have to squeeze yourself through a narrow gap between the rock faces and then you come to a tunnel which has an opening about 18 inches high and this tunnel is about 12 feet long. This can be a bit hard on your knees but once in the tunnel the roof is a bit higher so I could crouch rather than be on my knees. You just about recover from crawling along the rock floor in the tunnel then you are met with a 60 foot long climb upwards along an open rock face followed by two ten foot ladders to exit the dwelling. This house was an experience and as you have probably gathered would not suit anyone who has any mobility problems, any height issues or if you are too fat you won't fit through the tunnel which could be embarrassing. I would say that you would need to have a reasonable level of fitness and if you are taking children then be aware of what they have to be able to do. THE SPRUCE TREE HOUSE This house was the third house that we chose to visit as we could do this one by ourselves. In winter this dwelling is by ranger guided tours only but is self guided in summer.This is the third largest of the cliff dwellings in the park. They believe this was constructed between AD1200 and AD1276 and the dwelling has 114 rooms and eight kivas which are the underground spiritual or ceremonial chambers. They believe this place was home to about 100 people at its prime. When you visit this dwelling you have quite a long walk but it is all paved and accessible by wheel chairs. It is a down hill walk to the dwelling and all in the shade of the trees and the cliffs. The return walk is quite hard going as it is all uphill so make sure you have enough water as it gets very hot and wear a hat and sunscreen as there are places where you are in full sun. Once in the dwelling there are guides you can talk to or you can pay 50c and buy a guide book from the honesty boxes. Within this dwelling is a kiva reconstructed that you can go down into using a short ladder. There is virtually no natural light and the fire in the middle would have been pretty smoky too I should imagine so it would have been a very hot, smoky atmosphere for the ceremony especially in summer. This was a very interesting day we spent in this National Park. We chose our three dwellings to visit carefully as they were within a drivable distance to do in one day and they also looked to be the most interesting, They were certainly an experience but if you decide to visit the park then do some research, find out what is required of you physically. Think about the timing of the places you need to get to as the roads are twisty and you climb up and down so distances are deceptively further than you think. I believe it took us quite a good hour from Cortex to get to the park entrance and then it was another thirty five minutes to get to the Far Visitor Centre to buy the tickets. There are toilets in the park at the different sites they are pretty basic but at the Visitor centres they are a bit better. Once again you need to think of this when planning your visit. You don't want to be desperate for the toilet when climbing up the 100 foot ladder! WOULD I RECOMMEND? Yes it was brilliant but if you have mobility problems then your visit will be more limited. If you don't like heights or small places like tunnels then you may not really enjoy the two dwellings we visited first. My daughter's partner was very unsure as he doesn't like heights but he did the two visits and was very pleased that he did as it was interesting and a bit of a challenge too . Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name. ©Catsholiday Read the complete review |
National Park International |
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Country: Poland / National Park International / World Region: Europe |
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National Park International / The Sierra de Andújar Nature Park, part of the vast Sierra Morena, boasts one of Andalucia's best preserved expanses of Mediterranean forest and scrubland. |
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1 review National Park International / Helvetinjärvi National Park is a national park in the Pirkanmaa region in Finland, located in the municipality of Ruovesi. |
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National Park International / Haller Park is the largest animal sanctuary in Mombasa. The Park boasts an enormous variety of animals, reptiles, insects and botanical gardens. |
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National Park International / Bialowieza National Park, situated on the Border of Belarus and Poland, is a woodland located 43 mi north of Brest. It is one of the largest remaining sections of an ancient forest which once spread across the European Plain. |
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National Park International / Nature Reserve in the upper Galilee in Israel |
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National Park International / National Park in Sierra Leone |
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2 reviews National Park International / Hot springs located near Nha Trang in Vietnam |
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1 review Country: South Africa / National Park International / World Region: Africa - The park is situated some 615 km from Cape Town, 195 km from Port Elizabeth and 68 km from Plettenberg Bay. The heartland of the park stretches some 5 km to sea, protecting a wonderland of inter-tidal life, reef and deep sea fish. |
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1 review National Park International / Canaima National Park is situated in south-eastern Venezuela |
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