I've swum in a cenote, following local guide down a rather dark tunnel. Was surprised to see a few small fish in there.
Pamukkale thermal pools in Turkey. The picture must have been taken on a rare quiet day - it's one of Turkey's most popular tourist spots and is normally very crowded.
Tucavaca Valley in Bolivia - known to be home to 3295 species of butterfly. A lepidopterist's heaven, millions of butterflies descend on the valley at the start of the rainy season in November - presumably to do whatever it is that butterflies do... Apparently, 14-day tours are available at a cost of £4975 - but you have to make your own way to La Paz...
Pangong Lake which spans eastern Ladakh in India and West Tibet - a soda lake with a high pH factor of 9.4, which accounts for the green algae in the picture. The middle section of the lake is disputed territory, and has been the scene of many 'skirmishes' between Indian and Chinese troops in recent years.
Gardens by the Bay - a nature park spanning 250 acres in central Singapore. Created at a cost of over $1 billion, it was opened in 2012 and has become one of Singapore's most popular tourist attractions. The tree-like structures are 'Supertrees' - each one being a garden within a garden, playing host to exotic ferns, orchids, vines and bromeliads. It's also on my bucket list...
Sulphur springs around Lake Dallol in Ethiopia's Danakil Depression. The Depression lies about 125m below sea level, and is one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on Earth. A plain around 200km long and 50km wide, it's home to numerous sulphur springs, volcanoes, geysers, acidic pools, vast salt pans, and colourful mineral-laden lakes. It was also home to Lucy, the 3.2million year-old hominin fossil found in 1974.
An aerial view of Yuanyang rice terraces in China's Yunnan province - looking like a piece of abstract artwork with a few real trees and huts sprinkled over it.
Dendrosencio kilimanjari - the Giant Groundsel tree which grows on the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain - Kilimanjaro - at elevations between 11,000 and 14,000 feet. Growing to a height of 20 feet, the trees first appeared around one million years ago.
It grows on most of East African mountains at that altitude. Those in the picture are almost in flower which does not happen very often.
Not quite - the clue is in the scientific name - kilimanjari. There are 11 species of Dendrosenecio - those that grow elsewhere go by different names - such as Dendrosenecio johnstonii.
Well I did not know that, I guess they are so far apart geographically they became distinct species. tx.
Australia's - and the world's - two largest rocks. On the left Burringurrah (aka Mount Augustus) with Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) on the right. I've never really understood the prominence afforded to Uluru - given that they are both remote, and that Burringurrah is twice the size of Uluru.
