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17 Apr 2011

MILFORD SOUND – Best Natural Places To Visit in new zealand

MILFORD SOUND

INTRODUCTION & HISTORY

Here we will take you to the most exciting place for an awesome reading journey of a spectacular place on Earth. If you do not want to get disappointed and bored of traveling to tourist destination then pack your luggage and arrange a tour of New Zealand. The place to visit is the fjord of New Zealand which is called the Milford Sound. Infact fjord is a long but narrow body of water between islands. The site remained overlooked by European visitors because its narrow entrance did not allow the explorers to dare to enter. This undiscovered site was finally discovered by a sealer named John Grono in 1812. He named it Milford Heaven which was renamed by John Lort Stokes as Milford Sound. Other than the visit of the fjords, it would be interesting and informative to know that what are the fjords and how these are formed. These fjords are resulted when glaciers cut the U shaped valleys by the abrasion of bedrocks.

Milford Sound New Zealand

Milford Sound New Zealand

LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY

Milford sound is located in the south west of South island of New Zealand. It is situated within the Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahiopounamu World Heritage site. The mouth of the fiord is at the Dale point in Tasman Sea. Milford Sound goes 15 km. it is surrounded from either side by the sheer rock faces which rise 1200m (3900) or more. Among the other peaks there are two very famous rocks, Elephant and Lion peak. Elephant peak is named because it is shaped like the head of elephant and the other is shaped like a crouching lion. Other important geographical feature of the place is lush green rain forest which clings to the cliffs. There are two permanent waterfalls, one is Lady Bowen Falls and the other is Stirling Falls. Visitors can see a hundreds of temporary falls after heavy rain which have life of just few days.

Milford Sound New Zealand

Milford Sound New Zealand

TOURIST ATTRACTION

This place is really a tourist heaven. Every year hundreds of thousands visitors come to the Milford Sound. It is estimated that about 550,000 to 1000,000 visitors come to see the beautiful landscape of the sound. Although it is located at a long distance from the nearest population but still it is the most visited spot in New Zealand and the most famous tourist attraction.

Milford Sound

Milford Sound

Tourists can take a boat ride to see the beauty of the marvelous place. It will take 1 to 2 hours but the magical impact and memories will remain for the whole life. The beauty of the place is just spectacular. The scenery of the area has remained unchanged still after the ages have passed. No doubt the Milford Sound is an outstanding place but the way to reach the place is just incredible. It would be great to reach there by a coach or cruise option with a tour operator who will give you the dramatic highlights of the sound. People have to spare a plenty of time because the road is very steep and there may be strong wind as well. The surroundings are so beautiful that you would love to stop at number of places and enjoy the beauty of nature. Visitors can witness the sea life like seals, dolphins and penguins frequently but whales are also seen sometimes.

 

Category: MILFORD SOUND, new zealand, Tourism Guide  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  Comments off
14 Apr 2011

GREAT BARRIER REEF – Best Natural Places To Visit in Australia

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

INTRODUCTION

Reef means a rock, sandbar or any other features lying beneath the surface of the water. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest barrier reef system in the world. We can imagine the wide spread volume of the reef from the fact that it is the only living thing in the world which is visible from the space. It is larger than the Great Wall of China. UNESO has declared the reef as World Heritage site in 1981. According to reports it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Great Barrier Reef-Australia

Great Barrier Reef-Australia

GEOGRAPHY

The Great Barrier Reef is the important attribute of the Eastern Highlands which is the longest mountain range of Australia and the 3rd longest in the world. It is located in the north east Australia at the coast of Queensland. It starts from Torres Strait which is a place between Bramble Cay and the coast of Papua New Gini to the Lady Elliot Island & Fraser Island. It covers the area of 344,400 square kilometers which is stretched to 2600 kilometers. The area of Great Barrier Reef is larger than the area of United Kingdom. There are 2900 individual reefs and about 900 islands.

Great Barrier Reef-view

Great Barrier Reef-view

HISTORY

According to the research the platform for the current reef was formed about 600,000 years ago. But the current living reef structure was developed about 20,000 years ago but at the remnants of the old reef structure. The sea level started rising about 6000 years ago steadily from the last 20,000 years. It rose with such steady pace that the current sea level is just 200ft higher than the sea level at 13,000 years back. With the continuous rise in the water allowed the corals to grow around the hills of the coastal plain. These were then called continental islands. Again rise in water submerged these continental islands. Then the corals started growing over the hills and with this the present cays and reefs were formed. According to the scientists the age of the current reef structure is about 8000 years old.

great reef

great reef

SEA LIFE

Reefs around the world are very supportive for the sea life to grow. The Great Barrier Reef also supports a great number of species to grow. These species include some vulnerable and endangered species. Here you can find different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises which are about 30. Famous species of whales are dwarf minke whale, humpback whale. Sea turtles are found in good number and six species of turtles have been recorded. A large population of dugongs is also found. You can find 125 species of shark, stingray, skates, 5000 species of mollusk, 49 species of pipefish and nine species of seahorse at the Great Barrier Reef. 1500 species of fish including clownfish, red bass, coral trout and snapper are also found. Other than the sea life you can find 215 species of birds and 2195 plant species on the reef. Famous bird’s species on the reef are white bellied sea eagle and roseate tern.

sealife- Great Barrier Reef-Australia

sealife- Great Barrier Reef-Australia

TOURISM

The Great Barrier Reef is a great tourist attraction due to its great spread biodiversity. It is the most important tour attraction in Australia. It is a big attraction for scuba divers. Most of the tourism in Great Barrier Reef is restricted to the Whitsundays and Cairns due to their accessibility. Many continental and coral cay islands have now turned to the tourist resorts. About 2 million tourists from around the world visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. It contributes about  A$4 billion to the economy of Australia. Most famous tourist activities in the Great Barrier Reef are snorkelling and diving.

If you have the time and resources then it is the best place to visit and enjoy the beautiful beaches and islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

 

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Category: Australia, GREAT BARRIER REEF, Tourism Guide  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  Comments off
12 Mar 2011

Kalash Fastivals -Best Natural Places To Visit in Pakistan


“A Real Time Festivity”

 

Kalash Fastivals


About Kalash Valley

Kalash Valley is one of the major tourist attractions in Pakistan. This is situated in the Chitral district of Pakistan. This valley has a historic background but its history has controversies. No one is sure about the actual history of the valley. According to one of the legends of area, the soldiers of the army of Alexander the Great were settled here. The people here have their own religion infact they have no religion at all. They are the followers of early age pagan tribes. That’s why they are called kafir kalash. The Kalash valley as a whole is the combination of three other valleys. These valleys are named Birir, Rumboor and Bumburate. Among these three valleys Bumburate is the largest and is the most beautiful. It has beautiful scenery.

 

People & LifestyleKalash

belongs to old tribes and have their own religion and culture. This valley has a unique and amazing culture. The People here live in small villages which they built on the hill sides. These villages are at the banks of the streams and rivers. People construct their homes with rough shaped logs. Because of the slope and steepness of the area, people construct double storey houses. People of Kalash are very lively. People here live a simple life. They wear simple traditional dresses. Women and girls wear a traditional headdress. Most of the women have small but simple tattoos at their faces. People of Kalash enjoy the festivals. They love to dance and are great admirer of music. The people have blonde hair and have light brown eyes show their connection with the Europe.

Festivals of Valley

People of Kalash are cheerful, fun loving and witty in nature. The love festivals and enjoy them with full of dance and music. Women folk dance of kalash is very famous. Other than the beautiful scenery, Kalash valley is known for its festivals. A large number of people are united and invited in the festivals. There are four main festivals which are celebrated here.

Joshi/Chilimjusht Festival

This is one of the four famous festivals of Kalash. This festival starts in May every year. Main theme of celebrating the festival is to honour the fairies and to protect the goats and shepherds from any causality before they leave for the pastures. The houses are decorated in the whole valley. This decoration is done by the women and girls of the valley. They worship the Goddess Jestak which they believe will protect their children and homes. They sprinkle milk on the Goddess. The main point of the festival is Rumbur where the tribal chiefs are gathered and they sacrifice goats in the name of their Gods. Women wear their traditional black robes, colourful necklaces, cowries shelled head dresses and dance in the circle. Later men join the women. This festival lasts for four days.

Uchal Festival

This festival is started in August when the harvesting season of wheat and barley starts. Mainly it is celebrated in Rumbur and Bumboret. It is started with the dance activities of young girls and boys.

Phoo Festival

This is celebrated in August and is celebrated only in Birir. When the harvest season of grapes and walnuts starts people are gathered to share the joy. This is also the time when the shepherds come back from pastures. At this occasion dance and merry making is held.

Chomos Festival

The chomos festival starts in the mid December. This is the most famous festival of the Kalash valley. The festival is celebrated for the immortality of the relatives of the people whether living or dead, to cheer the joy of the safeguarded crops and goats from the calamities and to purify the villages and valleys for the future. A torch lit procession is led from the nearby villages to the Charsue where a huge dance celebration is occurred. At this time most of the festivities are indoor where they enjoy local wine and dance while holding hands and crossing arms round the waists. Tribal leaders sit at the hill tops and wait the sun to rise, with the sun rise they declare the new year. This is the real festivity. Everyone should visit the beautiful valley with rich and amazing culture in Pakistan.

 

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