The falls was first brought to the attention of Europeans in 1677 when Belgian Father Louis Hennepin traveled to the area with other explorers. Visit to Niagara Falls rose sharply after the falls featuring in Niagara, a movie starring Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotton in 1953. The falls has since become a favorite spot for honeymooners.

Niagara Falls, Canada/USA

The oldest and best known way to view Niagara Falls is the Maid of the Mist boat cruise. Operated since 1846, the cruise boat can accommodate 600 passengers and it would carry passengers into the area immediately below the Horseshoe Falls. On the American side, visitors can walk through Cave of the Winds down to the base of the American Falls. Meanwhile on the Canadian side, visitors can take the Journeys Behind the Falls which consists of an observation platform and series of tunnels near the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls. Do not miss out on the George Bernard Shaw Festival held every summer in Niagara on the Lake, a pretty small town located in Ontario, Canada.

Cable Beach, Western Australia

Cable Beach boasts a 22.5-kilometer long beautiful white sandy beach. Its crystal clear turquoise water provides the ideal environment for swimming. Besides swimming, there are also other water sport activities available here. For a really unique experience, one can join the sunset camel rides operate daily along the beach.

Sunset camel ride along Cable Beach

One is advised to take precaution when swimming from November through March due to the possible presence of jellyfish in those months.

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It was only since the early 1970s that Koh Samui became known to the backpackers worldwide. Prior to 1970s, agricultural and fishing have long been the island’s main economies. Even today, coconuts remain the main cash crop as every month, there are some 2 million coconuts being transported to Bangkok. Swaying coconut trees still occupies the central area of the island.

Being an island resort, Koh Samui is known for its white sandy beaches and coral reefs. The most popular beaches are Chaweng on the east coast of the island and Lamai just south of Chaweng. These 2 beaches also have the most active nightlife activities of all on the island. Do not miss out on the Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks on Lamai Beach. These odd looking rocks resemble male and female sexual organs and are one of Koh Samui’s biggest attractions today. For divers, you can go to the nearby Ang Thong National Marine Park. Here, you can find some of the most stunning corals in the world!

Koh Samui

Chobe National Park is best known for its high elephant population. There are some 50,000 elephants living today in the national park, the highest concentration of this animal in Africa. Elephants living here are Kalahari Elephants, the largest in size of all elephants. At dry season, Chobe River becomes a popular drinking spot for these elephants.

The Chobe Chilwero Lodge situated above Chobe River is a popular accommodation in the national park. Chobe National Park is only 15 minutes driving from Kasane Airport in the town of Kasane which serves as northern entrance to the park. The national park is also of a great proximity to the Victoria Falls at 60 kilometers or approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes driving time.

Chobe National Park

Aldabra Island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the distinct floras and faunas on the island. The atoll is home to the world’s largest population of giant tortoises in the name of Aldabra Giant Tortoise. Besides, the island is also known for its green turtles, hawksbill turtles, hammerhead sharks, manta rays, barracudas, Aldabra rails and other bird species.

Aldabra Island

The best time to visit Aldabra Island is between March and April as well as October and December each year.

Longji Rice Terraces was built by Yao and Zhuang minorities who have lived there for generations since the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368). The most popular rice terraces in Longji are the Pingan Zhuang Rice Terraces and the Jinkeng Hongyao Rice Terraces. The rice terraced fields were built along the slope from the foot of the hill up to the hilltop. The highest elevation of the terraced field here is approximately 1,180 meters above the sea level while the lowest elevation is approximately 380 meters above the sea level. Looking down atop, the rice terraces resemble great chains or ribbons as they wind from the foot to the top of the hill. I had been there myself and trust me, the scenery is breathtaking!

The Dragon’s Backbone Rice Terraces, Longji China

To get to Longji Rice Terraces, one would have to take a bus from Guilin to Longsheng. Then you have to get down at Heping Village on route to Longsheng. At Heping Village, there are plenty of buses and vans going up to both Pingan and Jinkeng Rice Terraces. September till November each year is the best time to view rice terraces as the paddy rice ripens during this period, thus the rice fields would turn into golden color.

Today, Rhodes Island is one of Greece’s most visited islands. Located approximately 18 kilometers southwest of Turkey in eastern Aegean Sea, Rhodes Island is known for its beautiful beaches, archaeological sites and medieval towns. The east side of the island has beautiful sandy beaches such as the Lindos Beach with calm waters while the beaches on the west are full of gravel and windy, thus suitable for activities such as surfing and kite boarding. Afandou Beach is one of those gravel beaches. For those who love to see medieval architecture, do not miss out on the medieval Old Town of the Rhodes City which has been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.

The best time in a year to visit Rhodes Island is in between April and November.

Rhodes Island, Greece

Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II of Khmer Empire. King Suryavarman II is regarded as one of the Khmer Empire’s greatest kings and he built Angkor Wat to serve as his personal mausoleum and also as a temple to the Hindu god of Vishnu. Angkor Wat combines 2 basic plans of Khmer temple architecture, i.e. the temple mountain and the galleried temple. The temple mountain was designed to represent the Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Hindu mythology. The highest level at the center of the temple represents Mount Meru with the other 5 towers representing the 5 peaks of the mountain. The galleried temple meanwhile, is a passageway running along the outer wall that encloses the temple. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a broad moat, representing the oceans that surround the world.

Angkor Wat is said to be the world’s largest temple complex. It has been used as a religious center for both Hinduism and Buddhism. Angkor Wat, together with other ruins within the Angkor region of Cambodia had been included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. Angkor Wat is also one of the 21 finalists of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Angkor Wat, Campodia

White Mountains – New Humpshire

Driving along the scenic roads of the White Mountains is a worthwhile experience. Other transports offering delightful scenery are Conway’s Scenic Railroad, Mount Washington Cog Railway, Cannon Mountain Aerial Tram and Loom Mountain Skyride. The White Mountains are easily accessible from Boston and New York by car.