WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION, WATER HAS SHAPED, AND CONTINUES TO SHAPE, SOME OF THE MOST STUNNING LANDSCAPES ON PLANET EARTH. REGARDLESS OF CLIMATE, WATER HAS AN UNRIVALLED ABILITY TO GENERATE SOME OF THE MOST AWE-INSPIRING TOURIST HOTSPOTS IN THE WORLD. FROM CANYONS TO WATERFALLS, FROM GEYSERS TO RIVERS, WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF THE BEST THE GLOBE HAS TO OFFER.
Puerto Mosquito, Vieques, Puerto Rico
(*Image credit: Puerto Rico Blogger, http://www.puertoricoblogger.com/)
Bioluminescence requires the convergence of a unique set of circumstances occurring simultaneously. Vieques’ unusual colonial history can be held partly accountable. Upon encountering the glowing bioluminescent water, the Spanish assumed it could only be the work of the devil and they quickly arranged for boulders to be dropped into the water to separate the bioluminescent water in the bay from the ocean. Fortunately, they only succeeded in preserving the bioluminescence in the now isolated bay.
Each gallon of water there contains over 720,000 phosphorescent single-celled organisms. Upon being disturbed, by the oar of a kayak for example, they glow an otherworldly vibrant blue – a spectacular and surreal sight, especially at night.
The Great Geysir, Iceland
The word ‘geyser’ actually originates from The Great Geysir in Iceland. ‘Geysir’ comes from the Icelandic verb ‘geysa’, which means “to gush.” The gushing comes not only from the jets of water shooting from the geyser, but also from the thousands of tourists that flock to see it every year.
Very few places in the world have the rare set of surrounding conditions that combine to produce the hydrothermal explosions that are required to propel water hundreds of metres into the air (without using pressurisation units of course). Water travels down to a depth of around 2000ft where it comes into contact with extremely hot magma. There, the boiling of the pressurised water results in a hydrothermal explosion. The jets of boiling water that emanate from The Great Geysir have been recorded to have reach heights up to 120m.
Grand Canyon, USA
The force of nature that is the Colorado River has, over the course of two billion years, sculpted and carved its way through the Colorado Plateau to create the Grand Canyon.
The landmark is testament to the sheer power of water, and it is also a geological marvel – almost two billion years separate the formation of the Kaibab Limestone on the Rim and the Vishnu Schist at the bottom of the Inner Gorge. Bathed in sunshine with clear skies, the Grand Canyon is truly a sublime sight to behold.
Angel Falls, Venezuela
Deep in the heartland of the Canaima National Park in Venezuela resides the tallest waterfall in the world – Angel Falls. Apart from its towering height of 979m (3212ft), the waterfall also has an intriguing history. The waterfall is named after Jimmie Angel, a US aviator who was supposedly the first person to identify the falls in 1933.
Of course, as a Venezuelan national treasure set deep into dense, untouched jungle, the ‘Angel’ Falls name has raised its fair share of controversy. Former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez established his desire to rename the falls by their indigenous name Kerepakupai Meru in 2009. However, the change was not decreed and the Angel Falls name remains to this day.
Which wonders are on your bucket list?
