Huge torrents of brown, muddy, foaming water cascade over the precipice and freefall 90 metres, thundering onto the rocks below. A plume of white spray fills the air. The spray building higher and higher is mesmerizing.
The noise is deafening. We shout at each other and we are only centimetres apart. The spray relentlessly rises, now well above us. The swirling white mist is now 50 metres over our heads. Suddenly the huge volume of water in the air creates its own wind squall, changes direction and then deluges us as it drops back into the chasm. Screams of surprise and delight erupt around the now saturated, awe-inspired crowd.
This is The Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo), the centrepiece of the mighty Iguazu Falls, located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. This 100-metre-wide semi circular stage plays to enthralled audiences 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are perched on a platform right on the edge, at the top of the awesome monster, peering down into the boiling cauldron.
The enormous power and energy created by this one section of the falls make one realize how insignificant we are.
This is nature at its wildest best.On boarding the boat below the falls it was just a little disconcerting to see most people take their clothes off down to their bathing suits and put them in the waterproof bags provided. We had raincoats.
The boat held about 30 people and the skipper took us very close to many sections of the almost 3-kilometre-wide falls for fabulous camera shots. Then the call came, no more photos, cameras away.
The skipper gunned the twin stern drive motors and we rocketed right into the path of the waterfall. Visibility zero. Water cannoned down from a huge height and dropped straight into the boat amid screams of shock from the passengers. The rock face of the waterfall must have been centimetres away, but it couldn’t be seen because of the deluge. It was like being under water. Then the roar of the motors again and suddenly we were out and water was cascading out the bottom of my coat. Not one dry spot! The girls in their bikinis were the smart ones.
It was a very wet trip back but nobody seemed to mind in the 33°C (90°F) heat.
You can fly into Iguazu Airport in the Northern State of Misiones and stay at one of many hotels on either the Brazilian or the Argentinean side, some actually overlooking the falls. The Iguazu River here is the boundary between the two countries.
Eighty percent of the falls are on the Argentinean side but the best overall view of the Argentinean side is from the Brazilian side. So you need two days to do justice to the falls. They are one of the seven natural wonders of the world. If you wish to purchase this article for your publication, click here to contact the author directly.
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(Precipitation is less than 0.1 mm annually.) Sea fog evaporates by noon most days, revealing clear blue skies. If you are coming during December or January, book your accommodation well in advance, and confirm it with a phone call before arrival, since this is prime vacation time for Peruvians, Bolivians and Chileans on summer break, who flock to Arica’s 10 beaches to swim, sunbathe, surf, kite surf, scuba dive, snorkel, stroll and hang out. 
Tiny bursts of colour flit across peaceful sunlit spaces between thick mossy trunks, as butterflies as big as your hand and hummingbirds as tiny as your thumb find a flowery meal in the nests of orchids or the trailing blooms in branches overhead.]]>
The dank smell of wet earth fills your nostrils and your skin becomes slick with mist as you go into the dark green light of the forest depths. Down and around a sharp bend, and there it is, the source of the deafening roar: a cascada (waterfall) as high as a skyscraper, pummelling the rocks ahead, icy spray rebounding over you with the impact of a gale force storm. 
In a clearing halfway up the mountain is the Rio Bravo hostel, which offers a 180 degree sweeping view of forest canopy cloaking the mountain ridges all around. 
With so much polished advertising for other cloud forest resorts and tours, it would be easy to miss out on seeing the heart of the Mindo cloud forest. 
If you volunteer in Mindo for a month or more, the cost drops to $15.00 per day, the same price as a day trip. You will be glad you made the effort to experience this reserve’s pristine cloud forest splendour.
Welcome to Cape Tribulation in the Daintree rainforest, far North Queensland, a patch of land “where the rainforest meets the reef” -- literally. 
Even non-skiers like us will discover a country of high adventure, world-class music and cuisine that ranks among the best on the planet.
At 11,500 feet, the interior of the mountain boasts the highest railway station in Europe, as well as observation halls, a research station, food and gift shops and a series of imaginative ice carvings. Although our starting point in the delightful village of Interlaken was clear and calm, when we arrived at the mountaintop, a raging blizzard was swirling outside. A few hardy tourists ventured through the door for whiteout (and white knuckle) photo-ops. On clear days (so we were told) the view extends well into Germany and France.
Accompanied by solo cello, the work featured flawless control and diction by the 100+ choir members. 
We didn’t know, but soon found out, that Lucerne recently earned its first-ever Michelin star at the restaurant in the century-old Palace Luzern Hotel. 
As expected in Switzerland, the cheese tray offered for dessert (along with volcano chocolate cake and strawberry pana cotta) was exceptional and a perfect ending to a Michelin-starred meal.
This pristine, alpine lake lies at an altitude of 3,800 feet in the coastal mountains of British Columbia, about 40 miles northwest of the 2010 Olympics city of Vancouver. Lake Lovely Water is a renowned hiking and rock-climbing area which can be reached by float helicopter or by foot. The Alpine Club of Canada has a two-story hut on the lake which sleeps 20 people. Other activities include swimming, fishing, and canoeing.
After touring the Tantalus mountain range, a helicopter lands on Serratus Glacier and everyone gets out to stretch their legs, sip champagne and drink in the spectacular view. If you don’t drink, it doesn’t matter -- the view itself is worth the trip! This alpine lunch is only offered from May to September and requires 24 hours notice. Even the warm, lined, waterproof boots are provided by Glacier Air. 
If you view the Chief from Runway 14 at Squamish airport, you can pick out the shape of a beige-colored witch on her broom against the gray granite rock background.
Look to the tree line to see the vibrant yellows and oranges of the autumn leaves dotted among the dark greens of the firs and pines. Maybe you hear the rushing and roaring of streams and rivers swollen with snow melt in the spring.]]>
When you think of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains you probably think of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper National Parks. But no more than ten minutes from Banff (45 minutes west of Calgary) there’s a small valley community called Canmore. In the shadow of world-famous Banff, Canmore is often overlooked, and those who discover this sleepy little town consider it just as beautiful... it’s definitely more peaceful... and it provides access to all the activities you’ll find in nearby Banff and Lake Louise. 
dining, vegetarian, oriental, pasta, soup... oh, those legendary soups... fast food, and bagel, coffee and tea shops. Be ready to loosen your belt a notch -- unless you have plans for energetic exercise.
inhabitants.
perched high on a rocky cliff overlooking Ocean Beach, the Pacific Ocean and the channel that leads under the Golden Gate Bridge. 
It was once part of the Sutro Baths, a massive indoor salt-water public bath. The baths are long since gone, but you can still see the foundations of the majestic buildings that housed them. They are part of an historic area named Land’s End. 
As you dine you can watch the surfers brave the rip tides and take in the vista that stretches for miles. 
Head up the feeder stream Arbuckle Creek to find a natural wonderland of great beauty and diversity.
The mouth of the creek is alive with white and yellow water lilies, spatterdock, blue flag irises and cattails. 
You will also catch some fine bluegills if you can keep the small alligators from considering your bobber its next colorful tidbit.
And it doesn’t have to be an expensive side-trip. 
The fee is five euros to enter the “jardin exotique.”
Fellow passengers quietly chat while you sit on the deck sipping glasses of Bordeaux. 
A few passengers stroll to the bow and lingered in the cooling mist. Powerful jets of water raise your barge until you’re level with the river ahead. The gates crank open, and you sail on beneath crescent-shaped footbridges and ancient horse chestnut trees. 
of the ring. The crowd holds its collective breath. From behind safe wooden barriers bolt costumed assistants to distract the bull from his current quarry. El Toro moves away from the downed horse. Miraculously, the heavily-padded horse scrambles to its feet, the picador leaps back onto the shaken animal and they leave the ring.
It’s not only the peaceful surroundings that make Standley Chasm an ideal place for a family walk. It’s the fact that kids can climb, jump, chase, hide, seek, investigate, discover and appreciate the attraction of its wild beauty while parents do much the same thing, but at a more, well... ‘parental’ pace. 
where sure-footed 10-year-olds prove to be reliable guides for their adult companions, who may be rather unnerved by these trivial (to the kids!) obstacles.