Siana is a small hamlet situated in south west Rajasthan, 50 miles south of Jodhpur and bordering the great Thar desert. The terrain is a unique mixture of granite hills bordered by sand dunes, woodlands and agricultural lands. This part of Rajasthan offers a rare and fascinating insight into an intact traditional way of life: … Continued
Situated in the north of the state of Andaulcia, Sierra de Andujar has a landscape of rolling hills, dotted with rounded rocky outcrops of granite and an extensive Mediterranean forest known as dehesa. The 74,774-hectare park protects one of the best preserved areas of holm and cork oak forest and Mediterranean scrub comprised of strawberry … Continued
Described by the IUCN as the ‘world’s most irreplaceable concentration of biodiversity’, the Sierra Nevada is indeed unique. Revered by its ancient inhabitants – the Kogi, Arhuaco, Kankuamo and Wiwa peoples – as ‘the heart of the world’ its anthropological history alone is exceptional. In the eyes of the present-day Kogi, descendants of the Tayrona, … Continued
Found in the north of Ethiopia, the Simien Mountains form a rugged range created by volcanic eruptions 20 million years ago and reaching altitudes of over 4,000 metres. Since then they have been transformed by erosion and 2,000 years of agriculture to arrive at their present day appearance. The mountains were designated a National Park … Continued
Singalila National Park, perched in the serene Himalayan mountains, is a breathtaking sanctuary in the Indian state of West Bengal. The park, which spans 78.6 square kilometers, is renowned for its diverse flora and fauna, including the elusive red panda, which is considered one of the park’s crown jewels. The rugged terrain and the high-altitude … Continued
Covering a mere 112 square kilometres, Sri Lanka’s only biological UNESCO World Heritage Site is a biodiversity hotspot and the last significant tract of undisturbed primary rainforest on the island. Sinharaja has a high endemicity of trees, oddities such as the purple-faced leaf monkey, and is famed among birdwatchers for mixed feeding flocks and for … Continued
Off the coast of Sabah lies an underwater paradise made famous by Jacques Yves Cousteau who described Sipadan as an “untouched piece of art”. Here you can snorkel and dive with huge shoals of reef fish, large numbers of turtles and the odd shark or two. For competent divers, the ultimate experience is the Turtle … Continued
The subject of numerous tales of adventure, tragedy and survival against the odds, the Skeleton Coast National Park, which stretches from to Ugab River in the South to the Kunene in the North, is named after the remains of rusting shipwrecks and whale bones strewn along the shore and into the inhospitable desert hinerland. Mariners … Continued
Lying on the eastern banks of the Panama Canal, Soberanía’s 293,000 rainforest acres contain 525 species of birds, 105 of mammals including jaguar, tamandua and the cotton-topped tamarin monkey, 79 species of reptile, 55 amphibians and 59 endemic plant species. Within is the Pipeline Road, famous amongst birders and nature lovers for high wildlife diversity … Continued
Sodwana Bay offers spectacular scuba diving over the world’s southern most coral reef and with colourful fish. Humpback whales and whale sharks also frequent the area. The sands of Sodwana Bay are an important nesting site for loggerhead and leather-back turtles from mid November to February. If lucky, night drives in the area could reveal … Continued
Sombrero Chino lies off the south-east coast of Santiago Island. It is a volcanic cinder cone with a steep-sided crown like a Chinese hat, hence the name. There is a short trail through interesting lava formations, and very good snorkelling with possible sightings of Galapagos penguins, manta rays and white-tipped reef sharks.
Awarded UNESCO Biosphere designation in 2000, Somiedo is a beautiful and little-known treasure in the south of Asturias, Northern Spain. The park is formed of forest-cloaked hillsides and rugged mountain peaks interspersed with flowing rivers and meadow pastures. It is a wet and mild region with moss- and lichen-clad white and Pyrenean oak trees bearing … Continued
