Why visit? An off the beaten track destination all of its own, with an enticing culture, head-spinning heights and rustic charm, Bolivia sure knows how to impress the adventurous explorer.
Travellers usually start their Bolivia tour in La Paz, the country’s administrative capital. There are only few cities in the world enjoying as spectacular a setting as La Paz, sitting in a valley atop the Bolivian plateau in the Andes Mountains.
Why visit? A place that is larger than life, the Amazon comprises half of the world’s remaining rainforest, whilst the Amazon River is the second longest in the world.
Home to more species of wildlife per square kilometre than its African or Asian counterparts, the Amazon rainforest is positively humming with life. Butterflies the size of birds, brightly coloured Macaws, comical Toucans and an array of cheeky monkeys are only a few of the species that can make regular appearances on your Amazon Jungle tour.
Only a few places in the world have stirred the hearts of explorers more than the North Pole. This region has unspeakable power and the journey to reach the most northern point on Earth is equally as inspiring. At 90 degrees north, you are at a point on Earth where the only direction you can go is south. A journey to the North Pole offers the chance of a lifetime, the chance to be one of the privileged few to have stood at the top of the world, surrounded by white icescapes. Travelling through thick pack ice, the voyage itself is an exciting adventure.
Beyond Canada’s continental north you will find the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, with over 36,000 islands, most lying deep within the Arctic Circle. A cruise in this remote region takes you through incredible wilderness scenery of fjords, glaciers, mountains and pack ice. The Canadian Arctic is also well known for its diverse wildlife, history and rich Inuit culture. It is home to seals, whales, polar bears, caribou, musk ox, walruses, Arctic wolves and foxes as well as thousands of seabirds that nest in the cliffs.
Unique, spectacular and dramatically beautiful, Greenland is dominated by a vast ice cap that covers 80% of the island. It is the largest non-continental island in the world, lying almost entirely within the Arctic Circle. Greenland’s waters are strewn with icebergs, sometimes turquoise and sometimes beautifully sculpted. Glaciers are prolific and the coast is lined with fjords. For wildlife enthusiasts, Greenland will not disappoint as it is home to polar bears, musk oxen, reindeer, walruses, whales, seals and sea eagles.
Deep inside the Arctic Circle lies the remote and rugged Svalbard archipelago, the final strip of land separating Norway from the North Pole. With its stark but beautiful landscape of glaciers, fjords, jagged snow-capped mountains and frozen tundra, this is the land of the polar bear and the midnight sun. Remote and untouched, the ‘wildlife capital of the Arctic’ is home to Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes, colonies of walruses, whales, seals, thousands of migratory seabirds nesting on coastal cliffs and in excess of 3,000 polar bears.
Travelling to the Arctic can be achieved in different ways and depends on what area within the Arctic Circle you would like to explore.
The most popular tours are Greenland, the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic, the Russian Arctic and the North Pole.
