By Kaiser Tufail

Returning after yet another weekend trip from our favourite getaway at Sakesar, my wife and I decided to try out a different route on the way back to Lahore. After a heavy downpour, the southbound road from Naushera to Khushab was badly inundated. We checked with some locals about the feasibility of an alternate route heading east to Kallar Kahar to get onto the motorway.

Three successive bystanders assure us that one the road is not bad, except for some repair work, two the road is as good as the other one and three the road is very good. All three comments spurred us to drive through the fabled Soon Valley that lies between Sakesar in the west till Padhrar in the east, a stretch of about 35 miles walled up all along by two ridges about 10 miles apart. What lies between the verdant ridges are striking hues of greens and browns with some shimmery silvers reflected from the beautiful lakes that dot this picturesque valley. ‘Heavenly Bliss’ got a new meaning as we drove through this little traversed stretch of the Salt Range.

Soon Valley is the home of Awans as was evident from signboards at almost every shop in the small towns of Uchali, Naushera, Jabba and Padhrar. The house nameplates of the more well-to-do locals also display the superior title of Malik. A sign of the extravagant taste and affluence of some locals was evident from the concrete urials (wild sheep of the antelope sub-family) crafted to the most exacting proportions and colours that surmount the roofs of their houses. The real life urial has, unfortunately, been hunted to near extinction in the Salt Range, though conservation efforts claim to have arrested the declining numbers.

A few miles out of Naushera, just as we were discussing the merits of the bystanders’ advice about the road conditions, we were jolted by tyres meeting crushed stone. It was the expected road repair work, of course, but we hoped to ride out the rumble in a short while, if the first comment had some truth in it.

Uchali Lake, part of the 3,000-acre Uchali Wetland Complex, could be seen to our left. The lake is bisected at the western edge by a road that was supposed to connect Uchali town with Chitta village, but remains incomplete due to shortage of funds. Sticking out like an ugly varicose vein over the lake’s placid surface, the road was the brainchild of a local politician who thought that a shortcut through the lake would please the locals and bring in votes, while outrightly disregarding issues of environment and aesthetics. The lake is a birdwatcher’s delight, being home to numerous varieties of aquatic birds, especially during the migratory winter months. White-headed Ducks, Greater Flamingos and a variety of grebes are a sample of these birds that can be found especially in this complex.

As we continued rumbling over the ‘under repair’ road, we checked with a passing motorcyclist who told us that the broken stretch would continue for another 15 kilometres. Mercifully, the pleasing scenery soothed our bones that were starting to get jarred. Little shepherd boys tending flocks of goats and sheep were a common sight. Even in small hamlets, children seemed oblivious to school life, which is a pity. Even though the roadside villages could see school buildings, attendance seemed less than satisfactory.

After covering 15 kilometres, there was still no sign of a proper road, so we flagged an oncoming pick-up truck to find out what the driver had to say. “15 kilometres more to Jabba and then you will be on a proper road,” he surprised us, just when we thought the worst was over. Crest-fallen though we were, we slowly trudged along the broken stretch assuring ourselves that the beautiful countryside was, at least, worth the rough ride. Gradually, a large water body came into view which was Khabbeki Lake, the second in Soon Valley. Though much smaller than Uchali, it offers a more charming view since it runs along the roadside. Water birds could be clearly seen but are in small numbers compared to the winter migration season, when the lake is full of many kinds of ducks and flamingos.

As we drove on, we noted that there were no ugly billboards and hoardings to mar the scenery. However, stone quarrying and cutting have left some unsightly scars on the adjoining ridges and one is not sure if this activity is being undertaken lawfully. When one considers that the Salt Range is a geological wonder of Pakistan, it is heart- rending to see its priceless fossil-loaded specimens being ground up in the stone-crushing machines.

Earlier in the morning, we were lucky to have walked over a pathway on Sakesar top, which was littered with rocks bearing imprints of molluscs (a group of small sea animals). Studies show that these creatures lived in the Early Jurassic Era dating to 200 million years ago. Sediments bearing these dead creatures that were once on the seabed got uplifted, folded and buckled — in excruciatingly slow motion — to build mountains due to collisions of the underlying plates of the earth’s crust. Subsequently, erosion of the mountains by the elements led to exposure of the fossils. Such are the ways of Nature that you get to observe in the open air museum of Soon Valley, much as in the Salt Range at large.

The fauna of Soon Valley is restricted to bushes and small trees including sanatha, phullai and kau (wild olive). The wood of the latter is quite hardy and finds use in ploughs, handles and walking sticks. It was no surprise to see a number of camps set up by enterprising Afghan refugees, stacked with heaps of kao wood. Womenfolk, in their brightly coloured ankle-length dresses, could be seen helping their tall, heavily turbaned men with loading lumber in the tractor-driven trolleys. We were left wondering if the local forest conservation authorities are aware of this activity, which, I am told, is prohibited in the area.

Having been on the broken road for two hours, we were delighted when a passer-by told us that Jabba was just 15 minutes away. The car’s fuel warning light had come on and, with no fuel station in sight in the valley, we wanted to get to some worthwhile town at the earliest. As we drove on anxiously, we had a close call when we stalled in a puddle of slush and mud. Mercifully, my wife’s ‘dua’ routine (that had been invoked at several critical junctures earlier) worked, and the wheels suddenly picked up some divinely sanctioned traction. We finally made it to Jabba from where the broken stretch ended and, much to our relief; we got to ride smoothly on a proper road once again.

It had taken us two hours to cover just 25 km, but we were lucky to have been driving in a beautiful valley, enjoying its idyllic landscape, never mind the bumps and jerks. As with all good things that come to an end, the small town of Padhrar came into view around a bend in the road, and we bade farewell to Soon Valley.

Anyone wishing to drive through the valley would be well advised to either do so in a 4×4 vehicle or, wait for the road to be repaired fully, which is likely to take about a year or so, at least. A simple picnic with the family at the Uchali and Khabbeki Lakes or nature photography, bird-watching and study of rocks and fossils for the keener types, are some recommended activities. Whatever your preference, if you haven’t had a good outing for a while, it is never too late for the Soon Valley!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Sure, it feels fantastic to traverse the vast stretches of the best roads in the world via adrenaline pumping speeds. How about a complicated road, one that twists and turns, or has downright congested traffic, or unforgiving terrain? They might give you a headache, but it sure feels good when you’ve conquered them. Here is the  list of the world’s most complicated and dangerous roads. Some of these complicated mountain passes can be dangerous if not negotiated with utmost caution, while others are complicated sets of roads and bridges, erected to ensure a streamlined flow of traffic at busy junctions. Without further ado, we present our top 21 list…

1) Col de Turini, France:

Situated more than 1 mile above sea level, Col de Turini is a mountain pass situated in south of France in the Alps. It’s also part of a 20 miles rally stage of the Monte Carlo Rally of WRC, which combines 34 challenging hairpins and long stretches where cars top 111 mph.

It is one of the most exciting roads on Earth. The pass was featured in the very first episode of Top Gear series 10, when the presenters went in search of the greatest driving road in the world. At its highest point, Col de Turini is 1607m high. In the north, the Col de Turini starts with a dazzling series of hairpins. Finally, we end up riding in a gorge, with a wild river on the left, and a steep rock-wall on the right.

2) Stelvio Pass, Italy:

Located in the Eastern Alps in Italy, the Stelvio Pass Road connects the Valtellina with Merano and the upper Adige valley. This mountain road pass is situated at an altitude of around 1.7 miles above sea level. The road is particularly challenging to drive due to the presence of 48 hairpin bends, with the road becoming exceedingly narrow at some points, and some very steep inclines. With a height of 2757 meters, it is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps and the second highest in the Alps, after the 2770 m high Col de lIseran. While it might not be as dangerous as the other routes, it is certainly breathtaking. The toughest and most spectacular drives are from the Prato side. The mountain pass is one of the best continuous hairpin routes in the world.

3) Leh–Manali Highway, India:

The Leh-Manali Highway is situated in India and spans over a length of 297 miles among the Himalaya mountain range. It passes through some of the worlds highest mountain passes in the world, with a mean altitude in between 2 to 3 miles above sea level. The road is one of the most complicated and challenging roads in the world, with snow, landslides and terrain making the journey exceedingly difficult for anything other than a capable four wheel drive vehicle. The road was built and is maintained by the Indian Army.

4) The Puxi Viaduct, Shanghai:

This is one of Shanghai’s busiest and largest interchange that caters to thousands of vehicles every hour. It has five levels of bridges that help connect two of the cities busiest highways, directing vehicles without much fuss.

5) The Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange, LA

The Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange is situated in Los Angeles, CA and is one of the most complicated interchanges in the country. It permits entry and exit in all directions between the I-105 and the I-110. It’s a stack interchange with layers of bridges making a complicated network of roads allowing smooth flow of traffic though both the interstate highways. This interchange was opened in 1993. It is a 4 level interchange with a restricted access lane that can be used by high-occupancy vehicles.

6) The Road of death, Bolivia

The North Yungas Road (also known as the El Camino de la Muerte, ‘Road of Death’ in Spanish) is a 43 mile road connecting La Paz and Coroico, 35 miles northeast of La Paz in Bolivia. Famous for its extreme danger, it was christened as the “world’s most dangerous road” in 1995 by the Inter-American Development Bank. The single-lane width, extreme drop offs, and lack of guardrails, only add to the danger lurking behind. Further, the fog and rain can make visibility poor and the road surface muddy, loosening rocks from the hillsides above. It is estimated that 200 to 300 travelers are killed per year on this treacherous road. Although, the old North Yungas Road is much less used by traffic nowadays, an increasing number of adventure bikers travel it for the thrills.

7) The Karakoram Highway

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) (Urdu: شاہراہ قراقرم śāharāha karākaram; Chinese: 喀喇昆仑公路 Kèlǎkūnlún gōnglù) is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,693 m/15,397 ft as confirmed by both SRTM and multiple GPS readings. It connects China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan and also serves as a popular tourist attraction. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the “Ninth Wonder of the World.”

The Karakorum Highway is known informally as the KKH, and — within Pakistan — officially as the N-35; within China, officially as China National Highway.

8) Russia’s Lena Highway, the Highway from Hell

The last 600 miles of the Russian Federal Highway from Moscow city to the Siberian city of Yakutsk is called the “Lena Highway”. This bizarre road runs parallel to the River Lena on the final leg to Yakutsk. As if the road of mud was not a big problem, Yakutsk is considered one of the the coldest cities on earth, with January temperatures averaging -45 °F. But surprisingly, it is only in the summertime that the road becomes impassable. Whenever it rains in summer, the road virtually becomes a slush pit making it impossible for the vehicles to pass through it. This being the only road to Yakutsk makes the traffic heavy and even more complicated to negotiate.

9) Fairy Meadows Road

Situated at the base of Pakistan’s 26,660-foot Nanga Parbat, Fairy Meadows is a picturesque destination for backpackers, photographers, and mountain climbers who want to get closer to the enormous peak and enjoy the scenery. Getting to Fairy Meadows, however, is not such an attractive experience. Part of the trip involves surviving a 6-mile, hour-long drive on an unstable gravel road hacked out of the barren hills.

From Raikot Bridge to the village of Tato, this ‘road’ offers the motorist all the insane features of your typical mountainside dirt trail. It’s narrow, unpaved, steep, and of course there aren’t any guardrails to prevent your Jeep from rolling down into the gorge. You can’t even drive it all the way to Fairy Meadows; the last section has to be covered by bicycle or on foot.

A great road for adventurers, Fairy Meadows Road is definitely not for the faint of heart.

10) Gravelly Hill Interchange, Birmingham, UK

Gravelly Hill Interchange, nicknamed ‘the Spaghetti Junction’, is the 6th junction of the M6 motorway, where it joins the A38 Aston Expressway in Birmingham, UK. The name “Spaghetti Junction” was coined by Roy Smith, a journalist from the Birmingham Evening Mail in the 1970s. The areal view of the junction sure tells us why it is called the Spaghetti Junction. Spanning an impressive 30 acres, the junction serves 18 routes and includes 4 km of slip roads. Across 6 different levels, there are 559 concrete columns, reaching up to 24.4 m in height. The engineers had to elevate 13.5 miles of the motorway to accommodate 2 railway lines, 3 canals, and 2 rivers. It’s the most complicated junction in United Kingdom.

11) Russian-Georgian “Military” Mountain Roads

When they are not covered in sheets of snow, then it’s the thick, grueling mud. These remote highways would probably swallow your car in the snow or mud. Though neither affect the locals who drive their Lada cars down it regularly. Situated in the Caucasus mountains, these roads are to be tackled only by the Russian military which probably explain why they lack any official designation. The harsh surface, along with the problems posed by snow, makes this road almost inaccessible during winter. The seldom used road connects Russia and Georgia and assumes of strategic importance for both countries.

12) Guoliang Tunnel Road, China

The magnificent tunnel road in the Taihang mountains was built by 13 local villagers headed by their chief, Shen Mingxin, and took around five years to finish. Many villagers lost their lives in accidents during construction of the tunnel but the others continued relentlessly. The tunnel was opened to traffic on May 1st, 1977. The 1200 meter long tunnel is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide. It is located in the Henan Province of China. The Guoliang tunnel is another addition to most dangerous and complicated roads to travel. Dubbed as “the road that does not tolerate any mistakes”, most accidents in the tunnel are primarily caused by the neglect of the traveler. Nonetheless, it is an extremely scenic route and is a key destination on the Chinese tourism map.

13) Taroko Gorge Road in Taiwan (Chungheng)

The Taroko Gorge Road in Taiwan is another mountain route made by carving out rocks, like the Guoliang Tunnel road. The road passes through the Taroko national park alongside the Taroko Gorge. The road is an appeal to the tourist, as well as a mode of transportation of marble found abundantly in the Gorge.

14) Pasubio (Vicenza), Northern Italy

This is a hiking trail made out of an ancient road trail. The road serves mostly for motorcycles and certain types of car. The road is dangerously narrow and slippery, spanning many cliff faces and tunnels with stunning scenery, making this a popular destination for adventurous travelers.

15) The Halsema Highway in the Philippines

The Halsema Highway runs through the Central Cordillera Valley in Philippines. It is also called the Baguio-Bontoc Road. The road is approximately 150 miles long and is mostly unpaved. The road runs through steep cliff faces which barely have any guard rails or other safety devices installed. The narrow roads and steep cliff faces make the road almost impassable during the rainy season. It’s known for the rock slides and mud slides and buses driving dangerously fast on its narrow passage. There are plenty of accidents and many overturned buses on a yearly basis. There are sheer drop offs of more than 1000 feet without a safety guard rail. This route is for sure one of the most dangerous roads in the world.

16) Trollstigen in Norway

The Fjord in Norway has many roads that attract tourists. The most notable among them is the Trollstigen which is a series of stunning roads with a breathtaking view of a few waterfalls. The word Trollstigen means the Troll Ladder. The road, though not lacking in safety standards, takes a lot of concentration and driving skill to conquer. The vertigo-inducing steep inclines, intense set of hairpins and narrow roads leave no margin for error. However, once you are at the top, the view is just breathtaking. The narrow road leaves us with extremely few possibilities for vehicles to pass each other. The frequent rockfalls in the region have resulted in some upgrades to the road in 2005. At the top, there is a viewing balcony which overlooks the road and the Stigfossen waterfall, a 320 m long waterfall which falls down the mountain side.

17) Los Caracoles Pass in Andes

This road passes though the Andreas Mountains on the way between Chile and Argentina. Los Caracoles is a series of hard switchbacks on an extremely steep incline. The road has many steep inclines and hairpins without any safety guard rails. The road is covered with snow for the most part of the year. The snow together with nature of the road requires extreme patience and skill to negotiate. However, this road is maintained pretty regularly and does not have a morbid accident record. Cargo trucks and even double-Decker tourist buses travel through the road on a daily basis, and it’s quite an experience.

18) Iroha-zaka winding road, Japan

Iroha-zaka winding road is the main route that connects central Nikko and Oku-Nikko. The First Iroha-zaka is used to come down, and the Second Iroha-zaka to go up. Each corner has an ancient Japanese alphabet, and you will see it in alphabetical order starting from I-ro-ha and hence the name. The road was used by ascetics in the past. The number of curves on the road was 48, matching the 48 letters of the ancient Japanese alphabet. Therefore, the tourist guides started to call the slope Iroha-zaka. After the construction of the second Iroha-zaka there were 50 curves, but 2 were decreased to remain corresponding with the 48 letters. How’s that for complicated?

19) Van Zyl’s Pass, Namibia

Van Zyl’s Pass, or the DR3703, located in Namibia, is a classic extreme road. It is not exactly a road, just a route made over the mountain by the travelers over time. The outrageously steep pass provides a pure adrenaline rush, but the route that leads up to it is a 10-15km of tough driving where one has to dodge their way through rocks, boulders, badlands and ravines. At the end, the road descends to the ancient glacial valley called Marienfluss valley, which is one of the planet’s most beautiful sights that await only the brave-hearted.

20) El Espinazo Del diablo, Mexico

El Espinazo Del diablo or ‘The devil’s backbone’ is the mountain pass in Durango, Mexico. It’s about 5 hours long, and it was the only road from Durango to Mazatlan Sinaloa for a long time. We have heard many cautionary tales about crossing the devil’s backbone, El Espinoza Del Diablo, But the road is exceptionally well maintained and there are many cautionary signs marking most of the hazards. Of course these are in Spanish, so keep an electronic translator or a dictionary, handy. Pull out spots are frequent, so you can easily stop anytime you want. There are some tight curves, too. So tight that a truck needs all of the road to make it around. These hinder potential two way traffic in these regions. However, stunning rock formations rising around you and the lush, green vistas stretching on for impossible distances make every inch of the drive breathtaking.

21) Lysebotn Road, Norway

This is probably the most fun road you can travel on four wheels, and then maybe on your two legs checking out the various hiking trails leading from the area. In fact, this might be considered the most breathtaking place in Europe. It all starts with the narrow road up the steep walls of the Lysefjord, Norway. It has 27 switchbacks and a 1.1 km long tunnel at the bottom, with 3 switchbacks inside. The last 30 km of Lysebotn road is a true roller-coaster! It’s narrow but has a perfect surface, winding left and right all the time. If you happen to ride a motorcycle in Norway, then this is the road you simply cannot afford to miss!

Popularity: 12% [?]

Milford Sound

One of New Zealand’s best-known tourist attractions, Milford Sound attracts about 500,000 visitors each year, and features rocky cliffs, cascading waterfalls and dense forests.

Angel Falls

The highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls is located in Venezuela, along the border with Brazil. The waterfall boasts a height of more than 3,200 feet.

Vesuvius

It is the only volcano on Europe’s mainland to have eruped in the past 100 years, but Italy’s Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in 79 AD. The explosion and its aftermath destroyed the city of Pompeii.

Halong Bay

Because of its abundance of precipitation, most of the islands of Halong Bay are uninhabited. Located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam, it features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes.

El Yunque

Puerto Rico’s 28,000-acre El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System.

Grand Canyon

This well-known and frequently visited U.S. National Park runs a mile deep, averages 10 miles wide and was carved out over the past 6 million years.

Mud volcanoes

It is estimated that 300 of the planet’s estimated 700 mud volcanoes are found in Gobustan, Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea. In Azerbaijan, eruptions are driven from a deep mud reservoir which is connected to the surface even during dormant periods, when seeping water still shows a deep origin.

Puerto Princesa Underground River

The subterranean river, located in the Philippines, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and winds about 5 miles into the South China Sea.

Amazon

This 1.7 billion-acre jungle makes up more than half of the rainforests remaining on the planet. The Amazon is situated in nine countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

Cliffs of Moher

One of the most visited tourist sites of Ireland, the vertical Cliffs of Moher tower 650 feet high and plunge abruptly into the churning Atlantic Ocean.

Matterhorn

At 14,690 feet, the Matterhorn is not even the highest mountain in Switzerland, but it is one of the world’s most photogenic, rising up on four elegant faces to a craggy peak along the Swiss-Italian border.

Komodo

Indonesia’s Komodo National Park was founded in 1980 to protect the endangered Komodo dragon. Attacks on humans by Komodo dragons are rare, but the animals have a fearsome reputation because their sharp teeth and poisonous saliva can kill a person within days of a bite.

Sundarbans

The Sundarbans delta, located in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, is home to the largest mangrove forest on the planet. “Sundarban” literally means “beautiful jungle” or “beautiful forest” in the Bengali language.

Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro National Park was inscribed to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1987. Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak in Africa, rising 19,340 feet in the air.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Italy is a large country located in south-central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia — the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea — and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, whilst Campione d’Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. It is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the twenty-third most populous in the world. Get more details on Italy here.

Here we will be showing you snaps of some interesting and worth visiting places in Italy.

Rome, Italy

Venice, Italy

Leaning tower of Pisa, Italy

Blue Grotto Cave, Italy [See details on Blue Grotto Cave here]

Florence, Italy

Portofino, Italy

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Rhine, Italy

Lake Como, Italy

Lake Garda, Italy

Siena, Italy

Verona, Italy

Manarola, Italy

Dolomites Mountains, Italy

Popularity: 57% [?]

The Victoria Falls are on the Zambezi River, at the border among Zambia and Zimbabwe in southern Africa. They are one of the Great Natural wonders of the World. The Victoria Falls comprises one of the most stunning natural wonders of the world. The Local people call it “Mosi-oa-Tunya” the smoke that noises and the fall is amazing. There is an enchantment about them manifested in the soaring column of spray when the river is high, the noise of the falling water, the frightening gulf and calm lagoons upstream in which hippo and deadly crocodiles wait. The Victoria Falls is 1708 meters broad, making it the largest shade of water in the world. It drops between 90m and 107m into the Zambezi Gorge and an average of 550,000 cubic meters of water fall over the edge every minute.

Extraordinarily sealed in its natural state, Victoria Falls motivate visitors. The falls and the nearby area have been declared National Parks and a World Heritage Site, thus preserving the area from too much commercialization.

Victoria Falls enjoys a gentle, dry season from June to August. The temperature then rises progressively until the rains start in mid-November. It is then hot, wet and moist until the rainy season ends in late April. If you don’t like heat and moisture pass up the rainy season. It is also very hot here just before the rains begin. Early November are known as the “Suicide Season” with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees! The Falls are at full power during the March and April floods but the huge amount of scatter unclears the view and can make you very wet! For a gentle, pleasant vacations come between June & September.

A numerous activities can be assumed. The ‘Flight of Angels’ provides a tremendous view of the falls, the upstream river and its many islands and for the bolder there is micro lighting with dramatic views of the fall. Rafting the natural rapids below the fall is a much admired adventure. Visitors can also kayak, canoe, fish, go on guided walking safaris, and ride on horseback and lunch on Livingstone’s Island.

There is a Victoria Falls National Park in north-western Zimbabwe covered the south and east bank of the Zambezi River. It covers 23.4 km² extending from the larger Zambezi National Park about 6 km above the falls to about 12 km below the falls. A prominent feature of the park is the tropical forest which grows in the scatter of the falls, including ferns, palms, liana vines, and numerous trees such as mahogany not seen to another place in the region. The national parks contain abundant wildlife including great populations of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, and a variety of antelope.

Victoria Falls town lies on the southern bank of the Zambezi River at the eastern end of the Victoria Falls themselves. Victoria Falls Airport is 18 km south of the town and has international services to Johannesburg and Namibia. Livingstone is a remarkable colonial city and sightseeing centre for Victoria Falls lying 10 km south on the Zambezi River, and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Falls. The Airport has connections to Lusaka and Johannesburg in South Africa.

I hope you will surely enjoy this trip to Victoria Falls in Africa.

[Show as slideshow]

Popularity: 18% [?]

Popularity: 18% [?]

Paswar Peak at k2 base camp

Popularity: 18% [?]

By Zahrah Nasir

Certainly not everyone’s idea of a travel destination, the ancient city of Kabul weaves a magnetic spell around those who dare to tread the merciless dust of its ravaged streets, which are rising from the ashes they have been buried under for the last 30 years and counting. Nothing is like as it first seemed, other than the wide smiles of returning refugees struggling to make new lives. And the survivors who think they have already seen and felt the worst. They hopefully seek a better future though they’re unlikely to resurrect the fondly remembered days of ‘hippidom’ — the days when caravans of young westerners travelled these historic highways and byways on their overland route to India.

Façades of once proud buildings waiting for the Afghan version of ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ to be filmed still line the roads of outlying city districts whilst pretentiously arrogant villas a la’ Pakistan rub cement shoulders in more desirable locations where each and every square inch of land is an exorbitantly priced commodity.

Yet, despite the rattling echo of bullets slashing through the clear night air as they are wont to do, the near-enough-to-touch stars are just as big as they ever were, Chicken Street with its tourist trap stores is still sharply operational, the traditional tea of welcome still flows endlessly and the aroma of fresh tandoori nan and fragrantly hot kebabs hangs lusciously heavy on every corner in town and the people talk… how they talk and smile and extend the handshake of friendship.

“Eat with us” called a group of young women wearing jeans, long shirts and hijab. “Come home with us; spend the night so we can talk. We are all students at the university except for this one here, she is our professor.”

I regret having to refuse in the face of such open hospitality.

My taxi whizzes dangerously, seemingly sideways through one of the three daily traffic jams. So often the rush grinds to a frozen halt when convoys of foreign troops in armoured vehicles ominously dominate the tarmac and every other form of transport must momentarily breathe in, become invisible. Just in case a bomb goes off, a suicidal maniac decides to hit, a sniper fire. Then, just as suddenly as they appear, the menace is gone and the very air is allowed to heave a huge sigh of relief until next time.

The worlds have always collided in Kabul, the tribes congregated, traders traded, invaders have occupied, merged or been driven out and nothing much has altered in this respect but life, particularly picnics, continue as usual.

Babar lived and picnicked here, created the extraordinary Bagh-e-Babar, now completely renovated including a magnificent outdoor swimming pool and his tomb in this Mughul garden is a place of pilgrimage for historians, the garden itself a beautiful picnic spot for Kabulis by the score.

Kargha Lake, a manmade attraction nestled against the foothills of the Paghman Mountains just outside Kabul wasn’t around when Babar ruled the roost, is one of the most popular picnic spots to be found and hundreds of people throng to its shores at weekends and on holidays. Families brew tea on primus stoves, heat up pilau, children fly kites, adults try their hand at fishing, and elders tell tales of the pre-ward days.

These days, though, the nomads have a hard time clinging on to survival. Numbers and herds diminished, traditional migration routes and grazing mined or devastated by drought. They are increasingly being forced to try and settle down in one place that goes against their ancestral custom and culture. Once open borders are now closed to them, lands of plenty become scarce and the colourful clothes of their women transformed into upper class fashion statements. Every Kabuli wedding party inevitable sports a few well-to-do imitation nomads…the real thing wouldn’t be allowed!

Kabul, with its five-star and no star hotels and restaurants, its smiling people and a ubiquitous sense of mystery and danger, has always lain at the fascinatingly addictive crossroads of empires…. it always will.

Popularity: 16% [?]

If you are willing to enjoy Winter Olympic Games than just pack your bags and take a flight towards Vancouver. This city is well known for its best Winter Olympic Games. There are thousands of people who came here from all around the world to enjoy these thrilling and amusing Winter Olympic Games.

This Vancouver city is best for stay in both winter and summer season. Many tourists think that you should have to visit this city during summer season, but there are also many enjoyable things to do during winter season. Whether you visit Vancouver during winter season or summer season, this city has ability to amuse its visitors and provide different things to enjoy their memorable trip. Here are some of the best things to do while in Vancouver during the autumn season.

VanDusen Botanical Garden:

During the fall season this VanDusen Botanical Garden is one of the most visited spots in Vancouver. This beautiful garden boasts of a large range of flower and plant variety like Autumn Crocus and Heathers which are in full bloom during the fall months. Visitors usually visit this garden to see these charming and soothing flowers and plants everywhere during this season very.

Vancouver Art Gallery:

This city is also best for art lovers. You can also visit Vancouver Art Gallery to watch different remarkable art pieces. In this museum, you can see just about 10,000 pieces including historical and modern art works made by Vancouver artists. This Art Gallery is not only famous for its art work but it is also well liked for its cafes, so you can amuse from these art work with a cup of cappuccino. This city also offers International Film Festival for movies lovers. This festival usually begins in October and many filmmakers from around 70 countries participate in this grand festival. The film festival is usually shown in a variety of venues like Pacific Cinematheque and Vancity Theater.

Maplewood Farm:

Another excellent spot to visit in Vancouver during the fall is the Maplewood Farm. This farm boasts of Sicilian donkeys named Rosie and Roberto and a New Zealand white rabbit which goes by the name Fluffy.

Events:

Halloween is fun in Vancouver mainly at the yearly Fright Night of Pacific National Exhibition. This event occurs in this modern enjoyment park where frightening but very entertaining shows take place like Monsters of Schlock. This park offers enjoyment for both children and adults. Children can amuse by taking different rides and the adults can try park’s 5 haunted houses designed to scare everyone.

In this city mostly people love to watch theater during this chill and thrilling season. The Vancouver International Fringe Festival is an alternative theater that features around 500 acts in just 11 days. There are also numeral theaters that begin their seasons during the autumn months such as Touchstone Theater and Arts Club Theater Company.

Sports:

Vancouver city is well liked for different professional sports franchises and a history of brilliance. At the old Denman Arena the Vancouver Millionaires hoisted up the renowned Stanley Cup on the ice at the old Denman Arena in 1915, the first indoor artificial-ice hockey rink in North America.

Since then the city’s teams comprise the locally-beloved Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League and defunct Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA. The 1994 and 2000 Grey Cup Champion British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League play at BC Place Stadium.

There are lots of options available for lodging in this beautiful city. Vancouver hotels are secure, clean, and wonderfully cheap. Hostelling International Vancouver Central is another Vancouver hostel that is a great deal if you like friendly atmosphere or looking to spend time in friendly surroundings where backpacking fun is never far away.

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Popularity: 23% [?]

Tortuguero National Park is the third most visited national park in Costa Rica, this famous park hosts more than 100,000 visitors every year. This amazing and adventurous park was created in 1975; it is loaded with wildlife, both marine and land-based, including different type of waterfowl and the mysterious jaguar. It is also a main nesting site for the rare green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and, to a slighter degree, the leatherback, and loggerhead and hawksbill turtles.

The Tortuguero National Park has a network of both natural and man-made canals that attach with a series of rivers and ponds. These flourishing waterways can be toured by flat-bottomed boat, kayak or canoe and present the best occasion for bird and wildlife watching.

Tortuguero National Park is also consisting of sheltered beaches and heavily vegetated rainforest with a few hiking trails. Each year, mainly from July through October, Tortuguero visitors can join an evening turtle trip to watch some of the thousands of green sea turtles nesting on the beach.

This Tortuguero National Park consists of 65,711 acres of secured land and 113,014 acres of secured waters in the park. It is adjacent to the Barra Del Colorado Wildlife Refuge and together, these two areas form a huge management area that is affluent in biodiversity.

The moist rainforest and canals are a heaven for birdwatchers and nature lovers. The finest way to observe as much wildlife as possible is with an experienced biologist guide. You can watch all these fantasies through a three-hour boat tour of the park’s canals with a local guide.

Tortuguero has numerous beautiful small houses that present packages including meals, lodging, transport to and from San Jose, and tours. Visitors who choose autonomous travel can find lodgings in the village at one of the mid-range hotels or budget hostels. Canoes and kayaks can be rented either through a local tour operator or one of the all-inclusive lodges.

Getting There:

You can reach Tortuguero via plane or boat. There are no roads directing into the village itself.  There is a small airstrip north of the village and every day flights to and from San Jose are accessible with local carriers. The bus/boat route from San Jose is a 155-mile trip that can take everywhere from five to seven hours.

One of the simplest methods to travel to Tortuguero is to book an all-inclusive package with one of the lodges. Packages include food, lodging, guides and transportation to and from San Jose.

If you select to travel on your own to Tortuguero, here’s how:

From San Jose via Cariari

The most inexpensive and most ordinary route to Tortuguero is through Cariari and La Pavona. Buses go away for Cariari from San Jose’s Gran Caribe Terminal. The journey is less than two hours and stops in Guapiles for a bathroom break. From Cariari, buy a ticket to La Pavona at the vital bus terminal. Boats leave for Tortuguero from La Pavona. These public water taxis are scheduled to meet the buses, so wait time is minimal.

From San Jose via Moin

Take the bus to Limon from San Jose’s Gran Caribe Terminal. If possible, buy your ticket one day before as the bus is frequently full. From Limon, take a taxi to the boat docks in Moin where boats go away for the Tortuguero canals (the JAPDEVA docks).

These are water taxis and don’t have a fixed every day service. The return tour to Moin leaves Tortuguero at around 10:00 a.m. Travelers should arrive in Moin before 1:00 p.m. This will provide you a lot of time to get back to San Jose during daylight hours.

Weather:

At Tortuguero National Park the average daytime temperature is 87° F and at night the average temperature is 69° F. Tortuguero’s yearly rainfall averages is 175-235 inches. The climate is moist and very hot, with normal showers. The driest months are February-March and September-October. Visitors should expect two types of rain: short afternoon showers and the long Caribbean drizzle that can last up to two weeks.

Beaches:

The deserted beaches are ideal for strolling, but only between dawn and dusk (5 a.m. to 6 p.m.) from March-October. Strong and the rare presence of bull sharks and stingrays make the ocean dangerous for swimming.

Activities:

• Land Activities: Turtle tours, hiking, and bird and wildlife watching are well-liked activities. Camping is allowed at the Cuatro Esquinas ranger station, just a few blocks south of Tortuguero village.
• Water Activities: Canoeing or kayaking in the canals is a huge way to mark wildlife. Sport fishing boats can be chartered in Tortuguero to patrol the canals, river mouths, and Atlantic Ocean. Many fishing captains also travel to nearby Parismina or Barra Del Colorado where huge tarpon and snook can be taken all year around.

Flora & Fauna:

At Tortuguero National Park you can find four species of sea turtles, the green, leatherback, hawksbill and loggerhead nest on the beaches of Tortuguero. The green sea turtle comes ashore more regularly than the other three types. More than 2,600 green sea turtles were marked by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation in 2000, compared to less than 100 leatherback turtles.

Visitors can contribute in evening turtle tours to watch nesting green sea turtles from July through October. These tours can be arranged in the village or with a lodge, but are only allowed with licensed guides.

There is a huge range of wildlife and plant assortment in the park’s gallery forests and marine trails. More than 400 types of trees, 2,200 types of plants, 375 species of birds, 125 mammal types and 124 types of reptiles are found here. Common sightings comprise tiger herons, green herons, great blue and little blue herons, toucans, anhingas and egrets.

Sloths, basilisk lizards, green iguanas and caimans, as well as howler, spider and white-faced monkeys are frequent. Although seldom sighted, tapirs, jaguars and manatees are native to the area. Native flora include the hawk tree, crab wood, banak, bully tree and dove wood, as well as aquatic lilies, monkey ladder and wild plantain.

Facilities:

There are three ranger stations located within Tortuguero National Park:

• Cuatro Esquinas Station is at the south end of Tortuguero village. This station is available by boat from the lodges, or on foot through the village. Cuatro Esquinas is the most visited station and presents a small educational visitor center and park maps.
• The Jalova Station, available by boat from Parismina, is at the southern boundary of the park. This station has a short hiking trail as well as bathrooms and a picnic area.
• The Aguas Frias Station is on the western border of the park. Visitors can arrive here by car, after passing through Guapiles and Cariari.

Places to Stay:

Small cabins and relaxed mid-range hotels can be found in the village of Tortuguero.  Reservations are a good plan during the high season (December-May) and also during peak turtle nesting season (August-September).

There are numerous rural, riverfront lodges located on the surrounding canals that present two to four-day all-inclusive deals including transportation to and from San Jose

Recommendations:

1. Carry many insect repellent for beach walks and rainforest hikes.
2. Pack dark clothing for evening turtle tours.
3. Tour the park with a skilled biologist guide – you will see much more wildlife this way.

Popularity: 65% [?]