In the very beginning of the journey, I was greeted by the majestic mountain ranges Mala Kapela and Lička Plješivica. As in the cradle the park lies in between those glorious stone giants. Its lush and fragrant greenery along with Ural owls and woodpeckers couldn’t leave me indifferent. The more time passed, the more consumed by peace and quiet I got. After hours of wandering I finally reached the ‘Great Waterfall’ which is the largest fall in all of Croatia. Never have I ever seen such a miraculous place! Crystal clear waters were flowing gracefully, shining in the rays of the sun just like the diamonds do. I spent the entire day admiring the famous lake system, which is comprised of 16 reservoirs, cascading one into next. It consists of 12 Upper Lakes and 4 Lower Lakes and truly is a wonder of nature! Turquoise streams flowing accompanied by birds singing allowed me to detach myself from the hustle and bustle of the city.

     If you are eager to find tranquility, I suggest you visit this exceptional place, but please bear in mind that the park contributes to nature preservation that is why it is required to follow the rules such as not feeding the animals or not swimming in the lakes. Let’s take care of the environment so that our young generations can become witness to such magnificence!

Popova Anastasia

In the beginning of the trip, I was gobsmacked by the scenery of these gigantic mountains and cliffs, covered with various trees and plants as a bottle-green blanket. As I was on a ship, I was able to get a glimpse of Milford Sound, which is the most stunning natural attraction with its ink-dark waters and superb forest-clad cliffs. No sooner had I landed on the island than my eyes caught sight of Fiordland's kiwi in their natural habitat. Later, I climbed up a mountain to get a better view of the lakes and forests. So picturesque was the panoramic view from the peak that my breath was taken away immediately. It was an unforgettable trip to the fairy-tale Fiordland National Park that must be seen to be believed. 

It is beyond a shadow of a doubt that the park plays a significant role in preserving species that are on the verge of extinction. As more and more recovery programmes are managed by the Department of Conservation, there are successful stories of remaining populations of native New Zealand birds called takahe, kākāpō, and kiwi. If you are really eager to find paradise on our planet, you ought to visit this harmonious place. 

Nasimova Camila

First of all, this place remains the examples of rock art that are the only one in the whole Eastern Europe. Only imagine: you walk in the somber passages of ancient cave and see unique images of humans and animals that were painted here with a red ochre more than 14 thousand years ago! I bet this experience is much more captivating than a visit to any of modern museums. Furthermore, the territory if this cave includes a lake and more than 700 meters of underwater tunnels. The majority of them are unexplored so modern scientists are conducting their research of this cave. 

 Secondly, the territory around the Capova Cave is also noticeable. There is a reserve around it meant to protect the charm of Ural nature. The most essential part of this reserve is an enormous apiary that was constructed to keep the unique types of bees safe and explore them. Another pleasant merit of this apiary is that visitors can taste and buy some mouth-watering Bashkir honey. There are a lot of other activities to taste and color available at the territory of this reserve. For instance, adrenaline junkies can do a white-water rafting in the river Belaya, adventurous people can go camping and nature-lovers can savor walking through untouched majestic natural world. 

Personally, I would describe this place as a piece of antiquity at the very heart of Russia. Only here you can get detached from modern reality and understand the quiddity of ancient world. A marvelous nature will make the memories of the visit to this cave incredibly persistent so you should definitely jump at the chance of visiting this distinctive place! 

 Lukashenko Yulia

The Jungfrau (which is German for “Young Maiden”) is a region in Switzerland named after one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps. To get there, I took a train from Interlaken. Gazing wistfully from the window, I was completely mesmerized by the vibrant green meadows outstretched all the way to the horizon, a dazzle of flamboyant flowers opening to my eyes. Then, a small herd of dairy cows walking serenely by a lake caught my attention. Elated, I spent the rest of my ride taking in the inconceivable beauty in front of me.

Having finally arrived at the Jungfraujoch, I stopped to admire the scenery of mountainpeaks piercing the clouds when I noticed a young Alpine chough hopping around excitedly, feasibly searching for a sluggish caterpillar or a berry to feast on. I observed the bird for a while before setting off to find a place to pitch my tent. After all, I had another day brimful of astonishing discoveries and majestic landscapes ahead of me.

Visiting the Jungfrau has been a truly life-changing experience for me. As a matter of fact, no amount of information you may have read about the Alps verily compares to seeing the place at close quarters. Places like this, untouched by human, magnificent in their untamed splendor, should be meticulously preserved, especially considering the impact the humanity has already caused to the wildlife. 

Tolstykina Alexandra

Once I managed to visit the Yugansky reserve in my native lands, in Yugra, Russia, and this trip left an indelible impression on me. 

March. The snow was still lying in huge fluffy snowdrifts. We were peacefully wandering through the forest in search of extraordinary colorful bullfinch birds. But suddenly, somewhere further away, at the edge of the wood, we heard the crunch of spruce branches and decided to slow down a little. We hid behind the feathered limbs of a fir tree and waited. Here a bear and its two cubs appeared from the thicket of the forest. We stared at them in fascination, afraid to move, and they tranquilly and leisurely studied the terrain. They know that they are the owners of the taiga. After the family went deep into the forest, we carefully, treading softly, left the reserve. 

This picture will be remembered by me for a long time: everything looked like on Shishkin's widely reputed canvas "Morning in the Pine forest". The serenity of the forest inhabitants, their established order of life, their pulchritude and grace, the picturesque views, the soul-stirring landscapes that they are free to consider home - this is what it is worth coming to the reserves to guard their special status. The charm of nature around us is something that everyone can notice, but not everyone is able to appreciate the value and splendor of this natural world. 

Yudina Kate

After visiting Zhangye National Geopark in China, you will never associate that phrase with the American flag. Not only because the Chinese flag contains stars too or because the stars as space objects are fascinating there, but also because of the way how mountains are painted there. Unique nature of that place is truly unforgettable!

Stunning natural art caught me off-guard. In fact, this place is just a striped mountain range. In the beginning of the trip, I had already known that this place is unforgettable because people have written a ton of articles in attempt to describe this place using only words, but I could not imagine a place more picturesque than this national park. The guide clarified that nature created this scenery itself and all the so-called layers formed in the result of the chain of chemical reactions, but it still felt like a place from some videogame. Vigorous formations cover over 50 square kilometers and there is a variety of viewing platforms. Each platform uncovers a unique point of view on this natural wonder. In the evening we were lucky to see how the rays of the sun descend on the slopes of the mountains. Finally, we left this place with an incredible inspiration to create something this magnificent.

Borozdin Stepan

All the area of Los Glacieres for the reason has been inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. And the reason is that I find it hard to come up with another example of such a place where scenery and terrain might be even closely equated to this one. High mountains with snow-capped peaks covered by rural forests combined with the icing on the cake – blue as the sky on a sunny summer day glaciers lying in the deep hallows between those hills. There are few glaciers out there but the most popular and the most fascinating one is Perito Moreno, which is tremendous in height and size. What if I also tell you that once in approximately five years it crashes like a dam by the pressure of the river it blocks. Only this breathtaking scene brings here thousands and thousands of people in hope to behold it.

  If you’ll ever have a chance to visit Los Glacieres, I would undoubtfully recommend you to jump at it and see all of these fabulous landscapes which would really break your mind and leave you as impressed as you have never been before. The picturesque nature and the unimaginable fusion of greenery and ice for sure wouldn’t leave any human being unattached.

Cherbaev Konstantin

As I travelled through these valleys, I was excited by how pristine they are. Green forest mountain cliffs stretched as far as the eye could see, crystal blue cold water and heavy Nordic wind. It seemed to me no human had ever visited them! Like they remained untouchable since the days of Ice Age. An evidence of mightiness of pre-historic glaciers.

Rivers were so wide and long I had to travel between fjords on a big cruise ship. During its trip, the ship stopped at several villages situated in small bays. There I was amazed by how Norwegian people treated they land and nature. Obviously, they had found a way how to live in harmony with wildlife and nature. I guess this is why fjords pay them back with their beauty.

Григорий Перепечко

  In the beginning of the trip, I was completely mesmerized by the view of an impressive volcano ‘Teide” that can be seen from almost any part of the island, especially from the northern coast, on which it “looks” in many ways. The volcano, as if it was a giant from a fairy tale, stretches for 25 kilometres and reaches a height of 600 meters. The scenery of Teide took my breath away, leaving me speechless and full of emotions. After a short period of time I found myself walking along a long path. Arenas Negras is a trail that starts from the El Portillo Visitor Center, climbs the Cerrillar Mountain between the broom trees and reaches a height from which you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the park and the Mach Plain. On clear days, you can see the phenomenon of "sea of clouds" from there. Thankfully, I was the lucky one who actually saw this natural phenomenon. After that my group and I went ahead towards the Observatory. The Teide Observatory is located in the Teide National Park and houses impressive telescopes with which, according to the Canary Institute of Astrophysics, "observations of the most important comets of recent years have been carried out, including the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy with Jupiter, and a large-scale map of the centre of the Milky Way has been obtained." I should say that I have never experienced such a feeling of calmness. It felt like the whole world is at arm’s length. 

 If I could give a name to this place, I would call it a mysterious planet on Earth. If you are a real adventurer, a lover of space exploration and a fan of wild and unique nature, then I strongly recommend you to visit this magical place at least once in your life!

Seliverstova Marina