Chobe National Park, Botswana

October 2013

Chobe National Park is located in Northern Botswana and has one of the largest concentrations of game in Africa.

Located on the Chobe River, it is easy to see a diverse range of animals, and water cruises are common, particularly around sunset.

The park is know for its large elephant population, and it is easy to see the damage done to trees in some areas of the park.

Guest Post: Photograph Essay USA Desert National Parks

My parents had a trip in May 2013 to some of the spectacular National Parks in the US. Here are some of there photos to live vicariously through.....

Wish List: Zion and Bryce National Parks, Utah, USA

We love travelling in National Parks, even when we weren't that active (or correction I wasn't that active, DH has always been) we've always enjoyed checking out National Parks, some of our favourites being based in USA (think Yosemite, but also Kings Canyon, Valley of Fire). We also spend a fair time visiting Vegas, so Zion and Bryce are natural choices for our wish list

Zion National Park 273 km or 170 miles from Vegas, in Utah. The subway is a well photographed area and permits must be applied for before hiking into the area. Its also popular for bird watchers and nature lovers in general.

http://www.nps.gov/zion

Bryce Canyon National Park is located in a similar area in Utah, with Vegas also being the closest major airport.

http://www.nps.gov/brca

They have a shuttle system to minimise traffic disruptions, and of course there is plenty of hiking to do. But with sunsets like the one above, I can only imagine what the sunrises look like!

Wish List: Alaska

I don't know many people that don't have Alaska on their wish list or their bucket list. I mean what's not to love, you've got the great outdoors, you can see it all from your room and the list of activities are endless.

Most people when they think of Alaska think cruising. It's not the only way to see/do Alaska but it's definitely the most common. The question then becomes, what type of cruise, what type of room, how long, what time of year, which land activities.

Then there's the wildlife side. Whether it's hiking, caravaning or driving through the state the Internet is full of pictures of animals, scenery and flowers.

Finally there's the adventure side. Want to take a dog sled ride? Want to go cross country skiing? How about some fly fishing if your so inclined?

If you caught my Bucket List post, you might have seen Alaska on it. It's definitely one of my top to go to locations, did I make it one of yours?

West Coast USA 2005: Day 21 - 22

May 2005

Our last stop in our nearly 5 week USA trip. Yosemite was a new location for both of us, a rarity on this trip, and we were there at a perfect time of year, the falls were gushing and it was warm enough to enjoy the outdoors. Details of where to stay, eat and stop at the bottom.

Eat
We had breakfast one morning in the beautiful, historic Ahwahnee Dinning Room (our limited budget didn't allow for dinner or lunch there), but we enjoyed our breakfast there just the same

Pizza Deck at Curry Village

Yosemite Village

If you bring your own food (which we did for lunch and snacks) make sure you use the bear boxes provided, the food is not safe left in your car!

Stay

Curry Village Tent Cabins- like all the national parks book in advance. We were there before a long weekend and there seemed to be a lot of people staying for weddings?

Do

If you like photography check out the Ansel Adams gallery, we brought a print, if you can buy an original (or have one!) I'm envious

Check out one of the evening programs, we went to one of the evening presentations, and best of all they're free

Great views from Glacier Point, this was recommended by one of our tent neighbours who holidayed every year in Yosemite and we would have never had know otherwise

Yosemite Valley for all the main attractions including Tunnel View, El Captain Meadow and Sentinel Meadow

The waterfalls of the Yosemite Valley including Lower Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Horsetail Falls, and Nevada Falls



West Coast USA 2005: Day 19 - 20

May 2005

Kings Canyon and Sequoia National parks in California have to be one of the most magnificent places on earth. I spent some of the summers of my childhood in this areas so maybe I'm biased, but I would say I prefer them to Yosemite, which i think has more visitors. We only spent 1.5 days here, but could have spent more. We did little hiking (nothing more than an 1 hour at a time) and some of the areas I wanted to visit were blocked off. We did however get to see the largest living thing in the world, General Sherman.



Stay

Grant Grove Cabins, inside the park. We stayed in the Camp Cabins.

Do

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, California

Giant Forest and The Big Trees Trail

Check out General Sherman

Climb Moro Rock (we didn't get a chance this trip, but I did in 1997)

Generals Hwy

Grant Grove

West Coast USA 2005: Day 18

May 2005

After nearly a week in Vegas it was time to pack up and head off. We were heading towards some of the Californian National Parks and decided to go through Death Valley. In May the average temperature ranges from 22C to 43C (or 71F to 99F) and it got so hot at one stage we had to turn the air in the car off and pull over as the engine was starting to over heat.

Do
Death Valley, making sure you check out Scotty's Castle

West Coast USA 2005: Day 12

May 2005

We decided to start the day with a helicopter tour over the Canyon. Just like you can't appreciate the Canyon via photos, it's also hard without seeing it by air.

We spent some more time exploring the area (including DH going to a free talk on Vultures), before heading off towards Hoover Dam. Like the Snowy Mountain River Scheme, I doubt the Hoover Dam would be built in these times, due to the high human cost, but like the Snowy it is a key water source to the area.

Do
Helicopter tour over the Canyon. We did the North Canyon Papillion Tour.
Mule trip of the Grand Canyon. I've always wanted to do this and am still kicking myself for not doing it.
Self tour around Hoover Dam. You can also do a variety of organised tours.