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Brunei, northern coast of Borneo
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This “National Mosque” is one of the highlights of a small oil-rich country located on the northern coast of Brunei, otherwise famous for its orangutans. Its 26,000 citizens can boast of having one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.
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Leeds Castle, England
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A visit to Leeds Castle, once described by Lord Conway as the loveliest castle in the world, provides a trip through the ages, beginning with its earliest construction in the 12th century (replacing a 9th-century wooden structure). The distinctive lake-like moat is unlike any other water-defense setting in Britain.
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Anglesea, Australia
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One of the world’s great drives, the Great Ocean Road, runs for 125 miles along this country’s southern coast. (Seen here is one of its highlights, London Bridge.) Soldiers who had returned from service in World War II were responsible for its construction.
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Cable Beach, Broome, Australia
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The Australians take their beaches seriously, so when they claim that Cable Beach is the continent’s most beautiful, take notice. The epic 14-mile beach, almost half a mile wide when the tide is out, attracts connoisseurs drawn by the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean and the pearly shells that mingle with the sun-bleached sands.
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Inside Passage, Alaska, USA
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One-third of visitors to Alaska come to cruise the 1,000-mile Inside Passage, a route through the narrow strip of mainland and islands that make up Alaska’s panhandle. The calm waters and dramatic fjords are capped by beautiful Glacier Bay National Park at the passage’s northern end, a branching 65-mile fjord.
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Aldabra, The Seychelle Islands
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Unusual “coral trees” are an unexpected sights at one of the world’s largest lagoons, on the island of Aldabra in the Seychelles. This 50-square-mile atoll in the Indian Ocean encompasses an ecosystem so isolated that wildlife is in many cases considered unique. Biologist Sir Julian Huxley described it as a “living natural history museum” that should belong to the whole world.
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Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile
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One of the most famous residents of the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile is a cat that can be found throughout the Americas and is known by many names.
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Grand Tetons, Wyoming, USA
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Less lofty and snowy than many other American mountain ranges, the dozen peaks of the Teton Range still win America’s geologic beauty pagent. Craggy, glacier chiseled, and rising up to 7,000 feet above the flat floor of Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Valley, they’re the youngest mountains in the Rockies.
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Dubrovnik, Croatia
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The walled city of Dubrovnik, originally settled in the 7th century but then largely rebuilt in a Baroque style after an earthquake in 1667, is not only an interesting attraction in its own right, but it makes a great base for exploring the islands along the Croatian coast.
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Suvretta House, St. Moritz, Switzerland
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St. Moritz, despite its reputation, is not only for socialites and stars but remains a haven for the sporty set, too. While the place to be seen is the very Hollywood Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, the more discreet set that wants to concentrate on the slopes and not the scene check into the relatively glitz-free Suvretta House.
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Geiranger Fjord, Norway
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Norway’s indented coast is an exquisite region of mountains, glaciers, and fjords; one of the most stunning, seen here, is Geiranger. Best of all, come in the summer for the chance to enjoy the famous midnight sun. |
