Nature/Wildlife
We live busy lives, often in urban settings, so when the time comes for a vacation, many of us know that the best thing to do is to turn to nature. Nothing blows the cobwebs away more than a trek in the mountains or communing with creatures in the deep forest. Whether peering into a volcano, riding horseback along a trail, or spotting wildlife on a river cruise, something deep within us needs to feel connected to the natural world. All regions of the world present opportunities for enjoying nature.
In cooler temperate climates you may seek out snow-capped mountains such as the Alps, while equatorial regions offer the dense jungles of Asia or the vast plains of Africa. Anywhere animals live free offers us the chance to witness their majesty and understand better our place in the natural order. We can give ourselves privileged memories of seeing lions, elephants and gorillas on safari, or witness orangutans, monkeys and birds in the trees of the rainforest. The oceans and coastlines of the world offer opportunities for encounters with whales, dolphins, penguins, seals and more. Nature is always good for the soul.
Mu Koh Tarutao National Park: Thailand’s Wildest Island
The 51 islands of the Koh Tarutao Marine National Park archipelago lie in the Andaman Sea, 20-70 km off the extreme southwest coast of peninsular Thailand. Tarutao is a Malay work meaning old, mysterious and primitive. Much of the island is composed of...
Mu Koh Ang Thong National Park: The Secret Emerald Sea
Dive in the Ang Thong National Park Mu Koh Ang Thong National Park is an archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand consisting of 42 separate and small islands. All the islands occur in the Ang Thong district, of Amphur Samui, Surat Thani Province. The park covers a total...
Mu Koh Lanta Marine National Park: A Slower Pace of Paradise
Established in 1990, by order of the then Prime Minister Khun Chaun Leekpai and the Wild Animal and Plant Foundation of Thailand, Mu Koh Lanta National Park became the 62nd national park of Thailand and covers an area of 134 km² or 83,750 rais. It includes...
Hat Nopparat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park – Nature’s Masterpiece
The full name for the national park is Hat Nopparat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park which, besides being quite a mouthful, is located in Krabi Province, not Phuket Province as many people think. It’s the 46th national park of Thailand and...
Mu Koh Similan National Park: Thailand’s Premier Diving Destination
The stunning Similan Islands with their tropical jungle beauty, white, sandy beaches and turquoise waters are understandably Thailand’s most popular dive destination. The granite islands which make up the Similan National Marine Park provide gorgeous coral reefs...
Mu Koh Surin National Park: Wild Heart of the Andaman
Mu Koh Surin National Park is situated in the Andaman Sea approximately 60 km from the coast of Phang-Nga Province in the southern Thai peninsula region. The park covers an area of approximately 135 km². Of the protected area, 102 km² or 76% is sea. Cuttlefish in...
Komodo Dragons – The Myth, the Legend
The largest monitor lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon was unknown in the West until 1910, when local stories reached the ears of the Dutch colonialists about a "land crocodile". A couple of years later, a paper was published that identified it as a monitor lizard...
The Gentle Giant Tortoises of Galapagos
No other creature represents the Galapagos Islands more than the giant tortoise. There is a fascination with seeing such huge versions of a creature many of us are familiar with. Galapagos giant tortoises crossing a field Galapagos tortoises display 'gigantism', a...
Orangutans – The Wild Man of Borneo
Playful, intelligent, and sociable, the orang utan is one of the most loved and most threatened of all the large apes. Found only in their natural wild habitat in South East Asia (on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra), they live mostly in the treetops where they build...