Aamir Khan

Spectacularly Scenic Jordan Wadi Rum Desert

noreply@blogger.com (AK Entertainment) — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 11:10:00 +0000

Jordan's Wadi Rum Desert

Wadi Rum is 720 square kilometers of protected area in southern Jordan. Visitors are captivated by the tall sandstone mountains that reach up to 1500 meters high. Canyons cut their way through these mountains, creating pathways for visitors on foot. Other trails are best explored by camel or with jeep tours.

The Bedouin, Wadi Rum’s local people, have been living here for thousands of years. A traditionally nomadic tribe, the Bedouins were originally goat herders who moved from location to location throughout the desert. Many have become villagers but some still maintain the wandering lifestyle. Today, visitors can learn about their history and culture by staying at a Bedouin campsite overnight while visiting Jordan.

Within Wadi Rum, there are a number of sites worth seeing. Burrah canyon is the perfect place to watch the sunrise or sunset as the sun creates an orange glow on the rock. Visitors can find ancient rock inscriptions in the Khazali canyon or visit Lawrence’s spring, where Lawrence of Arabia is thought to have washed during the Arab revolt. Finally, don’t underestimate the challenge of climbing a desert sand dune. From the top, there is an amazing view of the desert landscape.

Wadi Rum can be visited easily from within Jordan or from Israel. The ideal visiting months are from March to May and September to November. The summer months can be extremely hot and the winter months have very cold nights.

One of the best ways to get the full Wadi Rum experience is with a tour. There are several Petra and Wadi Rum combination tours that leave from Eilat and Aqaba. Depending how much time you have, there is a two-day tour or a three-day tour available.

A few reminders for visitors, because of the desert climate, it is important to wear a hat and carry water with you at all times. With Bedouin culture, it is polite to ask permission before taking photos of the Bedouin people. Additionally for women, dress modestly out of respect for the culture of the people.

Wadi Rum is about a 3.5 hour drive from Amman, Jordan, and a one hour drive from Aqaba and the southern border crossing from Israel. Public transportation is available from both cities to the Wadi Rum Visitor Center.

Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (AK Entertainment) — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 11:33:00 +0000

Maasai Mara (Kenya)

The Maasai Mara lies in the Great Rift Valley, which is a fault line some 3,500 miles (5,600km) long stretching from Ethiopia’s Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and into Mozambique. Here the valley is wide, and a towering escarpment can be seen in the hazy distance. The animals are at liberty to move outside the park into huge areas known as ‘dispersal areas’. There can be as much wildlife roaming outside the park as inside. Many Maasai villages are located in the ‘dispersal areas’ and they have, over centuries, developed a synergetic relationship with the wildlife.

There are four main types of terrain in the Mara – the Ngama Hills to the east with sandy soil and leafy bushes favoured by black rhino; Oloololo Escarpment forming the western boundary and rising to a magnificent plateau; Mara Triangle bordering the Mara River with lush grassland and acacia woodlands supporting masses of game, especially migrating wildebeest; and the Central Plains, forming the largest part of the reserve with scattered bushes and boulders on rolling grasslands favoured by the plains game.

The Mara is perhaps best known for the Great Migration, which takes place every year July to Septemberr. During these months the yellow savannah is dotted black by more than 1.5 million wildebeest, zebra and antelopes that migrate from the Serengeti to the Mara in search of food and water.

Mara and Serengeti parks are interdependent wildlife havens. This is where the world’s largest multi-species migration takes place. The movement is, centered around the wildebeest migrating from Serengeti into Masai Mara during the dry period in Tanzania, crossing the mighty Mara River on their way. The Great Wildebeest Migration rightfully deserves its standing as one of the natural world’s most astonishing spectacles. Compromising of more than 1.5 million wildebeest, zebras and antelopes, the Great Migration constitutes the last surviving multi-species migration on the planet.

From end of July onwards, millions of freshly arrived brown and black dots scatter the great plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve, making this Natural Wonder of the World even more wondrous until they wander back in December. The life cycle of the wildebeest is a snapshot of the circle of life of all living creatures. The wildebeest spend their lives wandering, unwearyingly trekking between the Serengeti in the South to the Masai Mara in the North.

Every sequence in a wildebeest’s life happens in accordance with Mother Earth. Their migratory routes are determined by the rain patterns; they wander in a constant pursuit of water and fresh grass. Similarly, their calving instincts are timed to the movements of the moon, resulting in a three-week long birth fest on the Serengeti plains in February.
The comings and goings of the wildebeest also shape the lives of many other species. For the predators of the Masai Mara, the arrival of the wildebeest marks the beginning of a time of feasting and prosperity. The Big Cats, in particular, thrive during the migration season. The abundance of available prey means that the lions, cheetah and leopards are able to grow strong and produce healthy offspring. The dramatic contrast between life and death to be witnessed during the Great Migration makes the Migration Season a particularly spectacular time to visit Basecamp Explorer Kenya.

Most Dangerous Island In The World

noreply@blogger.com (AK Entertainment) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 08:03:00 +0000

North Sentinel Island

It’s hard to believe that there are people in this world who have no idea about the internet or cell phones. These are tribes that are completely cut-off from global civilization and do not welcome any kind of contact from the outside world.
North Sentinel Island, a part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal Ocean between Myanmar and Indonesia, is home to one such tribe. The Sentinelese people are so hostile to external contact that the island has been dubbed the ‘hardest place to visit’ in the world.
The Sentinelese are thought to be direct descendants of the first humans who emerged from Africa. They have lived on the tiny island for almost 60,000 years. Their exact population is unknown; it could be as low as 40 or as high as 500.

It doesn’t matter whether you are friend or enemy, whether you arrive at the island shores on purpose or by accident, the locals will greet you the same way – with spears and arrows. Gifts of food and clothing are of no importance to them. They were even hostile to rescue missions after the tsunami in 2004.
In the aftermath of the disastrous tsunami that had hit the Indian Ocean in December 2004, a group of rescuers reached out to the Sentinelese in an Indian Navy helicopter. They wanted to find and help survivors, although chances were slim. They tried dropping food parcels to the ground, but they were met with hostility. A sole Sentinelese warrior emerged from the dense jungle and shot an arrow at the Helicopter

Not much is known about these tribal folk; their language is alien and their habits unknown. Their settlements are hidden in the thick jungle, so we have no clue about how they live. All we know is that the Sentinelese are hunter-gatherers; they do not farm. They live on fruits, fish, tubers, wild pigs, lizards and honey.India has sovereignty over North Sentinel, but I doubt these people even know what India is. After several failed attempts to make friendly contact with them since 1964, the Indian government has finally backed away. All visits to the island are banned. The Indian Navy has enforced a 3-mile buffer zone to keep tourists, explorers and other meddlers away. Accidental encounters still do occur, and none of them end well.

There are several horror stories of how the Sentinelese have treated their guests. People either return from the island terrified and injured, or not at all. In 1896, an escaped convict from the British prisons of The Andamans drifted on to the shores of North Sentinel by accident. A few days later, a search party found his body on a beach, punctured by arrows and with his throat slit.
In 1974, a group went there to make a documentary, and the film’s director took an 8-foot arrow in the thigh. A few of the recordings from that visit were included in the larger documentary, Man in Search of Man.
Indian anthropologist T.N. Pandit conducted several government-sponsored trips to the island in the late 80s and early 90s. “Sometimes they would turn their backs to us and sit on their haunches as if to defecate,” he said. “This was meant to insult us as we were not welcome.”

Surprisingly, there has been only one instance where outsiders did not have to face an aggressive reception. On January 4, 1991, 28 men, women and children approached Mr. Pandit and his group. “That they voluntarily came forward to meet us, it was unbelievable,” he said. “They must have decided that the time had come.”
Unfortunately, the last contact with the islanders in 2006 didn’t go as well. Two fishermen were killed while illegally fishing within the range of the island.
The Sentinelese are among the last of the uncontacted people – communities who live without contact with globalized civilization – left in the world. Perhaps it’s best to leave them alone; bringing them out into civilization might not be the best thing for them. They might not be immune to several diseases and adapting themselves to the modern world could be extremely difficult.

It’s amazing that even in the most drastic conditions, the Sentinelese do not want any help. I find this behavior very curious. I do wonder how they view outsiders and the world around them. I wonder what they call themselves, or if they are aware that we call them ‘Sentinelese’.

Chocolate Hills of Bohol Island (Philippines)

noreply@blogger.com (AK Entertainment) — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 08:03:00 +0000

The Chocolate Hills in the Philippines are not, unfortunately, made of candy. These hills are more a feast for the eyes than the tastebuds. (Unless you like dining on dirt and grass, in which case, how's that going?) These uniform lumps of earth are visually stunning, but the fact that no one knows how they formed is, perhaps, even cooler.

You can find the Chocolate Hills in the town of Carmen on the island of Bohol in the Philippines. One of the country's most popular tourist attractions, these hills are scattered over a 50 square kilometer area. And they sure aren't ant hills—each of the 1,200 or more mounds stands 30–50 meters tall (that's 100–165 feet). Though this hilly patch of earth sounds like the perfect setting for Willy Wonka's summer home, the hills are made of regular ol' dirt and grass. In the dry season, the hills uniformly take on the chocolate brown color that earned them their name. The wet season brings out the green grass.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Costa Rica

noreply@blogger.com (AK Entertainment) — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 09:16:00 +0000

Explore The Earth Most Adventures Rainforest

Imagine walking through the clouds thousands of feet above sea level. At the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, you can embrace the misty atmosphere, which serves as one of the most coveted ecotourism destinations in Costa Rica. The reserve encompasses a 26,000 acre biozone, brimming with a marvelous diversity of wildlife and plant life. There's no question that Monteverde Cloud Forest is truly a nature lover's paradise.

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is located in the northern part of the Puntarenas province on the Continental Divide. It is six kilometers east of the town of Santa Elena and around 150 kilometers from San Jose. Without a doubt, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is one of the most breathtaking nature reserves in the entire world.

A True Cloud Forest
Shrouded in a unique misty cover, this biological reserve sets itself apart from the other rainforests of Costa Rica. What we call clouds are actually mist produced by the high humidity at the elevation of 1,600 meters above sea level. The moisture catches around the branches of the tallest trees, harboring a thriving ecosystem below. As a matter of fact, while the entire country of Costa Rica represents 0.03 percent of landmass on the planet, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve alone houses 2.5 percent of the world's biodiversity.

Stunning Flora and Fauna
Extending across eight distinct biological zones, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is home to more than thousands of species of plants and animals. Look toward the top of the giant trees where more than 500 species of birds live. The most popular birds in this region are the elusive queztal and the three-wattled bellbird. Discover the flora and fauna, including jaguars, toucanets, pumas, monkeys and the red-eyed tree frogs that have come to serve as the poster-animal for Costa Rica! There are also 420 species of orchids and 200 species of ferns. When exploring the forest you will be sure to encounter a variety of these spectacular wildlife. You might even catch a glimpse at the golden toad, a toad species only known to exist here in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.
Step foot on the Continental Divide, where one foot will be on the Caribbean side and other on the Pacific side. With views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, this reserve is filled with a huge array of lofty and soaring trees laden with remarkable epiphyte plants.

Discovering the Forest
For visitors, there are a handful of ways to explore the reserve. First, you can take advantage of the network of trails in the reserve that stretch across 13 kilometers of the forest. The trails are well-maintained and perfect for day trips. Visitors also enjoy the scenic vistas from "La Ventana" overlook, boasting mountain peaks along the Continental Divide. Another great way to explore the forest is to take a skywalk or a zip-line tour or canopy tour, where visitors can experience the forest from a series of bridges and cables that offer a bird's eye view of the forest. This tour is offered at a nearby forest and not in the actual reserve. With such a lofty altitude, this region is not for the faint-hearted.