2 . Longing for the most amazing places on the planet? You can do no wrong with these lakes across the globe.

Five Flower Lake

Set in the striking karst landscape of the Jiuzhaigou Valley in Sichuan province, China, Five Flower Lake is extraordinarily clear, with visibility to a depth of 40 metres. Five Flower is one of a series of blue-, green-and sky-colored lakes blocked by rock falls, but it differs from the others as its waters change color, looking sometimes yellow, sometimes green, but usually diamond blue. In winter, Five Flower never freezes; in summer, it never dries up. Local wildlife living in the surrounding mountain forests include the rare giant panda and the golden snub-nose monkey.

Crater Lake

The deep-blue waters of Crater Lake in Oregon, US, fill the outlet of an ancient volcano that collapsed 7,700 years ago. Its strangest occupant is the “Old Man of the Lake”, a nine-metre-tall tree stump(树桩), which has stood upright in the water for more than a century. No rivers or streams enter the lake. Water loss in summer is compensated by winter snow and rain, the entire body of water being replaced every 250 years.

Lake Ohrid

Ancient Lake Ohrid has been around for about five million years and crosses the mountainous border between Macedonia and Albania. It has unique plants and wildlife, including the Ohrid “plashica”, a fish native to the lake, whose scales(鳞片) are used to make Ohrid pearls.

Lake Maggiore

Surrounded on three sides by the Lipontine Alps and touching the plain of Lombardy to the south, Lake Maggiore is Italy’s longest lake. Considered part of the country’s lake district, it is shared with Switzerland. Characterized by a Mediterranean-style climate, temperatures here are mild all year. This has given rise to some of northern Italy’s most wonderful gardens, which appear to float like flower-decked boats on the water.

The Fanjingshan World Heritage property is located in South-West China,    1    (cover) a total area of 40,275 hectares(公顷), fully surrounded by a buffer zone of 37,239 hectares. Fanjingshan is located in a monsoonal(季风的) climatic context and    2    (be)an important source of water for the surrounding landscapes and beyond, with some 20 rivers and     3    (stream) feeding the Wujiang and Yuanjiang River systems, both of     4    run into the Yangtze River. The    5    (high) peak,Mt Fenghuangshan, has a height of 2,570 m above sea level.

Fanjingshan is an island of rock in a sea of karst and is home    6    many ancient plant and animal species which    7    (originate)in the Tertiary Period, between 65 million and 2million years ago.    8    total of 3,724 plant species have been recorded in the property,an     9    (impress) 13% of China’s total flora(植物群). Fanjingshan is the only habitat in the world for Fanjingshan Fir and Guizhou Snub-nosed Monkey, as well as 64 plant and 38 animal species that are listed as globally    10     (threaten).

4 . The Sahara is the world’s largest and most magic desert, but knowledge about it is surprisingly limited. Even estimates of when it formed vary widely, from more than five million years ago to mere thousands. Now, however, geographers studying wind-carried Saharan dust on the Canary Islands have come closer to settling this: it is, they report, close to five million years old.

One reason for the uncertainty over the Sahara’s age is that researchers use different methods to estimate it. These include studying desert dust found in sediment (沉积物) under the Atlantic Ocean, analyzing sandstone and modeling the ancient climate. To help settle the uncertainty, Daniel, geographer of the U.S. Geological Survey, and his workmates looked at sediment on Spain’s Canary Islands. They found evidence of Saharan dust. The dust appeared in ancient soil layers (层), whose age they assessed on the basis of fossils (化石) found in the same layers — and that age agreed with the earlier ocean’s sediment studies. The researchers reported their findings in November in Palaeogeography.

“The conclusion of the study is very good,” says Zhongshi Zhang, a climate modeler at the University of Bergen in Norway, who was not involved in the work. “Because the dust found on the islands is distinct from the ocean’s record,” Zhang adds, “it helps to build the case for a five-million-year age.”

The Sahara is the biggest source of wind-carried dust in the world — and that dust’s journey does not end in the Canary Islands, which lie just off the western coast of Africa. It continues onto places such as the Amazon rain forest in South America, Daniel notes. Amazon soils are poor in nutrients, and he says the new results help to show how rich dust from Africa could have been supporting the South American region’s incredible biodiversity for millions of years — adding to the Amazon’s own origin story.

5 . Four Fascinating National Parks in the World

Fiordland National Park on New Zealand’s Southern Island was established in 1952 and is part of the larger Te Wahipounamu wilderness, a UNESCO World Heritage Area. Covering 1.2 million hectares, Fiordland National Park is home to green rain forests, crystal clear lakes and snow-capped mountains. Even on the frequent rainy days, the scenery is spectacular, with entire valley walls turning into thundering waterfalls. Highlight is the amazing Milford Sound with Mitre Peak, rising 1692 metres above sea level and one of the most photographed peaks in the country.

First protected in 1864 and one of the first parks in the National Park Service, California’s Yosemite is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The park’s central feature is Yosemite Valley, which is surrounded by hills, trees and spectacular waterfalls. But the Park is so much more than just a great valley with waterfalls: within Yosemite’s vast wilderness area, you find deep valleys, grand grassland and more than 800 miles of spectacular hikes.

Tanzania’s oldest and most popular National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was recently proclaimed a 7th worldwide wonder. The Serengeti is famous for its annual Great Migration, a 1, 200-mile odyssey of 1. 5 million wildebeest and 200, 000 zebras, all of them chasing the rains in a race for life. Your chances of watching a kill are pretty high when you visit the area in the right season.

One of the most thinly populated countries in the world, Namibia is not the right place to get lost. But it is a top destination for those who enjoy unmatched natural scenery and wildlife viewing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the largest game park in Africa, including part of the Namib Desert and the Naukluft mountain range.

Amid the heights of a mountain range in southwestern China, thousands of different species of flowers     1    (mysterious) live together in harmony, without fighting as they do in other areas for the pollinators that are crucial to their continued survival. The flowers’     2    (coexist) has left scientists confused for years, but a new study may offer answers.

A team of Chinese researchers set out    3    (understand) the phenomenon better. By documenting the flowering patterns of 34 different species, they discovered that they were not blooming at the same time,     4     at different points of the season,     5    (explain) their ability to thrive (繁荣)so closely to one another.

The Hengduan Mountains are known    6     their biological diversity, spanning deep rivers to tall peaks, and their weather,     7     ranges from the subtropical humidity to cold, snowy winters. In the botanist community, however, the mountains are also spectacular because of the estimated 12, 000 species of flowers that call    8    (they) home, some 3, 500 of which aren’t found naturally anywhere else on Earth.

There are around 272 different species of rhododendrons (杜鹃) native to the Hengduan region, according to the study. Qin Li,     9     postdoctoral researcher at the Chicago Field Museum, who spent over two months visiting more than 100 sites throughout the bloom season to document their blossoms and other characteristics, once     10    (describe) the species on the mountains as an “ocean of flowers”.

9 . The UNESCO World Heritage List is a prestigious honour awarded to sites of outstanding universal value around the world. Did you know there are 1,157 UNESCO World Heritage Sites spanning across 167 countries? We’ve picked out our top 4 for you to visit below.

The Acropolis, Greece

The Acropolis is an ancient castle that stands proud in the Greek city of Athens. Back in the fifth century BC after battle with the Persians, the plans of Pericles came to life under the influence of Pheidias, the sculptor. It then became a place for thought and art to flourish, where symbols of classical spirit and civilisation came alive.

Historic centre of Rome, Italy

According to Roman mythology, the Eternal City was founded in 753 BC and became the capital of the mighty Roman Empire. Rome is home to a number of attractions including the Forum, the Pantheon and the Colosseum! This World Heritage site contains the whole historic centre within the city walls and reflects the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in making it one of Italy’s most popular cities.

Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand

The historic city of Ayutthaya in Thailand was founded around 1350 and was subsequently destroyed in the 18th century by the Burmese. What’s left today is the ruins and some key highlights include the Buddhist temples of Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Sri Sanphet. The area is home to the remains of tall prang (reliquary towers) and should not be missed.

Cultural landscape of Bali, Indonesia

The landscape in Bali is unlike anything else on Earth. Consisting of five rice terraces (梯田) and water temples covering 19,500 hectares, the cultural landscape takes your breath away. This site gains honour through an ancient farming ceremony dating back to the 9th century known as subak. This concept reflects the spirit, the human world and nature, also known as Tri Hita Karana.

10 . Based on our purpose of creating a real connection with the beauty of a destination, we have carefully crafted the following Chengdu tours to explore all the highlights in and around Chengdu. All our private Chengdu tours are flexible and can be customized to suit your budget and interests.

1-Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour

If you’re looking for close contact with pandas, this 1-day panda volunteer experience will make use of your time to its fullest. It’s a memorable chance to look after a cute and fluffy panda as you clean its enclosure, make its food, and watch it be fed.

3-Day Giant Panda, Giant Buddha, and Ancient Town Tour

Two of the most highly rated attractions according to our previous customers are the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Leshan Giant Buddha, both of which you can see on this 3-day smart tour. Furthermore, on this journey, you will discover the real Chengdu by tasting amazing Sichuan food and visiting a traditional ancient town.

5-Day Chengdu, Leshan and Mount. Emei Tour

This tour covers the most popular attractions in Chengdu and nearby cities. You will see the cute pandas, some vibrant scenes that may only happen in Chengdu, and most of all two UNESCO World Heritage Sites - the Giant Buddha cut during the Tang Dynasty, and Mount Emei.

6-Day Sichuan Adventure Tour

Starting from Chengdu, take a 6-day trip to discover incredible western Sichuan, including snowy mountains, forests, grasslands, and Tibetan villages. Be one of the first to journey into beautiful Yala Snow Mountain Scenic Area. There is a large area to the west of Chengdu (western Sichuan) that is a paradise for China’s adventurers and photographers.