1 . SHARK CONSERVATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Take a two-week trip that you will never forget as a volunteer with sharks on a beautiful stretch of South Africa’s coastline. Head out to sea to witness one of the world’s most powerful (and most misunderstood) creatures on this inspiring project, enjoying watching them from both above and below water.

The DAY-BY-DAY schedule

Day 1: Arrive in Cape Town on a Sunday. You will be collected from the airport and spend your first night in a guest house in the city centre.

Day 2: You will be collected bright and early from the guest house and taken down to the project. The drive takes about 90 minutes. You will receive a welcome and head out to sea to witness your first sharks!

Day 3+: Most days you will be out on the boat with the sharks, depending on weather. Help out with the full range of tasks on the boats, and in conservation initiatives on land too.

Last day: On the final day of your project you will be taken back to Cape Town for your onward travel.

The price is £829,including the voluntary work programme with accommodations,   airport transfers, one night in a guest house in Cape Town, breakfasts daily and lunches when on the boats. Your trip can be extended at a cost of £ 375 per week.

It is an amazing experience! Some volunteers planned to stay for 4 weeks, extended to 6 weeks and still didn’t want to come home. If you’d like to chat about this holiday or need help, we’re very happy to help.

Call us at 01273 823 700.

Email us at rosy@responsibletravel.com.

2 . With sunshine and beaches, Hainan is a good choice for travelers. Its Tropical Rainforest National Park is a paradise for animals and plants. If you go there, what can you enjoy?

Animals

The park is home to 540 kinds of animals. Among them are Hainan gibbons (长臂猿), one of the world’s most endangered species. Hainan gibbons look like monkeys, but they have no tails. They usually eat fruits and leaves from more than 130 kinds of plants, mostly in treetops 15 meters above the ground.

Plants

The park is a “live museum” of plants. More than 3,600 kinds of wild plants grow there. It is also home to 133 kinds of national key protected plants. Cycas hainanensis is an example. It has big, feather-like leaves. It grows slowly, but can live up to 200 years. This ancient species probably was around when dinosaurs lived on earth.

Culture

The Li and Miao ethnic (民族的) groups have lived in the park for generations, mainly in the central Wuzhishan area. From their houses to their clothes, you can taste their culture. Li and Miao people live in houses that look like upside-down boats. To keep away animals like snakes and ants, they build their houses above the ground.

3 . Unusual Libraries Around the World

There are 2.7 million libraries spreading across the globe, and while there are many beautiful ones, there are also a number of unique ones.

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a special library spanning two countries, is stationed on the border between Canada and the United States and serves people from both countries. The main entrance is on the American side, but the majority of collection of the books are in Canada. There’s even an official American-Canada borderline running right across the library’s floor.

Praised by many as a library of the future, the Deichman Bjørvika, city of Oslo’s new main library, has one hundred unread and unpublished texts. They are stored in a specially designed room lined with wood from the forest, making the library the world’s most secretive one. It witnesses different authors add their works to the collection that will not be available for reading until 2114.

Quietly sitting on an isolated (孤零零的) stretch of beach of Qinhuangdao in northern China, the Seashore Library has been called the world’s loneliest library. People have to walk across the sand to reach the doors. The building is designed to promote people’s connection with ocean, so the main reading room features a layered design to ensure that everyone has a good view of the sea.

Bíbliotheca Alexandrina is considered as a revival (复兴) of an ancient library in the Alex-andria 2,300 years ago or so. Characterized by its circular, tilting form, the building spans 160 meters in diameter (直径) and reaches up to 32 meters in height, while also diving some 12 meters into the ground.

4 . A bridge is a structure constructed to connect two places without blocking the way beneath it. Below are four famous bridges in the world.

Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs is in Venice, Italy, which was designed by Antonio Contino. The bridge’s construction was begun in 1600 and completed in 1603. The bridge was supposed to be the last view for prisoners, who would sigh at the beauty of Venice, before being taken to prison. That is why it is called the Bridge of Sighs.

Tsing Ma Bridge

The bridge is named after the two islands it connects-Ma Wan and Tsing Yi in Hong Kong. It has both a roadway and a railway and is the longest suspension bridge (悬索桥) with two decks. The bridge is 4518 feet long and 676 feet tall, which was designed by Mott MacDonald. The construction was begun in 1992 and completed in 1997.

Tower Bridge

The Tower Bridge is situated in London, which is a combination of the drawbridge (开合桥) and suspension bridge. Designed by Horace Jones and John Wolfe Barry, it was built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge stretches across the River Thames near the Tower of London. The drawbridge is drawn about 1,000 times a year.

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge joins the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, whose chief designer was Jbseph Strauss. The bridge has been named the most beautiful and most photographed bridge in the world. It is 8,981 feet long, 746 feet tall and 90 feet wide. Construction of the bridge was begun in 1933 and completed in 1937. In 1987, the bridge was named a California historic landmark.

Wuhan University reopened to the public for cherry blossom appreciation after closure last year due to COVID-19, its     1    (office) Wechat account said on Sunday.

From March 15 to 27, people can make an online reservation     2    (visit) the campus between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on workdays and between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends. Reservations should     3    (make) three days ahead of the day of the visit. This year, the university is limiting     4     number of visitors to 15,000 on workdays and 30,000 on weekends.

Anyone     5    (present) symptoms of illness, including fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat will not be allowed to enter the campus until     6    (full) recovered.

At the beginning of 2020, 42,000 doctors and nurses from other regions and 540,000 local medical workers     7    (fight) against COVID-19 and missed the chance to see the famous cherry blossoms on the campus, China News Agency reported.

Dou Xiankang, the headmaster of Wuhan University, said they would set a special day every year for doctors and nurses     8     were engaged in COVID-19 prevention and control in Wuhan to appreciate the blossoms. Saturday is the specially     9    (select) day in 2023 for the medical staff and their     10    (family). Each person is allowed to bring up to two family members.

7 . Exploring Wildlife Conservation in Kenya

Day 1: Nairobi, Kenya

Arrive at the airport in Nairobi, where our staff will be on hand to drive you to the hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation: Tamarind Tree Hotel

Day 2: Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

A charter flight (包机) brings us to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a 62,000-acre grassland on the north of Mount Kenya. Considered a model in the conservation field, this healthy wildlife habitat is home to a number of rare species, including the giraffe, the Grevy’s zebra, and African wild dogs. Lewa and the neighboring Borana Conservancy also harbor roughly 15 percent of Kenya’s entire rhino population.

Accommodation: Elewana Lewa Safari Camp

Day 3: Amboseli National Park

Fly by private charter to Amboseli National Park, where vast grasslands are irrigated by underground runoff streams from Mount Kilimanjaro. These landscapes provide a habitat for hundreds of elephants, making the park one of the best places in Africa to spot these large creatures. The travel begins on the drive to Tortilis Camp, set within view of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Accommodation: Tortilis Camp

Day 4: Masai Mara National Reserve

At first light, head out to track the animals that crossed the area during the night. This area has one of the highest concentrations of large predators (捕食性动物) in all of Africa. Then watch large groups of hippos in the Mara River and crocodiles sunbathing on the shore.

Accommodation: Kichwa Tembo Camp

8 . Longmen Grottoes

As one of the three most notable Buddhist sculptures in China, the Longmen Grottoes have approximately 1,400 caves with over 100,000 statues. The grottoes were first dug and carved during the Northern Wei Dynasty. Representing the high point of Chinese stone-carving, the Longmen Grottoes are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Opening hours: 8:00 a, m. — 5:00 p. m.(Feb. 1st to Mar. 31st); 7:30 a. m. — 5:30 p. m.(Apr. 1st to Oct. 7th)

Entry: 100 yuan/adult 30% off each teen

White Horse Temple

Originally established under Emperor Ming during the Eastern Han Dynasty, White Horse Temple is the first officially-built temple in China after the introduction of Buddhism. As the cradle of Chinese Buddhism, it holds a vast collection of Buddhist statues and classic sutras. The temple is also famous for interior architecture inspired by the Buddhist styles of Thailand, India and Burma.

Opening hours: 7:30 a. m. — 7:00 p. m.

Entry: 50 yuan/person

Millennium City Park

The Millennium City Park in Kaifeng is a large-scale historical and cultural theme park which copies scenes from the famous ancient painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Visitors can watch folklore performances like those of the Song Dynasty and see reconstructions of grand imperial halls and gardens.

Opening hours: 8:30 a. m. — 6:00 p. m.(winter); 8:30 a. m. — 10:00 p.m.

Entry: 120 yuan/person(Mar. 1st to Nov. 30th); 90 yuan/person(Dec. 1st to Feb. 28/29th)

Kaifeng Prefecture

Kaifeng Prefecture was once the country’s political, economic and cultural center as well as one of the most booming cities in the world during the Northern Song Dynasty. Today, the rebuilt Kaifeng Prefecture is a scenic area built according to the architectural standards of the Song Dynasty. Visitors can read historical documents and watch performances.

Opening hours: 7:30 a. m. — 5:30 p. m.(winter); 7:00 a. m. — 7:00 p. m.

Entry: 60 yuan/person