This massive archeological site is famous for being built by carving entire buildings out of a rock face. Sometimes called the “Rose City” for the natural color of the stone, Petra is receding because of a mixture of erosion and … Read More
Author Archives: IAM SAM
The Alaskan Tundra – Alaska – USA
The vast, desolate arctic tundra covering Alaska’s northern and western coasts is the coldest biome in the world. However, in recent years Alaska’s northern regions are seeing a dramatic rise in temperature – faster than the average global rate – which … Read More
Choquequirao Archaeological Park – Peru
Machu Picchu’s forgotten archaeological cousin, or the “other Inca Trail”, is tricky to reach and still fairly unknown. However, with plans in place to lay a fast road link from nearby Cusco and a cable car being built across the … Read More
The Door to Hell – Turkmenistan
n the depths of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert, the Door to Hell was set alight in 1971 after engineers feared it was emitting poisonous gases. Over 40 years later the gaping inferno continues to rage, drawing in the small number of … Read More
Glaciers of the European Alps – Switzerland
The Alps started melting 150 years ago at the end of the ‘Little Ice Age’, and since the 1980s the rate of glacial retreat has risen dramatically. One positive outcome of melting glaciers is that hundreds of new crystal clear … Read More
Salar de Uyuni – Bolivia
A magnet for travelers with a knack for smartphone photography, Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni are the largest and most entrancing salt flats on the planet. They are also sitting on half of the world’s lithium reserves, which are now being extracted … Read More
The Sundarbans – India – Bangladesh
On the border of India and Bangladesh, the Sundarbans (or “beautiful forests”) is home to a wealth of threatened species, from the tree-climbing mudskipper fish to the world’s last population of mangrove-dwelling tigers. Today, this World Heritage Biosphere is under increasing threat from harmful … Read More
Congo Basin – Congo
Spanning six countries and responsible for nearly half of the world’s oxygen, the Congo Basin is one of the most important and yet vulnerable wilderness areas on the planet. Teeming with gorillas, elephants and buffalo across savannas, swamps and forests, … Read More
Galápagos Islands – Ecuador
Described by Charles Darwin as “a little world within itself”, the Galápagos archipelago offers an overwhelming variety of flora and fauna, ranging from giant tortoises to the flightless cormorant. But change is afoot on these once-secluded islands. With a swelling population, four … Read More
Olympia – Greece
The site of the first ever Olympic Games in 776 BC, the ancient city of Olympia has been inhabited since prehistoric times and is one of Greece’s top archaeological sites. In recent years, hot and dry summers have led to rampant wildfires … Read More