What is a glacier? Well, to scientists they’re large, slow-moving rivers of ice formed high up in the mountains where more snow falls than melts.
And for the rest of us, they’re an amazing phenomenon to behold across the globe, from Alaska to Austria to Antarctica.
But while there are many other stunning natural sights in this world, there’s something unique and intriguing about glaciers because of their fragility in our environment.
1. Fox and Franz Josef, New Zealand. These sibling glaciers on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island descend unusually close to the coast and even further down into a temperate rainforest. Accessible both by helicopter and on foot, they’ve proved to be a popular attraction.
2. Pasterze, Austria. The largest of Austria’s glaciers, Pasterze lies at the foot of the country’s largest mountain and although it currently has a large visitor center along the Grossglocknerstrasse mountain road, it’s expected to lose a huge 60 % of its mass by 2010.
3. Perito Moreno, Argentina. One of the most important sights in Argentine Patagonia, Perito Moreno is fed by the South Patagonian ice field in the Andes and is, unlike most of the other glaciers in this region, actually advancing. It’s also one of the most accessible in Patagonia - there are three viewing areas allowing travelers some stunning close-ups.
4. Hubbard, Alaska. The longest tidewater glacier in Alaska, it extends for a massive 76 miles from its source on Mt. Logan. As it’s also advancing, it’s an actively ‘calving’ glacier – meaning chunks of it continually break off and fall into the sea. Reached by boat or on foot, this makes for an exciting spectacle as well as an intriguing creaking noise which the indigenous Tlingit people have called ‘white thunder.’
5. Athabasca, Canada. Straddling the continental divide, this glacier is part of the Rocky Mountains’ Columbia ice field. It’s already receded to under half its original size but remains one of the most difficult and dangerous to reach.
6. Vatnajokull, Iceland. Iceland’s largest glacier covers 8% of the country and lies in a doubly fascinating landscape surrounded by active volcanoes, ice caves and hot springs – the latter of which are open to visitors.
7. Yulong, China. Situated in the Yunnan Province of China, this receding glacier is similarly inaccessible to visitors as the high altitude climb to the final observation desk often requires the use of oxygen.
8. Antarctica. Home to countless glaciers, Antarctica is now becoming a popular destination for responsible tourism and, when you take a look at the range of amazing sights it has to offer, it’s easy to see why.
9. Biafo, Pakistan. This remote glacier in the Karakoram Mountain Range is just about accessible via a lengthy hike along the edge of Snow Lake. But if you can make it, it’s a truly unforgettable journey.
10. Furtwangler, Mt. Kilimanjaro. And finally, one of the most iconic glaciers in the world: the snows of Kilimanjaro were made famous years ago by Hemmingway, but here, too, the ice is receding rapidly and some reports even predict it to have disappeared by as early as 2015.
HostelBloggers say – grab your backpack and see them while you still can!
On the subject of the recent South America trip that one of our lot’s just got back from, here’s proof that anything National Geographic can do, HostelBloggers can do, well, almost as well…
If we’ve said it once before, we’ve said it a thousand times, but the Salt Plains of Uyuni in Bolivia are, without a doubt, one of the world’s strangest landscapes.
The approach to the plains is punctuated by a series of outlandish rock formations like the ‘Arbol de Piedra’ (or ‘Stone Tree’) below:
In every direction, meanwhile, a barren, dusty landscape runs away upwards towards snow-dusted peaks and the startling blue of the horizon… As you bounce along the track, you pass a fair few cacti, many of which of which are believed to be hundreds of years old:
But even with a bit of a lead-in (and plenty of forewarning), nothing can quite prepare you for your first glimpse of the plains. There’s something utterly unique about the dazzling light, and the big sky (it’s the only way of putting it!) that you get right the way across South America. Even by these standards, though, Salar de Uyuni, and its surrounding lakes and geyzers is something else altogether:
Sitting on the shore and looking out…
…you see the odd flock of flamingos – a burst of pink against the unerring white and blue of their salty habitat. (In HostelBloggers’ opinion, incidentally, flamingos are all fine and dandy until you get close up… and then they tend to be a bit stinky!):
But it’s the unique visual spectacle of the plains themselves that’s so mind-blowing…
…and, apart from anything else, so lends itself to photo opportunities!
Honestly, it really is like nowhere else on earth.
Veering wildly from the ridiculous to the sublime, we spent the morning clambering up two of Edinburgh’s hills: Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat. Jumping on the opportunity to get some Edinburgh video footage, we got the cameras out and did a couple of sweeping pans of the glorious panoramas laid out at our feet.
Rising up just a little to the east of the New Town, Calton Hill is crowned by a curious landmark (visible on the footage at 0:16): the unfinished National Monument. There’s something about its utterly out of place Grecian grandeur that’s actually really rather endearing…
There’s a shot of the spectacular Arthur’s Seat, too, (of which more below) at 0:50 on the video.
But, its folly aside, Calton Hill is dwarved in every way by the magnificent Arthur’s Seat. Its appeal lies in the genuinely wild slice of the Highlands it brings to the heart of Edinburgh. As you climb up through the stunning Holyrood Park, you can check out Salisbury Crags, the evocative ruins of Holyrood Abbey, and ponder the unlikely possibility of the Arthurian myth that hangs over it.
The footage draws to a dramatic close with a gradual zoom back down onto Calton Hill. And so, rather neatly, does this post.
Where do bad folks go when they die? Darvaza in Turkmenistan, apparently.
Over thirty years ago, geologists accidentally uncovered an underground cavern filled with natural gas. Part of the ground collapsed forming a large flaming crater and now, years later, the hellish vision can still be seen raging away.
This amazing footage from brightcove of a couple of (ever so slightly crazy?) climbers filming themselves as they charge along the Camino del Rey has been knocking around for a little while now. Doesn’t make it any less cool, though:
The Camino’s down in Andalucia (near Alora in Malaga Province), and was built by railway workers at the beginning of the last century. These days (as you can see) it’s pretty dilapidated – although that doesn’t stop the climbers flocking to it.
