12 Of The World’s Most Beautiful Caves

by Jessica Festa on

For adventure-travel enthusiasts, visiting caves is a great way to satiate one’s appetite for exploring the lesser-traversed world out of the sun’s light. Immersed in bizarre natural formations, you’ll see rainbow colored rock compositions, jagged stalagmites, rugged stalactite, azure waters and scenery that will make you feel like you’re on another planet. Everything goes silent as the air gets cooler, and the only sound you hear is the trickle of water dripping from the uneven cavern roof. These places are sometimes peaceful, other times eerie, but almost always alluring.

Whether you want to get out and explore a cave for yourself or feel better curbing your curiosity from your computer chair, you can get a visual idea of some of the world’s most beautiful caves by checking out the gallery below.

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[Images via Shutterstock]

Brazil Hosts 3-D Show Over Thames River To Start Countdown To 2016 Rio Olympics

by Jessica Festa on



On Monday night, spectators lined up along the Thames River in London to take in the sights and sounds of Brazil. A projection of eye-popping images splashed across the water to mark the end of the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and begin the countdown to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

As part of a $40 million campaign investment put on by Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism and the Brazilian Tourism Board to attract travelers for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, the free show featured images projected onto a wall of water created by massive pumps. Computer programs Maya 2012, Real Flow and After Effects were used by designers to display 3-D images of iconic Brazilian attractions like Christ the Redeemer and Cathedral of Brasília, plus various sporting activities including kite surfing, hand-gliding and Capoeira. The entire event ended with the closing message: “Thank you London. See you in Brazil. Come celebrate life!”

For a more visual idea of the event, check out the video above and the gallery below.

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[Images via Embratur, The Brazilian Tourism Board]

Embedded In The Layers Of Andalusia, Spain

by Jessica Festa on

…one must seek the essence of Andalusia in its geographic reality on the one hand, and on the other in the awareness of its inhabitants. From the geographic point of view, the whole of the southern lands is too vast and varied to be embraced as a single unit. – Antonio Domínguez Ortiz

While most travelers going to Spain head straight to the popular cities of Barcelona and Madrid, journeying farther south offers a unique region of contrasts.

Andalusia (also spelled Andalucia) is a region and autonomous community in Spain. In fact, of all the country’s autonomous communities, this has the highest population and is the second largest in size with 33,821 square miles. It is comprised of eight provinces, including Seville, Malaga, Jaen, Granada, Huelva, Cadiz, Cordoba and Almeria.

While the area mainly experiences a Mediterranean climate, there are still a variety of atmospheres and landscapes in Andalusia. You’ll find the Sierra Nevada, which features the highest altitudes in the Iberian Peninsula, as well as the valley of the Guadalquivir, which is barely above sea level. Visitors will also see the dry Tabernas Desert, Atlantic beaches, Mediterranean coastal cliffs, ancient cities, high-end resort towns, natural parks, wetlands and marsh, olive groves on rolling hills and oak woodlands. Moreover, many iconic Spanish traditions originated in Andalusia, like Moorish architecture, flamenco dancing and bull fighting.

For a more visual idea of this unique region, check out the gallery below.

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[Images via Shutterstock]

15 Super Shots Of Nature Reflected On Water

by Jessica Festa on

The richness I achieve comes from nature,
the source of my inspiration. – Claude Monet

It’s true. There are not many things on this planet as inspiring as nature. Vibrant colors, enormous peaks, crystal lakes, animals in the wilderness and natural phenomena you have to see to believe exist in a world far away from the intimidating skyscrapers and chaotic lifestyles of busy cities. Spending time in these uninhabited areas can calm your mind and help get your positivity flowing.

While beautiful to look at on its own, there’s something extra moving about viewing a mountain, forest or sky as a reflection on the water. It adds to the aesthetics as well as makes the setting that much more majestic and intense. Luckily, for those who don’t have time to take off work and head into the wilderness, the photographers in the gallery below were able to capture moving shots of nature reflected on water to share with others.

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[Image above via Jessie on a Journey; Gallery images via Big Stock, Beverly & Pack, slobirdr, marissa_strniste]

Diving With Great White Sharks In South Australia

by Jessica Festa on

In honor of the upcoming Shark Week beginning on August 12, we’re bringing you some unique big fish fare. One prime destination for shark diving is in South Australia’s Neptune Islands, where divers can have a very out of the ordinary experience.

Most often, divers can see the sharks from the surface; however, to get up close you’ll need to actually get in the water. On the Neptune Islands, divers will throw on a wetsuit and put themselves in a rock-solid cage to be submerged into the ocean with great white sharks.

There are two main touring operators to do the dive with. The first is Calypso Star Charters, the area’s only Advanced Eco Certified one-day charter operator with a license to use chum to attract the sharks. While chumming is a tried and true method of getting sharks to come near a dive boat, the other operator, Adventure Bay Charters, uses a more unique approach. The company has discovered that great whites can be lured using low frequency, hard rock music. Therefore, your captain will blast AC/DC tunes like “If You Want Blood” and “Shook Me All Night Long” because they are so compatible with the very sensitive hearing of sharks.

“I’ve seen the sharks rub their faces on the cage where the sound is coming from as if to feel it,” explains tour operator Matt Waller.

For a more visual experience of shark diving in South Australia, check out the gallery below.

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[Above image via Pterantula; Gallery images via South Australia Tourism]