Nature's Art at Vesturdalur, Northern Iceland

For travelers to northern Iceland, whether as part of the Ring Road or otherwise, Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon should be part of your itinerary. Formerly a national park on its own, it now falls under Vatnajökull National Park.

If you had planned to visit Dettifoss or Ásbyrgi canyon, then you're essentially visiting Jökulsárgljúfur already. Basically, Ásbyrgi marks the northern while Dettifoss marks the southern end of Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon. However, what I found the most interesting is in the middle - Vesturdalur.

Vesturdalur is prime hiking area, with weaving trails leading to many lava rock formations all around. In particular, Hljóðaklettar (Echo Rocks) and Rauðhólar (Red Hills) trails can be easily done from the carpark in a 2-3 hour loop. The basalt rock (formed by rapidly cooling lava) formations at Hljóðaklettar is the highlight for me. You may have seen the basalt columns in Vik, or the many lava fields all around Iceland, but nothing quite like this. Here, the basalt rock lined horizontally (hence columns is not the right word eh), and even at bizarre angles. Parts of the rock formations are also being cut off yielding eye-catching honeycomb patterns! It's mind-boggling how rapidly cooling lava can produce such "art pieces"! There are also lava caves formed by these basalt formations.

Rauðhólar is a crater row which provides a wonderful panoramic view of the canyon, and itself offers some colorful touch to the landscapes. It is easily done together with the Hljóðaklettar trail. For those who have more time and energy, there is a popular 2-day trek that goes from north (Ásbyrgi) to south (Dettifoss). Otherwise, there are parking lots on all 3 sections of the Jökulsárgljúfur Canyon.

Colorful Rauðhólar

If you are using public transport, there are summer buses going to all these places from Akureyri or Mývatn but do check the schedules carefully at http://www.sba.is/

Check Hljóðaklettar out !

Pelister National Park & Dihovo, FYROM

Visitors to the Republic of Macedonia (or Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia FYROM) would be well familiar with Lake Orhid, their number one tourist attraction. However, just about 2 hours away is another attraction well worth a visit, especially for outdoor enthusiasts - Pelister National Park.

One of the best places to stay when visiting Pelister, would be in the village of Dihovo, just at the edge of the national park. Various family guesthouses and homestays are available in Dihovo, but I stumbled onto Villa Dihovo, which happened to be what the Lonely Planet guide declared as one of the best stays in FYROM.

Villa Dihovo

 The villa is a restored traditional stone-and-wood Macedonian house. Beautifully decorated, with a wonderful lawn and outdoors area, the place will immediately make you feel cosy. But it is the hospitality of its owners that will completely make you feel at home. The highlight, undoubtedly, would be the homemade food that Petar ply you with, with most of its ingredients homegrown in the garden. The homemade goodness include the beer and wine!! To top it off, the price of the stay is "to be decided by the guests at the end of their stay"! (excluding the alcoholic drinks of course).

Garden salad, homemade sausages, dolma etc.. fantastic homecooked food

Pelister National Park is FYROM's oldest national park, and contains a diverse variety of flora and fauna. It also contains plenty of hiking and trekking trails, perfect for those on outdoor pursuits. There are trails that start from Dihovo and into the mountains in the national park. However, there is also one hotel within the park itself that you may consider staying in, especially if you want convenient access to the more popular trails. Hotel Molika may be a little aged, but the rooms are clean and facilities pretty good, and during non-peak seasons, the deals are pretty good too!

Hiking through forests

Beautiful views of the park

Beautiful nature's light

Morning mists as viewed from Hotel Molika

Getting to Dihovo or Pelister National Park by public transport is possible only until the city of Bitola. Unless you have your own vehicle, from Bitola, the easiest way to get there is by taxi. Luckily it's not too expensive - from Bitola to Dihovo is about 2.5 euros while to Pelister National Park entrance/Hotel Molika is about 5 euros.

Enjoy Pelister!

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

There are many tourist attractions in Croatia, with Dubrovnik and the Adriatic coast as it's undisputed highlights. For a national park junkie though, the highlight would undoubtedly be Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is Croatia's biggest national park, and is also recognized as a UNESCO Heritage site. The park is well organized and set up, with a range of walking trails and interesting boardwalks, all intertwined within a rich verdant stage of trees, lakes and waterfalls. In particular, the boardwalks and all built such that one would be literally immersed within the park's impressive collection of lakes and waterfalls. The walking trails are all marked, and maps placed at various points within the park. One could easily spend a whole day on the trails, which is what I did - a whole 9 hours inside the park. There is also a short ferry ride on one of its lakes, all included in your ticket to the park.

I went to Plitvice Lakes in early spring, and as such, there were less greenery from the vegetation. The colour of the lakes though, were mesmerizing turquoise green. One could imagine then, that during summer, the place would be stunning, if it is not already. I'm sure the winter and autumn sceneries are pretty impressive as well.

The park has 2 entrances, and within the park itself, there are a couple of hotels, all from Entrance 2. For those who are driving, there are some villages near the park where there are plenty of homestays and guesthouses available. For those who are taking buses, and did not want to pay for the hotel prices, the best bet is the small village of Rastovaca, just 800m from Entrance 1. Almost every household in the village provide rooms for rent.

The bus from Zagreb takes just 2.5 hours, while the bus to/from Split takes about 6 hours. Plitvice Lakes National Park can be easily fitted into your itinerary as it's on the way from Zagreb to the Adriatic coast and vice versa. For those who love greenery, lakes, and waterfalls, the national park is a must-visit!!

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro

Most travelers to Montenegro would make a beeline to its coast, notably to Kotor or Budva. And why not? Easily accessed from Dubrovnik in Croatia, Montenegro's tourism could easily benefit from Dubrovnik's popularity. But for those who love mountains, Montenegro has something to offer too!

Up in the northern part of Montenegro, Durmitor National Park is Montenegro's biggest national park. It is also inscribed in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Within the park are 18 glacier lakes and the Durmitor mountain range consists of 48 peaks. 3 river canyons meander through it, of which the Tara river canyon is the biggest at 80km long and 1300m deep! So in terms of scenery, sights, and activities, there are certainly no lack of it for tourists.

Zabljak - early "spring"

The access town to Durmitor National Park is Zabljak. During winter, most tourists come for skiing and in summer, there are plenty of hiking opportunities to keep tourists happy. In fact, just a short distance away from the town is one of the most popular of Durmitor's 18 glacier lakes - Black Lake. Numerous hiking trails surround the lake too, and so, makes for an easy and excellent outing from Zabljak.

Black Lake

Aside from glorious mountain views, the Tara river provides another avenue for a popular tourist activity - river rafting. Set within the Tara canyon, the river shone like a turquoise snake in the mountainside. And one of the best views of the canyon, river and mountains is from the Curovac viewpoint, 9km from Zabljak. However, when I was there in early spring, there was still heavy snow, and I couldn't quite make it to the viewpoint. Even then, from a rest-point along the trail, the views were already stunning!

Rest point with a view

Trail to Curovac viewpoint

The Tara River and Canyon

Durmitor National Park - winter to spring

Zabljak is easily reached from Podgorica, and Kotor even. For those who are touring the Balkans, try the border crossing from Bosnia and Herzegovina into Montenegro. Take the Sarajevo-Niksic bound bus. While not as popular, the scenery at the border crossing is fabulous!

Do check out the mountains of Montenegro!

Abisko National Park

In my quest for the Northern Lights, I've made trips to Finland and Norway, and on my Norway trip, I made a little excursion to Sweden too. This turned out to be one of the best side trips as I had one of my best aurora sightings there!

Watching the Northern Lights

Abisko National Park lies in the Swedish Lapland region and is a popular hiking and trekking area. In fact, it is part of the popular 425-km trail known as Kungsleden trail. In winter, it is popular for cross-country ski-ing and other winter sports activities. And being 100+km above the Arctic Circle, and with little light population, it is an excellent place for aurora hunting too!

Within the park, there is a village of the same name, and not far from that, a resort/lodge known as Abisko Turiststation. Aside from providing lodging, the park visitor information centre is also here. And the best part? A train station is just 5-min walk away! And the second best part? The lodge also provides hostel dormitories and a self-service kitchen!

Abisko Turiststation

For budget backpackers, this is as good as it gets for a DIY trip for Northern Lights. Just 20-min walk away from the lodge, there is a Torneträsk Lake where one can witness the lights. In fact, it just takes a 5-min walk away from the lodge and you would be in a dark enough place to see the phenomena (if it appears ;) ). On one of the 3 nights I was there, I was lucky that the display was so great that I could enjoy the sighting literally just outside the lodge! 

For those who have quite abit of money to spare, there are professional guiding as well, and there is a ski-lift ride that brings you up the mountain slope for viewing. The views from above would be quite spectacular especially if the aurora turns up! There is a full suite of activities available too, from dog-sledding, snow-shoeing to Sami camp hikes. The restaurant is supposedly very good as well, and all-in-all, it's an excellent tourist spot catered to various budgets!

Walking within the National Park

Frozen lake and surrounding mountains

You can easily get to Abisko Turiststation by train from either Kiruna or Narvik in Norway. The train ride itself is spectacularly scenic as well, and I've written about it here.

For independent travelers who are adverse to signing on expensive tours, Abisko makes an excellent easy option for Northern Lights hunting. Check it out!

Walking at night in the national park

Aurora swirling just outside the lodge

Viewing the Aurora Borealis

Dilijan National Park, Armenia

Of the two National Parks in Armenia, Lake Sevan in Sevan National Park seemed the more popular. However, I found myself in the other - Dilijan National Park, and really enjoyed myself there.

Covered by a large expanse of forest, Dilijan National Park is a fairly new National Park, being only established in 2002 (formerly known only as a 'Reserve'). But all along, it had been known for its flora and fauna, as well as hosting some cultural monuments (mainly monasteries and churches). It is also no wonder that hiking through the park a common activity.

Dilijan National Park in Autumn

Within the park is also a small lake, Parz Lich (Lake Parz), from where a popular hiking trail starts. It is an image of this lake in autumn that got me to this place. And indeed, the autumn foliage in Dilijan is amazing! Certainly one of my higher-ranked autumn foliage sceneries! And I was lucky that I met a group of hikers from a local outdoor/hiking group in Yerevan out on an outing. So I managed to join them for a wonderful hike ending at one of the cultural monuments in the park, Goshavank Monastery.

Autumn foliage at Parz Lich

The hike, was of course, an amazing way to enjoy the sceneries of the park, and passing through some villages, we were also treated to their hospitality. It happened to be fruiting season, and the villagers were collecting loads of plums and we were welcomed to help ourselves. Truly refreshing! Apparently, the forests of Dilijan not only contain many fruits trees, but medicinal plants as well!

Hiking

Rest break

Villagers picking plums (of some sort)

Goshavank Monastery is a 12-13th century Armenian monastery complex consisting of several churches, chapels as well as a bell tower. The buildings looked well preserved, as it is now a popular tourist attraction. When we ended our hike there, there were quite a few local tourists there as well. Within the autumn backdrop, it was really pretty.

Goshavank Monastery

However, there was no public transportation there now from what I'm aware of. I had arranged a car/taxi ride to Parz Lich, and had hoped to hitched a ride back to Dilijan town at Goshavank. But as I said, luck was on my side since I managed to join the hiking group for the hike, and got my ride back with them! (They had a specially chartered van from Yerevan). However, it's easy enough to arrange a car/taxi dropoff at Parz Lich and pickup at Goshavank.

Remember next time, for autumn foliage, consider Dilijan National Park!

Seoraksan National Park, South Korea

Seoraksan National Park is one of South Korea's most well-known and popular tourist attractions for nature enthusiasts. Hugely popular in autumn because of its fall foliage within the park, it is however beautiful in all seasons.

Going up to Ulsanbawi

 Mountains, forests, stone formations, streams and waterfalls - they are all featured inside the park. As with alot of scenic mountain parks in Japan and Korea, there is also a cablecar ropeway to one of the peaks. But the best way to enjoy the park is of course, the numerous hiking trails there! From easy 2-3 hour trails to multi-day trips, there should be one suitable for you.  I went on the Ulsanbawi Rock trail which took 4+hours return, and enjoyed it, although I would have prefered better weather when I was there :p. Nevertheless, the misty sceneries I had when I was there does add to the overall experience.

Misty within the park

Mountain sceneries like a Chinese painting

Pretty mountain streams add to your hiking experience

Mountain scenery on your hike!

It would be highly recommended to stay a few days to fully enjoy the park, instead of taking a touristy day-trip from Seoul or something. Those day-trippers could only afford a photo session with a giant Buddha statue and quick visits to the temples inside the park - hardly worth the while. One could easily get a bus from Seoul to Sokcho, the city with easiest access to Seoraksan National Park. Just outside the bus terminal in Sokcho, there are public buses to the National Park (bus no. 7), as well as Seorak-dong, the village just outside the park. There are accomodation options both in Sokcho, as well as Seorak-dong. But there is a hostel in Seorak-dong!

For photography enthusiasts, who would want convenient access for night photography or early morning photography, there is also a hotel right inside the park. The Seorak Tourist Hotel would also provide a special pass for you to re-enter the park, which is great for multi-day stays. Otherwise, for visitors who visit the park on different days, they would have to purchase separate park entry tickets. There is only one restaurant at the hotel though, so you may want to purchase all your necessary stuff in town before going in.

If you have time for your Korea trip, include Seoraksan into your itinerary!

Torres del Paine National Park

As posted in my last blog entry, Patagonia had been my dream destination for a long time. Having fulfilled this dream, I found that my favourite part was in Los Glaciares National Park. However, the manner in which I realized my dream was most memorable in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile instead.

I had attempted the 5-day 'W' trek in Torres del Paine National Park with a friend. It was our first multi-day trek on our own, carrying our own camping gear, and we had little training or preparation. So it came as no surprise that it was very challenging for us. Luckily, there were good information and logistics support in the access town of Puerto Natales.

We persevered and stuck to our goal, and the beautiful sceneries along the way pushed us and motivated us right till the end. And the sweetest moment was our final day and our final ascent to view the iconic Torres del Paine massif. It was a glorious morning, and the light was stupendous. Thus, the 'completion' of my dream was doubly memorable!

Again, words do little to describe the place and my feelings. But here's a series of photos that hopefully can show you a glimpse of the beautiful Torres del Paine National Park!

Enjoy!

Hiking along part of the 'W' trek

The amazing Glacier Grey, one of the highlights along the 'W' trek!

One of the buildings of the Refugios - accommodation options in the National Park. These Refugios also offer camping facilities

Torres del Paine National Park consists of many lakes, which are fed by glaciers within the park

Hikers taking a break and enjoying the views along the route to French Valley, a section of the park surrounded by rocky mountains and icy glaciers

Different parts of the trek offers different terrain and views, but all are stupendous!

My friend and trekking companion pushing towards the completion of our trek

Glorious alpenglow on the iconic Torres del Paine massif - the three Towers of Paine