The Incredible Bolivia, South America

death road



Titicacasee



Titicacasee - boat



Potosi, Casa de la Moneda



Potosi_Indian Art



Moon Valley



The Tree Made of Stone - Desert of Uyunir

Firebirds



Man and the Llamas

The cloud-scraping plateau of the Andes is an otherworldly realm where flamingos lift off from a lagoon warmed by hot springs and colored carnelian by algae.

Moonlight bathes Incahuasi Island, an outcropping of cacti and fossilized algae in the Uyuni salt flat.
A great lake covered this area 16,000 years ago. When it dried up, it left a 4,000-square-mile basin of salt, the world's largest such deposit.

To find new grazing, vicuñas dash across a corner of the Uyuni salt flat.
Just three feet tall, these animals produce wool so soft it was reserved for Inca royalty.
Hunted almost to extinction, they're now protected and making a comeback.

Vehicles seem to float on a shimmering salt flat flooded by summer rains.

Winter's relentless sun vaporizes snow to create spiky forms called nieves penitentes near the top of Pomerape Volcano,
at 20,000 feet. Snow falls lightly at such extreme altitudes in the cold, dry climate along the Bolivia-Chile border.

Piles of salt, scraped by pickax from the deposit at Uyuni, await transport by truck to a nearby processing plant.
How much salt does this vast basin hold? Estimates range upward from ten billion tons—just one example of Bolivia's abundant mineral wealth,
which includes tin, silver, zinc, and natural gas.

Rare puna flamingos make Laguna Colorada their main nesting ground.
Also known as James's flamingos, the birds were thought extinct before a 1957 expeditiondiscovered this colony, which now includes about 15,000 breeding pairs.
During winter, when the air temperature here at 14,000 feet above sea level sometimes plunges to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit,
birds flock to the openings of the hot springs that keep Laguna Colorada warm.

On the Altiplano, wind erodes rock into a modernist shape perched on a narrow base.

The shadow of Sajama—at 21,463 feet, Bolivia's highest peak—juts over the rugged Chilean coast.
Bolivia lost access to the sea in the late 19th-century War of the Pacific, which embittered relations between the two countries.

Domesticated llamas spread across a spring-fed pasture at the edge of the Uyuni salt flat.
Such creatures have provided communities in the Altiplano with food, wool, and sturdy backs to bear burdens since before the time of the Inca.

Top 10 Waterfront Hotels of the World

1. Conrad Rangali Island Resort, Maldives

At the 5 star Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort, you’ll stay in one of the 50 villas built on stilts – some up to 500m out to sea – with views of the lagoon and the Indian Ocean. You can also have dinner at the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, which is 16 feet below sea level with views of the reed and marine life.

Maldives Water Villas

The Ithaa Restaurant sits 15 feet below the waves of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by a coral reef and encased in clear acrylic, offering diners 270-degrees of panoramic underwater views.

2. BANYAN TREE PHUKET, Phuket

This internationally acclaimed hotel in Phuket is bordered by the Andaman Sea. Surrounded by water, guests can enjoy the sounds of the flowing lagoon and tropical five star living with their own private pool surrounded by coconut trees.

Banyan Tree Phuket

3. ATLANTIS THE PALM, Dubai

This five star resort is located on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, the manmade, palm-tree-shaped island just off the Jumeirah coast. The resort is a good choice for travellers seeking an action-packed aqua holiday, as it’s home to an Aquaventure Waterpark, Dolphin Bay, The Lost Chambers marine viewing site and a dive centre for travellers looking to take part in scuba lessons and excursions. The Lost Chambers Suites also offer guests underwater views of the Ambassador Lagoon from both the bedroom and bathroom.

4. MANDALAY BAY RESORT, Las Vegas

The Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas has been described as an “oceanic island paradise”, despite being located in the middle of the Nevada desert. The four star resort is built on eleven acres of beach environment, and is home to three pools, a river, an adults-only pool, a 1.6-million gallon wave pool with a sand-and-surf beach, and an onsite shark reef aquarium. The property’s main “beach” area also doubles up as an outdoor concert environment with a massive stage extending out of the wave pool.

Mandalay Bay Underwater Passage

5. THE PALACE OF THE LOST CITY, South Africa

Travellers looking for an action-packed water adventure holiday need not look any further than The Palace of the Lost City, Sun City’s five star flagship hotel. Set amid twenty-five hectares of botanical jungle, guests are surrounded by an array of water features including winding cascades and waterfalls, lakes, lagoons, wave pools and water adventure rides.

6. ATLANTIS ROYAL TOWERS, Bahamas

The four star Atlantis Royal Towers is located on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and occupies 171 acres of the island. The resort has been designed around the mythical theme of the Lost Continent of Atlantis, and the $15 million marina features its own village as well as the Caribbean’s largest casino. As far as activities go, guests can opt to swim with the dolphins or sea lions or ride on a water slide through shark-infested waters.

7. LE MERIDIEN BORA BORA, French Polynesia

Guests will be in paradise at the Le Meridien, located on the famous tropical island in the world – Bora Bora. The four star resort is made up of ninety-nine tropically themed bungalows, and you can see the marine life through the glass bottomed floor of the over-water ones. Guests also have access to traditional Polynesian outrigger canoes, jet skiing, sailing, shark feeding and scuba diving.

8. MARINA BAY SANDS HOTEL, Singapore

For a water experience of a different kind travellers should book a stay at the five star Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. This hotel has been described as an “awe-inspiring structural masterpiece” thanks to the “Sky Park”, which is an oversized infinity-edge pool that spans the top of all three hotel towers and extends 65 metres beyond, with views of Mandalay Bay and the sea.

9. HILTON AUCKLAND, New Zealand

The Hilton Auckland has been designed to look like a cruise ship and is complteley surrounded by the waters of Waitemata harbour. Sitting at the end of a pier a hundred metres out into the Hauraki Gulf, gusts can enjoy being at sea without having to worry about getting sea sick. The rooms simulate a modern cruise ship cabin with curved walls and floor-to-ceiling windows, and the outdoor pool features an underwater viewing window overlooking the harbour.

10. GRAND BAY HOTEL ISLA NAVIDAD, Mexico

The Grand Bay Hotel in Isla Navidad on the Pacific Coast has panoramic views of the ocean, lagoons and mountains . This four and a half star hotel is built in a sheltered cove on Manzanillo’s Isla Navidad, and boasts a private yacht marina and beach. Deep sea diving and the 27 round golf course are highlights.

Most Unusual Dream Offices