Tagged: cave

Bewitchingly Beautiful Blue Grotto on the Isle of Capri [32 PICS]

February 19th, 2015 Permalink

Bewitched by the otherworldly beauty and glowing blue waters in the Blue Grotto sea cave, we scoured the web looking for more. We found out it was a favorite spot for a Roman emperor, has inspired artists for hundreds of years, and has become a huge tourist attraction on the Isle of Capri. [32 Photos]

Grotta Azzurra

Once upon a time, or the 1st century A.D., Roman Emperor Tiberius retired to the Isle of Capri, Italy, and used this beautiful Blue Grotto, a sea cave, as his personal swimming pool. Emperor Tiberius loved the Blue Grotto so much that it was his favorite nymphaeum, a temple dedicated to sea nymphs…also described as a sanctuary for water nymphs. Photo #1 by Luftphilia

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Walking on Water: Adventure Across Frozen Lake Superior to Apostle Island Ice Caves

February 27th, 2014 Permalink

There’s at least one great thing about super frigid weather, at least if you are near Apostle Islands National Lakeshore where sea caves have been transformed into ice caves. For the first time in five years, Lake Superior is so solidly frozen that people are coming from all over the world to walk on water. The phenomena has transformed the Wisconsin winter wonderland into a hot tourist destination. [32 Photos]

Frozen waterfalls, ice caves at Meyer's Beach on frozen Lake Superior

There’s at least one great thing about super frigid weather, at least if you visit Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin. Nearly 100,000 people have walked across frozen Lake Superior, iced solid enough this year for the first time in 5 years, to see a winter wonderland of frozen waterfalls and dazzling ice formations inside ice caves that are sea caves in the warmer months. Photo #1 by turn off your computer and go outside

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Hiking Hocking Hills State Park: Waterfalls, Caves, Cliffs, Forests and Gorges

October 16th, 2012 Permalink

In Ohio, there is a gorgeous State Park that has undisturbed forests, cascading waterfalls, rugged cliffs, deep recess caves and mysterious gorges. The 2,356-acre Hocking Hills State Park is a place of adventure for nature lovers. It is embedded in Hocking State Forest and its three nature preserves includes Conkle’s Hollow. The park is divided into these five separate sections: Old Man’s Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House. Hocking Hills State Park is about 3 hours away from Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the 10th most visited U.S. National Park in 2011. Both must be gorgeous in the fall season with the changing colors of autumn foliage, but we were struck by the beauty of the “greeness” at Hocking Hills. [47 Photos]

Cedar Falls at Hocking Hills State Park

Cedar Falls at Hocking Hills State Park. If you follow the Cedar Falls trail for a 1/2 mile, through an amazing terrain featuring a gorge and sandstone cliffs covered with moss, you come upon this 50-foot waterfall. Cedar Falls is one of the most photographed waterfalls in all of Ohio. Photo #1 by Todd Poling

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Breathtaking Baatara Gorge Waterfall & Cave of the Three Bridges [31 PICS]

August 23rd, 2012 Permalink

In Lebanon, the beautiful Baatara gorge waterfall cascades 837 feet (255 m) down in a thunderous roar during spring as the snow melts. Although a sign cautions not to climb around too close to the possibly slick edges at the risk of slipping and plunging to your death, nothing prepares a person to be so in awe of nature as the cavern opens up to house magnificent three-tiered natural bridges. This wonder of nature is also called the “Cave of the Three Bridges,” an abyss, “Three Bridges Chasm”, sinkhole, “pothole” and “hole in the wall.” During spring and early summer, the wildflowers are in full bloom making it a great time to hike the Tannourine Cedar Forest Reserve, part of the Lebanon Mountain Trail, that takes adventurers to the immense and breathtaking Baatara gorge waterfall. [31 Photos]

Beautiful Baatara gorge waterall in the Tannourin mountains of Lebanon

When snow melts in the spring, the water forms this huge Baatara gorge waterfall in the Tannourin mountains of Lebanon. Photo #1 by Eli+

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Mysterious & Massive World Hidden Underground: Paradise & Fairytale Caves

July 21st, 2012 Permalink

Hidden in the thick tropical forest of Vietnam is a land of phenomenal caves. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park contains the oldest major karst area in Asia; the karst is believed to have formed 400 million years ago, during the Palaeozoic era, With every cave discovery, that cave is considered the largest and longest in Phong Nha-Ke Bang, only to learn later that yet another even more massive cave has been found. This national park is home to the largest cave in the world and is said to be the home of the many of the world’s most beautiful caves. It’s famous for its cave and grotto systems, about 300 caves and grottos, of which only 20 have been surveyed by Vietnamese and British scientists. UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site for its geological values. Spectacular stalactites and stalagmites create an underground fairy-tale-like world where formations look like the caves possess jagged teeth or home to strangely alien trees. Visitors to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park most often visit the massive Paradise Cave and huge Phong Nha Cave as seen below. If you don’t expect to ever travel to Vietnam, then here is a virtual trip to see the mysterious and massive world hidden beneath Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park . [39 Photos, 2 Videos]

Thien Duong Cave or Paradise Cave - Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park - Vietnam (Động Thiên Đường)

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park contains the oldest major karst area in Asia. Protecting those caves is the reason for the park and also why it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This cave is called Thien Duong (Động Thiên Đường) and is over 19 miles (31 km) long. The British cave explorers were so impressed by the beauty of the rock formation inside the cave, they dubbed this place as “Paradise Cave.” Photo #1 by Vo Thanh Lam

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Cuyahoga Valley National Park: 10th Most Visited U.S. National Park in 2011

April 23rd, 2012 Permalink

Coming in as the 10th most visited national park in 2011 is Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northern Ohio. It offers adventurers a little bit of everything in the 20,339 acres of woods, water, wildlife and even caves. There are nearly 200 miles of trails within the park for visitors to hike, bike or for horseback riding. The Cuyahoga River, meaning ‘crooked river’ in Mohawk, is fed by more than 190 miles of other waterways to tempt fishermen of all ages. Millions of years ago, water etched out the 105-foot high sandstone Ritchie Ledges and Ice Box Cave, also carving other wonderful rock formations. More than 2 million visitors came to Cuyahoga Valley National Park last year to enjoy the wooded ravines, gentle rolling hills, 170 waterfalls, historic railway, buildings and paths. Welcome to Ohio’s only national park, welcome to Cuyahoga Valley National Park! [40 Photos]

Ledges with spring trees at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

The Ritchie Ledges, which formed more than 300 million years ago, with spring trees at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Ledges are found within the Virginia Kendall Park unit of Cuyahoga National Park. Photo #1 by © Tom Jones / NPS

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Marvel at the Magnificent Marble Caves [35 PICS]

June 28th, 2011 Permalink

In Patagonia, South America, General Carrera Lake is shared by Argentina and Chile. But on the Chilean side of the beautiful emerald-green to turquoise-blue waters, there are breathtakingly beautiful marble caves carved into passageways and caverns. These amazing marble formations were sculpted by erosion into three main marble formations: La Capilla (the Chapel), El Catedral (the Cathedral), and La Cueva (the Cave). The impressive labyrinth of marble caves are large enough for a small boat to glide into. Here are those magnificent marble caves. [35 Photos]

Reserva Nacional Cavernas de Marmol - Lago General Carrera Cavernas de Marmol - Patagonia Chilena

Incredibly beauty to be found at the Marble Caverns on General Carrera Lake in Patagonia, Chile. Photo #1 by © Jorge Leon Cabello

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