Wednesday, November 18, 2009

World Best WaterFalls

=-=Yosemite Falls:
Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California and lies 150 miles east of San Francisco and only a six-hour drive from Los Angeles. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, and biological diversity. The 750,000-acre, 1,200 square-mile park contains thousands of lakes and ponds, 1600 miles of streams, 800 miles of hiking trails, and 350 miles of roads. Two federally designated wild and scenic rivers, the Merced and Tuolumne, begin within Yosemite’s borders and flow west into California's Central Valley.
Yosemite Valley Waterfalls
Waterfalls are a Yosemite hallmark, drawing visitors from around the globe year after year. Because many of Yosemite’s waterfalls are fed by snowmelt, the amount of water rushing over each waterfall can vary widely throughout the year. In addition to those below, numerous other falls can be seen during the spring run-off or after a heavy rainstorm.

  • Yosemite Falls (Upper, 1,430 ft.; Middle, 675 ft.; Lower, 320 ft.) is one of the tallest in North America and fifth highest in the world with a total drop of 2,425 feet.

  • Bridalveil Fall (620 ft.) called "Pohono" or "spirit of the puffing wind" by the Ahwahneechee Indians. The wind often blows the falls sideways giving it the appearance of a "bride's veil".

  • Vernal Fall (317 ft.) and Nevada Fall (594 ft.) are visible from the Mist Trail. and rewards hikers with a refreshing, rainbow-filled shower on hot spring days.
  • World Best Waterfalls

    =-=Dettifoss WaterFalls:
    *Dettifoss is Iceland's greatest and most majestic waterfall. It is also rated as Europe's most powerful waterfall, based on its magnitude. Dettifoss is 45 metres in height and 100 metres wide and its force is such that the bedrock trembles when hit by the weight of an immense column of white-foaming water. The average flow is 193 cubic metres per second but during floods it reaches up to 600 m3/s.

    *Dettifoss is in the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, which emerges from beneath Vatnajökull glacier and runs into Öxarfjörður bay. It is part of Vatnajökull National Park. Dettifoss is the centre fall in a unique series of waterfalls; about one km up river is Selfoss, and two km down river is Hafragilsfoss.

    *Dettifoss cuts the river at an angle so the scenic experience is quite different depending on which side the waterfall is viewed from.




    *The East Bank Of Dettifoss:
    On the east side of Jökulsá river, road 864 runs between road 85 in Öxarfjörður region and main road 1 in the Mývatn area. Despite being a gravel road, it has usually been better than the road on the on the west side, so this is where most visitors come to Dettifoss.





    *The West Bank Of Dettifoss:
    Road F862 runs between road 85 and road 1 on the west side of Jökulsá river. Between road 85 and Dettifoss it is a gravel road, but between Dettifoss and Road 1 it is more of a mountain track and conditions can vary greatly. A new road is under construction, scheduled to be completed in 2010


    World Best Waterfalls

    =-=Lower Falls of Grand CanyOn:

    *How to get there?

    The Lower Falls area is located just to the east of Canyon Village. A one-way loop drive takes you to the brink of the Grand Canyon and offers four views, with the last stop at the trail that leads to the top of the Falls.

    *Lower Falls:
    Lower Falls, the biggest waterfall in Yellowstone, is the most famous in the Park, hands down. In fact, the 308-foot tall waterfall it is most likely the second most photographed spot in Yellowstone, with Old Faithful Geyser being the first. There are numerous views of the Falls from both the east (Inspiration Point, Grandview Point and Lookout Point) and west (Artists Point) sides of the Grand Canyon, most of which require only a short walk or virtually no walk to see. The trail to the top of the Falls (3/4 of a mile roundtrip, but steep with many switchbacks) is a must, as the experience of standing atop the Falls is one of the most breath-taking experiences in the entire Park.


    The canyon's colors were created by hot water acting on volcanic rock. It was not these colors, but the river's yellow banks at its distant confluence with the Missouri River, that occasioned the Minnetaree Indian name which French trappers translated as roche jaune, yellow stone. The canyon has been rapidly downcut more than once, perhaps by great glacial outburst floods. Little deepening takes place today.


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    =-=Kaieteur Waterfalls:

    *Kaieteur Falls is one of the most spectular waterfalls in the world.

    *It has a free fall height of over 700 feet

    *It is one of the few places in the world where endangered species are easily observed. Our specially designed on-site nature walk places you face-to-face with the many and varied exotic plant and animal species.

    *Kaieteur can be admired close-up or filmed at varying distances and from numerous camera angles; aerial views of the Falls are truly spectacular.

    *Kaieteur National Park is situated on the Guiana Shield, a plateau that is one of the world's oldest and remotest geological formations.

    *The entire Kaieteur National Park area is located within one of the largest and most biodiverse rainforests in the world.

    *The Falls are accessible both by air and by land. By air, it is an hour's flight from Georgetown, the Capital of Guyana. By land there is a popular adventurous wilderness trek that requires 3 to 5 days to complete.

    Monday, November 16, 2009

    World Best Waterfalls

    =-=Sutherland Falls,NewZealand:

    Physical Descripition Information:


    English

    Metric

    Total Height:

    1904 feet

    580 meters

    Tallest Single Drop:

    885 feet

    270 meters

    Number of Drops:

    3

    Waterfall Type:

    Tiered

    Average Width:

    90 feet

    27 meters

    Average Volume:

    400 cubic feet / sec.

    11 cubic meters / sec.

    Maximum Recorded Volume:

    5,000 cubic feet / sec.

    142 cubic meters / sec.

    Watercourse:

    Arthur River

    Seasonality:

    Perennial

    Seasons of Best Flow:

    Year Long

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    Location, Directions & Maps:

    Continent:

    Oceania

    Country:

    New Zealand

    State / Province:

    South Island

    Locality:

    Southland

    Specific Location:

    Milford Track

    Latitude / Longitude:

    -44.8019 / 167.7308

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    Falls is one of the most well known waterfalls in New Zealand, and definitely has a reputation around the world. The falls drop directly out of Lake Quill, which is in turn fed by several glaciers producing their own waterfalls, then drops down three steps in very quick sucession, dropping 751 feet, 815 feet, and 338 feet respectively. The falls can be seen either from the air, or by hiking two miles to the base of the falls from the Milford Track.
    Sutherland FallsThe high Sutherland Falls is the most impressive of the numerous falls encountered on the Milford Track. It is actually about a 45 minute side hike from the main trail each way, but is worth it. You can walk right up to the base of the falls and feel the power of the wind rushing down, driving the mists outward around the base. It sounds like an airplane, almost, it is so loud.


    World Of Waterfalls

    =-=DamajaguaWaterfalls: This inspiring activity for nature lovers takes you beyond the gold-sand beaches of Puerto Plata and into the silver-capped mountains for the 27 waterfalls of Damajagua, a fairytale-like labyrinth of tunnels and caves set against a backdrop of rural mountain scenery.
    Trek through jungle and scale rock mounds as high as 40 feet before cascading into crystal-clear natural swimming pools. The most intrepid explorers hike the hour required to reach the highest waterfall before descending a three-hour-long track. A shorter but no less challenging trail scrambles up and down the first seven falls with plenty of swimming breaks in between.

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    =-=The WaterFall At Langfoss,Norway:
    Langfoss or Langfossen as it is sometimes called is possibly one of the more beautiful cascade waterfalls in the world. A width of 250 feet, the river spills over the side of a mountain slope for a length of 2000 feet before it joins the waters of the Åkra Fjord. The mountain is green with flora in the summers and a slippery slope in the cold season. Langfoss is the 5th highest waterfall in Norway and is among the tallest waterfalls in the world. Though some dismiss it as a true waterfall because it is a cascade rather than a true plunge waterfall that loses contact with the rock face as it plunges to the water below. However many visitors to the sight care less for the dispute and more for the awe inspiring sight.

    Saturday, September 26, 2009

    Kabba in Saudi Arabia

    =-=Kabba in Saudi Arabia:

    The Kaaba (a square building) is the 'House of God', where the divine touches the mundane and it is toward the Kaaba that Muslims face during their prayers. The Kaaba is located in the courtyard of the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. According to the Koran, the cubic-shaped structure was built by Adam according to a divine plan. When Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) was ordered by Allah to build a Shrine for worship he uncovered the original foundation of the Kaaba built by Adam. Ibrahim with the help of his son Ismael (also known as Ishmael) erected the new shrine on the original foundation. When the Prophet Muhammad began to preach to the people of Mecca the Kaaba was a shrine for the pagan deities of the Arabs. After the Prophet established control of Mecca, the shrine was rededicated to Allah. Around the Kaaba is a restricted area, haram, extending in some directions as far as 12 miles (19.3 kilometers), into which only Muslims may enter.

    The actual structure of the Kaaba has been demolished and rebuilt several times in the course of its history and was originally four walls without a roof. The Kaaba is now a cubed shaped one room structure that is about 60 feet high (18.3 meters), 60 feet wide from east to west and 60 feet from north to south. A door is fixed about 7 feet (2.1 meters) above ground level facing north east.





    The Black Stone, or the Kaaba Stone, is set on the outside of the eastern corner of the Kaaba and is about 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the ground. The stone is a dark reddish brown color and its diameter is about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters). The Black Stone is now in pieces, three large parts and smaller fragments, which are now encased in a massive silver band. It is presumed to be of pre-Islamic origin, possibly meteoric and has always been the dark color it is because it was burned as it fell through the atmosphere. Some Muslims believe that this stone fell from the sky during the time of Adam and has the power to cleanse worshippers of their sins by absorbing them into itself. For these, the Black Stone is believed to have originally been colored white, but it turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the years. Others believe the stone was given to Ismael by the angel Gabriel in order to provide the cornerstone for the Kaaba. The Black Stone is kissed by all who can gain access to it but is not considered idol worship. The single most important reason for kissing the stone is that Prophet Muhammad did so. No devotional significance whatsoever is attached to the stone.

    Friday, September 25, 2009

    SAUDI ARABIA






    =-=Saudi Arabia:-The Land Of Culture And Peace:
    A visit to the attractions of Saudi Arabia is a lifetime opportunity for all Muslims across the world. Home to Mecca and Medina, two of the holiest cities in Islam, Saudi Arabia is a country drenched in prayers and religious monotones.

    =-=Top Attractions In Suadi Arabia:
    Tourist attractions in Saudi Arabia are more about Arabic traditionalism than about modernity. Although the country has witnessed immense growth and has even adopted some of the aspects of Western sumptuousness, it remains deep-rooted in its culture.
    ==================================

    *Al-Masjid al-Haram, Saudi Arabia:

    Al-Masjid al-Haram, also known as the 'Sacred Mosque', is undoubtedly the biggest attraction of Saudi Arabia. The largest mosque in Islamic world, Al-Masjid al-Haram, Mecca is a must-visit religious center for all Muslims.
    Situated in the holy city of Mecca, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Saudi Arabia, Al-Masjid al-Haram is simply matchless in magnificence. Sprawling across an area of 356,800 square meters, the Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca is capable of accommodating more than 820,000 pilgrims .

    As per the Five Pillars of Islam, all Muslims are expected to make a Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime, given that they are in good health and can afford the same. The Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca is the mosque where Hajjis end their pilgrimage and pay respects to the almighty.
    The Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca surrounds the Kaaba and Black Stone, the place to which all Muslims turn to during prayer time. In Islam, the Kaaba is also regarded as the holiest place on earth. Thus, the Al-Masjid al-Haram is the most important structure for Muslims around the world.

    The Al-Masjid al-Haram is believed to have been built by angels even before mankind existed on earth. The mosque was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. According to legends, Allah had ordered Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismael to build the mosque and Kaaba for the final time. The present structure of Al-Masjid al-Haram was refurbished after an extension in the year 1982.
    Focal point of the Hajj pilgrimage, Al-Masjid al-Haram hosts more than three million visitors every year. Non-Muslims are not permitted entry into the mosque as well as the city of Mecca. In fact, non-Muslims caught in the city have the risk of being executed in public.



    Apart from the Kaaba, the Al-Masjid al-Haram has a colossal courtyard wherein worshippers perform their prayers. The main mosque has been time and again renovated to suit the needs of pilgrims who come from faraway lands. The Al-Masjid al-Haram, Mecca has been provided with facilities like air conditioners, escalators and rest rooms.
    A visit to the Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca is the most spellbinding experience for all Muslims around the globe.