#cape-york

#cape-york

These reefs are living, breathing snapshots of a watery world that you can peek into: refreshing oases where the noise of the land falls away; in its place, an intricate and utterly at-ease slice of life that you're lucky enough to witness.

As the rust expands, it weakens the rock and helps break it apart. It's a very red part of the country, it's got that rusty hue, so you get that color getting whipped up with the strong winds.

Vilanculos is predominantly used as a jumping-off point for the archipelago, just a 10-minute helicopter transfer away, or 20-60 minutes by boat.

According to color psychology, this soothing shade helps decrease stress and improve focus-and travelers can reap these much-deserved benefits in lush landscapes around the world. Here are 10 of the greenest places on earth, which combine serenity with unforgettable adventures.

I get there, I look and here's this little crocodile swimming around in the water. The sighting occurred at Federal Park in Wallsend, close to a local pool and primary school. Kirsop said she was met with initial disbelief when she contacted the wildlife rescue group Wires, and the Australian Reptile Park.

This golden strip of sand, fringed by turquoise waters, is part of the popular Abel Tasman National Park on Tasman Bay (also known as Te Tai-o-Aorere) at the top of the South Island. Awaroa Beach is nothing if not beloved. So much so that in 2016, almost 40,000 Kiwis banded together to buy the beach from a private entity for more than $2 million and donated it to New Zealand's Department of Conservation.

Africa is home to 39 countries that claim a coastline, giving travelers plenty of beaches to choose from. You'll find everything from palm-studded postcard perfection in Mozambique to rugged cliffs that sank many a ship attempting to cross South African seas during early colonization expeditions.

The idea that hiking trails are a tool for conservation is based on a simple premise: people protect what they know. That requires making conservation areas accessible. There's no point telling people you only protect what you know, if you don't give them the tools to know. The trail is this tool. People who hike, people who camp, these people often become defenders of the environment.

On an empty beach at the bottom of the world, the waves that roll over the sand are midnight blue and lit by the stars and a waxing moon. I'm only vaguely familiar with the constellations that hang above Great Barrier Island, known for centuries to the Māori as Aotea, some 56 nautical miles northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. I'm not all that used to seeing them so clearly,

The body is a shifting landscape transformed by surfaces and sensations. Each look captures a different tactile world: the heat of blood, the cool weight of metal, the yielding drift of water. The result is a sculptural study of how the elements carve, shield, and release the self. The materials we embody become the emotions we carry, and the body becomes a materialised exhibition of our emotions, from the pulse of Blood to the discipline of Metal to the surrender of Water.

In a white and sterile office that could belong to any one of the warehouses that dot this industrial strip between Brisbane's airport and horse-racing precinct, a young woman is engrossed in a puzzle. Only this puzzle comprises, perhaps, three different sets, each almost (but not quite) identical to the other and none likely to be completed. Emily Totivan wears blue plastic gloves. She is an archaeology student helping to catalogue artefacts.

From glacier-fringed archipelagos to palm-lined atolls, islands come in every imaginable shape and size. But when it comes to sheer numbers of islands, not every country is created equal. The nations that top this list aren't just tropical destinations or volcanic chains, they're often places where inland lakes, fjord-laced coastlines, and geological fragmentation have produced thousands of discrete landmasses. That raises a deceptively simple question: which countries have the most islands?

The most beautiful places in Oman are diverse, stark, and staggering. With ancient ruins, fragrant souks, and picturesque mountain villages, there is no shortage of man-made wonders. But it is the country's geology that delights best. In this desert nation, beauty is defined by water: the white sands of surf-battered beaches, gurgling wadi streams, and cloud-shrouded massifs where pomegranates hang heavy.

In the pristine High Arctic sits the Kitsissut island cluster, also known as the Carey Islands, nestled between northwest Greenland and northeast Canada. The surrounding seas are perilous, and traveling there is difficult even with modern boats. But new archaeological evidence suggests ancient humans managed to sail to the islands, too. Early settlers lived on the islands between 4,500 and 2,700 years ago.

It might be only 40 minutes by ferry from Brisbane, but when North Stradbroke Island, or Minjerribah, comes into focus - a soft line of bush, dunes and open water - and you roll off the barge, the city skyline feels like a sci-fi memory. It's no wonder that the locals and in-the-know Brisbanites guard this island with a conspiratorial hush.

Rock iguanas once roamed freely across the islands of Turks and Caicos. Spotting one today, however, requires a bit of planning-and a boat ride. After centuries of hunting and the introduction of predators, the reptiles suffered a steep population decline and were classified as "critically endangered" in the 1970s. Today, things are looking slightly better for the green lizards, and in 2020, their classification was upgraded to simply "endangered." But that doesn't mean it's all smooth sailing for the iguanas.

Greenland is currently making headlines, much to the chagrin of Greenlanders. U.S. President Donald Trump's ambition to seize this island, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO founding member, has turned global attention to a corner of the planet they probably hadn't considered before, or to Wikipedia or AI tools, to find out who lives on that enormous white patch in a corner of the American continent, and how.

"I've had my fair share of beach vacations, but I'm telling you, there's no place like Margaret River," Hardy, the vice president of Friends of the Cape to Cape Track, shares in his tour of his home region. "You don't have access to waves like this anywhere else in the world." While Hardy happens to be a seasoned local, he explains that it's still a wave for everyone, especially at spots like Gnarabup Beach, with plenty of surf schools around to show you the ropes.

As one of the most protected national parks in the world, the Galápagos Islands are full of incredible wildlife that are not afraid of humans and will come in closer contact with you than is possible in most other natural places in the world. You can experience a variety of landscapes in a small space, from lush highlands full of tortoises to moon-like volcanic rock covered in piles of iguanas.

It was Easter week on Providenciales, the archipelago's most populous island, and spring break was in full swing. "It's been a revolution," said my driver, who went by the name Roots. It seemed like it was only yesterday that there were hardly any cars on "Provo," as the island is called. Indeed, Roots could remember when there were no roads.

As of February 2026, the island is offering those who can work remotely for companies outside of Sri Lanka the chance to apply for a year-long digital nomad visa, so here is everything you need to know about how to apply if you're eligible. Firstly, you need to be at least 18 years old and earning a minimum of €1,700 (or around $2,000) per month.

As the final hours of 2024 crept up, I sat on my parents' hardwood floor with a giant whiteboard, a box of colorful markers, magazine cutouts and a Don Fulano Margarita. It's become a New Year's Eve tradition to make a vision board, my creative outlet to manifest what's to come, along with picking a color and a word to live by for the upcoming year.

Deserted white sandy beaches, a 15-seat chef's table serving a farm-to-table Michelin-starred tasting menu, silence broken only by crashing waves, and not a cocktail bucket in sight. Oh yes, this is Phuket, but not as you might know it. For those willing to go against the grain and head north over the bridge, it's just 20 minutes to Iniala Beach House, but a world away from the island you think you know.