WHILE THERE ARE NATURAL WONDERS EVERYWHERE AROUND US, some unquestionably are more wondrous than others. We concur that the generally accepted list of the world's seven greatest - the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, Victoria Falls, Rio de Janeiro's Harbor, Paricutin and the Northern Lights - indeed are natural phenomena not to be missed. Yet we believe the following marvels are equally worthy of being on every world traveler's "must-see" list.
GIANT REDWOOD FOREST (NORTHERN CALIFORNIA) - Along California's northern coast lies an enchanted forest of the tallest plant species on Earth. On average, the giant redwoods (scientific name: Sequoia sempervirens) grow to 200 feet; the tallest on record reached a height of 367 feet. They also are among the oldest living things on the planet: A redwood's average age is 600 years old, although some live up to 2,000 years. What's more, fossil records show that relatives of these coastal trees existed some 160 million years ago. Unfortunately, Western expansion would casue more than 95 percent of the old-growth redwoods to be logged. In the 1920s, the Save the Redwoods League was able to protect those remaining by establishing three state parks; the Redwood National Park would be dedicated in 1968. Together, these parks have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as an International Biosphere Reserve.
MOUNT FUJI (JAPAN) - Standing 12,390 feet and nearly perfectly symmetrical in shape, Mount Fuji (or Fijisan, meaning "deity of fire") is both Japan's highest peak and its national symbol. Worshipped as a sacred mountain and venerated in art and poetry, this long-dormant volcano - it last erupted in 1707 - stands on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and can be seen from Tokyo on clear days. Part of the Fuji-Hakone National Park, Mount Fuji is surrounded by five lakes; they, along with nearby Lake Ashino-ko, offer outstanding views. The mountain was first ascended by a monk in AD 663; today, thousands make the approximately 10-hour roundtrip hike each summer, many climbing at night to experience sunrise from its summit.
NILE RIVER (EGYPT) - The world's longest river and the very lifeblood of Egypt, the Nile stretches almost 4,000 miles north from the mountains of Eastern Africa into the Mediterranean. The vast majority of Egypt's population - and its grandest sites, from the Great Pyramids to the temples of Luxor and Karnak - lie in the northern Delta region; being downstream, this area is known as Lower Egypt. (While exploring other lands, ancient Egyptians would note the "wrong" flow of other rivers.) Egyptian culture is filled with river symbolism; its ancient calendar was divided into three seasons based upon the river's cycles. A Nile river cruise - particularily one on a traditional felucca - is a must for travelers.
AYERS ROCK (AUSTRALIA) - The Aborigines called it Uluru or "Giant Pebble", and their ancestors lived here some 20,000 years ago. This giant red monolith - the world's largest - is a sacred center of power for Australia's indigenous people, and it has emerged as a compelling symbol fo the country itself. Rising 1,144 feet high, this massive sandstone rock continuously changes a spellbinding array of reds, oranges and pinks (caused by mass deposits of iron); its mystical transformation is most dramatic at sunrise and sunset. Because of its spiritual significance, the Aborigines - who manage the surrounding national park - discourage climbing Uluru; a walk along its base reveals a number of hallowed sites and paintings of ancient Aboriginal tribal myths.
CAPPADOCIA (TURKEY) - Across a 50-square-mile area in the Anatolia region of Turkey, a surreal landscape of soft tufa spires, pinnacles and "fairy chimney's" rise up to five stories high from the surface floor. Created by ancient volcanic eruptions, along with millennia of wind and rain erosion, Cappadocia is mentioned as early as 5th century BC, and has been home to various peoples, who created cave dwellings in the tufa cones and cliffs. A Christian community appeared in the 4th century AD; the monastic colony here is believed to have included more than 400 churches and hermitages. Today you can visit 15 of these, including sculpted dome churches with vaulted ceilings, pews and beautiful frescoes.
GULLFOSS (ICELAND) - With an average flow of 3,880 feet per second, Gullfoss or "Golden Falls" is Europe's most powerful waterfall. Located along Iceland's glacier Hvita ("white") River, the spectacular cascade - comprised of two separate falls - drops 105 feet into a canyon below; on sunny days, the mist clouds produced create dozens of dazzling rainbows. In the early 20th century, efforts were made to buy the falls and supplant it with a hydroelectric plant, but a local farmer's daughter named Sigridr Tomasdottir valiantly fought to save Gullfoss, making a pilgrimage to Reykjavik and threatening to throw herself over the falls if it was sold. Development plans were halted, and a national park was establihsed there instead. A monument honoring Tomasdottir was erected there in 1978.
LAKE TITICACA (PERU/BOLIVIA) - It was from the immense depths fo Lake Titicaca that the ancient Incas believed their progenitors, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, first emerged to found their mightly empire. Today, the cradle of Incan civilization has lost none of its mysticism or grandeur. Spanning more than 4,000 square miles and lying 12,500 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia, Titicaca is South America's second largest lake and the planet's biggest above 6,500 feet. Pilgrims to this place experience stunning archaeological sites (many pre-Incan), colorful folkloric festivals and lakeshore communities still thriving as they have done for centuries. Saturated in the high-altitude air and suffused in the lake's expansive, sapphire-blue waters, sunrises and sunsets here are known to be among the most enchanting in the world.
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