I am running behind with updating my blog with photos. I have some more photos from South America and a lot from Africa, where I was in february/march. So I decided to show you some photos from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. I will be be posting more photos from my safari in the following days/weeks so be sure to come back.

Acacia trees on the Serengeti plains

The Serengeti is located in north Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya and it spans some 30.000 km². The Serengeti hosts the largest mammal migration in the world, which is one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world.

Maasailand has East Africa’s finest game areas. The governments of Tanzania and Kenya maintain a number of Protected Areas: parks, conservation areas, game reserves, etc. that give legal protection to over 80% of the Serengeti.

Altitudes in the Serengeti range from 920 to 1,850 meters with mean temperatures varying from 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. Although the climate is usually warm and dry, rainfall occurs in two rainy seasons: March to May, and a shorter season in October and November.

The Serengeti was used as inspiration for the animated Disney feature film The Lion King and subsequent theatrical production.

Leopard

I have been to a few parks in Tanzania during my trip, but the Serengeti was the largest. Every park has its own advantages, animals, secrets…but more on others later on.

Warthog

Zebras

Leopard

Cheetahs

Lion

Lion and Lionesses

Zebras

Head over to my videos sub-page or go to vimeo to watch my movie from Africa.

In the Sacred Valley of the Incas, 40 kilometers north of Cuzco there is a town of Maras. The town is known for its salt evaporation ponds, in use since the Inca times. The salt ponds cascade down the side of a canyon while the warm to hot water source flows out the side of the mountain. The water is very salty and you can taste it on the site. It is an extraordinary place to see and in definitely worth the visit. I have never seen such salt ponds so high in the mountains.

Being at the right place at the right time, capturing exactly the right moment and using the right exposure are one of the key elements of capturing great shots.

…just after sunrise … northern Luzon …

… after sunset in El Nido (Palawan) …

… after sunset in Sabang (Palawan) …

… beach at night in Sabang (Palawan) …

… beach at night in Sabang (Palawan) …

Asia is filled with rice fields, but nowhere are they as spectacular an art form as on Philippines. These giant stairways are best seen if you hike on them. It can be tricky sometimes to hold your balance. These fields extend for as far as the eye can see and they truly are one of the “Wonders of the World”. Philippines have 7107 islands, but I say that every village has at least 7107 rice terraces and I have probably seen all of them. So next time when you cook rice at home, remember from where it might have come.

After 35 hours in transit, I am finally home. Philippines were great, people are friendly and the scenery is amazing. For now, here are just a few images I took during my 3 week long trip. I have been hiking in the northern Luzon, diving on Palawan and much more… Stay tuned for more…

Rice terraces, Banaue

Children from Buscolan village, northern Luzon

Palawan sunset

Sand, sand, sand …. everywhere

Beautiful landscapes from around the island…

Extreme climates and landscapes on The Big Island of Hawaii.

Mauna kea means “white mountain” in the Hawaiian language, a reference to its summit being regularly covered by snow in winter. The peak of Mauna Kea is 4,207 m above sea level but 10,203 m above its base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It is the world’s tallest mountain by this measure, taller than Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain above sea level.

Mauna Kea is in the post-shield stage of volcanic evolution, having made the transition from the shield stage about 200,000 to 250,000 years ago. At that time, its appearance was probably quite similar to that of its neighbor Mauna Loa today, a smooth shield volcano with a large summit caldera. Following the transition, eruptions became more explosive in character, resulting in the formation of numerous overlapping cinder cones which eventually filled and completely obscured the caldera. These cinder cones now form the peaks at the summit of Mauna Kea, with several of them exceeding 13,500 feet (4,100 m) in elevation. After several hundred thousand years of slowly building itself up by volcanic activity, the mountain’s height is slowly decreasing now as its massive weight depresses the Pacific seafloor beneath it.

Snowfall often occurs at elevations above 3,400 m during the period from November through March. During particularly cold and wet winters, which are usually linked to La Niña, a snowpack several feet (1 m) deep may remain in the summit region above 4,000 m for weeks or months. This permits skiing and other snow-play activities on the slopes of the cinder cones.

The summit of Mauna Kea has been a celestial observatory since ancient times and is considered to be one of the best astronomical sites in the world. For this reason it is home to many of the world’s leading astronomical observatories. The summit is above approximately 40% of Earth’s atmosphere and 90% of the water vapor, allowing for exceptionally clear images of the night sky. Additionally, the peak is well above the inversion layer, which leads to approximately 300 clear nights per year. (Source: Wikipedia)

The thing that fascinated me the most was that you can go swimming in the Pacific and about 2 hours later you are standing on top of Mauna Kea about 4207 m higher with temperatures well below freezing and yea if you have brought your skis along you could go skiing.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is located on “The Big Island” of Hawaii. It displays hundreds of thousands of years of volcanism, migration and evolution – processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems and a distinct Ancient Hawaiian culture. Kīlauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the most massive, offer scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and visitors’ views of dramatic volcanic landscapes. The park includes 1,348 square kilometers of land. The park encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of the earth’s most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet (4,169 m). Climates range from lush tropical rain forests, to the arid and barren Kaʻū Desert.

Just some more photos from this exceptionally beautiful island.

Haleakala is a massive shield volcano that forms more than 75% of the Hawaiian Island of Maui. Surrounding and including the “crater” is Haleakala National Park, which is mostly wilderness. Haleakala’s summit is 3055 m above sea level. The best time to visit the summit is early in the morning to catch the sunrise. There is an excellent road to the top and the scenery is breathtaking.

On this picture you can see the Mauna Kea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii (4207 m)

Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēʻahi, most likely from lae ‘browridge, promontory’ plus ʻahi ‘tuna’ because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna’s dorsal fin. Its English name was given by British sailors in the 19th century, who mistook calcite crystals embedded in the rock for diamonds. Diamond Head is estimated to be about 200,000 years old and extinct for 150,000 years. (Source: Wikipedia)

Diamond Head offers you great view over Honolulu, Waikiki and Koʻolau Mountain Range.

If you are not sure where to go skiing next year…here is a thought, why not go to Colorado USA. Vast expanses of ski areas, huge amounts of powder each year…these are just some of the things you might expect while skiing in Colorado. It was my second time in Vail and I must say, that there is no better place for skiing (so far ). And did I mention that the snow in Colorado is so much different from the snow here in Europe. “There is no substitute for altitude!”

Taking off at Frankfurt

Greenland

Forests of Colorado (Breckenridge in the background)

Vail

At 3970m, Breckenridge

After one month of “summer” in southeast Asia, I was on my way to Verbier, Switzerland. I arrived in Ljubljana on 18th of December and on the 20th I was already on my way to Verbier. It was quite a change from tropical forests to glaciers and snow. I’ve also packed all my photo material from Asia, so I was able to edit it in my free time. I spend 14 days skiing with my family and friends in Verbier and it was great.