Tale of nature

Banff, Canada
Driving a thin road cut out of the rock with a cliff on one side and a thousand foot drop over the cliff beside you winds your way up the Highway to the Sun in Banff. A skier's dream in the winter and a hiking heaven in the summer, the little town of Banff is a friendly place with tasty restaurants that whisper at the history of an area that ski bums have worshipped for decades.

Valley of geysers
The amazing Valley of Geysers is located in Kamchatka, in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve. This is the only geyser field in Eurasia and one of the largest in the world. There are about 20 big hot springs and a lot of small ones in a deep canyon of the Geyser River. In addition, there are beautiful lakes and waterfalls, many hot springs. Self-guided visits to the Valley of Geysers are prohibited. You can get here only as part of a tour group since the reserve represents a threat to life. There are many dangerous places here. For example, one of the land plots at the head of the river discharges toxic gas, and some green meadows, quite harmless in appearance, hide boiling mud pots under them.

Fimmvörðuháls Trail, Iceland
Most people head to the famous Skógafoss waterfall and leave after a few pictures, but this is a grave error. Make the ascent to the top of the waterfall and follow the trail past a whopping 26 more waterfalls, each one more magical than the last. If you're in it for the long haul rather than just a short day hike, you can continue on across volcanic plateaus and into the stunning "Land of the Gods." Iceland at its absolute best.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world's largest coral reef system has more than 2,900 reefs and 900 islands over a vast area of the ocean. It's home to several unique species of marine life, and is amazing to see from the sea and sky.