Vallée de Mai (Vallee de Mai)

Vallée de Mai, Seychelles

Relict of Gondwana, natural palm forest with the endemic coco de mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica) grove and five other endemic palms. Coco de mer grows up to 34 m tall and has the largest seeds in the plant kingdom – up to 42 kg heavy nuts. Many other endemic species of plants and animals, numerous vanilla orchids.

Kamil crater

60 g heavy piece of Gebel Kamil meteorite, Egypt

Well preserved, less than 5,000 years old impact crater. Width is 44.8 m, depth – 15.8 m. Around the crater is still visible the rayed structure created by the blast.

Tswaing crater

Tswaing crater with the saline lake in it, South Africa

Well preserved impact crater made by some 30 – 50 meters large bolid some 220,000 years ago. Astrobleme is 1.13 km in diameter and 100 m deep, the lake on the bottom has been used by people for salt collection over the last 100,000 years.

Amguid crater

Amguid crater, Algeria

Very well pronounced impact crater, less than 100,000 years old. Diameter – 500 – 530 m, 65 m deep.

Lake Bosumtwi

Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana with the local wooden boat - padua

The most recent medium-sized impact crater, 10.5 km across, formed 1.07 million years ago. Filled with an 8 km wide lake – the largest natural lake in Ghana. Surrounded by dense rainforest.

Roter Kamm crater

Roter Kamm crater, Namibia

Approximately 4 – 5 million years old impact crater. The diameter of the crater is 2.5 km, depth – 130 m. It was deeper earlier – the bottom is covered with a 100 m thick layer of sand.

Bimmah sinkhole

Lake in Bimmah sinkhole, Oman

Approximately 30 m deep sinkhole with a deep blue lake in it. A beloved place for swimming, the best-known sinkhole in Oman.

Trou de Fer canyon and waterfalls

View from above. The tallest - 300 m step of Bras de Caverne in the upper middle part, 270 m tall fall of Bras Mazerin in lower left corner

Several cascades of streams in Trou de Fer – one of the most magnificent slot canyons in the world. The total height of Bras de Caverne Falls is 725 m, the first step is 210 m high (mostly dry), the next – 180 m high, and the third – 300 m, several smaller steps in between. There are six more very tall waterfalls in the canyon. Lower Bras Mazerin fall is 270 m tall.

Wabar craters (al-Hadida meteors)

Unusual impact craters in the desert of Arabia. Legendary site, where iron meteorites of large size have been found. Well preserved craters show that the impact was very recent, most likely – the early 18th century.

Honokohau Falls

Honokohau Falls from the air, Hawaii

341 m high falls from eternal cloud along emerald green mountain slope.