Royal National Park | Day Hike: wedding Cake Rock | The best thing about visiting Australia is that scenic views and spectacular nature are just a sto

park - Fernwayer Travel Stories & Experiences

Australia

The best thing about visiting Australia is that scenic views and spectacular nature are just a stone's throw away, no matter where you are. If you're in Sydney, you won't get a better view of the ocean than walking through Royal National Park and taking Bundeena Drive to Marley Walk.

Passing through scenic heathland with small trees, you'll soon come to a bushwalk through a denser forest. We saw many native bird species, including the famous cockatoo, had a dip in one of the pools along the way, and took stunning sunset photos as you look out over the wild ocean. The tourist highlight is Wedding Cake Rock, but our personal star was Marley Beach, a dreamy, hidden sandy beach where you can relax and dip your feet in the refreshing water.

You can rent a car and drive directly to Bundeena, but we decided to take the train from Sydney to Cronulla and from there take the ferry to Bundeena.

Day Hike: wedding Cake Rock

United States

If you're looking for an unconventional neighborhood with art galleries, parks to hang out in, and lots of young, trendy people, Newtown is the place for you. I basically spend all my weekends there, drinking coffee, going to book clubs, working at the community kitchen Lentil as Anything, and having a beer at one of the lively bars at night. 

Australians love vintage – which makes Newtown the heaven for vintage clothes, cameras, vinyl records, and much more. I’ve got some new sandals, a polaroid camera, and jewelry, all unique pieces at an amazing price. Worth the hype!

You can easily get there by train, it's just a ride from Town Hall, or simply stay a few days in one of the hostels in Newtown.

Bohemian dreams in Newtown

Colombia

Kakadu National Park is half the size of Switzerland and a real adventure. If you rent a car, you could drive along the road for weeks, camping in different places and experiencing nature in a way you can't anywhere else.

After leaving Darwin in a rented 4x4 jeep, we made the long drive to Kakadu National Park. Take plenty of drinks and snacks with you, as there aren't many stops on the road. Along the way, we visited several refreshing waterholes and waterfalls, had an open-air barbecue, and saw many birds, snakes, anthills, and farmland along the way.

At night we mostly stayed at campsites that provided tents, and the beauty of the night is incomparable. You can hear, smell, and see countless species of animals, from alligators swimming in lakes at night to dingoes howling, to weirdly chirping insects.

We hiked to a hidden waterfall and discovered some hundreds-of-years-old wooden paintings done by the ancestors of Australia's indigenous people. A must-see in Australia for sure!

Camping: Kakadu National Park

Visiting Western Australia's Nambung National Park and the Pinnacles Desert is a must.

Located at the southern gateway to Australia's Coral Coast, along the Indian Ocean Drive, the Pinnacles Desert of Nambung National Park is one of the major natural attractions in the region and are Western Australia's most visited attractions.

The park is located roughly 200km, or 2 hours' drive north of Perth, and covers an area of 17,487 hectares providing natural habitat for an extensive array of native animals and bird life.

The Pinnacles are amazing natural limestone structures, formed approximately 25,000 to 30,000 years ago after the sea receded and left deposits of sea shells. Over time, coastal winds removed the surrounding sand, leaving the pillars exposed to the elements. The Pinnacles range in height and dimension - some stand as high as 3.5m!

Desert limestone formations

Bolivia

Driving in the wet season in Salar de Uyuni, it feels like you are in a sailboat on the ocean - splashing in the water and watching mesmerizing reflections of the sky. It’s incredibly surreal.

The newly discovered planet Crait in The Last Jedi was set in this breathtaking and luminous salt-covered land. We stay in a gleaming Airstream parked on the salt lake, and are greeted by a salt version of R2D2 that apparently starred in the movie.

On a still day at the start of the rainy season, a thin layer of water covers the salt, forming a great mirror reflecting the sky. It’s disorienting, because you can’t judge distance or perspective. 

The Salar is so flat across its 10,000 square kilometres, that the surface is used to calibrate the altimeters on board earth’s satellites. At dusk, we watch the International Space Station slowly cruising past in the sky above us, like a bright star, and we watch lightning in the horizon all around us.

Sky Above, Sky Below

Canada

This place is located 100 km far from my home  and its in fundy national park New Brunswick canada  and its really amazing place the water falls looks soo good when you look with your nacked eyes  its a fresh water fall and the water also taste good we did hiking as well as had some snacks with my homies its a great location to come out for a good day and a good hike and have spend you day in nature i am a huge nature lover and i love to be in nature when i am on my off days i am so much indulge in nature activities like camping fishing bonfire start gazing from mountains bagpacking etc etc 
And many more to plan a head for things like this and many more to be posted you guys can also follow me up on my instagram akash_sood96 or my snap chat akashsood69 i can always help you and guide you about the adventures so hit me up and let me know whats your next plan on adventures haha waiting waiting for my new friends to hit me up and also i would love to travel around the world with you guys

A day out for hiking at fundy

Finland

At Riisitunturi National Park, ancient trees enveloped in layers of sticky snow (called ‘tykky’ in Finnish) assume fantastical shapes of monsters, ghosts, birds and families of snow people. On days like this, when sunrise and sunset happen within a two-hour window, backgrounds are brushed in pinks and yellows, and foregrounds etched with tracks of reindeer, dogs and humans. 

Snow is something more than frozen water to the Sami people. It’s a way of expressing the basis of their existence.

Best time to visit? Late December to March. Getting there from Rovaniemi takes more than 2 hours each way, but the trails are easy - we did a 4 km.

Shape of snow

Greece

In Santorini, we discover and fall in love with Vinsanto, the local dessert wine. So we drive up to Hatzidakis - a charming and intimate local winery - to check out the local grapes. The vines grow low to the ground and close to the road and we almost drive into them while looking for parking. 

The grapes are grown in an unusual way, not in arbors but low to the ground, in baskets made of vine stalks themselves. They are organic and are watered mostly by dew as the island has low water supply.

The tasting room is cave-like and we take home several bottkes of the small batch Vinsanto they produce.

Vinsanto

Iceland

This being a ‘chill trip’, we did not want to hike 10 hours on a glacier. Instead we trek on the Vatnajokull glacier looking for ice caves with wind on our face and ice under our feet.

Earlier, we woke up at 7 and drive in cold and windy January to Skaftafell National Park to meet Einar, our guide. 

This cave... like others ... started forming In August but you are never sure it will be stable to explore till later. In September, the loose ceiling collapsed  and this brilliant cave was formed.

These fragile and transitory structure require constant maintenance from falling rock and melting icicles. Einer enters the cave and spots a few boulders on the roof. He removes them to prevent harm to the cave and us. 

As we move around, the cave looks different as our viewing angle and the sunlight outside changes.

We are in complete awe ... and hungry. Luckily a steaming meal of lamb and potatoes is close by.

Ice Caving

On a snowy winter evening, we stand on a ridge and see the brightly-lit church through the mist ... an evocative but calming place. 

Very different from 1000 years ago as Vikings stood here and declared the laws of the land ... the oldest continuous two weeks in the summer parliament. People heard from their leaders, settled disputes and traded.

The best part of the Golden Circle circuit, Thingvellir National Park has hiking trails, waterfalls, summer cottages for the affluent (singer Björk has a home) and the Silfra fissure divers can explore between the American and Euroasian tectonic plates.

The sky is changing color. We should leave, we tell each other ... but we are drawn to the scenery like a moth to the flame.

Northern Mists

Continuing my recommendations for a stunning drive to the South of Iceland -

1. From Dyrhólaey to Vik: Stop at Dyrhólaey for its sea arch and basalt blocks - turn from the Ring Road to the right to road 218, and drive that road to an end, you should see puffins at Reynisfjall cliffs, at Arnardrangur "Eagle rock” (very picturesque with Reynisdrangar and Reynisfjara in the background), at low tide, you can walk along the black beach and discover little caves and rock formations, and finally, the little village of Vik with its stunning black sand beach and sea stacks, worth visiting both at sunset and sunrise.

2.  From Vik to Stokksnes Headland. You will want to stop for pictures of the moss-filled lava flows on the sides of the highway. Go to Skaftafell Glacier National Park for a glacier walk. Then pause at Fjallsárlón glacial lagoon, a nice precursor to Jökulsárlón. I’ve always found sitting on the lagoon and watching the icebergs (barely) floating by absolutely therapeutic.

Icelandic Road Trip - Part 2

United Kingdom

I love Iceland for many reasons. The road trips are magical - and so is the light - perfect for photography. These are my recommendations for a drive from Reykjavik to the South of Iceland. 

1. Þingvellir National Park: Go to the Visitor’s Center for a great view, and get a driving map, or suggestions from there. Find Almannagjá – the space between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. I love the little church. Lots of easy walking paths.

2. From Þingvellir to Dyrhólaey: Stop at Seljalandsfoss (easy stairs to climb behind the waterfall), Skógafoss (set your tripod in the water to take an iconic waterfall photo, then climb up to the start of the lava from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption), Sólheimasandur (for haunting pictures of the airplane that crashed on the black sand beach, there’s no sign but the coordinates are 63 27.546-19 21.887).

Part 2 coming soon.

Icelandic Road Trip - Part 1

Spain

Finding a green oasis in a big city like Madrid is always a treat for the soul. The Retiro Gardens are not just any park but an elegant garden that was royal property until the 20th century.

You'll find all sorts of exciting monuments and gardens in it, including the Jardín de Vivaces, the Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez, the Rosaleda Rose Garden, and the Parterre Francés, which features a 400-year-old cypress tree (named after Montezuma, the Mexican Aztec king). 

Among locals, El Retiro has a reputation as the best place to exercise, take a Sunday stroll after lunch, or just hang out with friends and family. If you've had enough of walking (which we for sure had after 4 days in Madrid), you can go rowing on the lake in the park, or sit down and enjoy the beautiful view.
The park is also home to some excellent restaurants and cafes – during summer in Madrid, there’s nothing better than a refreshing iced tea.

The place to be for Madrileños

I once owned a MINI Cooper. 

On a recent trip to Morocco, I had a l-o-n-g layover in London between planes at Heathrow and Gatwick. So I organized to meet my charming chauffeur of smallcarBIGCITY at Paddington Station for a personal tour of London in a vintage red Mini. 

I may have been jet-lagged but I remember the Beatles blaring on the stereo. And of cruising through St. James Park as sunlight broke through the morning fog. A scandalous story about why Green Park has no flowers. Quirky bits of history. Narrow, cobbled streets that only a Mini can negotiate. Crowds outside Buckingham Palace. The legend of the Noses of Soho. Saturday markets. Floral Street in Covent Garden. Whizzing past sparkling new Routemaster buses. The story behind “London Bridge is falling down”. And my favorite view of London from inside a Mini on Westminster Bridge.

All the while, passers-by waved, smiled and photographed us. I felt like a mini celebrity!

Mini-Tour

Staying at the Inn at Death Valley, we thought we would be able to get up just before sunrise and make a dash over to Zabriskie Point. In hind sight, we should have woken up a good 60 minutes earlier, since the viewpoint was packed with people as we got there. 


The stunning views of the badlands slowly fill up with yellow, orange, purple and brown colors - and every hue in between - as the sun comes up, totally makes up for the early rise. Once the sun has finished painting the badlands, it reaches out to color in the Panamint Range across the valley with gorgeous pinks and purples. If you want to avoid the crowds, do the 2.5 mile Badlands Loop hike. Right after the walk, you can drive the short 3 mile Twenty Mule Team Canyon loop drive before returning to Stovepipe Wells for breakfast. 

We had been told that the Death Valley National Park is all about extremes - and the Zabriskie Point is a visual representation of that.

Painting with Light

Forty-five minutes from Palm Springs – or a slightly longer, two hours from Los Angeles - in California’s southernmost Joshua Tree National Park, I’m waiting at the Visitor Center to buy my park pass, and it’s clear that the most commonly asked question of the rangers in this Park is - “Why is it called a Joshua Tree?"

Turns out the giant, branching yucca’s shape reminded early Mormon settlers of a story in which the Prophet Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky. “A good Joshua Tree will be really thick, with arms sticking out like they’re wearing furry sleeves.” – From The Bulletin, in a 1987 article, 7 years before the trees got themselves their own National Park. 

No two Joshua Trees are alike – for that would be too boring. Instead, they defiantly withstand the desert conditions and stretch out in weird and wonderful ways. 

Great hikes, photography, star-gazing. 

[🌵]

Weird and Wonderful

Visit the icon Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park. Eat great Chicago classics like Portillos hotdogs and Lou’s pizza. Enjoy views from the Willis tower or spend a day on Navy Pier!

Wander the city

After disastrously and foolishly underestimating how difficult the parking situation is, we only ended up with a 1/2 day to spend in thr park. This was not enough time.

Australia

New South Wales

Day Hike: wedding Cake Rock

Bohemian dreams in Newtown

Northern Territory

Camping: Kakadu National Park

Western Australia

Desert limestone formations

Bolivia

Potosi Department

Sky Above, Sky Below

Canada

New Brunswick

A day out for hiking at fundy

Finland

Lapland

Shape of snow

Greece

Decentralized Administration of the Aegean

Vinsanto

Iceland

Eastern Region

Ice Caving

Southern Region

Northern Mists

Icelandic Road Trip - Part 2

Icelandic Road Trip - Part 1

Spain

Community of Madrid

The place to be for Madrileños

United Kingdom

England

Mini-Tour

United States

California

Painting with Light

Weird and Wonderful

Illinois

Wander the city

Utah

Trail Running Zion