| The world’s most stunning scenes
 MALCOLM
ROGERS considers the latest list of the world’s best views.
The Independent (the London newspaper, not the Irish one) have chosen their
Top Ten Stunning sights in the world — and the Burren in Co. Clare
comes in sixth.
The Independent says of the area: “The Burren gets its name from the
Gaelic word for ‘stony place’, which if a little unimaginative
is a spot-on description for this remarkable landscape which comprises an
area of 50 square miles of limestone rock, mountains, valleys and streams.
“The Burren is strikingly different to any other habitat you might
encounter in the British Isles [sic].”
Though limestone underpins much of Ireland the soil in the Burren was clawed
away by retreating glaciers during the last Ice Age.
It is an ancient place marked with megalithic tombs that that are older
than the Pyramids.
The little soil there is supports few trees and instead the limestone crevices
are ideal homes for a wide range of Mediterranean flowers that have no right
to be found so far west or north.
The full list is:
1. Cinque Terre, Italy
An exquisite Southern European landscape of breathtakingly beautiful villages,
vineyards, seascapes, sheer cliffs and wonderful food.
Getting there: Great Rail Journeys tel: 01904 521936 www.greatrail.co.uk
offer escorted tours which include rail travel from Britain. Not cheap.
2. Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Ninety miles from Guatemala City, it is ringed by three volcanoes each more
than 9,000ft high. Early morning is particularly beautiful but if you sleep
it out not to worry. Sunsets are equally spectacular.
Getting there: Contact Journey Latin America tel 020 8747 8315 www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk
3. The Roof of the World, Tibet
The Tibetan Plateau has the most stunning backdrop in the world —
the Himalayas. It also has the fascinating villages such as Gyantse band
Shigatse characterised by smoky monasteries, ancient dwelling places and
welcoming people.
Getting there: Not easy. Contact Audley Travel tel 01993 838200 www.audley-travel.com
4. Cappadocia, Turkey
Has been a World Heritage site since 1985 and a home to a labyrinthine series
of troglodyte dwellings since the 4th century. Rock hewn houses and churches
have mesmerised travellers since the Middle Ages.
Getting there: Contact Exclusive Escapes tel 020 8605 3500 www.exclusiveescapes.co.ukThey
offer rooms overlooking the spectacular Goreme National Park.
5. Australia’s Bungle Bungle Mountains in the far north
east of Western Australia
A spellbinding collection of chasms, gorges, beehive rock formations and
almost impossible-to-imagine remoteness.
Getting there: The only way in is by air, then 4X4. Contact Quest Travel
0871 423 012316 www.quest-travel.com
6. The Burren, Co. Clare
Contact The Burren Centre tel 00 353 65 708 8030 www.theburrencentre.ie
7. Banaue, The Philippines
The 2,000-year-old Banaue rice terraces are hewn out of a breathtaking setting
with forests, villages, terraces and sacred groves all interlinked —
and remain the only monuments in the islands to show no evidence of being
influenced by colonial powers.
Getting there: Trailfinders tel 0845 0585858 www.trailfinders.com
8. Sossusviel Dunes, Namibia
Lie a day’s drive north of the capital Windhoek. The immense and extraordinary
spectacle is located in the Namib Naukluft Park. The dunes which reach a
height of 1,000ft, are reckoned to around 30million years old — the
oldest on the planet.
Getting there: Peregrine Adventures tel 0844 736 0170 www.peregrineadventures.co.uk
9. The Lofoten Islands archipelago, off the north-west coast
of Norway
Rise almost vertically out of the sea and their mountains appear to stretch
to the horizon. The islands are inhabited mostly by fisher folk, millions
of seabirds and a cross-section of marine mammals.
Getting there: Inntravel tel 01653 617970 www.inntravel.co.uk.
10. The Alhambra in Granada
Is one of the most mystical buildings in the world looming dramatically
across the Darro Valley dividing Granada in two. The complex itself is a
mixture of fortresses, pleasure-gardens, palaces, fountains and ornate courtyards
with the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. Getting there: Ryanair to Malaga and
hire car or coach for the hour’s journey up to Granada.
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