10 February 2023 - THE MAGNIFICENT IRON HOLE

 

THE MAGNIFICENT 

IRON HOLE

G'day folks,

At the centre of an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is a deep chasm ringed by tall waterfalls. 

Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean, sandwiched between Madagascar and Mauritius, a thousand miles from the east coast of Africa. Despite its remote location, as a “department” of France it’s actually part of the Eurozone, and with nearly a million inhabitants and some of the lushest and most magical landscapes in the world, the volcanic outpost has a robust tourist industry.

 

Tourism in the area centers around the coastal regions of Réunion, but at the island’s center is one of its most extraordinary sites, a canyon that reaches nearly a quarter mile (300 meters) into the Earth, ringed by a chorus of six tall waterfalls. Trou de Fer (the “Iron Hole”) is a collapsed crater of an ancient volcano, fed by bubbling rivers and streams, but dangerous to descend.

So rugged is the terrain at Trou de Fer, and so rain-soaked most of the year, the deep chasm wasn’t fully explored until 1989. Not that climbers hadn’t tried to reach its depths—they just never made it back out. Today it is a relatively easy hike to get there, just a couple of miles of well-groomed trails with a viewing platform at the end. From the high vantage point, you can see the surrounding mountains, tropical forests, and all the waterfalls that make their way to the bottom. 

23 December 2022 - FALL CREEK FALLS - IDAHO

 

FALL CREEK FALLS

 - IDAHO -

G'day folks,

A creek tumbles over a series of step-like rocks to create this scenic water feature in Idaho. 

This little gem in Idaho feels like it came out of a movie or was designed as a theme park attraction, but it is a beautiful natural wonder. A small creek tumbles down step-like cliffs overlooking the Snake River as it meanders through the beautiful Swan Valley. The cascading waterfall creates several mossy veiled grottos, where adventurers can wade into small chambers and watch the water droplets shimmer down. You can also relax in the shallow sitting pools in front of the caves and gaze out over the scenery.

 

Getting to the waterfall is its own journey. While hikers can climb down the falls from the top, further down the road is a rope path where you scuttle down a steep embankment of red earth. Some teamwork is helpful going up and down the rope. At the base of the embankment, the grass and reeds grow widely. Above the soft mud cliffs, birds have carved out holes for their homes.

 

The falls can also be accessed by boat, as the river is deep enough at the base to moor a small vessel, but shallow enough to wade across and begin climbing the falls.  There are places upriver to put in your craft, and a boat ramp (with bathrooms) at the Highway 26 bridge not far downstream. There is a campground just up the road for an overnight stay, but day adventurers can just park on the edge of the road near the falls.

21 May 2022 - BUA TONG STICKY WATERFALL, THAILAND

 

BUA TONG 

STICKY WATERFALL

- THAILAND -

G'day folks,

Here, you can walk up one of Thailand’s naturally non-slip waterfalls.  

Thailand is full of pretty waterfalls, some big, some small, some in-between. And like most waterfalls in the world, and rivers in general, the wet rocks nearby tend to be slippery, often treacherously so. But one waterfall, Bua Tong, stands out from the crowd for offering a surprising amount of traction.

Bua Tong Waterfall is a small, picturesque waterfall whose milky-white waters tumble through the surrounding jungle. It falls over three tiers, at an angle of about 45 to 50 degrees, over rocks that have a strange bubble-like appearance. If this were any normal waterfall, it would be great to slide down the slippery rocks. But people don’t come to slide down Bua Tong, known as the Sticky Waterfall by locals. Instead, they walk up it.

 

The waterfall is fed by a calcium-rich spring at the top, which plunges down over the rocks. Over time, mineral deposits have given the rocks a pumice-like texture. So rather than being perilously slippery, the wet rocks along the Bua Tong Waterfall are actually quite rough and therefore easy to walk along—and up—even when wet.

You can walk barefoot over the “sticky” rocks, which are rough but not so rough that they’ll cut or hurt your feet. You still need to watch out for some sneaky rocks that offer less traction and are therefore potentially slippery. These tend to be grayer in color than the surrounding rocks.

The waterfall is a popular spot among locals, especially on the weekend, but is still quite light on tourists. So you can normally make the ascent without any crowds, enjoying the refreshing water and the jungle scenery as you walk up the Sticky Waterfall. And if you feel like walking some more afterward, there’s a trail from near the top of the falls to Nam Phu Chet Si, a sacred spring and shrine in the jungle. Its supposedly healing waters contain the same calcium carbonate that made Bua Tong sticky.

Clancy's comment: Amazing, eh?

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26 May 2022 - STUNNING TINAGO FALLS, PHILIPPINES

 

STUNNING 

TINAGO FALLS

- PHILIPPINES -

G'day folks,

Hidden deep within a Filipino jungle is an incredible waterfall that plunges into a dazzling blue-green pool. 

Away from the more than 300,000 inhabitants of nearby Iligan City, Tinago Falls provides a serene getaway deep within the jungles of Mindanao. Tucked within a forest-fringed ravine, this mighty waterfall’s name fittingly means “one that is hidden.”

Approximately 240 feet high, its colossal rock structures are dotted by thick masses of trees and natural foliage. Despite this towering scene, what lies at the bottom of the falls leaves visitors in even greater awe. 

Tinago’s basin features a stunning blue-green pool of water. The colorful sheen of the water is more than enough to inspire legends of supernatural guardians that protect this aquamarine refuge.

 

In spite of its mystic undertones, Tinago has been developed by locals to carry adventurers toward the falls. By way of a small ferry ride on one of two makeshift bamboo rafts, you can experience one of the area’s main attractions: when directly underneath the plunging falls, you can feel the therapeutic beating of the water on your skin. 

More than a hundred feet deep, the basin is not only a site for those who want a peaceful sanctuary, but also those who crave adventure. Thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies are often found climbing and jumping off of the high rock walls surrounding the basin. 

Clancy's comment: Yet, another reason to visit this magnificent part of the world. 

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20 January 2022 - AMAZING KALAMBO FALLS - ZAMBIA

 

AMAZING KALAMBO

 FALLS

 - ZAMBIA -

G'day folks,

This stunning waterfall is the backdrop to a site that has seen continuous human habitation for 250,000 years. 

In the Mbala district in Zambia, the Kalambo River forms the northern border of the country with Tanzania. Along the river is Kalambo Falls, a 725 foot (221 meters) high single-drop waterfall, making it the second-highest in Africa.

Besides the stunning views, Kalambo Falls is an important archaeological site, with the earliest evidence of human habitation dating approximately 250,000 years ago until the present day. This makes Kalambo Falls one of the longest continuously inhabited areas in the world.

 From 1953 to 1963, archaeologist J.D. Clark made extensive excavations of the Kalambo Falls site. He found evidence of continuous habitation at the site dating to the early Stone Age. These finds included stone tools, hearths, and well-preserved organic objects.

Kalambo Falls represents one of the strongest sites for evidence of early fire use by humans, with artifacts including charred logs, charcoal, and fire-hardened wooden implements dating to 60,000 years ago. Additional artifacts, such as heavy woodworking tools and burial sites, provide evidence of habitation in the region through the middle and late Stone Ages to the Iron Age, which saw the introduction of the Bantu people.

Clancy's comment: Certainly a place worth visiting.

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6 January 2022 - STUNNING BIGAR WATERFALL - ROMANIA

 

STUNNING BIGAR 

WATERFALL 

- ROMANIA -

 

G'day folks,

Moss and stone turn this waterfall into an otherworldly liquid veil. 

In Caras-Severin County in the western part of Romania, the amazing Bigar Waterfall is so lovely it is even called “the miracle from the Minis Canyon” by the locals.

Located in the Anina Mountains on the Mini River, the rounded waterfall is almost eight meters high, and falls over an unusual and dramatic green carpet of moss. Unlike more roaring falls, this waterwork flows over the apex of a fat, rounded stone, and is diverted into a sheet of countless small streams that issue from the bottom of the stone which juts out over the basin below.

 The otherworldly beauty of the site even earned it a place as the number one interesting waterfall in Romania.

Update as of June 2021: The waterfall collapsed in part from natural causes. 

 

Clancy's comment: Nature is truly extraordinary. 

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21 November 2021 - CASCADE FALLS - DUCK CREEK VILLAGE, UTAH

 

CASCADE FALLS 

- DUCK CREEK VILLAGE, UTAH -

G'day folks,

An improbable waterfall springs from an orange-white cliff face, tumbling into the headwaters of the Virgin River above Zion National Park. 

Southwestern Utah is known for the spectacular colors of its scenery and is home to several national parks and monuments. The orange-and-white Claron Formation (formerly known as the Wasatch Formation), in particular, is responsible for both Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument. By comparison, the Pink Cliffs formed by the Claron above the Virgin River Rim almost seem dull. Except for one thing: Cascade Falls.

At one point water springs out of the Pink Cliffs and drops into the headwaters of the Virgin River, making an attractive and surreal waterfall. It emerges at an elevation of about 8,800 feet, while the ridge above tops out at over 9,400 feet. The source of the water is shallow Navajo Lake, which has a natural dam of basalt lava and floods the bottom of a valley beyond that ridge. The lake lies at an elevation a bit over 9,000 feet and is a little more than a mile, as the crow flies, from Cascade Falls. The Claron Formation is sufficiently permeable that the lake water has found a path through it.

 

Clancy's comment: Wow. Looks like a great trail, and excellent scenery.

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14 October 2019 - MURCHISON FALLS IN UGANDA

MURCHISON FALLS 

IN UGANDA

G'day folks,

Welcome to Murchison Falls where the White Nile River dramatically cascades between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert in Uganda. 

Also known as Kabalega Falls, Murchison Falls is a spectacular waterfall where the White Nile bursts through a narrow rocky gap and tumultuously tumbles some 140 feet into a pool known as “The Devil’s Cauldron” before flowing into the tranquil Lake Albert.

English explorers Samuel and Florence Baker named Murchison Falls named after the president of the Royal Geographical Society, Roderick Murchison. The local name, Kabalega Falls, is a remnant of Ugandan military officer and former president Idi Amin’s regime. In the 1970s, Amin unofficially renamed Murchison Falls to Kabalega Falls in reference to Kabalega of Bunyoro, the late-19th-century king of Bunyoro, Uganda.  

 Murchison Falls crown the magnificent surrounding region, which is subsequently known as Murchison Falls National Park. The park is sited in the Albertine Rift Valley’s picturesque northern end. The park was established as a game reserve in 1926, and today, it serves as the oldest and largest reserve of its kind in the nation. 

Comprised of the National Park, Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, and the Karuma Falls Wildlife Reserve, the Murchison Falls Conservation Area is home to more than 70 mammal species and 450 species of birds. The riverbanks are dotted with buffalo, hippos, and crocodiles, while elephants, lions, leopards, chimpanzees, and giraffes roam the forests and savannas.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited what is now the National Park in 1907, and notably remarked that the landscape reminded him of a wild Kew Gardens. Other visitors of historical significance include Ernest Hemingway, who supposedly crashed a plane near the falls in 1954,  and former United States President Theodore Roosevelt. The area also makes an appearance in the 1951 film, The African Queen.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... Definitely a place for photographers, searching for wildlife.

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