The Palau archipelago, located in the Western Pacific east of the Philippines, consists of more than 250 islands. Most are uninhabited, covered in primary tropical rainforest and mangroves. While this description already promises adventure, the existence of a lake populated by millions of jellyfish on one of these islands makes the region truly extraordinary.
Tag: Adventure
Ethiopia: The Erta Ale volcano and its lava lake
Erta Ale is an Ethiopian volcano located in the Afar region, in the northeast of the country, within the East African Rift Valley. Standing 613 meters high with a base diameter of 30 kilometers, its broad, low-profile shape classifies it as a “shield volcano.”
At the summit of this highly active volcano lies a caldera containing two pit craters. The South Pit, 200 meters in diameter, is currently the most impressive as it houses a permanent lava lake where molten rock reaches temperatures of 1,200 degrees Celsius. The lake’s level fluctuates constantly; in January 2017, it rose high enough to overflow. By April 2017, the level had dropped, offering observers a spectacular and cyclical phenomenon of emptying and refilling, which can be seen in the videos at the end of this article.
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Mongolia: The Khövsgöl lake
Called the « Blue Pearl » because of its water purity, the Khövsgöl lake (in mongolian : ᠺᠥᠪᠰᠦᠭᠦᠯ) is a sacred place for the local people, which they call « Mother ». The below pictures were taken at summer time, during a several weeks horse ride on the lakeside. More than a view on the lake, these photos show also the local inhabitants met during this trip.