Feb 4

Feb 4 10 Take-Your-Breath-Away places to visit (when you can again)

We may not be able to travel right now (we will again. We will). But we can remember all the fabulous places we’ve been lucky enough to travel to in the past. And we can dream. And we can plan the places we’ll go to just as soon as we are able to again.

Places we’ll explore. Places where we’ll chill and rest. And places that will take our breath away.

These (in absolutely no order of preference) are ten of those take-your-breath-away spots I’ve been fortunate enough to visit over the years. All but one of the pics is taken by me, so are a reflection, not just of my far-from-expert photography skills, but of the weather and conditions on the day my breath was stolen.

1. Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina

Niagara may be the world’s most famous waterfall, but having seen both, I’d have no hesitation in declaring the Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil (the side we saw the falls from) as superior in every way. The beautiful setting - rainforest teeming with flora, fauna and wildlife, the truly astonishing power, and noise of the chain of hundreds of waterfalls covering a distance of 3km, and the visitor experience - you can venture out on walkways anchored above parts of the cascades, as well as take a boat thrillingly close to the base of them (yes, I know you can do that at Niagara too) - make this a breathtaking experience in every way.

2. Christ The Redeemer, Rio de Janerio

Christ the Redeemer towers over Rio de Janerio (this is the one shot I didn’t take, in case you didn’t guess)

30 metres high and with a span of 28 metres, Christ the Redeemer looks down on Rio from the top of the 700 metre Corcovado mountain. The stats alone are impressive enough, but nothing prepared me for just how breathtakingly moving I found it gazing up at the beautifully gentle face of this monumental statue. Or for the glorious views it afforded over this city that looks as if it’s been tossed between and around the mountains and the sea. You can quite understand how it’s come to be named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

3. Akaroa, South Island New Zealand

In all honesty I could have chosen just about anywhere I saw in New Zealand. I only travelled around the South Island (which in my book means a return visit to explore the North Island is a legal requirement), but my breath was taken away pretty much every time we turned a bend in the road. I’ve plumped for this view not just because it’s so typically sublime, but also because it’s representative of the atypically changeable (and frequently chilly, wet) weather we had during our trip, in spite of it being in the height of their summer (almost everyone we met told us it had been the worst summer for 30 years. Good to know).

4. The Mama Mia church, Skopelos

Yes, yes. I know that not the actual name of the Church of Agios Ionassis Kastri, perched so absurdly photogenically on the top of this giant rock on the Greek island of Skopelos (nor is it the interior of the church that appears on the screen, but let’s not get into that) but it’s how it will always be known to fans of the film. One of whom is me.

5. Mayan ruins at El Zotz, Guatemala

The Grand Plaza and Temple of the Jaguar at El Zotz in Guatemala

The Great Plaza, dominated by the huge, 44 metre high, Temple of the Jaguar, is at the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tikal National Park, home to some 3,000 ancient structures, which rise from the forest floor. Hopefully the people in this pic will give you some sense of the breathtaking scale of this monumental edifice. And maybe you’ll be as fascinated as I was about the 50,000 people who lived here from 800BC to 900AD and then disappeared for no reason historians have ever been able to trace.

6. Ta Prohm Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ta Prohm, one of the temples in the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia

Everything about Angkor Wat, the largest religious complex in the world, is utterly magnificent, but Ta Prohm is the temple in the vast complex that stands out for me. It’s not the largest by any means, but the way the forest is slowly reclaiming it, with the roots of the giant trees siniously swallowing the buildings, gives it a breathtakingly magical quality. If you’re looking confirmation of how impressively photogenic it is, look no further than the Lara Croft film, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.

7. Sigiriya Rock, Sri Lanka

Rising 200 metres above the forest floor, Sigiriya, meaning Lion Rock , housed the fortress complex of the fifth century AD king Kashyapa. Climbing to the top you’re rewarded with the remains of his palace, an extensive network of fortifications, vast gardens, ponds, canals, alleys and fountains. And absolutely spectacular views over the surrounding forests.

8. Hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara, Kenya

Kenya, a country I’ve visited on several occasions thanks to having close friends who live there, offers so many breathtaking experiences, but none of them has come close to the dawn balloon ride I took with my family over the Masai Mara. Swooping silently over the animals, often dropping so low we could see them quizzically looking up at us, and then sweeping so high we were able to see the curve of the earth across the vast grassy plains, was something I’ll never forget.

9. The Grand Canyon, Arizona

You’ve seen a thousand pictures of the Grand Canyon, so you think you’re prepared when you see it in real life. But you’re not. The jaw-dropping scale of this enormous, sheer-sided, 277 mile long gorge of craggy red rocks is something you simply can’t convey in pictures or words. You have to see it for yourself. And even then, you can’t quite believe it.

10. The Alps in winter

As a lifelong devotee of skiing, any day in the mountains that delivers freshly fallen snow, bright blue skies and views forever deserves a place on my breath-taken list. So here’s one of them.

Where would you add to this list? So I can dream of going there one day.