Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

If you are like me, you always oogle over the islands that are sheer cliffs with patches of green on top that seem to come out of nowhere in the bright blue ocean and backing up to the white sand of the beach. Look no further because I have found the perfect place to enjoy this very same thing. Fernando de Noronha are a group of  21 islands off the coast of Brazil. Fernando de Noronha, the main island, and for whom all the islands are names, is only 6 miles long and 2 miles long. 

Breathtaking, I know. Like many other small islands, the island is known for being a great tourist spot. The main attraction here is the spectacular dive sites. As you can tell from the pictures, the water is crystal clear, which alone makes diving incredible. But what truly sets Fernando de Noronha apart from other diving destinations are the animals that you can dive alongside: sea tortoises and dolphins are frequent visitors to the waters around the islands. 

But if diving isn't your forte, don't fret, you are on a beautiful island. That means that at any point on the island, you are no farther than one mile away from the beach (and that is only if you are standing directly in the middle of the main island). I can't think of anyone who would ever go to a vacation destination like this and not want to spend some time soaking up the rays while looking out onto the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. But if you would rather look at something else other than the breathtaking scenery around you, there are bound to be some beautiful beach bodies around. 

But of course a vacation is what you make it. But while being surrounded by beautiful foliage and breathtaking scenery, Fernando de Noronha is a must visit place for the person who loves nature and needs an escape from the big city bustle. The last thing that I want to leave you with is something that I love: a sunset. 

Angel Falls, Venezuela

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with Angel Falls. It is the tallest waterfall in the world, with a height of 3,212 feet and the water drops 2,648 feet. The difference in these numbers is because while the entire rock structure is 3,212 feet tall, after 2,648 feet, the rock slopes out and creates rapids for the water to hit. So the water doesn't travel the entire vertical distance.

Angel Falls is located in Canaima National Park in Venezuela, which spans an impressive 30,000 square kilometers. To get a better idea of how big this PARK is, it is the same size as Rhode Island and Massachusetts put together! (Plus or minus a few hundred square kilometers.)

Angel Falls was first discovered by Jimmie Angel, a US pilot who was looking for the Golden City. Instead he found what the native Penom people call Kerepakupai Merú. 

Angel Falls is easily one of the most awe inspiring places in the world. It also reminds us that all we have to do is look around us to find something beautiful. 

Cave of Swallows, Mexico

If you have seen the movie "Sanctum," you are well aware of Esa ala Cave. But what you might not know is that the cave that is depicted isn't the real Esa ala Cave. Instead, the big hole in the ground that the movie depicts is the Cave of Swallows. This might be confusing, but hey, that's Hollywood for you. The Esa ala Cave is real, but not nearly as impressive as the Cave of Swallows, depicted here.

Impressive right?

The Cave of Swallows is a pit cave with an opening of 160 x 205 feet, and the bottom is an astounding 1,094 feet straight down. Just make sure you watch your step while on the edge of this cave.

I would love to go and visit the Cave of Swallows for many different reasons. One is I would love to repel down to the bottom and hike around and explore what the bottom is like. I have looked it up, and it is possible to repel down, which takes about 20 minutes. Then the climb back up would be challenging and breathtaking at the same time.

Some people might have already seen this cave because of the attraction to BASE jumpers. Below is a clip of some jumpers in the cave. Personally I love this clip from "Planet Earth," which I highly encourage everyone to check out.

Well, that is all for the Cave of Swallows. Please stop by again to check out where the next adventure will come about in the world.