In the world of geographic designations, there are some strange clubs. Like NATO or OPEC, they gather in beautiful locations to confer on stange and mysterious business. Their purposes may be a little more obscure and much less important but hey, they still do good work. Take the most beautiful bays in the world for example.
Believe it or not, there is an actual international organization whose members are bays. Beautiful bays. Bays all over the world. Every year the NGO has a powwow somewhere to presumably talk about bay concerns, bay matters and all sorts of topics that have to do with bays. It boggles the mind really. To think that a collection of water with land on three sides would draw so much inherent interest and discussion is cause for alarm.
Then again, bays are pretty cool. Whenever we go for a beach vacation, the sand and water always looks better, always photographs better, from inside a bay. So maybe this most beautiful bay club is legitimate. Let us take a closer look at the membership, shall we?
Most bays, or peninsulas – as some of the fancier ones are known – don’t get much recognition, especially by international associations like UNESCO. Not good old Valdes Peninsula in the south of Argentina however. A World Heritage Site since 1999, Valdes gets serious props principally for being in Patagonia, a region of the world with loads of endemic wildlife and flora that hangs precariously by a thread. Marine life like elephant seals, sea lions, right whales and orcas use the peninsula to breed, hunt and generally, live the high life.
Notably, barren land surrounds Valdes and with the exception of salt lakes, not much else besides the awesome marine and bird life is going on. Still, that alone attracts a lot of ecotourist interest. The orcas here actually beach themselves on purpose in order to catch a wayward sea lion pup. This behavioural adaptation is unique to the Valdes Peninsula.
People who know Brazil well, especially regular tourists from abroad, often invoke Florian?polis, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, instead of mainstay Rio de Janeiro. With pristine beaches and a casual vibe, the region is a gem and quite popular in high season. A stone’s throw from the city is Praio do Rosa, a biosphere reserve that deserves the title of most beautiful bay. Actually, throw a stone here and you might drive any number of animals into extinction, so better fight temptation and just enjoy the scenery.
A protection area for the precious right whales, Rosa is also the heart of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reservation, a natural swath of land under severe strain in Brazil. As a result, watchdog efforts are under way to protect the forest and adjacent areas, such as Praia do Rosa, and stimulate safe ecotourism. A trip here may offer much more substantive rewards than a Rio party vacation.
Check out the best deals on hotels in Brazil before you head to idyllic Praia do Rosa.
The volcanic archipelago that makes up the nation of Cape Verde boasts a wide array of coves, bays and peninsulas. Mindelo is the most attractive of the lot, just off the coast of Gambia and Senegal. On S?o Vicente island, the bay was met with awe by merchants from Portugal back in 1462. Since independence in 1975, Cape Verde has made great strides in tourism, with S?o Vicente and Mindelo Bay at the nexus. If you enjoy the weather and scenery of the Canary Islands, this part of the world just to the south, is no less beautiful. The town around the bay, also with the name of Mindelo, has most of the 70,000 inhabitants of the island.
The geography that encircles the town has been subject to deforestation over the years but nonetheless, the mountains and river that cross through Mindelo frame the bay nicely. As an underwater volcanic crater, Mindelo Bay has special status among world bays and receives a good deal of cruise ship traffic. The town actually has several great attractions, as most old colonial seaport settlements do. The Governor’s Palace will look familiar to anyone who has been to south India, rife with Portuguese influence. The National Artisinal Centre features incredible works from Cape Verdean craftspeople, from ceramics to wood.
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