The Great Wall of India


The Great Wall of China India

Standing thousands of miles long, the Great Wall Of China is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations with over 10 million visitors each year. There’s no denying that the wall is certainly spectacular (after all, it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World), but what if you could see a version of it without the crowds? That’s where this other “Great Wall” comes in:

Generally called Kumbhalgarh Wall or Kumbhalgarh Fort, the “Great Wall of India” was built in the 15th century. It is a part of the hill forts of Rajasthan, an UNESCO protected site in the northwestern part of India.

Stretching 22 miles long, the “Great Wall” is the second largest wall in the world and home to about 300 ancient temples. Surrounded by lush mountains and forest, the wall is the perfect tourist attraction for those who like to go off the beaten path.

Visitors who have trekked to the wall before call it “phenomenal” and say to “go early or late for good pictures.” The best way to reach Kumbhalgarh is to bus or taxi in from the town of Udaipur city, which is about 2 hours away.

 

H/T Huffington Post

 

 

The post The Great Wall of India appeared first on Travel Feed.



Source link

20 Most Popular Museums in the World


20 Most Popular Museums in the World

This week the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM released their 2014 Museum Index which ranks the world’s most popular museums by the amount of visitors they had. Once again the Louvre in Paris ranks as the number one museum in the world. Here is a list of the top 20 most popular museums in the world.

These museums have started to introduce various ‘Baseball Pins‘ which creates a great souvenir to take home and remember your experience. I’m sure there will be some competition to see who has collected the most…

1. Louvre, Paris, France

Louvre photo

Photo by kBandara

Louvre attracted 9.3 million visitors in 2014 making it the most popular museum in the world.

2. National Museum of China, Beijing

national museum of china photo

Photo by Archbob

The National Museum of China was the second most visited museum in the world with 7.6 million visitors.

3. National Museum of Natural History, Washington

most popular museums

The National Museum of Natural History dropped one spot to become the third most visited museum in the world. Attendance dropped nearly 9% from 8 million to 7.3 million.

4. National Air and Space Museum, Washington

air and space museum washington photo

Photo by m01229

Smithsonian National Air and Space museum received 6.7 million visitors as one of the most popular museums.

5. British Museum, London

most popular museums

Photo by bram_souffreau

British Museum is the fifth most popular museum with 6.7 million visitors.

6. National Gallery, London

national gallery london photo

Photo by ** Maurice **

6.4 million visitors

7. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

most visited museums

Photo by Tomás Fano

6.3 million visitors

8. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

vatican museum photo

Photo by HarshLight

Vatican Museums had a 13% increase in attendance with 6.2 million visitors.

9. Tate Modern, London

tate modern photo

Photo by dalbera

Tate Modern had an 18% increase in attendance with 5.8 million visitors.

10. National Palace Museum, Taiwan

national palace museum taiwan photo

Photo by caitriana

National Palace Museum in Taiwan had a 22% increase in attendance with 5.4 million visitors.

11. Natural History Museum, London

most visited museums

Photo by srboisvert

5.4 million visitors

12. American Museum of Natural History, New York

most popular museums

Photo by TristanReville

American Museum of Natural History had 5 million visitors.

13. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

shanghai science and technology photo

Photo by Gary Lerude

The attendance at this museum jumped nearly 18% to 4.2 million visitors.

14. National Museum of American History, Washington

national museum of american history photo

Photo by Janitors

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History had an 18% decline in attendance with 4 million visitors.

15. National Gallery of Art, Washington

most visited museums

Photo by NCinDC

National Gallery of Art welcomed 3.9 million visitors.

16. National Museum of Korea, Seoul

This museum had 3.5 million visitors, a 16% increase making it one of the most popular museums in the world.

17. Musee d’Orsay, Paris

most popular museums

Photo by Shadowgate

This art museum welcomed 3.5 million visitors.

18. Centre Pompidou, Paris

most popular museums

Photo by Oh Paris

Centre Pompidou is the 18th most visited museum even though attendance dropped by nearly 8% with 3.5 million visitors.

19. Science Museum, London

Science Museum in South Kensington had 3.4 million visitors.

20. National Folk Museum of Korea, Seoul

national folk museum korea photo

Photo by larrywkoester

National Folk Museum of Korea had a 21% increase in attendance with 3.3 million visitors.

The post 20 Most Popular Museums in the World appeared first on Travel Feed.



Source link

Tiger Cave Temple – The Best Free Attraction in Thailand


Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi is a must visit for anyone that likes adventure.

Tiger Cave Temple is the best free attraction in all of Thailand yet many people choose not to visit it.  Even those that are already in Krabi may skip it in favor of more beach time.  Certainly they are missing out on a terrific experience.  Tiger Cave Temple or Wat Tham Suea is a spectacular Buddhist temple and a must visit for anyone traveling to Krabi.  So what makes Tiger Cave Temple so special and different from all the other temples  in Thailand?   Keep reading to find out.

tiger cave temple

Photo: Monika JK

Tiger Cave Temple is relatively a new temple as it dates back to 1975.  Legend has it that a tiger once lived in one of the caves here.  It is only about 15 minutes away from Krabi town and about 30 minutes from Ao Nang.  It can be easily reached by Songthaew, taxi or by renting a scooter.  Although if you are going to rent a scooter be prepared that you will be riding on some busy highways in order to get to the temple.

tiger cave temple

The main attraction of the temple is the 1237 stairs it takes to climb to the top of the mountain.  The climb up is no joke even if you are in great physical shape.  You may think to yourself, “What’s the big deal, it doesn’t sound that hard”.  Well when you take into account the heat, humidity and the fact that some of the steps are twice the height of normal steps you got yourself a pretty difficult climb.  It may be difficult but most people can do it as long as you take breaks and drink lots of water.

tiger cave temple

The temple is open from sunrise to sunset.  It is best to do the climb in the morning or late afternoon.  You should allow about 30 minutes for the climb with a few stops along the way. Make sure to bring at least one bottle of water.  You will need it.  There is water at the top if you run out.  I did this climb in June and started at 5:30pm (17:30).  About half way through the climb I was completely drenched in sweat.  Even in the evening the humidity was really bad.

tiger cave temple

The stairs are numbered, as to give you encouragement that you are getting close.  ( It could also have a negative effect if you think there are too many to go.)  Along the way you will encounter many people coming down and giving you words of encouragement and telling you that the climb is totally worth it.

tiger cave thailand

You will also encounter many monkeys.  These monkeys may look cute but are very unpredictable.  They have been known to steal things from people and get aggressive so it’s probably best not to mess with them.  On the way up I encountered probably about 20 monkeys through out the climb.  The way down was a different story.

Soon enough you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and are rewarded with breathtaking views.

tiger cave krabi

The views stretch for miles.  From here you can see Krabi Town, Krabi landscape, the sea and the karst mountains.  All the hard work has paid off and it was totally worth it.

tiger cave krabi

The top of the mountain is not crowded at all and very peaceful.  Many people choose not to make the trek all the way up and there are some that are afraid of the monkeys.

tiger cave temple thailand

Photo: Monika JK

The Giant Golden Buddha and Chedi at the top of the Tiger Cave Temple in Thailand are simply stunning.

ao nang tiger cave

I have heard that the sunset from the top of the Tiger Cave Temple mountain is spectacular but unfortunately the day I went up was cloudy so no sunset.  Maybe next time.  You can spend as much time at the top as you want.   I spent about 45 minutes at the top taking in the sights and the views but it was now getting dark and time to head back down.

tiger cave

The walk down is easier  and quicker but your legs definitely feel like jello at this point.  When walking down I did not see any monkeys and began to wonder where did they go?  Did they all go to sleep? My question would soon be answered.  It seemed that all the monkeys from the mountain congregated in one place and waited for me to come down.

monkeys tiger cave

Photo: Monika JK

There must have been 50 monkeys in one place on the hand rails and stairs.  It was super freaky and felt like a scene from “Planet of the Apes”.  The darkness did not help either.  I was walking very carefully trying not to step on any of their tails.  (Somehow I didn’t) I imagine it would not be a pretty scene if I did.  One of the monkeys did grab on to my leg and held on for a couple steps.  Amazingly the monkeys remained pretty calm and let me pass.  Before you know it, I was all the way down the stairs.

Tiger Cave Temple was definitely an awesome adventure and I would highly recommended it to anyone.  It is one of those experiences that you will remember for a very long time.  Probably more so than lounging on the beach.

Rafal Kamysz

 

Have you visited the Tiger Cave Temple?  What did you think?  Planning a visit?  Let us know in the comments.

The post Tiger Cave Temple – The Best Free Attraction in Thailand appeared first on Travel Feed.



Source link

Is Railay Beach One of the Best Beaches in the World


I first heard of Railay Beach only a few years ago, while reading other bloggers stories of the beach and seeing their amazing photos. Suddenly this beach located in Krabi province of Thailand shot close to the top of my bucket list.  I made it a mission to see it, next time I was in Thailand.  That time finally came in June.  Since my head was filled with so many picturesque images, the expectations were super high.  I was afraid that when I arrived I would be disappointed. Well I’m happy to report that I was not.  Railay Beach is still extremely beautiful and I would say one of the best beaches in the world.

railay beach

Railay may not be the longest beach or have the whitest sand in the world, but what makes Railay so special is the incredible natural scenery and the journey to get there.  Railay is only accessible by boat.  The best way to get there is by catching a longtail boat in Ao Nang.  It costs 100 Baht each way.  Depending on the time and season you may have to wait till there are enough people. There is 8 person minimum for the longtail to depart.  Since I went in June I had to wait about 15 minutes.  Be prepared to get wet while getting in and out of the boat.  The ride takes approximately 10 minutes and is very scenic.

railay beach

As the boat gets closer the dramatic karst limestone cliffs come into full view.  At this point I was starting to feel a lot of excitement and little apprehension.  I feared that the beach would not live up to my expectations and be very crowded.  Incredibly it was not crowded at all and looked as beautiful as I imagined.  Being there in June probably had something to do with the low amount of tourists, nevertheless it was much less crowded than Maya Bay.

railay beach

Railay is much more than just Railay Beach.

The peninsula consists of three beautiful beaches: Railay, Phra Nang beach and Ton Sai beach.  Phra Nang beach is accessible by the walking street from Railay, while Ton Sai is accessible through a hiking trail from Railay.

railay beach krabi

Entrance to the walking street

railay beach thailand

The path to Phra Nang Beach

There are several caves on Railay.  The most famous one being the Phra Nang Cave or the Penis Cave as some call it.  One legend says that the cave is a shrine dedicated to a goddess princess named Phra Nang. Today local fisherman leave offerings to her to ensure safe travels on the sea.  Many of the offers take the form of male genitalia.

phra nang cave

phra nang cave

Railay is also home to some 0f the best rock climbing in the world.  Climbers of all skill levels are welcome here.  Even if you have never rock climbed in your life,  this is the perfect place to start. There are many schools here that offer 1 or 3 day courses.  One such climbing school is Basecamp Tonsai.

phra nang beach

Phra Nang Beach

Phra Nang Beach is considered by many as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  It was much more crowded than Railay Beach.

Phra nang beach

Phra Nang beach

Railay has accommodations for every budget.  Ton Sai Beach with its hippie culture generally has the less expensive rooms and bungalows.  There are restaurants and even convenient stores.

Railay Beach

No need to haul beer to Railay Beach when there are convenient stores here.

railay beach

Lizard on Railay Beach. Photo Monika JK

My time in Railay was way too short.  Looking back I wish I stayed here as opposed to Ao Nang.  There are many things I wish I could have done such as rock climbing and trekking to the blue lagoon but did not have enough time.  Oh yeah there is a hidden blue lagoon in Railay and the hike to get to it is not exactly easy.

The last longtail boat to Ao Nang leaves at 6pm (18:00).  Unless you are staying in Railay you will not get the chance to see brilliant blue bio luminescence light up the water at night or the fire dancing and parties that are happening on Railay Beach.

Railay is truly a paradise, a place I can’t wait to visit again and this time for much longer.  So when visiting Krabi stay here and not Ao Nang.

 

Rafal Kamysz

The post Is Railay Beach One of the Best Beaches in the World appeared first on Travel Feed.



Source link

20 Photos That Prove Angkor is the Best Destination in the World


Recently Lonely Planet named their top 500 destinations in the world.  Coming in the first position was the Angkor temple complex.  Surprised?  Don’t be.  We at at Travel Feed believe that Angkor is spectacular collection of khmer temples and ruins.  Located in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Angkor is a marvel of human engineering and something that needs to be seen in person to truly appreciate.  Here are 20 photos that prove Angkor is the best destination in the world.

angkor wat sunrise

angkor best destination

angkor best destination

What is everyone looking at?

angkor wat

travel feed

angkor wat monkeys

angkor beer

angkor best destination

angkor best destination angkor wat

angkor world's best destination

angkor world's best destination

angkor best destination in world

angkor world's best destination

best destination in world

Photo: Monika JK

world's best destination angkor

best destination in world

world's best destination angkor

angkor best destination

angkor world's best destination

The post 20 Photos That Prove Angkor is the Best Destination in the World appeared first on Travel Feed.



Source link