Ten Breathtaking Holiday Destinations – Part One

Following Alberta Canada’s ‘Remember to Breathe’ tourism campaign, we look at ten other places around the world where the sights will take your breath away.

Tourist chiefs responsible for promoting cheap holidays to Alberta in Canada recently launched a new campaign to highlight the province’s incredible scenery, with the slogan “remember to breathe”.

Alberta’s natural beauty truly is breathtaking, with huge sweeping vistas of forested mountains and massive deep blue lakes, framed by snow-capped mountains – and it has inspired us to bring you this list of ten other destinations around the world which contain sights and sounds that will also “take your breath away”:

• The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA: Carved by the Colorado River, this vast natural gorge stretches for 277 miles. The canyon is over a mile deep in some places and up to 18 miles wide – when you have finished reeling at the unparalleled view, marvel at the fact that almost two billion year’s of the planet’s geological history can be found here!
• Aurora Borealis, Arctic Circle: Known commonly as the Northern Lights, there are fewer sights on Earth more beautiful and eerie than this natural phenomenon, caused by highly charged electrons from the solar wind interacting with the atmosphere. Trips to see this unique light show are available during cheap holidays in Sweden, Iceland, Finland or Norway.
• Taj Mahal, India: Although not a natural creation, the Taj Mahal is considered by many to be one of the wonders of the world. This white marble mausoleum was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and is probably the most epic monument to love in existence.
• Table Mountain, Cape Town: Towering over the city of Cape Town – an attractive sight in its own right! – Table Mountain is an icon of the Cape region. Visitors can hike to its 3,563 foot summit or take a cable-car in order to enjoy the sweeping views.
• Machu Picchu, Peru: Meaning “Old Peak” in the Quechuan language of the Incas, this 15th-century Inca religious site is some 7,970 feet above sea level on a mountain ridge overlooking Peru’s Urubamba Valley. Incredible scenery combines with fascinating pre-Columbian architecture to make this a truly breathtaking place to visit!