World Botanical Tour Guides of Great Britain

World Tour Guides: One of the Great Royal Botanic Gardens is located in Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens. It is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the brand name Kew are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs both the gardens at Kew and Lakehurst Place gardens in Sussex. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Kew is responsible for the world's largest collection of living plants. The living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants, while the herbarium, which is one of the largest in the world, has over seven million preserved plant specimens. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants.

Kew Gardens originated in the exotic garden at Kew Park formed by Lord Capel John of Tewkesbury. It was enlarged and extended by Augusta; some of the early plants came from the walled garden. The collections grew somewhat haphazardly until the appointment of the first collector, Francis Masson, in 1771. In 1840 the gardens were adopted as a national botanical garden. The first curator was John Smith. The Davies Alpine House opened the third version of an alpine house since 1887. Although only 16 meters long the apex of the roof arch extends to a height of 10 meters in order to allow the natural airflow of a building of this shape to aid in the all important ventilation required for the type of plants to be housed.

The new house features a set of automatically operated blinds that prevent it overheating when the sun is too hot for the plants together with a system that blows a continuous stream of cool air over the plants. The main design aim of the house is to allow maximum light transmission. To this end the glass is of a special low iron type that allows 90% of the ultraviolet light in sunlight to pass. It is attached by high tension steel cables so that no light is obstructed by traditional glazing bars. To conserve energy the cooling air is not refrigerated but is cooled by being passed through a labyrinth of pipes buried under the house at a depth where the temperature remains suitable all year round. A design goal of the house is that the maximum temperature will not exceed 20 degrees Celsius.

Kew's collection of Alpine plants (defined as those that grow above the tree-line in their locale - ground level at the poles rising to over 2000 meters in the Alps), extends to over 7000 and as the Alpine house can only house around 200 at a time the ones on show are regularly rotated. Kew Palace is the smallest of the British royal palaces. The Palm House (1844–1848) was the result of cooperation between architect Decimus Burton and iron-founder Richard Turner, and continues upon the glass house design principles developed by John Claudius Loudon and Joseph Paxton. A space frame of wrought iron arches, held together by horizontal tubular structures containing long prestressed cables, supports glass panes which were originally tinted green with copper oxide to reduce the significant heating effect. The 19m high central nave is surrounded by a walkway at 9m height, allowing visitors a closer look upon the palm tree crowns.

A new treetop walkway opened on 24 May 2008. This walkway is 18 meters (59 ft) high and 200 meters (660 ft) long and takes visitors into the tree canopy of a woodland glade. Visitors can ascend and descend by stairs. The floor of the walkway is made from perforated metal and flexes as it is walked upon. The entire structure sways in the wind. The image to the left shows a section of the walkway and the steel supports that were designed to rust to a tree-like appearance to help the walkway fit in with its surroundings. Kew Explorer is a service that takes a circular route around the gardens, provided by two 72-seater road trains that are fueled by Calor Gas to minimize pollution. A commentary is provided by the driver and there are several stops.

World Tour Guides to Mauritius

World Tour Locations: One of the wonderful Tourist Locations and the best place to enjoy a honeymoon in Mauritius. Mauritius is an island off the southeast coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean south-west, about 900 km (560 miles) east of Madagascar. In addition to Mauritius, the republic includes the islands of Loaded Carajos, Rodriguez and Agalega Islands. Mauritius is part of the Mascarene Islands, the French island of Reunion, 200 km (120 miles) south-west and the island of Rodrigues 570 km (350 miles) north-east. The area of Mauritius is 2040 km2; its capital is Port Louis.

England took control of the islands of France during the Napoleonic Wars, and Mauritius became independent from Britain in 1968. It is a parliamentary republic and is a member of the Southern African Development Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the African Union and the French Community of Nations. Mauritius has an upper middle income economy. The most spoken languages in Mauritius are Mauritian Creole, French and English. English is the only official language, the lingua franca is Mauritian Creole and newspapers and television programmers are usually in French.

Mauritius is known for being the only known home of the dodo. This bird was an easy target for the settlers because of its weight and its inability to fly and died less than 80 years after the original European settlement. Tourist attractions are its environment, with white sand beaches, sea and warm climate, the friendliness of Mauritian and political and social stability. Mauritius is surrounded by 33 km of coastline. It has excellent beaches, climate and marine life. There are underwater diving for tourists and a walk underwater.

It is a destination for world class diving. It is surrounded by 150 km stretch of coral reefs, with two breaks in the west and south. The gap between the coast and the fringing reefs device has a height between 0.2 and 7 km. The depth of the lake is between 1 and 6 m. There are about 340 species of fish, many of which are endemic. Approximately 160 species of scleractinian corals have been identified throughout the country. Tourism has damaged reefs. The diving conditions are best in summer, from December to March. This period is generally warm and humid, and humid, and there are occasional cyclones. The average air temperature is 30 ° C. There are a variety of dive sites for people of all abilities in Mauritius. The main dive centers are located in and around Grand Baie, Flic en Flac, Blue Bay, and Belle Mare. Walk under water are unusual tourist activity where participants wear a diving helmet and weight belt to walk to the sea bed and feed the fish. Oxygen is supplied from the surface to the participants. The main places of this activity are Grand Bay and Belle Mare.

World tour to Bangaram Island

World Tour Guides: One of the island near India is Lakshadweep. It is also known as the Laccadive Islands, Lakshadweep Archipelago Sea 200-440 km from the coast of south-western Indian state of Kerala. Smaller islands form the territory of the Indian Union. The total area is 11 square miles or 32 km ². The ten islands are inhabited. Lakshadweep is the northern part of the former. The islands are the northernmost of the Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos group of islands, which are actually the tops of a wide range of undersea mountains, in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Surface area is 32 square miles the lagoon is about 4200 square kilometers of territorial waters in an area of 20,000 square miles, exclusive economic zone and the area of 400 thousand square kilometers.

The 17th century, the islands came under the rule of Rajah Ali / Arakkal Bheevi and Kannur, which received them as gifts Kolathiris. Portugal took control of the coconut production up to benefit the islanders expelled the Portuguese. The islands are also mentioned in great detail the stories of Arab friends of Ibn Battuta. Amindivi group of islands came under the rule of Tipu Sultan in 1787. Will be sent to British control after the third Anglo-Mysore War and annexed in South Canara. The rest of the islands had sovereignty and Cannanore Arakkal family in exchange for the payment of an annual tribute. The British took over the management of these islands of unpaid arrears. These islands became Malabar in Madras Presidency during the British Raj.

The main islands are Kavaratti, Agatti, Minicoy, and Amini. The total population of the territory was 60,595 according to the 2001 census. Agatti has an airport where there are direct flights from Kochi, Kerala or Ernakulam (Cochin). Tourists need a permit to visit the islands; foreign nationals are not permitted to visit certain islands. Consumption of alcohol is not permitted in the islands except on Bangaram Island. Everybody, Indian or otherwise, requires a special permit to visit Lakshadweep. By far the easiest way to obtain it is to book a package tour through the government's tour operator SPORTS or arrange a hotel to sort it out for you; in fact, for foreigners, accommodation booked in advance is a precondition for being allowed to visit.

Foreigners are restricted to the islands of Agatti, Bangaram and Kadmat, plus transit only (max. 12 hours) in Kavaratti. Indians may visit the other islands as well, but accommodation is very limited. Nearly everybody going to Lakshadweep has to pass through Kochi, from where you can continue by plane or ship: By plane Indian Airlines and Kingfisher fly daily from Kochi to the airstrip at Agatti, the only one on the islands. Kingfisher Red has a daily nonstop flight from Bangalore. Flights to Goa have been terminated. By ship The MV Tipu Sultan, MV Bharat Seema, MV Amindivi and MV Minicoy operate between Kochi and various islands in Lakshadweep. The trip takes 14-18 hours one day depending on the destination island. All four are basic 1960s-era ferries but fairly well maintained and tolerable comfortable. The Tipu Sultan is generally held to be the best of the bunch, with three classes of accommodation (A/C cabin, A/C reclining seats and deck) plus a cafeteria, snack bar, and upper deck promenade. Return fares are around Rs.3800 in A/C seats, which is the cheapest class available for packages. There are also occasional cruises directly from Mumbai.

World Tour Locations to Idukki

World Tour Guides: Idukki is one of the Tourist Locations in Kerala it is famous for Dam called Idukki Dam. It is the 14th largest arch dam in Asia currently, at 555 feet in height. The dam stands between the two mountains - Kuravanmala (839 feet) and Kurathimala (925 feet). It was constructed and is owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board. It is built on the Periyar River, in the ravine between the Kuravan and Kurathi Hills in Kerala, India. At 167.68 meters, it is one of the highest arch dams in Asia. It started generating power on 4 October 1975. Technically, the dam type is a concrete double, curvature parabolic, thin arc dam.

This dam was constructed along with two other dams at Cheruthony and Kulamavu. Together, the three dams have created an artificial lake that is 60 km wide. The stored water is used to produce electricity at the Moolamattom Power house, which is located inside nearby rocky caves. The Government of Canada aided in the building of the dam with long term loans and grants. The Project harnesses a major portion of the power potential of Periyar, the largest river in Kerala State, by the creation of a reservoir of 2,000 M.cum (2 Billion Tonnes) capacities, diversion of waters thus impounded through a water conductor system consisting of a power tunnel and two underground pressure shafts to an underground power house situated in Muvattupuzha Valley.

On an average, 1,000 people visit the dam and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has arranged two speed boats for a cruise on the reservoir, the visitors can choose for a cruise in the Kulamavu dam direction or the Idukki dam area. The 15-minute journey costs Rs.350. However, most of the tourists prefer a cruise to the dam area. The entrance fee per person is Rs.15, which is Rs.5 for a child. Nadukani is an ideal place for one-day picnickers. As the name indicates, this park offers panoramic view of the large area of the same and nearby districts. A two-storied pavilion makes an ideal place for enjoying the landscape and beauty of nature.

Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary This sanctuary extends over the Thodupuzha and Udumbanchola taluks of Idukki district, spreading over 77 sq.km. And is about 450-748 m. above sea level. The Idukki Reservoir formed by three dams - Cheruthoni, Idukki and Kulamanu - extends to 33 sq.km. True to its title it offers a panoramic view of a large area than one can experience from any high mountain park. Scene of Wild elephants in their natural habital enthrills the visitor. This park is situated adjacent to both Idukki Arch Dam and Cheruthony Dam. Spread over an area of 8 acres of land this aesthetically designed park has a natural water body at the hill top and pedal boating facility is available here. The herbal garden and children's play area are added attractions. A visit to this park makes Idukki visit a memorable one.

World tour to Isla Mujeres

World Tour Guides: Isla Mujeres among the ten municipalities of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The municipality, located in the northeastern corner of the state is mostly on the mainland and has a municipal seat of the same name; Isla Mujeres. The municipal seat is a small island town a short distance off the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Caribbean Sea about 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) northeast of Cancun. It is the easternmost municipal seat in Mexico. The island is some 7 kilometers long and 650 meters wide.

In Pre-Columbian times the island was sacred to the Mayan aged goddess of childbirth and medicine, Ix Chel. When the Spanish arrived here in the 16th century they named it Isla Mujeres because of the many cult images of goddesses here. But the first news we have about Isla Mujeres are from the period between the years 564 - 1516 AC, when the island was part of the mayan province called Ekab. Since then, the island was considered sacred by the mayan civilization, therefore, this was not a mayan village where to live in, but a sanctuary dedicated to mayan goddess Ixchel. Ferry boats run from the island and Puerto Juarez or Gran Puerto on the mainland. The island is popular with day trippers, but activity quiets down in the evening after the tour groups leave. There are numerous places to eat fresh seafood cooked with local and traditional delicious recipes, also many other types of food are available at restaurants on the island such as: Black Angus steaks, mexican, yucatecan, italian, caribbean, mediterranean, hebrew, french, thai, cuban & maya.

Hidalgo Street is the main dining and entertainment area. Also located on the north end is a famous beach called Playa Norte, which has recovered quickly since Hurricane Wilma hit the area in 2005. Besides this several amenities, swimming with dolphins can also be experienced at the Island via Dolphin Discovery. The island of Isla Mujeres is located close to one of many coral reefs such as the one located in Garrafon Park, which is an area popular for its snorkeling and scuba diving. The Cancun underwater museum, created by English sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, is located off the western coast of Isla Mujeres. Isla Mujeres is also home to a population of sea turtles. Because of the recent endangerment of sea turtles in the area, a facility was set up on the southern end of the island for the rehabilitation and breeding of them. This facility is open to the public.

The island's relative proximity to Cuba has made it one of the favorite stepping stones of Cubans trying to reach the United States in recent years.

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World Tour Guides to Heidelberg Castle

World Tour Places: One of the great eyes looking castle is Heidelberg Castle. It is a famous ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is located 80 meters (260 ft) up the northern part of the Konigstuhl hillside, and thereby dominates the view of the old downtown. It is served by an intermediate station on the Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway that runs from Heidelberg's Kornmarkt to the summit of the Konigstuhl. The present structures had been expanded by 1650, before damage by later wars and fires. In 1764, another lightning-bolt destroyed some rebuilt sections.

Heidelberg was first mentioned in 1196 as Heidelberch. In 1155 Conrad of Hohenstaufen was made the Count Palatine by his half-brother Frederick Barbarossa, and the region became known as the Palatinate. The claim that Conrad's main residence was on the Schlossberg known as the Jettenbuhl, cannot be substantiated. The name Jettenbuhl comes from the soothsayer Jetta, who was said to have lived there. She is also associated with Wolfsbrunnen and the Heidenloch. The first mention of a castle in Heidelberg is in 1214, when Ludwig I received it from Hohenstaufen Emperor Friedrich II. The last mention of a single castle is in 1294. In another document from 1303, two castles are mentioned for the first time:

1. The upper castle on Kleiner Gaisberg Mountain, near today's Molkenkur (destroyed in 1537);
2. The lower castle on the Jettenbuhl (the present castle site).

When Rupert III of Germany became the King (Emperor) of Germany in 1401, the castle was so small that on his return from his coronation, he had to camp out in the Augustinians' monastery, on the site of today's University Square. What he desired was more space for his entourage and court and to impress his guests, but also additional defenses to turn the castle into a fortress. In the 20th century, Americans spread Heidelberg reputation outside Europe. Thus, Japanese also often visit the Heidelberg Castle during their trips to Europe. Heidelberg has, at the beginning of the 21st century, more than three million visitors a year and about 1,000,000 overnight stays. Most of the foreign visitors come either from the USA or Japan. The most important attraction, according to surveys by the Geographical Institute of the University of Heidelberg, is the castle with its observation terraces. Some of the visitors fall in love with the town, so they decide to get married at the castle. There are about 100 weddings a year at the castle's chapel.