Booking flights to these amazingly motivating destinations have been more than just holiday plans for many years now, long respected for their breathtaking scenery and sacred powers; here are a few natural wonders which are the subjects of legends.
When you book a flight to the many marvellous natural sites, the experience may give you a feeling of peace, a sense of wonder or you may just want to take a million photos, but many of these destinations play an important role in their own personal cultures.
Many of them are still used for ancient rites, various others have been lost; but they all have a special power and if you are lucky there might be a little left over magic.
There is the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australia, situated in the countries Red Centre which is in the middle of the continent; these two pure rock patterns are the main appeal to this park which is a World Heritage Site.
One of the most noticeable landmarks is Uluru which is a flat topped sandstone rock positioned about 1,100 feet high and nearly six miles around, along with a soulful, intense-hue that changes through the day, it is also known as the Ayers Rock, named by the immigrant assessor who reclaimed the place in 1873.
30 miles away you find Kata Tjuta also known as The Olgas made with an extra 30 mound of various rock types such as granite, sandstone, and basalt; the highest point is nearly 1,800 feet high, both of these sites are very holy to the Anangu people of the Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal tribe, who trust that the rocks were constructed during the early formation time and that they are still occupied by ancient spirits.
This park is open to tourists but the tribe people still perform rites and observances in many locations, like the “Dreamtime” track that goes next to the present-day hiking trail, it also has a Cultural Centre and Aboriginal rock sites, and they also offer guided tours.
Tourists can drive or join a bus tour to the park from Alice Springs, or you could book flight tickets and fly to Rock Airport/Connellan where they give you many direct flights to the various cities, keep in mind that while hiking Uluru it isn’t really prohibited but the Anangu request the tourists not to climb the rock out of regard for its importance, and they also request that pictures are not taken of a few holy sites.
The Cenote Segrado in Mexico is another sacred site; the Mayans admired water for its life-bearing powers, and they also bowed down to Chac, who is the god of rain. Many regions of Mexico are filled with Cenotes which are natural underground sinkholes; the mayans presumed that some of these sites were visited by Chac, and as a outcome of that many of these were named as “sacred” and were reserved for rituals, contributions and gifts while many others were set apart for washing, drinking and for crops.
One of the well known holy springs is Cenote Sagrado situated next to the major Mayan archaeological site Chichen Itza in the Yacatan Peninsula; made from natural limestone cave with sharp sides extending about 60 feet above the water line, this spring was mainly used for ceremonies and irregular sacrifices to please the water gods.
One of the most frequently visited sites it can be reached by car or by an organised bus tour from many nearby tourist spots, or by public bus service: the ride is around two and a half hours long, the Cenote Segrado is a part of the Great North Platform division of the site.
Book a flight to The Mahabodhi Tree, in the Bodh Gaya area of Bihar India; it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as stated by Buddhist history; about 500 B.C. when the monastic Prince Siddhartha was travelling pass what’s now known as the state of Bihar in India, he rested under a native bodhi tree.
After around three nights he awoke with understanding, perception and the answers he had been looking for, which later turned into the teachings he went on to unfurl to his disciples, as usual that place where Buddha got the understanding is one of the most sacred sites for many Buddhists, and it has been a crucial pilgrimage destination for many years.
Now the temple compound is surrounded by what is believed to be a straight successor of the original glorious tree itself, it sits in the middle of a square enclosed by preservative carved panels; a marvellous Buddha statue under the tree marks the important spot.
To reach this significant site you have to travel about three miles from the Gaya Airport and around seven miles from Gaya City; many car services, public buses and bus tours are also accessible from the holy city of Varanasi.
Mount Kailas in western Tibet is a black rock mountain which is something of a holy hat trick since it is holy to many Buddhists, Hindus and Jains and is presumed to be the mythical Axis Mundi, which is the middle of the universe.
The Hindus say that it is the home of Lord Shiva and the land of everlasting joy; and they have also observed mythical Kailas in temple figures all through India, and Tantric Buddhists believe the mountain to be the residence of Buddha Demchog who portrays extraordinary happiness and that three main Bodhisattvas stay in the nearby hills, while the Jains trust that it is the site which they call Mount Ashtapada where the very first Jain achieved enlightenment.
This rock is a portion of the Gangdise Mountain range and is positioned next to the starting point of the longest rivers in Asia, which includes the Sutlej, the Indus and the Ghaghara which is a tribute of the holy Ganges River, close by the Lake Manasarovar, known as the origin of healthiness, is yet another prime pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists.
Even though it is a mythical sacred site Mount Kailas is also one of the lesser visited due to its distant location in the Tibetan Himalayas, it is around a four night journey from Lhasa over the highland to the small pilgrim settlement where there are a few simple guesthouses, from here most tourists travel by foot, pony or yak to circle the bottom of the mountain, it’s a journey of around 32 miles.
Mount Sinai in Egypt includes many of the primary doctrines of Judeo, Christian and Islamic views of this sacred site which can be detected back to this mountain on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, it was on top of this summit that Moses is said to have been given the Ten Commandments from God.
But there isn’t much archaeological proof to say that this is the same place, but various biblical scholars have speculated for many years about the mountains legendary position, and early Christian monks trust that this is the sacred site and have set up many monasteries around this area.
There are two ways to climb this mountain which takes around 45 minutes and three hours, based on your speed, or you can even use a camel, which would take around three hours; but remember if you choose the latter you will still have to walk the last 750 steps to the top.
If you are booking flights to visit any sacred site then make sure to visit Mount Parnassus in Greece, elevated above Delphi in central Greece this limestone mountain appears immensely in Greek mythology, it is sacred to the god Apollo who regularly visited the neighbouring Oracle at Delphi.
This mountain was also believed to be the home of the Muses; and as an outcome it became the home of poetry and song. The three Corycian Nymphs, each of them having been charmed by a major god; were born of springs found on Parnassus, and it was also the location for many small myths.
Now it’s only sacred activity takes place on the slopes of this mountain: it is outshined by two popular ski centres and is marked with picturesque hiking trails, Mount Parnassus is a winding two-hour mountain drive from Athens.
There are day trips and overnight bus tours which are also at hand; after you are done touring the slopes don’t forget to visit the age-old ruins in Delphi, which are in the silhouette of the mountain.
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