Take advantage of your international volunteering experience to visit some of the seven natural wonders of the world. In this article, we’ll tell you about some wonders of nature around the world that you can discover during this experience.
Wonders of nature for a volunteer
Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park (Philippines)
This National Park is located on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. One of the characteristics of this parkis that it contains eight types of forest. Some of them are: forests on limestone soils, freshwater swamp forests, beach forests, and mangrove forests. In addition, it has an underground river that flows directly into the sea.
Having such a varied ecosystem, there are many species of animals, specifically, 165 species of birds that inhabit this area were recorded. Some of the animals that inhabit this park are: bats, blue-naped parrots, bearded pigs, reticulated pythons and monitor lizards. How Many of them will you be able to see during your volunteering in the Philippines?
Table Mountain (South Africa)
This mountain is located in South Africa, in CapeTown. Its main characteristic is that at the top of the mountain there is a plateau, which is why the mountain has this name. This plateau is approximately three kilometers long. This mountain is located in TableMountain National Park, and you can visit the plateau in different ways. For the more adventurous, you can go by foot or by bike while volunteering in Africa. Although there is also the possibility of going up by car or cable car. Having a height of more than a kilometer, from the top you can appreciate incredible views of the entire city.
Volunteer programs in South Africa Take place in Cape Town, so you can visit this natural wonder during a weekend or whenever you have freetime.
The Iguazu Falls are made up of 275 waterfalls and as the name suggests they are formed by the water that comes from the Iguazu River, which is located in South America. The Highest waterfall is 80 meters, which is called Garganta de Diablo. Most of these waterfalls are located in Argentina, although approximately 20% are located in Brazil. Therefore, on a volunteer trip to either of these two countries you will be able to visit this unique spectacle of nature.
In Addition, these waterfalls and their surroundings are the habitat of many species, some of which are in danger of extinction such as the tapir, the anteater or the yaguar. We also find more than 80 species of mammals and 450 species of birds, including waterfall swifts. The waterfalls are surrounded by vegetation and trees, some of which can reach 30 meters in height.
The Amazon is the largest tropical forest in the world and is considered one of the largest lungs on Earth. It has an area of more than 7,000,000 square kilometers and is located in severalSouth American countries, which are the following: Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Suriname, Peru, Venezuela and French Guiana, although the largest are Brazil and Peru. One of the rivers that run through this forest is the Amazon River, which is the longest and most abundant river on the planet.
This area is the perfect ecosystem for a large amount of flora and fauna, including mammals, reptiles and fish, and it is also the place on the planet with the most different species of birds. One of the most amazing plants found in the Amazon River is the victoria regia, which is a kind of water lily. Its blade can reach a meter in diameter, this makes it the largest water lily in existence. Without a doubt, a fascinating experience of volunteering in Brazil.
Ha-Long Bay (Vietnam)
This boy belongs to Vietnam and is located in the Gulf of Tonkin in the northeast of the country. Ha Long Bay is made up of more than 2,000 karst stone islands, most of which are small islands and are uninhabited. Sailing These waters surrounded by these talland small islands is a spectacle that you can’t miss on a volunteer tour of Vietnam. In addition, caves have been formed on some islands that can be visited. No wonder it’s one of the natural wonders of the world! Among the islands and islets you will find small floating houses, some of these villages are Cua Van or Vung Vieng.
Ha Long means descending dragon in Vietnamese, it has been assigned this name because according to a Vietnamese legend these islands and islets were formed by dragons, who intended to help theVietnamese people during theChinese invasion. According to legend, these dragons spat out jade and jewels, so that the Chineseinvaders could not reach the bay. These jewels and jade became islands, which is why the name of the bay means descendant dragon.
Jeju Island (South Korea)
Jeju Island is located in the south of South Korea, and belongs to the province of Jeju. This island was formed millions of years ago due to the eruption of the Hallasan volcano, therefore, the surface of the island is mainly composed of lava and basalt. In addition, this volcano is the highest in the entire country and was declared a national park.
On this amazing island we find forests with dense vegetation and incredible waterfalls, such as the well-known and photographed Jeongbang waterfall. You can also visit caves formed by volcanic eruptions, such as the wonderful Manjanggul cave.
On the other hand, on the beach you can also see the haenyeo, which means “women of the sea.” These women dedicate themselves to free diving to collect urchins, mollusks and shells, these women represent the matriarchal structure of the families of Jeju Island.
Komodo National Park (Indonesia)
This national park is made up of different islands in Indonesia, the largest being Komodo Island, Padar and Rinca. The park covers more than 1800 square kilometers, in this area there is marine and terrestrial surface. In 1980 this park was founded mainly to protect the Komodo dragon.
The Komodo dragon is in danger of extinction and lives on some islands in Indonesia; it is estimated that more than half of these specimens are found within this national park. This species of lizard is the largest on the planet and can measure 3 meters and weigh more than 100 kg. There is no more fascinating animal to discover during your volunteering experience in Indonesia.
Cooperating Volunteers has a Komodo dragon conservation program, which takes place in this park, on the island of Flores. The main objective of this project is to protect the dragon, therefore, tasks will be carried out to preserve the habitat of this endangered species.