animals – Ashatta

Wildlife safaris on Svalbard

05/08/2020 03/10/2020

When the topic of safaris comes up, Svalbard and Arctic in general are never among the first entries on the list, and that is utterly and desperately wrong!

The waters of this Northern archipelago are a favorite haven for many species of whales and seals, steep cliffs that surround the fjords are home to gargantuan bird colonies, and barren rocky mountains, desolate at first sight, nevertheless provide life and food for wild reindeer. Want to see all of this? Read on!

The Circle of Life: Mara

05/01/2020 07/06/2020

How many places there are on our planet that just force you to think “fantastic”, “unreal”, “unearthly”! Be it endless sands of a desert, black volcanic ground, or unmerciful, shining and blinding snow of mountain ranges – sometimes it is hard to believe that all of these actually belong in our world.

But today I would like to tell you about the most earthly world. With its wide rivers, green plains and forests full of life, and a dome of sky covered with perfect clouds, this place is the real Garden of Eden from which, for some reason, humans have banished themselves.

This post is about the second part of my safari adventure in Kenya. The first part – about the desert region of Samburu – can be found right here.

The Circle of Life: Samburu

29/12/2019 07/06/2020

Like many other travelers, I, of course, have my own bucket list. Africa has always taken an important place on that list, but my position to actually checking it off has been so far: “Well.. maybe in 5-10 years when I have too much money and no idea how to spend them…” As you might have already guessed, the fate ruled otherwise, and this October I happened to find myself on an actual African safari (have no worry, no animal got hurt =)).

Here I learned what is a real animal horror caused by a gaze of a lion just a couple of meters away; woke up in the dark from cries of hyenas surrounding my tent; understood why Africa and Kenya in particular are invaluable to every human on Earth, since this is exactly the place that gave birth to humanity millions years ago.

Hiroshima and Miyajima island

20/06/2019 07/06/2020

A visit to Miyajima island near Hiroshima was recommended to me by a friend. Without that we would probably not even consider and totally miss this place which turned out to be a decent match even to Mt Fuji. So now I am fulfilling my duty of passing the recommendation on =)

We did Miyajima (and Hiroshima) as a day trip during your stay in Kyoto. Travel took away a big chunk of the day so we had to skip some interesting things =( If I knew more about Miyajima beforehand I would make sure we have a less restrictive travel plan…

A day of fresh air in Arashiyama

11/06/2019 07/06/2020

At Kyoto’s western border, a small but scenic Hozu river separates the city from pure, forest-coated hills of Arashiyama which also gave their name to the nearby Kyoto outskirt. The area is a great choice to visit on a sunny day as it offers a variety of outdoor activities such as forest or river walks, monkey park and a cruise down the river with a traditional boat.

It’s not surprising that Arashiyama experiences a huge inflow of tourists to its best assets. It will take careful planning and willingness to wake up at dawn to avoid the crowds, secure all the tickets and get the most out of your visit to this place.