Epic Destinations

Why not plan a trip to somewhere epic for your next adventure? The world is full of amazing destinations and it’s never been easier to reach them. The toughest part is often just choosing where to go first.

Here are six of Love The Mountains’ amazing, epic destinations to get you started:

Uganda’s Murchison Falls

Located in the northwest part of Uganda, the falls are part of the Murchison Falls National Park and Conservation Area. This  whole area covers over 5,300 km² of protected land. The Nile river is the source of the falls. Murchison Falls plummets 43m after squeezing through a narrow gorge that creates a powerful and magnificent waterfall. The Murchison Falls area features four of the “Big Five” species with only the rhino being absent. The government is breeding rhinos and looking to reintroduce them back into the area. Wildlife lovers will also find crocodiles, hippos, giraffes and many other favourites, making this a pinnacle wonder of nature.

Arizona’s Havasu Falls

Havasu Falls are not easy to reach, but it’s worth it. It actually takes four to five hours just to get to the trailhead for Havasu Falls from Lake Havasu City; then, it is a ten-mile hike to the waterfall from the trailhead. It sounds like a lot of work (and it is), but the payoff from hiking to Havasu Falls is well worth it. Havasu Falls is known worldwide and has appeared in many television shows and magazines. The bright blue-green water contrasting against the red rocks of the canyon makes for a truly awe-inspiring view. Havasu Falls plunges more than 30m into a wide pool of beautiful, clear water. Havasu Falls is a wonderful destination to visit on your way to or from Lake Havasu City, adding to an already exciting road trip.

Indonesia’s Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo is a gently smoking volcano that rises from a plain known as the “Sea of Sand” in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329m it is not the highest peak of the massif, but is the most well known as it’s so stunningly beautiful. It’s actually a small active volcano inside the much larger caldera of an ancient extinct volcano.

The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god, and the area is one of the most visited attractions in Indonesia, despite the fact that it is sometimes closed to visitors, as the volcano erupts, most recently (at time of going to press) in 2010. Every year Javanese Hindus congregate here for their Kasada Festival, during which live chickens are thrown into the crater as an offering!

Norway’s Pulpit Rock

Norway is, of course, a country that is choc full of epic destinations and it’s a nation of hikers, bikers and, in wintertime, skiers, who know how to make the most of the country’s numerous natural attractions.

But Pulpit Rock is one of the contenders for the “most amazing location in Norway” title. Not for the faint-hearted, particularly those who suffer from vertigo, the rock hangs nearly 500m straight up above the fjord, and there are no safety barriers at the edge.

In fact, around 200,000 people visit the rock each year and there have been no deaths other than a few suicides. The authorities decided that putting in safety barriers might actually be more dangerous if people opted to climb on the barriers to show off.

As well as the 604m drop from the plateau down to Lysefjord, visitors can also view the Kjerag peak, which itself is 984m straight up. The rock is located at Preikestolen and only 25km from Norway’s fourth-largest city, Stavanger. It’s about a 90-minute hike to the viewpoint from the carpark at the trailhead.