I Will Never Tire Of the Diversity Of Our Planet
A peek at the different terrains that we have seen in our past five years of full-time travel.
Welcome to our February writing prompt at Globetrotters! This month we want to hear about the Terrains of the World. To get caught up on the prompt, check out my fellow editor, Anne Bonfert’s, post:
I hope my introduction post inspires you and gives you a moment to consider the vast terrains that you have seen on our planet during your travels.
We can’t wait to hear all about them!
Traveling overland is certainly our favorite way to travel. Whether it be by bus, train, or vehicle, seeing the landscape shift and morph from one minute to the next is endlessly fascinating. We are those people on the bus that can sit and just look out the window for 8 hours. We don’t need any sort of other entertainment, the world provides that for us.
Of course, flying also gives us a pretty cool look at terrains. The view from above is always interesting and fascinating. But I do feel that when we fly, we miss so much of what falls in between.
In the past five years of traveling full-time, we have encountered a pretty diverse set of terrains. From beaches to jungles, volcanoes to river valleys, and waterfalls to deserts.
It has been so hard to just choose a few, but here is a glimpse of some of our favorites. I will warn you, this article is VERY photo heavy!
Turkey
Most recently, at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, we found ourselves spending 5 weeks in Antalya. The whole city is built above high cliffs that look out over the Mediterranean Sea. We spent many days exploring the cliffs and were thrilled to discover Düden Waterfall one day on one of our walks.
While I know that Turkey has many more terrains to see, we have yet to discover those but hope to on a future trip back to this fabulous country.
Morocco
The Sahara Desert covers 9.2 million square kilometers and is the largest hot desert in the world. While in Morocco we spent some time out in the Sahara and it was a truly magical experience. The sand dunes go on for miles and miles. While I love trees and nature too much to ever want to live there, I truly appreciate the beauty in the vastness that makes up the desert.
Morocco also is home to the Atlas Mountains which are incredible. It seems that around every corner in Morocco, there is a new and amazing view to take in. From waterfalls to mountains, coastline to the desert, Morocco truly has the terrains covered!
Guatemala
Guatemala is thought to be the heartbeat of the ancient Mayan civilization. Inside its dense jungles are thousands of kilometers of ancient ruins that are constantly being discovered and uncovered. In some places, you can see them poking out of the top of the jungle canopy, while others are buried deep below the dense foliage.
We spent 4 months living in Flores, a town in Northern Guatemala, and we loved being surrounded by the jungle and Lake Peten Itza, Guatemala’s second-largest lake. We also explored the interior of the country, discovering beautiful waterfalls, plus housesat on the Caribbean coast of the country.
Of course, Guatemala would not be complete without highlighting some of its incredible volcanoes. From dormant to smoking and full-on erupting, Guatemala’s volcanoes are a spectacle to behold!
Guatemala is tiny but very diverse in its terrain.
Sudan
We were amazed that although Sudan is on the other side of North Africa from Morocco, it also houses the massive Sahara Desert. Most of Sudan is barren and quite dry, but it also sits along the shores of the Red Sea and the contrasts between the desert and the sea are quite drastic.
Did you know that Sudan also has its own pyramids?
The Caribbean
The Caribbean Plate is home to more than 700 islands which are all unique in their own rights. We spent 6 months living on the Island of Nevis while volunteering at a botanical garden, but we also visited Anguilla, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, and the US and British Virgin Islands. The turquoise waters of the Caribbean are what made me feel like we were truly in the tropics.
Uganda
Since Uganda sits right on the Equator, we were shocked to learn that it has permanent glaciers that feed its numerous rivers. These glaciers are housed by the Rwenzori Mountains which are also the location of Africa’s third-highest mountain, Mount Stanley. We arrived in Uganda after we spent three months in Sudan and to say that the greenery and vegetation blew our minds, is an understatement.
To date, Uganda hosts our absolute favorite climate! Because it is at the equator, the temperatures are constant, and because it sits well above sea level, it doesn’t get too hot and the air is fresh, crisp, and dry.
From towering mountains, rivers, jungles, waterfalls, and Africa’s largest lake, Victoria Lake, to flat and dry Savannah lands, Uganda is so diverse. In our 12 months there, we only really scratched the surface of what this small but incredible country has to offer.
Botswana
We only spent time in northern Botswana near the city of Maun where we housesat for six weeks. We were shocked at how flat that part of the country is, but when we learned that we were at the edge of the Okavango Delta, the largest inland river delta in the world, it made sense. Sadly we didn’t make it out into the delta, but we did see some of the surrounding areas.
Our favorite part of Botswana was the stunning baobab trees.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica was the start of our nomadic journey. While we loved the jungle and the mountains behind us, most of our time was spent on the coastline and the beaches.
Of course, since we were situated on a western-facing beach, watching sunsets was part of our daily routine and we never tired of their variety.
Bulgaria
We first visited Bulgaria in 2015 on a holiday from Canada and vowed then that we would be back. In 2022 we finally returned and were so happy to be able to explore more corners of this fascinating country. Bulgaria certainly has much more wilderness than developed spaces and we love the natural diversity that the country offers.
From towering mountains with ski hills, beautiful rivers and valleys, and a spectacular coastline, there is something there for everybody.
Canada
Of course, a post about the terrains of the world would simply not be complete without me mentioning our home country of Canada. While where I grew up, and where Chris grew up are pretty much the opposite as far as their terrains are concerned, they are both beautiful in their own rights.
Nestled in the majestic Rocky Mountains, Canmore has towering mountain peaks, clean and fresh air plus clear turquoise rivers and lakes. I will always be so grateful for having the opportunity to grow up in one of the most stunning corners of the world.
Chris is a prairie boy, locally known as a ‘flatlander’, and grew up in south central Saskatchewan near a town called Lafleche. If you ask him, he feels like he truly grew up in the middle of nowhere. As I said, it’s pretty much the opposite of where I grew up, but I think the prairies have their own beauty.
Of course, as I was going through photos, there were thousands more that I could have included in this post. Traveling for us is largely about witnessing the diversity of our planet firsthand, and there is never a moment that passes us by where we aren’t in awe and astounded by the planet's immense beauty.
I hope this inspires you to share some of the many terrains that you have found while traveling our great planet Earth!
Welcome to February, our new monthly prompt, and happy travels!
Check out some other stories by fellow Globetrotters:
Edith Bar writes about her journey to Mount Toubkal in Morocco. She has seen the Atlas Mountains up close and personal.
Fellow Canadian Iva Ursano tells us about packing up her life and heading to Guatemala. She knows all about how beautiful the country is!
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