Posts Tagged ‘Marine Park’
One of Mexico’s biggest islands, Cozumel, lies 20 km (12 miles) from the mainland, and 60 km (36 mi) south of Cancun. It’s a flat, limestone island in the shape of a handgun, and punctured by tens of cenotes (water-filled sinkholes), many with their own marine forms, which are an extra attraction for swimmers and snorkellers who come to experience the island’s beautiful offshore reefs.
Jacques Cousteau first popularized Cozumel in 1960, when he identified Palancar at the island’s southern tip as one of the world’s best diving locations. He triggered a growth in tourist development, only curtailed in with the establishment of the National Marine Park in 1996: but the reefs were badly damaged by the deepwater piers built for cruise ships to bring new clientele.
Attitudes changed quickly. Cozumel’s new islanders (the 40,000 Maya who welcomed Herman (‘Stout’) Cortes in 1519 were reduced to 30 by 1510, and Cozumel became uninhabited) realised the value, not just of their spectacular marine wealth, but also of the island’s undeveloped centre.
You’ll never get a better chance to appreciate Mayan culture so close to good beaches. The biggest Mayan site, San Gervasio (named much later), was for centuries sacred to lx Chel, the goddess of fertility, and one of the Yucatan’s most important sanctuaries. There are several others, recovered from jungle and swampy mangrove lagoons now teeming with cormorants, pelicans, primary-coloured tree frogs, iguanas and crocodiles.
These days, the duty of collective care is replacing the brash mistakes of the 1970s. You can see 250 species in its clear waters, including the bright blue-and-yellow queen angelfish, the toad fish (unique to Cozumel), and huge sponges like the barrel and elephant ear, which grows to 3.6 m (12 ft) across. Cozumel is fabulously pretty and exotic, and you should go there with someone you love and watch the sunsets.
If you are interested in holiday packages to Mexico, talk to Escape Travel. Escape Travel has a wide variety of cheap flights to overseas destinations as well as a wide selection of Australia holidays.
Sitting on the edge of the Australian continental shelf near Perth in western Australia, Rottnest Island is just 11 km (6 mi) long and 4.5 km (2.7 mi) at its widest point. An iconic holiday destination for Perth residents, with 70 per cent of visitors coming for a day out, the entire island is run as a nature reserve and the surrounding waters as a marine park.
Known to local Aboriginal people as Wadjemup, the island is believed to be a place of spirits and is of significance to the Aboriginal communities. Artefacts have been found at a number of sites on Rottnest Island which are at least 6,500 years old, and possibly older, so there were indigenous people living here before sea levels rose and the island was separated from the mainland.
The first Europeans to discover the island were Dutch navigators who were searching for a shorter route from the Cape of Good Hope to Batavia in the 17th century. At that time the island was uninhabited. Samuel Volkerson was the first European to actually land on the island in 1658. William de Vlamingh visited in 1696 and named the island Rottnest after the abundance of Quokkas (small marsupials) he saw, mistaking them for rats.
Other Europeans soon followed, believing the island had potential for salt harvesting, farming and fishing. From 1839 for almost a century the island housed a penal colony for Aboriginal men and boys. When the colony closed, the leisure potential of the island was realized and tourism took off.
The island is best explored by bicycle as private cars are not allowed. The 24-km (15-mi) route around the coast runs through some of the most beautiful scenery, passing small, sandy beaches in secluded coves. The island has a total of 63 beaches and 20 bays, some of the finest in the world, and the turquoise water makes swimming here a must.
There are lovely reefs here, with twenty species of colourful corals and 364 species of fish, which can be explored by snorkelling, diving or a trip in a glass-bottomed boat. There are also a number of shipwrecks close to the shore, making diving here a popular pastime. Look out for humpback whales, green and loggerhead turtles, rays and bottlenose dolphins.
No matter what your travel destination, Student Flights has a deal for you. These deals include cheap flights to London, Vietnam flights and Fiji holidays. Contact Student Travel today.