Chichen Itza, located on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, was a sacred site and one of the great centers of the Mayan Empire. The stone monuments and art work left behind by the Maya and Toltec inhabitants of this Yucatan civilization that lasted for over 1,000 years act as a window to their view of the world. Among the masterpieces of construction and Mesoamerican architecture are the Great Ball Court, the Temple of Kulkulkan (a Mayan Pyramid also known as El Castillo) and the Temple of Warriors located at Chichen Itza. The town of Chichen Itza was located close to nearby Cenotes that provided a source of fresh water tapped by the inhabitants. The pre-Hispanic civilizations are believed to have begun to develop in this region as early as the 5th century with evidence of their successors continuing to occupy the ancient town as late as the 16th century when the local inhabitants were overwhelmed by the Spanish Conquest of Yucatan. The significant collection of ruins, artifacts and infrastructure attracts visitors from all over the world hoping to gain some insight into the lives of the ancient cultures that inhabited this region. Chichen Itza is one of Mexico’s most visited archaeological sites and draws many visitors from the nearby tourist destination city of Cancun. Chichen Itza is included in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The ancient city is located midway between the capital city of Yucatan, Merida and Cancun. There are a number of operators that organize bus tours of the ruins and the nearby countryside. Accommodations are available nearby in the village of Piste as well as in the adjacent town of Valladolid, 40 kilometers away. Cancun with its significant collection of beach oriented resorts is about 160 kilometers from Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza is a 2.5 hour drive from Cancun. There are many tours from Cancun and other cities along the Yucatan. Plan on being at the site for 2-4 hours. Bring confortable walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Chichen Itza is open from 9:00a – 5:00p all year long. Your dream to visit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the resorts of Cancun can easily accommodate a trip to Chichen Itza to view the historic ruins of the Maya and Toltec cultures. Add this excursion to your list and you will gain a greater understanding of the culture and history of this important part of the world. No doubt, you will return home with memories that will satisfy you for the rest of your life.

Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, is a holy city to the 3 primary religions that have the prophet Abraham at their roots; Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The city has been at the center of conflicts throughout its rich history having been completely destroyed twice. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, inhabited for over 5,000 years. As a result, many of the visitors to Jerusalem are drawn to its history and religious and cultural significance. Visitors to Jerusalem typically include a tour of the Israel Museum to visit the largest cultural institution in Israel and view its art and archaeology exhibits. The Israel Museum features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world with over 500,000 objects in its collection. Next door to the Israel Museum is the Bible Lands Museum, an institution dedicated to the study of cultures in the ancient Judeo-Israelite world. The City of David Visitors Center offers a walking tour in the footsteps of biblical kings and prophets and provides an understanding of the ancient Israelites. The City of David has undergone significant archaeological excavations and is continually unearthing major artifacts. The museum at the top of Ammunition Hill (Givat Ha-Tachmoshet) is dedicated to the reunification of Israel at the site of a major battle during the Six-Day War in 1967 and includes tours of five exhibit halls with displays of weapons, maps and battle plans among its collection. Visitors may also walk along the tops of the old city walls that provide incredible views over the new and old city. Jerusalem contains many other sites of historical significance worthy of your time including The Mount of Olives, Rachel’s Tomb and the Western Wall. Christians, Muslims and Jews the world over are drawn to Jerusalem as the city has played such a significant role in the foundation of their respective religions. The city combines ancient and modern in a way that helps create experiences that are remembered for a lifetime. Your dream may be to visit a city with the historical significance of Jerusalem. Start planning your trip to Israel so that you can check that trip off your list.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve (also spelled Masai Mara and known by the locals as 'the Mara') is a large game reserve in south-western Kenya, which is effectively the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park game reserve in Tanzania. It is named after the Maasai people (the traditional inhabitants of the area) and their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara", which is Maa (Maasai language) for "spotted," an apt description for the circles of trees, scrub, savanna, and cloud shadows that mark the area. It is famous for its exceptional population of Big Cats, game, and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson's gazelle, and wildebeest from the Serengeti every year from July to October, a migration so immense that it is called the Great Migration. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is only a fraction of the Greater Mara Ecosystem, which includes the following Group Ranches: Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet. Wildebeest, topi, zebra, and Thomson's gazelle migrate into and occupy the Mara reserve, from the Serengeti plains to the south and Loita plains in the pastoral ranches to the north-east, from July to October or later. Herds of all three species are also resident in the reserve. All members of the "Big Five" (lion, leopard, African elephant, African buffalo, and Black Rhinoceros) are found in the Maasai Mara. The population of Black rhinos was fairly numerous until 1960, but it was severely depleted by poaching in the 1970s and early 1980s, dropping to a low of 15 individuals. Numbers have been slowly increasing, but the population was still only up to an estimated 23 in 1999. Hippopotami and Nile crocodiles are found in large groups in the Mara and Talek rivers. Leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and bat-eared foxes can also be found in the reserve. The plains between the Mara River and the Esoit Siria Escarpment are probably the best area for game viewing, in particular regarding lion and cheetah. As in the Serengeti, the wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Maasai Mara, and their numbers are estimated in the millions. Around July of each year, these ungainly animals migrate north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, and return to the south around October. The Great Migration is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide, involving some 1,300,000 wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson's gazelles, 97,000 Topi, 18,000 elands, and 200,000 zebras. These migrants are followed along their annual, circular route by hungry predators, most notably lions and hyena. Numerous other antelopes can be found, including Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, impalas, elands, duikers and Coke's hartebeests. Large herds of zebra are found through the reserve. The plains are also home to the distinctive Masai giraffe. The large Roan antelope and the nocturnal bat-eared fox, rarely present elsewhere in Kenya, can be seen within the reserve borders. More than 470 species of birds have been identified in the park, many of which are migrants, with almost 60 species being raptors. Birds that call this area home for at least part of the year include: vultures, marabou storks, secretary birds, hornbills, crowned cranes, ostriches, long-crested Eagles, African pygmy-falcons and the lilac-breasted roller, which is the national bird of Kenya. Game parks are a major source of hard currency for Kenya. Entry fees are currently US$70 for adult non-East African Residents and $30 for children. As of July 2011 Entry fees will go up to $80 for adult non East African residents per day staying inside the park. There are a number of lodges and tented camps for tourists inside the Reserve and the Conservation area borders. The tourists/visitors cater for their own expenses, unless previously arranged by their agencies. Although one third of the whole Maasai Mara, The Mara Triangle has only one lodge within its boundaries (compared to the numerous camps and lodges on the Narok side) and has well maintained, all weather roads. The rangers patrol regularly which means that there is almost no poaching and therefore excellent game viewing. There is also strict control over vehicle numbers around animal sightings, allowing for a better experience when out on a game drive. Lodges and camps are available inside the Reserve including Keekorok. Balloon safaris are also available. Early morning departures let visitors see the vast landscape, the rising sun, and the gatherings of animals. Mara Serena Airport, Musiara Airport and Keekorok Airport are located in the Reserve area of the Maasai Mara. Mara Shikar Airport, Kichwa Tembo Airport and Ngerende Airport are located in the Conservation area of the Maasai Mara.

The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, part of a massive ecosystem that stretches into neighboring Kenya on the African continent. The Serengeti is one of the richest game areas in Africa and over 80% of the land is contained within protected parks, reserves and conversation zones. The Serengeti is the site of the largest land-based mammal migration in the world with over 1 million Wildebeest and 750,000 Zebra included in the massive annual orchestrated movement of wildlife. The region is also home to the Maasai tribe, a nomadic people that have existed among the wildlife in the Serengeti for centuries. The governments of Tanzania and Kenya have fostered efforts to preserve the distinctive cultural heritage of the Massai. The ecology of the Serengeti is as varied as the animals that inhabit the region, most common of which are Impala, Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Warthog, Buffalo and Elephants. The landscape morphs from an active volcano (Ol Doinyo Lengai) to highlands, grassy plains, thick woodland areas and areas of rocky outcroppings (Kopje) that harbor unique species of wildlife, such the Lion Kopje. The Serengeti National Park maintains its own airport with regular service from Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya’s International Airport or that in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Tour operators typically meet their customers at the local airport and shuttle them to the Walking Camp bases. The tours are generally about a week in duration with options for shorter or longer stays in the Serengeti available. Your dream of experiencing the wildlife of eastern Africa in its natural habitat may be best fulfilled by participating in a Walking Safari of the Serengeti in Tanzania. Add it to your list, polish up your photography skills and start preparing for a trip that will create memories to last for the rest of your life.

Construction of the Potala Palace complex, the Tibetan winter home of the Dalai Lamas, was begun in the 7th century AD. The Palace is an iconic symbol of Tibetan Buddhism and plays a key role in the administration of Tibet. Built on Red Mountain in the center of the Lhasa Valley (the highest elevation of any ancient palace), Potala Palace is the oldest building in a collection that includes the Jokhang Temple Monastery and Norbulingka, a masterpiece of Tibetan art and the former summer palace of the Dalai Lama. Within the Potala Palace complex is found the White Palace where the throne of the then sitting Dalai Lama was located. The nearby Red Palace harbors the remains of Dalai Lamas that have gone before in resplendent gold tombs as well as a great collection of halls that house numerous Buddhas and the sutras (libraries of tenets, sermons and rules) of Buddhism. Potala Palace and its surrounding buildings are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 3 to 7 day tours from Kathmandu, Nepal are popular ways for visitors to see the historically significant buildings and grounds of Potala Palace. Visitors that arrive at Potala Palace on their own are required to be accompanied by local guides and must have previously obtained a special permit to visit. The Lhosa Gongarr Airport offers flights in and out of Lhasa from a number of locations in China. Buses connect Lhasa with other cities in Tibet. The Qinghai-Tibet (Qingzang) railway connects Lhasa and Golmud, China with continuing service to points beyond. Lhasa has a number of quality restaurants, many of which serve Western food. A broad selection of hotels and other accommodations are available. Your dream to visit this historical center of Tibetan Buddhism requires a trip to Lhasa, Tibet to See Potala Palace. You might combine this with a visit to China or one that includes a number of other centers for Eastern religions. Add this trip to your list and start doing the research so that you can understand the customs necessary to pay proper respect to the sacred objects of this ancient religion housed at this historic complex.

One of the few truly remote places in the world left to explore, Antartica is a breathtaking experience that shouldn’t be missed. Photographs do not do the landscape justice. From the fields of tabular glaciers, to the unique ice formations, to the mountains in the distance, to the bands of roving penguins, to whales swimming around your zodiac, there’s something new to see everywhere you look. Be sure to go camping and experience a night that never really gets dark. This is one trip you need to plan in advance because there aren’t a ton of vessels available for tourists to board. However, once you do get on board you’ll likely meet plenty of interesting and well-traveled folks. After all, boating through Antarctica isn’t your typical cruise experience.

Uxmal is a large pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. The place name is Pre-Columbian and it is usually assumed to be an archaic Maya language phrase meaning "Built Three Times", although some scholars of the Maya language dispute this derivation. The currently used names for many of the structures were given by the Spanish. These names are not only not native, but they also do not specify the actual purposes of the buildings. Uxmal holds some of the most complex and beautiful examples of the regional Puuc-style architecture, and its magnificent pyramids and structures make it a popular tourist destination. The Maya architecture here is considered matched only by that of Palenque in elegance and beauty. The Puuc style of Maya architecture predominates. Thanks to its good state of preservation, it is one of the few Maya cities where the casual visitor can get a good idea of how the entire ceremonial center looked in ancient times.

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (aka Papahānaumokuākea) is a World Heritage listed, U.S. National Monument encompassing 140,000 square miles (360,000 km2) of ocean waters, including ten islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, internationally recognized for both its cultural and natural values as follows: "The area has deep cosmological and traditional significance for living Native Hawaiian culture, as an ancestral environment, as an embodiment of the Hawaiian concept of kinship between people and the natural world, and as the place where it is believed that life originates and to where the spirits return after death. On two of the islands, Nihoa and Makumanamana, there are archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement and use. Much of the monument is made up of pelagic and deepwater habitats, with notable features such as seamounts and submerged banks, extensive coral reefs and lagoons. It is one of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world." The area was proclaimed the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument by U.S. President George W. Bush on June 15, 2006; it was renamed Papahānaumokuākea in 2007, and inscribed on the World Heritage list as Papahānaumokuākea on 30 July 2010, at the 34th Session of the World Heritage Committee, Brasilia. The area is managed in partnership with the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and the State of Hawaii. The name for the area was inspired by the names of the Hawaiian creator goddess Papahanaumoku and her husband Wakea. Although it is not a sanctuary, the ocean area is part of a system of 13 National Marine Sanctuaries administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, with an area of 254,418.1 acres (397.53 sq mi; 1,029.6 km2) in the monument, is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The monument supports 7,000 species, one quarter of which are endemic. Prominent species include the threatened Green Sea Turtle and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, the Laysan and Nihoa Finches, the Nihoa Millerbird, Laysan Duck, seabirds such as the Laysan Albatross, numerous species of plants including Pritchardia palms, and many species of arthropods. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, populations of lobster have not recovered from extensive harvesting in the 1980s and 1990s, which is now banned; the remaining fisheries are overfished. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) reports that many species populations have not yet fully recovered from a large-scale shift in the oceanographic ecosystem regime that affected the North Pacific during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This shift reduced populations of some important species such as spiny lobster, seabirds and Hawaiian monk seals; the proclamation calls for a commercial fishing phase-out by 2011. The monument will receive strict conservation protection, with exceptions for traditional Native Hawaiian uses and limited tourism.

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It should not be confused with the North Magnetic Pole. The North Pole is the northernmost point on Earth, lying diametrically opposite the South Pole. It defines geodetic latitude 90° North, as well as the direction of True North. At the North Pole all directions point south; all lines of longitude converge there, so its longitude can be defined as any degree value. While the South Pole lies on a continental land mass, the North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean amidst waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice. This makes it impractical to construct a permanent station at the North Pole (unlike the South Pole). However, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, have constructed a number of manned drifting stations, some of which have passed over or very close to the Pole. In recent years, a number of studies have predicted that the North Pole may become seasonally ice-free due to Arctic shrinkage, with timescales varying from a few years to fifty years or more. The sea depth at the North Pole has been measured at 4,261 m (13,980 ft). The nearest land is usually said to be Kaffeklubben Island, off the northern coast of Greenland about 700 km (430 mi) away, though some perhaps non-permanent gravel banks lie slightly closer. The nearest permanently inhabited place is Alert in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada, which is located 817 kilometres (508 mi) from the Pole.

The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole. Situated on the continent of Antarctica, it is the site of the United States Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, which was established in 1956 and has been permanently staffed since that year. The Geographic South Pole should not be confused with the South Magnetic Pole. The Ceremonial South Pole is an area set aside for photo opportunities at the South Pole Station. It is located a short distance from the Geographic South Pole, and consists of a metallic sphere on a plinth, surrounded by the flags of the Antarctic Treaty signatory states. The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is a United States scientific research station at the South Pole of the Earth. It is the southernmost point under the jurisdiction (not sovereignty) of the United States. The station is located on the high plateau of Antarctica at 9,301 feet (2,835 m) above sea level. It is administered by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation, specifically the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). It is named in honor of Norwegian Roald Amundsen and Briton Robert F. Scott, who led separate teams that raced to become the first to the pole in the early 1900s. In most places on Earth, local time is determined by longitude, such that the time of day is more-or-less synchronised to the position of the sun in the sky (for example, at midday the sun is roughly at its highest). This line of reasoning fails at the South Pole, where the sun rises and sets only once per year, and all lines of longitude, and hence all time zones, converge. There is no a priori reason for placing the South Pole in any particular time zone, but as a matter of practical convenience the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station keeps New Zealand Time. This is because the US flies its resupply missions ("Operation Deep Freeze") out of McMurdo Station which is supplied from Christchurch, New Zealand.