Nuuk, Greenland (July 25th - July 31st)

Nuuk... Tundra

Packing List:
-winter coat
-snow boots
-gloves
-camera
-snow suit


Adventures:

Our last stop on our biome vacation is Nuuk, Greenland! There is a lot of snow and ice. There's pretty much no plants here because it's too cold for them to sustain life. There are a lot of arctic animals though, like polar bears, seals, and walruses. There are also orca whales in the water surrounding the area.

Nuuk is located on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea, which makes it a great fishing location. A geographical feature of the region is the Sermitsiaq Mountain. We decided to really rough it and hike up to a cave on the mountain and camp there for a few nights. It was extremely cold, but we made it through. One thing we did while we were there was get information about how global warming is affecting the animals that inhabit Nuuk. It's been a great nine weeks around the world, but I'll be happy to be home.

Map: http://www.nuuk.climatemps.com/
Info: http://www.greenland-guide.gl/animal_life.tm

Moosonee, Ontario, Canada (July 18th - July 24th)

Moosonee... Boreal Forest

Packing List:
-Rain coat
-Rain boots
-Umbrella
-Rain hat
-Poncho

Adventures:

This was definitely the wettest environment we visited! There was so much rain, and it was chilly! There wasn't much vegetation, but there were lots of unique animals that I never thought I'd see! On the land there was the arctic fox and the red-throated loon. In the water there were beluga whales and narwhals. I thought narwhals were a legendary creature. It's like a unicorn whale.

We spent a lot of time boating and fishing. Whale watching was one of our favorite pastimes because they are just such majestic creatures. We also went hiking a lot and explored the nature and took note of all the different organisms there, just like we did in all the biomes.

 

 

Map: http://www.moosonee.climatemps.com/

Info: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/natural-regions/



Eureka, California (July 11th - July 17th)

Eureka... Temperate Rainforest

Packing List:
-jacket
-plant species book
-hiking boots
-camera
-tent


Adventures:

The redwood forests of California are so grand, you can't even imagine it without seeing it with your own eyes. Everything here is so big! Eureka is known for having some of the tallest sand dunes in all of North America! Those sand dunes are home to coyotes and lots of plants like dunegrass, evening primrose, and shining milkvetch. At the base of these dunes is a dry lakebed. We camped out and slept on the dunes most nights, and luckily didn't have any run-ins with the coyotes.

We hiked through the Redwood Forests where the trees seem to go on forever, both in diameter and height! You can't even wrap your arms all the way around most of the trunks. Some days were spent on the breezy and cool Humboldt Bay.

 

 

Map: http://www.eureka.climatemps.com/

Info: http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/eureka-dunes.htm

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/California/Eureka-752431/Things_To_Do-Eureka-TG-C-1.html



Darwin, Australia (July 4th - 10th)

Darwin... Tropical Seasonal Forest/Savanna

Packing List:
-hiking boots
-waterproof shoes
-bathing suit
-fishing pole
-bait


Adventures:

Australia is amazingly beautiful! It's filled with deep gorges and large sandstone platforms. We went on long walks through the gorges and saw native animals such as the short-eared rock-wallaby. It was so cute! We also saw a carpenter frog and discovered for ourselves that Darwin has tall eucalypt forests.

Several evenings, we sailed Darwin Harbour at sunset. While we sailed, we got some fishing done and ate the fresh fish for dinner. We spent a lot of time exploring Litchfield National Park where they have GIANT termite mounds. The park also had phenomenal waterfalls which we hiked and swam under. Definitely one of my favorite stops on this trip.

 

 

 

Map: http://www.darwin.climatemps.com/

Info: http://www.savanna.org.au/nt/dd/plants_animals.html

http://www.australia.com/explore/cities/darwin.aspx



Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine (June 27th - July 3rd)

Dnipropetrovsk... Temperate Grassland/ Cold Desert

Packing List:
-Rain jacket
-Rain boots
-Camera
-Plant Species book
-Animal Species book


Adventures:

Dnipropetrovsk is the most uninteresting biome so far. Forests cover 3.9% of the region. We took a lot of hikes through those forests and found out that there are over 1,700 plant species and 7,500 animal species here. Some animals that are native are elk, wild boars, and wolves. We saw a big pack of wolves! Luckily they were more interested in the prey they had found than they were in us, or we would've become the prey. There is mainly flat land here so that makes it good for farming.

We visited Hluby Park which is the most popular park in the city. It is especially popular with children because it has a real running train that they can ride. The park was beautiful. We also went to the Yavornitskiy History Museum where they had lots of memorabilia and information on those who perished during the soviet period. They had information on soviet villains such as Stalin.

 

 

Map: http://www.dnipropetrovsk.climatemps.com/

Info: http://www.infoukes.com/ukremb/slideshow/dnipropet-desc.htm

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Ukraine/Dnipropetrovsk_Oblast/Dnipropetrovsk-713225/Things_To_Do-Dnipropetrovsk-TG-C-1.html



Dublin, Ireland (June 20th - June 26th)

Dublin... Temperate Seasonal Forest

 

 

 

Packing List:

 

-Waterproof shoes

-Hiking shoes

-Camera

-Tent

-Sleeping bag

 

 

Adventures:

 

I was wrong about Cairo... Dublin is my new favorite! The nature is fabulous! The climate here is similar to Indiana, except the amount of precipitation is much higher. We went on plenty of nature hikes and learned a lot about the plants and animals that are native to Ireland, such as the Irish Orchid. We also learned that there are no wild snakes in Ireland! The only snakes in Ireland are pets or held in captivity. There are also only two species of mice and one species of reptile, but Ireland is abundant in waterfowl.

 

There are many rivers in Ireland, but the mouth of the Liffey River is right in Dublin. We went on a nice boat ride on the Liffey River and it made me glad I brought waterproof shoes. We also visited the Dublin Castle and saw the beautiful interior of the diplomatic structure. The last thing we did was go see a local music act at The Cobblestone.

 



 Map: http://www.dublin.climatemps.com/
Info: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/293754/Ireland/23014/Plant-and-animal-life
http://www.ireland-information.com/reference/geog.html
http://www.timeout.com/dublin/features/47/20-great-things-to-do-in-Dublin

Cairo, Egypt (June 13th - June 19th)

Cairo... Subtropical Desert

Packing List:
-Sun hat
-Sun block
-Water
-Sunglasses
-Hieroglyphic decoder


Adventures:

Wow! Cairo has been my favorite so far! It was very hot and sunny, so we had to be sure to take care of ourselves and not get dehydrated. We went on a desert trail on camels with a guide, and the guide taught us how to survive should we ever get stranded in the desert. He introduced us to many types of cacti where you can get water. We saw poisonous snakes and scorpions and were instructed on what to do if we were ever stung or bitten.

As far as sight seeing goes, we had to go to the Pyramids of Giza of course. Those were even more fantastic in real life than I could have ever imagined. We also visited the Al-Azhar Mosque which was established in AD 970 and is the second oldest educational institution in the world. We also learned a lot about history in the Egyptian Museum.

Map: http://www.cairo.climatemps.com/
Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt/cairo/things-to-do

Middelburg, South Africa (June 6th - June 12th)

Middelburg... Woodland/Shrubland

 

Packing List:

-sweaters and jeans

-riding boots

-camera

-tent

-sleeping bag

 

 

Adventures:

 

South Africa is a HUGE change from Brazil! Brazil is in one of its hottest months of the year, while South Africa is in its coldest. Its only around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and there wasn't any rain. The nights got pretty chilly, but we chose to camp out rather than book a hotel room. We figured if the weather wasn't too extreme, there was no point in adding an unnecessary expense. We brought tents and sleeping bags and "roughed it".

 

There wasn't much to do in Middelburg but we traveled to surrounding cities and went to places such as the Jugomaro Predator Park and El Dorian Horse Riding Trail. The predator park was so amazing!

We got to get up close and personal with beautiful jungle cats. It was kind of scary because you never know what kind of temperament they'll have, but it's also exciting! We also went on a fantastic horseback ride one evening and rode our horses into the sunset, just like a scene from a movie.

 

 

Map: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Middelburg-weather-averages/Mpumalanga/ZA.aspx

 

Info: http://staynow.com/things-to-do/middelburg---mpumalanga/default.aspx



 

 



Manaus, Brazil (May 30th - May 5th)

Manaus... Tropical Rainforest

Packing List:
-Lots of water!
-Shorts and tank tops
-Bug spray
-Hiking Boots
-Mosquito nets


Adventures:

Our time in Brazil was amazing! It was hot and wet, but so beautiful! We spent a lot of time hiking through the Amazon Rainforest. There were so many weird bugs, it was disgusting, but somehow us girls managed to make it through. Our guide suggested we wear lots of bug spray to repel them. We were also advised to drink lots of water so we wouldn't get dehydrated. Dehydration seemed impossible in a climate that was so humid!

In the Amazon, we saw a multitude of plants and animals that we had never seen. In the rivers we saw the largest freshwater fish in the world, called the Arapaima! It was incredible. We also saw pink river dolphins! There were lots of mammals, but my favorite was a type of monkey called the Black Headed Uakari. One of the things the rainforest is known for is its array of colorful birds, such as the Hyacinth Macaw and the Oropendolas. That was probably my favorite part.

Now we're off to South Africa!

Map: http://www.manaus.climatemps.com/
Info: http://thinkjungle.com/manaus/manaus-animals/

The Journey Begins!

And we're off...

It's finally Summer and my friends Emily, Rachel, and I are off to travel to nine different biomes all around the world! We're so excited we get to experience the different climates of the earth and also do some sightseeing and shopping! I will keep this blog updated and post a new entry for each city/biome that we visit. We are visiting these cities and their biomes in this order:

1) Indianapolis, Indiana --> Manaus, Brazil (tropical rainforest) [May 30th - June 5th]
2) Manaus, Brazil --> Middelburg, South Africa (woodland/shrubland) [June 6th - June12th]
3) Middelburg, South Africa --> Cairo, Egypt (subtropical desert) [June 13th - June 19th]
4) Cairo, Egypt --> Dublin, Ireland (temperate seasonal forest) [June 20th - June 26th]
5) Dublin Ireland --> Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine (temperate grassland/cold desert) [June 27th - July 3rd]
6) Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine --> Darwin, Australia (tropical seasonal forest/savanna) [July 4th - July 10th]
7) Darwin, Australia --> Eureka, California (temperate rainforest) [July 11th - July 17th]
8) Eureka, California --> Moosonee, Canada (boreal forest) [July 18th - July 24th]
9) Moosonee, Canada --> Nuuk, Greenland [July 25th - July 31st]

We leave May 30th, 2015,will spend a week in each city, and return home August 1st.
Here is a map of the world's biomes to give you an idea of where we're going: