Cotopaxi, meaning "Throne of the moon" is the name for the sacred mountain of the Incas. With its altitude of 5.897m it is the second highest mountain in Ecuador and one of the highest active volcanoes of the Andes. Last erupting in 1904, he has since been sleeping again; however, smaller earth quakes and smoke expulsions indicate he is not in a deep sleep.

In their search for food, the elephants have moved back and forth across the bed of the Sands River in the Kruger National Park. On one of these crossings, two members of different troupes meet on the riverbank. The caressing welcome they share emphasizes the empathy between animals of different herds.

Thundering water pours out over the cliffs of the Iguazú, which has been steadily digging in the floor of the rainforest for millions of years. The forces that have shaped this landscape are still going strong. Every year the falls move 3mm upstream. In another million years there will be only a wide valley that the Iguazu flows through.

On a beach in North Queensland, high and low tides buried a germ bud of the coastal mangrove in the intertidal zone several years ago. The pioneer germinated and its roots, which were slowly growing into the ground, prevented it from being washed out by the ocean again. Today, a lone Mangrove tree stands at this point, and is the bridgehead for the new pioneers. It will probably no longer be lonely.

In the morning the leopard has moved back on a branch of the Acacia where it uses the coverage of the branches to observe the bushland under it. Its attention is on a group of Springbok antelopes, that are grazing between the bushes nearby. Yet, they are too far away to be worth the effort for the leopard. But it has time and can wait until the herd moves in its direction and the leopard gets its opportunity.

Seemingly endless, the Savannah Way cuts through the tropical North of Australia on its 3500 km long journey from Broome to Cairns. Countless eucalyptus forests, scrubland and slow drying billabongs, filled with water from the rainy season, dot the landscape along the way. The open and wide sky and the straight red strip of road, which extends over the horizon, lets you feel the seclusion of the Australian North.

Towards evening a strong western wind has moved another front across the coast line at Greymouth. It has pushed the clouds against the New Zealand Alps where they release their humidity by heavy rainfall. The beach, which is lying now tranquil in the evening sunlight, has been cleared out by the rain and the surfs of the sea. But the rising clouds on the horizon herald the approach of another front which will bring more rain.

Slowly but unstoppable move the ice masses of the Perito Moreno towards the banks of the Brazo Rico, a branch of the Largo Argentino, and block the outlet of this part of the lake. While on the eastern side the water can still drain through the Largo Argentino, the precipitation of the surrounding mountains swell on the opposite side. If the water masses don‘t find a way through the blockage in the following months, the pressure on this wall of ice becomes too much and it will burst in a thundering roar. Then the water pours out in a mighty flood into the Largo Argentino.

The name ‚Silvered Lutung‘ doesn‘t seem to apply to the baby of this monkey family. After birth, it wears a shining orange fur and it is light-skinned in its face and on its hands. But within a few days the skin will turn dark. And in 3 to 5 months also the shiny orange fur will vanish. Then it will look like its parents.

Over a distance of about eight kilometers extend 16 lakes of various sizes and deepness, connected through clear cascades and churning waterfalls. They all form the core of the Plitvice National Park. The most eye catching is the intensive turquoise coloring of the lakes. The striking colors are caused by the lacustrine chalk on the ground of the lakes. It breaks the sunlight and makes the water sparkle in the most beautiful and clearest colors.

Sandwich Harbour is the name of a fresh water lagoon along the Namibian Atlantic coast which is about 40km south of Walvis Bay. Its wetlands, which are protected by the extends of the Namib Dunes, are supplied by springs of brackish water at the foot of those dunes. The reed grown areas around the lagoon is inhabited by large colonies of seabirds like Flamingos, Sea Swallows, Pelicans and Cormorants. Since 1979 the lagoon is part of the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

In the shadow of the dense scrub of the thorn savanna the lion has taken shelter from the merciless heat of the midday sun. Here he will wait for the cooler hours of the night. Cause with the setting of the sun for the lion starts the hour of his hunt. Nevertheless the lion attentively watches his surrounding and listens into the scrubland. Eventually he may be able to overcome an incautious zebra or a lost gazelle in the bush land. Such an easy prey would a perfect meal for this opportunist.

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