Taiping is among the top 3 most sustainable cities in the world, according to the 2019 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards, right behind Ljubljana, Slovenia and Vancouver, Canada in the “Best of Cities” category!
ITB Berlin hosted the most prestigious Awards Ceremony for Sustainable Destinations. This event is dedicated to recognizing innovation and good practices in tourism management: islands, towns, regions and whole countries. The award winners have been selected by a Jury representing 12 international organizations.
Taiping rated as one of the top green destinations.
The town’s Municipal Council president Datuk Abd Rahim Md Ariff received the award.
Taiping Municipal Council president Datuk Abd Rahim Md Ariff said, “This is the first time we received a prestigious international award. This achievement is due to the hard work of the community and all relevant governmental agencies.”
“The council always works hard to make Taiping a popular tourist destination,” Abd Rahim added.
The “Best of Cities” category of the awards recognizes cities that show leadership in urban sustainability and in avoiding disruptive over-tourism.
Taiping is the second largest town in Perak after the state capital Ipoh. The town also is known as the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia. Its unusual rainfall has also blessed its Lake Gardens with a fertile and splendid collection of flora and century-old rain trees. Itis characterized by aging buildings and clear blue skies with high chances of rain.
Green Destinations, a non-profit organization that focuses on the efforts of creating sustainable tourism, leading global cooperation between experts, listed Taiping on its 100 Sustainable Cities list in December 2018.
Taiping used to be a thriving tin-mining town that lost its luster with the rise of Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur as cities.
Taiping has previously been recognized as the Best Destination Manager 2016 by the Tourism Promotion Board for the Asia Pacific; besides having received the Malaysia Tourism Council Gold Award 2017 in Best Heritage and Eco Travel Destination Category and Malaysia Tourism Council Gold Award 2018 for the Best Tourism Promotion Campaign.
For those who have not visited Taiping, it is time to consider visiting this beautiful city!
The Ningaloo reef protects a lagoon that is on average only 2-4 metres deep and is rich in marine life. The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the northwest coastal region of Western Australia. It has long empty beaches, astonishing marine life and world-heritage listing combined with a strong cultural heritage.
Many travelers seek the opportunity to explore this remote and wildly beautiful coral reef and coastline also provide iconic marine wildlife. Ningaloo Reef has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most exciting and abundant locations to swim, dive, fish or snorkel.
How to Get to the Ningaloo Reef
Airlines
Skywest / Virgin and Qantas Airlines operate daily flights from Perth to Learmonth Airport. Learmonth Airport is located 36 km south of Exmouth. Exmouth Bus Charters meet every flight and for a fee they can drop you off at your accommodation in Exmouth.
If you will be traveling to Coral Bay, there are a couple of companies that can arrange transfers between Learmonth and Coral Bay.
If you are traveling north to Exmouth along the North West Coastal Highway, travel 142km north of Carnarvon and turn left onto the Minilya-Exmouth Road. From here it is a further 200km to the Exmouth townsite.
If you are traveling south to Exmouth turn off the North West Coastal Highway 110km south of the Nanutarra Roadhouse onto Burkett Road. From here it’s 80 km to the Minilya Exmouth Road.
Coach Lines
Integrity Coach Lines provide scheduled coach services as far north as Broome and as far south as Perth, stopping everywhere in between.
You can check the schedule on their website below:
See the full extent of the reef and the amazing array of colors and wildlife from the air. Scenic flights will give you the chance to view and photograph many of the marine creatures found in the Ningaloo Marine Park. Birds Eye View offers the ultimate experience of the North West Cape.
This is one of the most unique and picturesque environments in the whole of Australia, where you can see canyons to reefs, Turtles, Dugongs, Manta Rays, Tiger Sharks or Whale Sharks and Humpback Whales,
Turquoise Bay is home to more than 500 exotic fish species, turtles, squid and ofcourse, coral. You can enjoy snorkeling and swimming in the bay. Known as one of Australia’s best beaches, Turquoise Bay is the perfect spot to spend an afternoon relaxing, swimming and snorkelling. Dive into the pristine waters at Turquoise Bay to swim and snorkel within a few metres of Ningaloo Reef.
Swimming with a whale shark is an unforgettable experience! Every year from March to August, the world’s biggest fish congregate along the Ningaloo Reef.
You can join a tour and not only swim with whale sharks, but also interact with majestic manta rays, encounter dugongs, turtles, humpback whales, dolphins, colorful tropical fish, and amazing corals. Most of those tours including snorkeling equipment, wetsuits, food, and drinks.
Ningaloo Reef’s remarkable eco-system attracts hundreds of whale sharks with its abundance of naturally-occurring food and nutrient-rich waters from the continental shelf that lies beneath Ningaloo. With plankton drifting closer to the surface, whale sharks get easy, abundant feeding. While whale sharks can grow to an impressive 15 meters in length, and they pose no danger to humans. They are calm, slow-moving, and they are undisturbed by snorkellers swimming in close distance.
Coral Bay
Coral Bay is a marine paradise and one of Western Australia’s premier family holiday destinations. Named Coral Bay due to the beautiful coral gardens just meters away from the white sandy beach.
It’s ideal for the independent traveler searching for excitement; families looking for an enjoyable, safe environment; scuba divers; fisher persons; snorkellers
Exmouth
Exmouth is the perfect base to explore the grandiose landscapes of the Cape Range National Park and the underwater wonders of the Ningaloo Marine Park. The Exmouth Visitor Centre can provide you with the many tour options available.
The Shark Bay Marine Park north to the Ningaloo Reef is some of the world’s major breeding areas for sea turtles. The turtle nesting season between December and March, and after a six-week period.
Approximately six weeks after nesting, tiny turtle hatchlings emerge from their nests and scurry to the deep blue sea of the Ningaloo Marine Park.
Guyana, a country on South America’s North Atlantic coast, is defined by its dense rainforest. Its capital, Georgetown, is known for British colonial architecture, including tall, painted-timber St. George’s Anglican Cathedral.
It is home to a wide variety of landscapes and ecosystems – coastal plains in the north, mountains, rainforests, and dusty savannah plateaus in the southern Rupununi region.
With a population on just over 800,000 people, Guyana is one of South America’s smallest nations.
This unique country combines the best of both South American and the Caribbean, added to the rich wildlife, waterfalls, great rum, cricket, and music. Its neighbors include Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, which also has left influence. It has many features in common with the Caribbean – from music to food, architecture, markets and more, however, Guyana doesn’t offer much of beaches.
English is official language
Guyana is South American’s only English-speaking country, so you won’t be having any problems speaking with the locals. The country has historically been tied to the English-speaking Caribbean as part of the British Empire. Guyana is a founding member of the Caricom (Caribbean Community) economic bloc and also the home of the Bloc’s Headquarters, the CARICOM Secretariat.
History
The Dutch were the first Europeans to establish colonies. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana.
There are nine indigenous tribes residing in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Macushi, Patamona, Lokono, Kalina, Wapishana, Pemon, Akawaio and Warao. Guyana was granted self-governance in 1961 with full independence coming in 1966.
Culture
The country’s official language is English and the population is very diverse. The local residents of the country are generally very relaxing and fun people.
Guyana’s culture reflects Amerindian, Nepalese, Indian, Chinese, and African influences, as well as British, Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish facets. Despite being in South America, Guyana is considered a Caribbean nation. All this has led to Guyana becoming a fascinating mixture of religion, culture, and cuisine.
Football and cricket are the main outdoor sports enjoyed by the locals. Some other sports that are enjoyed by the locals are table tennis, lawn tennis, netball, squash, boxing.
Unique Wildlife
Over 70% of Guyana remains undisturbed rainforest habitat for rare South American wildlife. Here you can find jaguars, giant otters, ocelots, giant anteaters, not to mention big snakes boa and anacondas, over 783 bird species like blue-and-yellow and red-and-green macaws, toucans.
The Guyanese government works closely with several international conservation organizations like Conservation International, World Wildlife Fundto preserve wildlife and control and implement best practices in sustainable wildlife tourism.
Guyanese people enjoy lots of festivals throughout the year. Religious holidays like Christmas and Easter are widely celebrated. You can see Christmas trees and a Christmas cake with rum. Schools are closed for two weeks during Easter and children work with their parents and friends to prepare for a unique Guyanese Easter tradition
Mashramani, often abbreviated to “Mash”, is an annual festival that celebrates Guyana becoming a Republic in 1970. The streets are flooded with people to view a big parade with extravagantly dressed people in colorful costumes dancing under Caribbean rhythms.
Hindu and Muslim festivals – Paghwa or also called Holi in other countries. Holi is originally a Hindu celebration that was brought over to Guyana from India in the early 1800s. The festival marks the beginning of spring. and Eid-ul-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan are also celebrated.
Divali – also called the festival of lights. This is one of the most picturesque festivals in Guyana. All households and city streets are decorated with lit-up candles.
Independence Day. Guyana was ruled by the British until May 26th, 1966, when the country became independent. A flag-raising ceremony, fireworks and a message from the president, as well as two-day Guyana Food, Arts and Music festivals held at the National Stadium are some of the events following the celebrating of this momentous day.
There are lots of waterfalls, but the best known is Kaieteur Falls, Guyana’s tallest Falls, with 226 meters. It is five times higher than Niagara and even higher than Victoria Falls and it is a result of the Potaro River interacting with a sandstone cliff into the verdant.
There are three large rivers that gives the names of Guyana’s three counties – the Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice River.
Everyone interested in nature and ecotourism will enjoy Guyana. 80% of the country is covered in rainforest, most of which is still unexplored and more likely to reveal species yet unknown to science.
90% of Guyana’s population lives on the coast.
The Iwokrama Forest is nearly 3,710 square kilometers of central Guyana. The Iwokrama Forest’s ecosystem is located at the juncture of Amazonian and Guianan flora and fauna. It has the highest species richness for fish and bats for any area this size in the world and contains high species richness and several species of animals that are threatened or extinct across the globe.
In 2012, Guyana received a $45 million reward from Norway for its rainforest protection efforts.
Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and the country’s largest urban center. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed the ‘Garden City of the Caribbean.’
The city is surrounded by a blanket of cane fields along with marshy swamps, and savannah lands on its east and south. It’s a perfect mixture of South American and Caribbean influences.
The Home of El Dorado
The legend of El Dorado is popular folklore and is applied to a legendary story for the lost city of gold, in which precious stones were found in fabulous abundance along with gold coins.
In 1595, it was rumored that El Dorado could be found at Lake Parime in the highlands of Guyana.
Photo credit: David Stanley / 
