If your travel plans have been cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic, don’t worry. The power of modern technology means you can visit some of the most famous destinations in the world, without leaving your home! Here is a list of ten amazing virtual reality tours to check out.
Buckingham Palace, UK
Home of Her Majesty the Queen of England, this splendid and iconic building in London is one of the most popular virtual reality tours around. The Palace has 775 rooms and welcomes thousands upon thousands of visitors each year. And you can be one of them without leaving your home!
White House, US
The home of the President of the United States is steeped in history. Built between 1792 and 1800, it truly is a living museum filled with amazing art and many significant documents. If you are lucky, you may even bump into President Trump!
Vatican Museums, Rome
The museums in the Vatican truly are a sight to behold. And probably the most famous site to see is the famous Sistine Chapel, and thanks to virtual reality, you can look on in amazement from all angles.
Everest Mountain, Nepal
The world’s highest peak Everest is located on the border between Nepal and China. You can now explore the mountain without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. And you don’t have to take on the tough challenge to reach the 8,848-metre summit.
Sơn Đoòng Cave, Việt Nam
Sơn Đoòng, the largest natural cave in the world, is located in the heart of Phong Nha - Kẻ Bàng National Park in the central province of Quảng Bình. It was discovered by local farmer Hồ Khanh in 1991, but it wasn’t until many years later the cave was properly explored. And now you can too, in glorious high definition!
Yosemite national park, US
Located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite is a diverse and spectacular natural landscape. It is home to more than 400 species of animals, including around 500 American black bears, rare snowshoe hares and endangered mastiff bats. El Capitan is the park’s most notable sight, standing over 900 metres tall with a near vertical cliff face. Let’s explore the national park’s cranite monoliths tower over meadows, rivers and forests.
Perito Moreno glacier, Argentinian Patagonia
While most of the world’s glaciers are melting away due to climate change, the Perito Moreno ice field remains largely undiminished. It covers 97 square miles of Los Glaciares National Park fed by the melting waters of the south Patagonian ice fields in the Andes. Viewers will be impressed by the scale and the variations of blue of the ice as well as the varied landscape of the protected Parque Patagonia.
Zhāngjiājiè National Forest Park, China
The quartz-sandstone pillars of Zhāngjiājiè were the inspiration for the floating peaks of the Hallelujah Mountains in James Cameron’s Avatar. Their unique shape is caused by physical erosion from water, ice and the roots of trees and foliage. Some towering natural columns stretch up over 1,000 metres. The park is also home to an ancient temple from 870AD, the cliffside Bailong glass elevator, and the world’s highest and longest glass bridge.
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
The Giant’s Causeway, a section of Atlantic coastline in County Antrim, is made up of more than 40,000 interlocking, geometric (mostly hexagonal) basalt columns. Legend has it that the unusual rock formations are the remains of a stepping-stone causeway path to Scotland, built by giants. Scientists say they were formed by lava flowing into the sea, as molten basalt erupted through chalk beds 50 to 60 million years ago.
Namib desert dunes, Namibia
Attracting a vast number of travellers each year, Namib Desert’s sand dunes stretch for 31,000 square miles across the Namib-Naukluft national park in southern Africa. Some of the largest can be found in the Sossusvlei area, home to mountainous swathes of pink-orange sand, including the 388m-high Dune 7, which sits opposite Big Daddy at 325m, and Big Mamma, 198m. — VNS