Are you a fan of outdoor adventures? Do you enjoy scenic views to relax? Look no further, as the following destinations offer all that and more.

Athabasca Falls

Alberta, Canada

Water from the Canadian Rockies flows down into the waterfalls of Jasper National Park, creating a flow with wild energy. The falls are wheelchairs accessible, with a paved path taking admirers to a number of viewpoints. If visitors leave the path, they can explore both the upper and lower regions of the trail.

Akaka Falls Trail

Hakalau, Hawaii

A short half-mile hike is big on sights and low on hard activity. The well-kept ring like trail guide visitors around to see a number of waterfalls, including the 442-foot main attraction, and beautiful local flora (植物群) among the famous landscape. Though there are no hills to climb, there are a number of stairways to go.

Nugget Falls

Juneau, Alaska

Located in Tongass National Forest about 12 miles from Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier has produced Nugget Falls, a fan-like waterfall that leads into a lake. A series of short hikes allows for different views of the waterfall and icy surrounds, which are also known for frequent brown bear sightings.

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite Valley, California

Yosemite National Park is one of the oldest national parks in America and home to the fifth tallest waterfall in the world. Hikers can reach it by taking a 1-mile trail from the lodge or the 7.2-mile round-trip Yosemite Falls Trail route. Late spring is best, with the highest water flow. In the winter, the temperatures dip below freezing. A park admission fee applies.

China’s “ice city” Harbin — warm visitors from all over the world

(Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, December 31, 2023. /CFP)

This winter, the city of Harbin has spared no effort to show sincerity and creativity in entertaining, if not spoiling, tourists from all over the world.

Currently, Chinese netizens have portrayed the city as a generous big brother who is doing everything possible to entertain guests coming from afar with its unique charms and creative ideas.

Harbin has long been a major tourist attraction in winter, and it has garnered more attention this winter. It ranked fifth among the most popular cities for the 2024 New Year holiday, following Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Among the top 10 cities, Harbin is the only one located in northeast China. During the recent three-day New Year holiday, Harbin received over 3 million tourists, creating a revenue of 5.9 billion yuan ($ 826 million), according to the latest data from the Harbin municipal bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism. Both numbers surpassed historic highs.

The boom cannot be attributed to pure luck since Harbin has been preparing for it for a year, said He Jing, director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang Province. She said the city has been rolling out plans since the beginning of 2023 to boost its tourism sector, attracting attention on various social media platforms. “We stand in the shoes of tourists. We pay special attention to their comments under our videos published on social media platforms. Whatever tourists complain about, we move and improve immediately,” she told CMG.

To “rescue” tourists who are not used to the cold weather, the city built many temporary heated rest rooms for them, providing warm drinks for free. Frozen pears, a local specialty, were cut into the shapes of flowers so that tourists could enjoy them conveniently. The city even flies a big artificial moon over the Saint Sophia Cathedral so that tourists can take stylish pictures. “We want to impress tourists with all the small details, letting them feel comfortable and respected,” said He.

When I first landed at Ferihegy Airport in Budapest, I had no idea what was awaiting me. I was tired when our driver picked us up, but the view of graffiti written in German,Russian, and Hungarian just blew me away. As we got closer to the city, I felt like I was in a place that was magically changed through time and none in the city had noticed.

I felt as if it was a forgotten place, but it really shouldn't be. I found the air of Budapest to be welcoming and nearly everyone was friendly. Most younger people there speak English, but the non-English speakers were helpful in trying to explain to me that I had given them the wrong amount of forints in paying for an item. If you're interested in shopping, there is the Mammut which is a nice sized mall on the Buda side of the Danube. The locals explained to us that we should not shop at the mall because it is expensive.

When I checked out at an awesome store called Jazz,I found the opposite.I got a formal gown for$14!!! Looking back,I'd like to go to the places where the locals shopped. I stayed at the Mohácsi Panzió. It was $50 a night and the breakfast was wonderful. Our room overlooked a garden and was on the second story of the house, where you could see the hills in the distance. Heroes Square is a wonderful site where people just walk by like it's nothing.The pavement there is very flat which is great for rollerblading.

When I was there we played "futbol" with a plastic piece of tubing we found near the trash.Margit Island is a very strange site for me to come upon in one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is a huge park just inside the city. A lot of activities can be found on that island, from playing futbol to riding around on really strange-looking bikes. If you ever decide to take a trip to Budapest, you may never want to come back.