Geology Holidays » Rock Holidays

Sicily, Italy: Volcano Holidays

admin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:00:48 +0000

Lemons, oranges, tiny fishing villages and the mafia. It can only be Sicily! This stunning island is full of secluded beaches, incredible restaurants, culture, history, pubs, clubs and just about anything else you could want from a holiday including the fabulous weather.

Home to Europe’s largest volcano Mt Etna, Sicily is a small island that sits just off the South West Coast of Italy. Standing at an impressive 3,323m Etna has a massively dominating presence over the Island. The volcano is still active, and can regularly be seen spouting ash and lava into the skies. Etna has a number of vents rather than the usual single crater so there are plenty of places to see an eruption, although not too close! Due to it’s activeness a much of the volcano is forbidden for hikers and ramblers, but fear not, wait until the evening and you will catch some spectacular night time displays!

To see what fantastic deals you can get click here!

Barbados: Under Water Geology Holidays

admin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:29:28 +0000

I was recently lucky enough to experience some first class diving in Barbados. The island itself is full to brimming of exciting geology as it’s one of the only Caribbean islands that is not volcanic. Go under the warm tropical waters and you will find an abundance of fantastic marine life, wrecks and geological features. I managed to take this picture whilst snorkelling on Turtle Beach, it’s not the best picture, but you can imagine the amazing sites you will see.

The islanders or ‘Bajans’ are the friendliest, happiest people you will meet and it won’t take you long to relax in when you get there, one thing to note is ‘bajan time’ which means if you say turn up at 7, they will turn up at 9! Barbados is an island where you throw all your cares away, sit back and enjoy the rum. Taste all the different foods, enjoy all the beaches, swim in the warm tropical seas and you’ll wish you weren’t leaving!

Korcula Island, Croatia: Coastal Holidays

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:43 +0000

From Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian coast to Zagreb in the North and the Istrian peninsula, Croatia has something to offer every tourist. The climate is Mediterranean along the Adriatic coast, which means warm dry summers and mild winters and it is one of the sunniest coastlines in Europe. Sailing holidays are an option visiting some of the many islands off the coast, some uninhabited, Cruising, chartering a boat with or without a skipper or taking a sailing course for the beginner to the more advanced sailor among you. The former Yugoslavia offers fabulous, reasonably priced food some with an Italian influence and other local specialities such as a palacinke which is a crepe-like dessert often stuffed with walnuts or chocolate and sometimes served with ice cream.

Korcula Island belongs to the central Dalmatian archipelago and is a stunning Island known well for it’s nudist beaches! If that doesn’t float your boat but rocks do, check out the hidden coves and bays dotted along the coast of the Island. Secluded beaches and scattered boulders from cliffs that once stood are just some of the incredible geological sites you will see here.

Lisbon, Portugal: Dinosaur Holidays

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:47:27 +0000

Lisbon is the Capital and is well worth a visit for the culture and architecture. Lisbon has a Mediterranean climate that is strongly influenced by the Gulf Stream, giving it one of the mildest climates in Europe. The city is sunny throughout the year. Every June there are 5 days of popular street celebrations in memory of Saint Anthony a saint born in Lisbon. Portugal is a fish heaven where you can find fresh bass, cockles, mussels, red mullets, clams and oysters, swordfish and shellfish. Other specialities of Portugal include goat and sheep cheeses. Oporto is famous for port wine, which became a major trade following a 1703 agreement with the United Kingdom. The whole of Portugal is renowned for its championship golf courses and offers plenty for the novice and the professional.A place to visit in the west are the dinosaur remains, visitors can see the fossilised remains of the eggs of 180 carnivorous dinosaurs making it the largest such nest in the world and uniquely the eggs contain embryos. Check out the Museum of Natural History to see some dinosaur bones. It’s also worth checking out the 2nd biggest aquarium in the world the Oceanario de Lisboa.

Check out the brillant deals to Lisbon here:-

Johannesburg, South Africa: Gold and Diamond Holidays

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:14:15 +0000

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and is home to a massive gold and diamond trade as it sits near mineral rich hill ranges. It is a metropolitan city with great weather and loads of places to see and visit. From sports to opera’s Johannesburg has it all. Find world famous wines and wildlife and culture at every turn.

The Witwatersrand is a small range of sedimentary hills which is usually overlooked until you delve into the rocks to discover that over 40% of the World’s gold comes from these hills. The hills themselves are geologically complex, containing a mixture of rock types including shales and conglomerates.

A great holiday offer from Sunshine;

Goa, India: Geology Holidays

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:40:45 +0000

Goa is situated on the West coast of India and is home to stunning beaches, ancient buildings and bags of culture. When the Portuguese first landed in Goa in the 16th Century as merchants they left behind a strong Portugese influence which existed until the 1960’s. You can experience incredible plants, animals and people – a true once in a lifetime holiday. You name it, Goa has it.

India has complex geology as the whole Country has moved around. It moved from the South of the Earth where it collided with the rest of the Asian Continent, creating the Himalayas. It has also faced mass periods of Volcanic activity (The Deccan Traps), meteors landing (the Lonar Crater) and massive folding and breaking of the rocks that helped to form the Western Ghats that run through Goa. The Western Ghats are not mountains, they are part of a massive fault/crack in the ground.

A great holiday offer;

A great hotel offer;

Ibiza, Balearic Islands: Rock Holidays

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:00:23 +0000

Ibiza is one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The third largest of the Islands Ibiza is famed for all night parties, famous nightclubs and celebrity Dj’s. However Ibiza is more than that, Ibiza has history dating back to 654BC. Try Es Broll for a hidden mountain spring full of romantic charm or one of the many secluded beaches for a day of isolation and peace. Great bars and fantastic food make sure the Island has everything you need for a great holiday.

Ibiza has a great mix of geology which goes from Devonian (416 - 359.2 million years ago) and Cretaceous (145.5 - 65.5 million years ago) rocks that have been twisted and turned over the years to create some impressive rock formations. The direction of the folded rocks in Ibiza run West to East so you can follow them across the island.

A great holiday deal to San Antonio Bay

A great hotel deal in San Antonio Bay

Masca, Tenerife: Canyon Holidays

admin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:04:34 +0000

Masca is a small village set in the middle of the Teno Mountains in the Buenavista del Norte area of Tenerife. The winding roads through the mountains give you breath taking views of the island and the mountains. There is a small square and church in the town and a great bar that sells gifts and cactus ice cream – a must try in the hot weather of Tenerife. Masca is known as the most beautiful village on Tenerife and it is not hard to see why.

Masca Canyon is incredible. It leads you down to the ocean where you can relax before taking a walk back up to the village, or you can hire a local and their boat to collect you at the bottom and take you for a boat ride. Masca Canyon is full of interesting rocks held in its high steep cliff like sides. The canyon used to flow with water and even 400 years ago Columbus noted it. The sides of the canyon have little ledges where sediment and ancient soils can still be found, these have been used to prove the existence of a once free flowing river.

Sunshine have some fantastic deals to Los Gigantes, Tenerife – Have a look here!

Santorini, Greece: Volcano Holdidays

admin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:17:02 +0000

Santorini is a group of islands that formed when a volcano collapsed. It is situated in the Aegean Sea about 20okm South of the Greek mainland. Home to some incredible beaches over looked by stunning volcanic cliffs it is no wonder many say Santorini is the Ancient Atlantis. There are some fantastic restaurants serving great freshly cooked food that is often accompanied by home grown wine grown on the volcanic slopes. Houses cling to the cliff sides and are painted a striking white. Try getting a donkey up the hillside rather than walking, it’s much easier!

This group of Islands was created when a huge volcano erupted in around 1650BC and collapsed, creating the caldera you see today. It is estimated that 61 cubic kilometers of magma must have been thrown out of the inner depths of the volcano to create what you see today. This makes it one of the three largest eruptions of the past 5000 years. The small island in the center of the bay is a small volcano that is still active.

Dubrovnik, Croatia: Cliff Holidays

admin — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:51:22 +0000

Dubrovnik is in the very South of Croatia and is a fantastic city! Full of music, culture, art and fabulous events throughout the year! You can swim, climb, dive or just laze around on the beaches. The city is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and has more history squeezed into the city than you can imagine,

The Dalmatian Coast is is a stretch of about 1,100 miles of coves, caves, channels and over 1000 small islands. Home to hundreds of completely unspoilt beaches and fantastic geology. The area it’s situated in, The Adriatic is the bluest patch of sea on the planet when seen from space. The coastline is formed of two rock formations running parallel to the coast, one is harder than the other, and when eroded, you get what is seen today.

Have a look at the amazing deals Sunshine.co.uk have to Dubrovnik here!