Category - Off the beaten track

Go off the beaten track with Purple Travel and have the most incredible holiday experience.

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Off the beaten track: Bolivia’s Salt Plains
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Off the Beaten track: Great Rift Valley
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Off the beaten track: Pavlopetri, the city beneath the waves
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The most famous celebrity graves

Off the beaten track: Bolivia’s Salt Plains

Where the ground stars and the sky begins, you might never be able to tell in the Bolivian Salt Flats. Near the famous Tunupa Volcano, it’s the largest salt desert in the world, and 3,600 m above sea low. So why venture there? The spooky and stunning scenery will create some of the most envy inducing photos amongst your friends, while for just $15 per day, you can bunk with locals, getting a truly one off experience. Salt Flats 1Image via @ psyberartist

Salt flats 3Image via @ ComicPie

salt flats 2 salt flatsThe Salt Flats as seen from space

Off the Beaten track: Great Rift Valley

The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley has to be seen to be believed. It’s made up of three shallow lakes– Bogoria, Nakuru and Elmenteita. Each of the alkaline lakes is a a protected area and is home to different ecosystems filled with flowers, fauna, birds and animals. The best bit, (we think!) is the huge influx of flamingos that arrive en masse every year. The lesser flamingos arrive in their millions to breed creating one of the world’s most spectacular displays.

flamingosimage by Ludovic Hirlimann 

This pink bird loves to eat the blue-green algae found at the lakes and it is virtually alone in its taste for this rich harvest. And it’s not just flamingos, the lakes are home to 13 endangered bird species, and larger animals, like the black rhino, wild dogs, lions and cheetahs who wander the shores of the lake.

flamingos by ForsterFoto

image by ForsterFoto

white pelekans by beonetheroad

image by beonetheroad

rhinos by Sara and Joachim

image by Sara&Joachim

Off the beaten track: Pavlopetri, the city beneath the waves

Just off the southern coast of mainland Greece lies the oldest submerged city in the world, Pavlopetri, which thrived for 2,000 years during the Bronze Age. The ancient city of Pavlopetri has an almost complete town plan with streets and buildings, making it unique in terms of underwater cities.

sunkenby

Initially inhabited in 3,500 BC, with a surface larger than 60 acres, its buildings are divided into smaller spaces and in some cases, courtyards. At least six prehistoric streets are noticeable and the submerged architectural remains extend to the islet of Pavlopetri, where ancient ruins are still evident. Moreover, among the immersed ruins there is also a cemetery.

Pavlopetri1

The secrets of Pavlopetri were brought to light by an international team of experts, using the latest technology to investigate the site and digitally raise it from the seabed. The team scoured the sea floor for any artifacts that have eroded from the sands, discovering thousands of fragments, each providing significant clues about the everyday lives of Pavlopetri inhabitants. From the buildings to the trade goods and the everyday tableware, every artefact sheds light on this long-forgotten world.

lak2

The most famous celebrity graves

Despite being six feet under, Elvis is still drawing around 600,000 people per year. Graceland in Memphis, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s former estate is a major stopping point for fans who light candles, leave flowers and mourn for the star who died in 1977.

Find it at 3764 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, Tennessee

Although hailing from Hoboken in New Jersey, Frank Sinatra is actually buried in his adopted home in California. The beloved singer was entombed with two of his constant companions – a bottle of Jack Daniels and a packet of cigarettes. His headstone has one of his most famous lyrics: “The Best is yet to Come,” inscribed on it.

Find it at Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, Riverside County, California

In the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery, you’ll find the grave of The Doors frontman Jim Morrison who joined the infamous 27 Club in 1971. The gravesite is apparently haunted by his ghost and has been known to have orgies, parties, thefts and riots. Other famous names buried there include Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde.

Find it at 16 Rue de Repos, Paris

The grave of Michael Jackson at the Forest Lawn on Glendale Avenue in California has the capacity to become one of the most visited the world. The King of Pop who died in 2009, is entombed in the Great Mausoleum there and there’s renewed interest on the anniversary of his death, June 25th every year.

Find it at 1712 S. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, California

Jimi Hendrix’s grave in Renton, Washington has become a main attraction to the town over the years. The memorial has engraved images, including one of a Fender Stratocaster. With fans travelling there all the time, it can get a little busy, but if you’re a Hendrix fan it’s well worth it.

Find it at 350 Monroe Avenue, Northeast, Renton, Washington

Johnny Cash’s gravesite has become a magnet for country, blues and folk fans from all over the world. The Man in Black passed away just four months after his beloved wife June Carter Cash in 2003. The simple memorials in Hendersonville, Tennessee still draw fans from all over the world over 10 years since his death.

Find it at 353 East Main Street in Hendersonville, Tennessee

Even though James Joyce is one of the most famous Irish writers he’s actually buried in Zurich, Switzerland. A small statue of the poet in Fluntern Cemetery is the only thing to indicate his grave. Joyce died after undergoing surgery in Switzerland in 1941.

Find it at Zurichbergstrasse, Zurichberg, Switzerland

 

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