Author: Rudina Hoxha
Place: Albania
Date: 7 September 2011

When night fell, they would read Lord Byron’s poetry and excerpts from the diary of his friend, John Cam Hobhouse. When the sun rose, they would jump on their horses and rode the paths the British poet took in 1809 in southern Albania.

This was the premise of the 10-day horseback riding expedition, the first of its kind ever organised in the country by the Albanian historian, journalist and tourism promoter, Auron Tare. The expedition took place in mid-July 2011. Fourteen professional and amateur British riders participated. Among the participants was Alexandra Mommersteeg, who is known in the UK for organizing the Royal Ascot, a race opened by the Queen of England and attended by many British notables.

Author: Emrah Güler
Place: Turkey
Date: 22 March 2011

“Every summer, hundreds of tourists from various countries flock to Dalyan to see the nests of the loggerhead sea turtles, otherwise known as Caretta caretta. While this generates an impressive amount of income for local tourism, it also endangers the environment and the wellbeing of the sea turtles, as well as the hatchlings coming out of their nests,” says Ali Fuat Canbolat, PhD, the leading expert in Turkey in the field of the protection of sea turtles for more than two decades now.

Author: Emrah Güler
Place: Turkey
Date: 22 March 2011

Turkey’s southwest coastal town of Dalyan is one of the few places where the visitor will not see an increasing number of luxury hotels towering over the natural wonders. The town owes the relatively restrained development of hotels around the area to its oldest residents, the loggerhead sea turtles...

Author: Svetlana Djordjević
Place: Serbia
Date: 10 March 2011

There is a long tradition of beekeeping in Serbia and, thanks to the local climate, the honey from Serbia is of a high quality. The most common varieties are locust, linden, and sunflower honey, but there is also the kind that the bees make from rapeseed and smaller quantities of meadow and forest honey. 

Author: Dinko Gruhonjić
Place: Serbia
Date: 09 March 2011

The special nature reserve of Gornje Podunavlje in northwest Serbia (province of Vojvodina) is one of the pearls of this region located along the Danube river. The reserve is what remains of what were once wide flood plains of the Danube Basin region, which in 1989 was internationally recognized as an important bird area (IBA). 

Author: Ahmet Özcan
Place: Turkey
Date: 06 Match 2011

In summer 2007, photographer Milan Radisics travelled to Turkey to take pictures in Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the country's most important tourist centres. The result was a series of stunning nature photography. “I was really impressed with Cappadocia in terms of natural stone formations and of course in terms of history. The area gave me the feeling of being on a different planet, but the directness and kindness of its people put me back to the feeling that I was nonetheless walking on the earth.” 
 

Author: Valentina Bulatović
Place: Montenegro
Date: 11 March 2011

Mount Durmitor is the hub of Montenegrin mountain tourism, in the winter attracting avid skiers and, increasingly, snowboarders, with hiking and recreational sports taking over in the summer.

Author: Valentina Bulatović
Place: Montenegro
Date: 13 March 2011

Spanning 390 km2 in Montenegro's northwest lies the Durmitor National Park, which home to such natural beauties that UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1980. The park takes its name from Mount Durmitor, which in turn is often said to mean "mountain full of water" in Celtic.

Author: Valentina Bulatović
Place: Montenegro
Date: 08 March 2011

The Rijeka Crnojevića (Crnojevića River) lies in northern Montenegro where it originates below the Obod Mountain, by the Obod cave, as a strong spring. Initially eastbound, after 3.5 km it turns north and follows a large loop that ends in the southeast, taking the river to its final destination in Skadar Lake. With no major tributaries to speak of, the 13-km river's watershed is mostly indeterminable - being possibly some 70 km2. However short, Rijeka Crnojevića is rich in islands and is one of Montenegro's rare rivers that are navigable after their first kilometer.

Author: Daniela Marinković    
Place: Bosnia and Hezegovina
Date: 16 March 2011

The Trebižat river, the largest tributary of the Neretva, runs through Bosnia and Herzegovina . It surfaces and goes underground many times, which is why it has several different names. In the municipality of Ljubuško, the Trebižat creates two attractive wonders of nature: the Kravice and Kočuša waterfalls.

Author: Daniela Marinković    
Place: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date: 09 March 2010

Not far from the Adriatic Sea, some kilometers inland behind the city of Split, lies the Livno field. It is the largest marshland of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on an average altitude of 720 meters above sea level. The field measures 450 square kilometers and harbours a great natural variety. A number of rare bird species have found their home there, such as the Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus), the Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina), the Common Redshank (Tringa totanus), the Common snipe (Gallinago gallinago), the Great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) and the Corncrake (Crex crex).     

Author: Daniela Marinković    
Place: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date: 15 March 2011

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a land riddled with spectacular rivers that make it a most attractive destination when it comes to rafting and fishing. On the way to Mostar, tourists will be directed to the picnic area of the Kravica waterfalls, located on the Trebižat River near Ljubuško. Tourists from Italy, Slovakia, Poland and Czech Republic frequently visit here.     

Author: Refki Alija
Place: Kosovo*
Date: 13 March 2011

The Šar Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Kosovo along the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. About 85 kilometers in length, they feature over 100 peaks of over 2,000 metres and some 30 peaks higher than 2,500 meters. The Kosovo part of the range is dominated by Bistre, a peak that towers 2,651 meters above sea level.

Author: Béatrice André
Place: The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia**
Date: 09 March 2011

The quiet surface of Lake Prespa has lain still for three million years. Countless butterflies and birds swirl around or slip through its reeds. Surrounding it, the Galičica and Pelister mountain ranges let sun rays break through them and reflect off the water. Prespa, together with its twin lake Ohrid, are among the world’s richest lakes in terms of biodiversity, together with lake Bajkal in Russia, lake Victoria in eastern Africa, and lake Titicaca in northern Latin America.

Author: Risto Karajkov
Place: Croatia
Date: 14 March 2011

A century ago it was the most important and most common species of cattle in eastern Croatia, in the regions such as Baranja, Srem, and Slavonia. In the Podravina region it even accounted for 90% of all oxen. Today, it is almost extinct. There are only some 150-180 representatives of Slavonian–Syrmian cattle (Slavonski podolac) left in Croatia.

Author: Risto Karajkov
Place: Croatia
Date: 14 March 2011

Its splendour is breathtaking. It is no exaggeration to say that it is one of the most beautiful places in Europe and beyond. When UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site back in 1979, it cited its “outstanding natural beauty”.

Author: Rudina Hoxha
Place: Albania
Date: 10 March 2011

“When I found myself in Llogara national park, my wish was to have bigger and stronger feet to be able to walk all over the place,” says Jane, a U.S. tourist who visited Llogara Pass National Park in early March 2011.

Author: Rudina Hoxha
Place: Albania
Date: 10 March 2011

“Syri i kaltër” (Blue Eye) is the biggest out of 18 springs which surface from the earth some 25 km away from Saranda, in the south of Albania.