Canoeing through the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, we enter a strange, new world, a habitat for water fowl, wading birds, as well as for river otters and alligators. It´s the largest national wildlife refuge in the eastern United States.

Come to Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft Park, one of Africa’s largest conservation areas, to experience its sand dunes, among the world’s highest. Watch the sunrise create dramatic shadows on the dunes, hike the slopes and find out about the lizards, chameleons and other creatures that live in dunes.

It was the Turquoise Coast that drew us to Turkey, but we also became enamored of Istanbul, a city of imposing mosques and graceful minarets that’s home to the sprawling Grand Bazaar and the impressive Topkapi Palace.

The Shelburne Museum, dubbed “New England’s Smithsonian, is an extraordinary find. You could spend the day browsing the collections of American folk art, artifacts and architecture, including an historic steamboat, an authentic lighthouse, a covered bridge and paintings by well-known artists.

Island hop on St. Vincent and the Grenadines and you discover misty waterfalls on St. Vincent, sun drenched beaches on the Tobago Cays, green lawns and laid-back charm on Bequia, plus, throughout the region, reefs rich with rainbow-colored fish and coral.

The Riviera Maya, which stretches along Mexico’s coast for 86-miles from just south of Puerto Morelos to Punta Allen, is known for its hundreds of cenotes. However, Río Secreto, opened to the public in April 2008,is a jewel in region’s extensive system of underground rivers.

Panama´s easily accessible Soberania National Park, a 55,000 acre tropical rainforest 30 minutes from downtown Panama City, offers hiking trails, spectacular birding and great wildlife viewing.

Nevis, an off-the-beaten-path Caribbean getaway,is often dubbed the “nature island.” Nevis’s charm stems from its blend of rain forest and beach on an island with a population of around 11,000, big enough to support nice hotels but small enough to escape traffic jams and major malls

Etosha National Park takes us by surprise. Springbok prance across the plains, lions linger in tall grass meadows, giraffe munch acacia trees and elephants stretch their trunks into the silvery coolness of waterholes. Namibia’s jewel, Etosha reigns as one of Africa’s largest game parks.

Mexico’s Riviera Maya is known for its hundreds of cenotes, or underground rivers. At Xplor, a $20 million eco-adventure park, raft through a winding cenote, at Rio Secreto walk and swim and at Alux, dine inside one.