“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” -St. Augustine.

Over this past summer, I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity of traveling around the United States and abroad to see some various national parks. Traveling abroad–and especially, traveling to areas of natural beauty carved out by Earth–always serve as a humble reminder of how little we’ve seen and how important global conservation efforts are. I’d like to think that my summer’s travels to China and Hawaii have opened a little bit more of that book, and it’s with great pleasure that I share some of the pictures from the trip.

When we think of China, one of the images that might come to mind involves congested streets and polluted air. Nothing could be further from the truth at Jiuzhaigou National Park, a stunningly beautiful World UNESCO Heritage Site and World Biosphere Reserve located in Sichuan Province. The best way I can think of describing the scenery at Jiuzhaigou is by pointing our readers to the movie Avatar. Think of the colors in that movie. And enough jabbering–I’ll let the sample of pictures speak for themselves (and no, the coloration is not fake, nor was any Photoshop used!)

I couldn’t believe my eyes: the water was extraordinarily clear yet had such a vibrant blue.

The color of the lakes and ponds at Jiuzhaigou may remind our readers of Banff.

One of many waterfalls at Jiuzhaigou. You can hear them before you see them.

The Sichuan region of China is as naturally beautiful as it is culturally vibrant. Within Jiuzhaigou, several Tibetan settlements thrive. Above, a visitor spins a Tibetan prayer wheel.