Author: Ms. R.

Just over two hours from the city of Maseru, the narrow Subeng River in northern Lesotho has been home to a series of fossilized dinosaur prints for hundreds of millions of years. The reward for wading across the shallow water is a chance to get up close and personal with the tracks of several types of dinos, including the unique three-toed prints of the chicken-sized Lesothosaurus. The fossilized footprints were first identified as dinosaur tracks in 1955. Footprints from……

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On the northeast tip of the Grande Comore island, a rocky protrusion jutting out into the Indian Ocean, curling into the lapping waves. Locals have long referred to the natural feature as “Dos du Dragon,” or the dragon’s back. The ridge is dotted with free-standing stones that take on the appearance of a dragon’s nubby spine. Even the moss encasing the stones helps to sell the look, creating the appearance of a verdant set of scales. All three of……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we tell the story of a satellite scientist and a ship captain in search of gigantic swaths of bioluminescence that radiate up from the surface of the sea over thousands of square miles. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and……

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Architect Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis was one of the best-known students of Luis Barragán, Mexico‘s only Pritzker Prize-winning architect. While Legorreta’s works normally followed several of the characteristics of Barragán’s Tapatía School of Architecture (blocky volumes, minimalism, and bright colors), others such as the Celanese Building break from tradition but are still notable. Designed in collaboration with Roberto Jean, and with a height of almost 55 meters (180 feet), the building was finished in 1968. The tower is known for……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we step inside the Theater of Electricity in Boston and learn about the World’s Largest Air-Insulated Van Der Graaf Generator. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Join……

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Just south of the bustling streets of Berlin is an unusual park filled with decaying railway cars and art installations. The site originally housed the Tempelhof railway switchyard, constructed in the late 19th-century and completed in 1889. Throughout the early 20th century, the area boomed with industrial growth and the roar of steam engines.  Following World War II, the railyard was gradually decommissioned and finally closed in 1952.  Decades of non-use allowed nature to reclaim the site.  Local citizens,……

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Garron Point is just one of the many spectacular headlands along the Antrim Coast Road and the wonderful Glens of Antrim. From this location, visitors are treated to views of the Scotland Coastline such as the Mull of Kintyre and the island of Ailsa Craig, along with unprecedented views of the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Garron Point is located just north of the beautiful stone harbor village of Carnlough and is part of……

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Roberto Villanueva glances in the rearview mirror of his taxi as he turns onto a side street heading toward Macuiltépetl, an ecological reserve on a mountain in the center of Xalapa. He’s been driving a cab here in the state capital of Veracruz, Mexico, for 35 years, and has most routes through the city committed to memory. “Almost muscle memory,” he says. That’s no small feat in Xalapa, a sprawling, hilly city of 750,000. Xalapa’s streets evolved centuries before……

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A few miles west of the bustling Nepali city of Biratnagar and just north of the Indian border is this small lake system that teems with birds and wildlife. Barju Taal, sometimes called Chimdi Taal, is comprised of just over 250 acres of wetlands but hosts more than 500 bird species, and at peak festival times hosts up to 150,000 picnickers. The lake is partially handcrafted and undergoes periodic improvements to accommodate the ever-burgeoning collection of visitors. While birding……

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The area around Guadalajara, one of Mexico‘s most populated cities, has historically been well-known for its pottery and ceramic traditions. In Tlaquepaque, formerly a town but now absorbed into the metropolis, a regional museum has been showcasing clay crafts since 1954. Tonalá, far enough from the city proper to be distinct, but still within range of its metropolitan area, is home to the National Museum of Ceramics. With two museums dedicated to the same subject within such a relatively……

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Literally meaning “fishing boat shrine,” Tsuribune Shrine is a little spot located on the grounds of Kochi Hachimangu Shrine, in the city of Kochi. According to legend, a long time ago when fishing boats went out into the bay beyond the Mimase district of Kochi City, there would be huge schools of little whiting fish. One day when fishermen pulled up their nets, among the fish there was a sacred Shinto object, which was enshrined here. Since that time,……

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