Far Beyond Borders

World's 5 Smallest Countries

1- Vatican City

0.2 square miles - The world's smallest state, the Vatican has a population of 770, none of whom are permanent residents. The tiny country which surrounds St. Peter's Basilica is the spiritual center for the world's Roman Catholics (over 1 billion strong). Also known as the Holy See, Vatican City is surrounded by Rome, Italy.

Vatican City

2- Monaco

0.7 square miles - The tiny state of Monaco lies along the French Riviera on the French Mediterranean coast near Nice. An impressive 32,000 people live in this state known for its Monte Carlo casinos and Princess Grace. It has been independent off-and-on since the 13th century.

Monaco

3- Nauru

8.5 square miles - The 13,000 residents of the Pacific island Nauru rely on diminishing phosphate deposits. The state became independent in 1968 and was formerly known as Pleasant Island.

Nauru

4- Tuvalu

9 square miles - Tuvalu is composed of 9 coral atolls along a 360 mile chain in Polynesia. They gained independence in 1978. The former Ellice Islands are home to 12,000.

Tuvalu

5- San Marino

24 square miles - Located on Mt. Titano in north central Italy, San Marino has 29,000 residents. The country claims to be the oldest state in Europe, having been founded in the fourth century.

San Marino

The Longleat Maze (the longest maze in the world)

If you've been looking for the perfect place to get lost on your next vacation, look no further than the village of Horningsham, England, where the garden of the Longleat stately home is ready to let you get lost in the truest sense of the word.

The Longleat Maze, designed and created in 1975, is the longest hedge maze in the world, spanning a length of a whopping 2.72 kilometers over 1 and a half acres. Consisting of some 16,000 English yews that stand eight feet tall, it's easy to see why the incredible maze has "help boxes" scattered throughout its interior. If you lose your way in here, you could quite easily be lost for hours, especially considering that a successful navigation with no mistakes can take around an hour.

The maze is so massive that it requires a team of six gardeners wielding high powered hegde trimmers to keep in check. Their rounds last nearly a month, and they perform their exhausting duties twice a year.

Want to try your luck at the Longleat Maze? Just make your way to Horningsham, England, but bring your GPS just in case. Want some puzzles a bit closer to home? Visit Room Escape Adventures , where you and some friends will work to escape a room with a zombie slowly gaining on your team, or head to Wizard Quest, where you'll enter a fully-realized fantasy world that needs you brave magic spells, vicious goblins, and mysterious puzzles in order to escape.

Bristlecone pine Tree ( The Oldest Trees on Earth )

The Great Basin Bristlecone Pines, or Pinus longaeva, is a long-living species of tree found in the higher mountains of the southwest United States. Bristlecone pines grow in isolated groves in the arid mountain regions of six western states of America, but the oldest are found in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains of California. These trees have a remarkable ability to survive in extremely harsh and challenging environment. In fact, they are believed to be the some of oldest living organisms in the world, with lifespans in excess of 5,000 years.

Bristlecone pines grow just below the tree line, between 5,000 and 10,000 feet of elevation. At these great heights, the wind blows almost constantly and the temperatures can dip to well below zero. The soil is dry receiving less than a foot of rainfall a year. Because of these extreme conditions, the trees grow very slowly, and in some years don't even add a ring of growth. Even the tree's needles, which grow in bunches of five, can remain green for forty years.

Le Moulin Du ROC Hotel (Like in the Fairy Tales)

There's something wonderfully charming about vacationing in France, and it doesn't get more fairy tale classic than this rustic and enchanting mill-turned-resort. Even the name has a certain ring to it: Le Moulin Du Roc. But, nothing compares to the allure of the actual setting-- an idyllic 1670's mill in the French countryside on the babbling River Dronne. Swoon.

There are 15 rooms total in the resort, spread out across three buildings and several acres of captivating, bucolic gardens. Picturesque footpaths and lovely, cozy little staircases connect the rooms and buildings, and it makes exploring the grounds like something straight out of The Secret Garden. The rooms are all done up in beautiful vintage antiques and shabby chic period decor (and fear not, just because you're staying in a 17th century mill doesn't mean you won't have modern amenities!)

They've also got an award-winning restaurant on site and also offer cooking classes. Plus, since this is France, come ready to indulge in the finest alcoholic grape juices. They've got 900+ different varities of wine from across the globe, but they specialize in Bordeaux wines from France, which are best enjoyed over an evening meal next to the river. Plus, they've got a patio for enjoying a nice cigar afterwards!

Aurora Borealis

An aurora is a natural light display in the sky (from the Latin word Aurora "sunrise" or the Roman goddess of dawn),

Auroras are natural different colored light displays, which are usually observed in the night sky, particularly in the polar zone. In northern latitudes, it is known as the aurora borealis, named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas. It often appears as a greenish glow (or sometimes a faint red), as if the sun were rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis is also called the ‘northern lights’, as it is only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April.

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World’s Most Dangerous Hiking Trail

As wonderful as Chinese tea is, it is definitely not something you’d closely associate with exhilaration, adrenaline and the fear of death. Mt. Huashan in China, however, manages to bring all of these things together by featuring a death-defying cliff-side mountain climb that brings daring visitors to a tea house 2,160 m (7,087 ft) up on the mountain’s southern peak.

Mt. Huashan has been a place of religious importance since at least the 2nd century BCE, when a Daoist temple was established at its base. Since then, pilgrims, monks and nuns have inhabited the mountain and the surrounding area. A network of dangerous and precipitous trails allows them to access the mountain’s five summits, each of which has a religious structure like the tea house on the southern summit. Together, these five summits form the points of a flower shape.

The paths have been reinforced due to a recent influx of tourists, but they are nonetheless dangerous, and carry a reputation for fatal falls. Although no official statistics are kept, some say that the number may be as much as about 100 fatal falls a year. Some of the more dangerous parts of the trails have names like Thousand-Foot Precipice, Hundred-Foot Crevice and Black Dragon Ridge.

The surrounding area is fascinating as well. Mt. Huashan is located in the city of Huayin, which is considered the 3000-year-old cradle of Chinese culture and the site of the famous Terracotta Warriors.