NZ-168480 Winter farming in the Canterbury Plains, South Island, New Zealand

This postcard showing a wintry scene came from Jannelee (14 July 2017). The postcard depicts sheep farming in the Canterbury Plains with Mount Hutt in the background.
The Canterbury Plains are centred to the south of the city of Christchurch located in the South Island of New Zealand.  Mount Hutt rises to the west of the Canterbury Plains.

PT-524633 Sugarloaf Mountin (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Sugarloaf Mountain (Portuguese: Pão de Açúcar) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising 396 m (1,299 ft) above the harbour, its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar. It is known worldwide for its cableway and panoramic views of the city.

Together with Urca Hill Natural Monument, Sugarloaf Mountain became a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in 2012. (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Analia (20 June 2017) of Portugal who was visiting Brazil.
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NZ-166130 Waitomo Glow Worm Caves at Waitomo, New Zealand

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves attraction is a cave at Waitomo on the North Island of New Zealand. It is known for its population of Arachnocampa luminosa, a glowworm species found exclusively in New Zealand. This cave is part of the Waitomo Caves system that includes the Ruakuri Cave and the Aranui Cave.

This postcard came from Gordon (3 June 2017)

ID-167801 A view of Mt Bromo, Mt Bromo and Mt Semeru

Mount Bromo (2329 m 7,641 ft) is  the only active volcano inside East Java's spectacular Tengger Caldera national park. Mt Bromo volcano is a scenic tourist destination. The volcano is noted for its spectacular sunrises, and majestic views across to Semeru volcano to the south.

Mount Semeru (3,676 m 12,060 ft) is an active volcano and it is the highest mountain on the island of Java. This stratovolcano is also known as Mahameru, meaning 'The Great Mountain.

Mount Batok (2,470m 8,104 ft) is a mountain located close to Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru. 
  

This postcard came from Brenda (8 March 2016) Postcrossing.

RU-4382794 The highest volcano in Kamchatka - Klyuchevskaya Sopka

The volcanoes of Kamchatka are a large group of volcanoes situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Kamchatka River and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large volcanic belts containing around 160 volcanoes, 29 of them still active. The peninsula has a high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 29 active volcanoes being included in the six UNESCO World Heritage List sites in the Volcanoes of Kamchatka group, most of them on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The highest volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4,750 m or 15,584 ft), the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere. Klyuchevskaya Sopka (Russian: Ключевская сопка) is a stratovolcano. Its steep, symmetrical cone towers about 100 kilometres (60 mi) from the Bering Sea. 

This postcard came from Olga (7 March 2016) Postcrossing.

TW-1725544 Qilai Mountain (奇萊山) in Taiwan

Qilai Mountain (奇萊山) is a mountain in the Central Mountain Range and is located in Hualien, Taiwan. Its highest point, the Northern Peak 奇莱北峰, is 3,607 m (11,834 ft) above sea level. Qilai Mountain (奇萊山) is named after the Sakizaya people.
This postcard came from Spring (4 December 2015) Postcrossing.

CN-1764402 Yangshuo County 阳朔县 and its karst peaks

Yangshuo County 阳朔县 is a county under the jurisdiction of Guilin City 桂林市, in the northeast of Guangxi 广西, China. Yangshuo Town is surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River.  It is easily accessible by bus or by boat from nearby Guilin. The town has become a resort destination for both domestic and foreign travellers.There is a lot to explore in Yangshuo. The West Street of Yangshuo has become a must-visit place. The history of West Street dates back to over 1400 years ago. At that time, there were only a few grocery stores in the street. These days, it is a bustling place. The highlight of a Yangshuo visit is definitely the karst peaks.  The Chinese has described this place as the "finest under heaven".

This postcard shows the wonderful scenery of karst peaks.  This postcard came from Alistar (5 November 2015) Postcrossing.

Personal Note: In 2008, we flew to Hanoi, Vietnam and headed North into Guanxi Autonomous Region visiting both Guilin and Yangshuo.

US-3598927 DE-4546752 US-5370783 Denali (Mount McKinley) highest mountain peak in North America

Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190.5 m) above sea level. It is located in the Alaska Range in the interior of the U.S. state of Alaska. Denali is the centrepiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.

The Koyukon people who inhabit the area around the mountain have referred to the peak as "Denali" for centuries. In 1896, a gold prospector named it "Mount McKinley" in support of then-presidential candidate William McKinley; that name was the official name recognized by the United States government from 1917–2015. In August 2015, following the 1975 lead of the state of Alaska, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the change of the official name of the mountain to Denali.

Denali has two significant summits: the South Summit is the higher one, while the North Summit has an elevation of 19,470 ft (5,934 m). The North Summit is sometimes counted as a separate peak.

Five large glaciers flow off the slopes of the mountain. The Peters Glacier lies on the northwest side of the massif, while the Muldrow Glacier falls from its northeast slopes. Just to the east of the Muldrow, and abutting the eastern side of the massif, is the Traleika Glacier. The Ruth Glacier lies to the southeast of the mountain, and the Kahiltna Glacier leads up to the southwest side of the mountain. With a length of 44 mi (71 km), the Kahiltna Glacier is the longest glacier in the Alaska Range. Source: Wikipedia

Personal Note:

We saw Denali while travelling on Alaska Rail to Talkeetna.  But in the next few days when we were staying in Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, we could not see the mountain as it was hidden by its own clouds.

These two postcards came from Mindy P. (US-3598927) and Frank (DE-4546752) both Postcrossing.  I received a similar postcard to US-3598927 from Mike of Athens, GA (US-5370783, 3 July 2018) but this copy was badly eaten by the snails in my letterbox.

BG-65828 Belogradchik - the town and the famous Belogradchik Rocks

Belogradchik (Белоградчик) is a town in Vidin Province, Northwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of the homonymous Belogradchik Municipality. The town, whose name literally means "small white town," is situated in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains just east of the Serbian border and about 50 km south of the Danube River. The town is famous for its unique and impressive rock formations, the Belogradchik Rocks, which cover an area of 90 square kilometres and reach up to 200 metres in height. There are about 5,300 inhabitants in Belogradchik.

This postcard came from Diana (11 September 2015) Postcrossing and it shows the town as well as the Rocks.

SW FQ-537 Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Cabusilan Mountains on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Before the volcanic activities of 1991, its eruptive history was unknown to most people.

The volcano's eruption on 15 June 1991 produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in the Alaska Peninsula. The eruption produced high-speed avalanches of hot ash and gas, giant mudflows, and a cloud of volcanic ash hundreds of miles across. 847 people were killed.

The 1991 caldera afterwards filled with water from monsoon rains and a crater lake, Lake Pinatubo (seen in the postcard) was formed.

This postcard came from Joanna P. (8 September 2015) Swap-bot.

NO-113641 Lysefjord (with the Kjerag mountain and the rock of Preikestolen) Norway

Lysefjord is a fjord located in Forsand in Ryfylke in south-western Norway. The name means ‘light fjord’ and is said to be derived from the lightly coloured granite rocks along its sides. The fjord was carved by the action of glaciers in the ice ages and was flooded by the sea when the later glaciers retreated.

End to end, Lysefjord measures 42 km (26 mi) with rocky walls falling nearly vertically over 1000 m (3,000 ft) into the water. Because of the inhospitable terrain, the fjord is only lightly populated and only has two villages on its length - Forsand and Lysebotn, located at opposite ends of the fjord. The few people who live or lived along the fjord are only able to leave their homes by boat as the slopes are too steep for roads. Lysefjord is not only long and narrow, it is in places as deep as the mountains are high.

Lysefjord is an extremely popular tourist attraction and tourists come on day trip from nearby Stavanger. As well as the extraordinary scenery of the fjord itself, two points along its length are popular side trips. The rock of Preikestolen (see insert on postcard), located above a vertical drop of 604 meters can be seen from the fjord but is more impressive from above. At the end of the fjord lies the Kjerag mountain, a popular hiking destination with even more spectacular drops. (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Lillian (16 July 2015) Postcrossing.

US-3488615 Monument Rocks, Kansas

Monument Rocks (also known as Chalk Pyramids) are a series of large chalk formations in Gove County, Kansas. The rocks are rich in fossils. The chalk formations reach a height of up to 70 ft. and include formations such as buttes and arches. The Monument Rocks are estimated to have been formed 80 million years ago.

On January 29, 2008, Monument Rocks and Castle Rock 31 miles to the east were jointly named as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas.

This postcard came from Marcia (24 July 2015) Postcrossing.

DE-4342857 The Kurşunlu Waterfall (Kurşunlu Şelalesi) in Antalya, Turkey

The Kurşunlu Waterfall (Turkish: Kurşunlu Şelalesi) is located 19 km from Antalya, Turkey.  Unfortunately this waterfall is reduced to a mere trickle in the summer months.

The waterfall is on one of the tributaries of the Aksu River, where the tributary drops from Antalya's plateau to the coastal plain. It is situated in the midst of a pine forest of exceptional beauty and the environs provide a picnic and pleasure spot about twenty minutes by car from the centre of the city of Antalya.

This postcard came from Christine (21 July 2015) Postcrossing.

FR-548240 Various structures and views of the Karkonosze mountains

The Karkonosze (English: Giant Mountains) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland.. The Czech-Polish border, which divides the historic regions of Bohemia and Silesia, runs along the main ridge. The highest peak, Sněžka is the Czech Republic's highest point with an elevation of 1,603 metres (5,259 ft).( See:  http://flynnfrogg.blogspot.sg/2015/04/cz-624385-snezka-highest-point-in-czech.html )

On both sides of the border, large areas of the mountains are designated national parks (the Krkonoše National Park in the Czech Republic and the Karkonosze National Park in Poland) and these together constitute a cross-border biosphere reserve under UNESCO. The River Elbe springs within the Karkonosze. The range has a number of major ski resorts, and is a popular destination for tourists engaging in downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, cycling and other activities.

This postcard from Edyta B. (14 July 2015) Postcrossing shows views of the Karkonosze Mountains. Panel 1 shows  St. Lawrence chapel on the highest peak of the Karkonosze Mountains - Sněžka Mountain.

Panel 2 shows the mountain shelter "Silesian House"  This is a tourist shelter in the Karkonosze Mountains at an altitude of 1400 m.

The bottom panel shows the Wang stave church.

JP-695070 Nabegataki Falls

The area north of Mt Aso is well-known for its onsen baths but numerous waterfalls dot the hills as well.  One of these waterfalls is Nabegataki Falls. It is located in  Kumamoto prefecture.

The size of Nabegataki Falls is not large (10 metres in height, 10 metres in width) but it is beautiful. One can climb behind the waterfall to see how the water has carved out the rock over the years.and view the flowing water. Nabegataki Falls is a great spot for both amateur and professional photographers The light that filters through the trees creates an impressive backdrop.  The area lights up every year in May and the Nabegataki Falls freezes every winter, so there is a variety of views.

This postcard came from Satsuki (26 June 2015) Postcrossing.

WC 85-505 WC 95-535 El Capitan in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park in the central eastern portion of California, commonly referred to as Northern California. The park covers an area of 747,956 acres (302,687 ha). Over 3.7 million people visit Yosemite each year: most spend the majority of their time (including us) in the seven square miles (18 km²) of Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park was designated a World Heritage Site in 1984.

Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves and biological diversity.  One famous granite monolith is El Capitan which is a vertical rock formation located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. El Capitan extends about 3,000 feet (900 m) from base to summit along its tallest face.  Source: Wikipedia

Personal Note: These are the postcards which I would have love to buy (but could not find then) when we visited Yosemite in 2008.

The first postcard of El Capitan came from ShyAnn64 (30 June 2015) Swap-bot. The second postcard (featured below) came from Bianca (31 August 2015) Swap-bot.

 

HK-341982 Tai Mo Shan (大帽山)

Tai Mo Shan (大帽山) is the highest peak in Hong Kong, with an elevation of 957 m. It is located at approximately the geographical centre of the New Territories.

The Tai Mo Shan Country Park covers an area of 14.40 km² around Tai Mo Shan. It is located to the north of Tai Lam Country Park. It is noted to have the 35-metre Long Falls, the highest waterfall in Hong Kong.

As a former volcano, that has long been extinct, Tai Mo Shan is composed of volcanic rocks from the Jurassic age. Today a small hill that is part of Tai Mo Shan, known as "Kwun Yum Shan", still vents warm air though cracks in the rocks that lead all the way to the mantle. The holes that exhale warm air are known as "hot pots". When the surface temperature is cold, and the warmth of the expelled air is clearly discernible, this phenomenon is referred to by locals as "dragon's breath". If the air temperature at the summit is 6 degrees Celsius, then the air emerging from the interior of Kwun Yum Shan is somewhere between 13 and 21 degrees Celsius. These "hot pots" are now just mild remnants of the intense superheated steam vents of the volcanic past. The volcanic rocks are mainly coarse ash crystal tuff.

In the past, Tai Mo Shan was famous for a type of green tea, called mist or cloud tea, which grew wild on the mountain side. Occasionally, local people can still be seen picking the tea shoots for brewing green tea.

Source: Wikipedia

This postcard came from Augustus (3 June 2015) Postcrossing.

US-3338241 WC 88-514 Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. It is at a surface elevation of 6,225 ft (1,897 m) and is located along the border between California and Nevada. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is 1,645 ft (501 m), making it the second deepest in the United States after Crater Lake (1,945 ft (593 m)).

The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin with the modern lake being shaped during the ice ages. It is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides. The area surrounding the lake is also referred to as Lake Tahoe, or simply Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe is a major tourist attraction in both Nevada and California. It is home to a number of ski resorts, summer outdoor recreation, and tourist attractions. Snow and skiing are a significant part of the area's economy and reputation.[ Mountain and lake scenery are attractions throughout the year. The Nevada side also includes large casinos.

This postcard showing Lake Tahoe in winter came from Renae (May 2015) Postcrossing.

This second postcard of Lake Tahoe came from Kelsey S. (26 June 2015) Swap-bot.

CZ-624385 CZ-644924 Sněžka - the highest point in the Czech Republic

Sněžka or Śnieżka is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Krkonoše mountains. At 1,603 metres (5,259 ft), its summit is the highest point in the Czech Republic

One side of the mountain is in Czech Republic; the other belongs to the Poland. The area is very popular in summer with tourists from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany who enjoy hiking in the alpine environment.

In 2004 a new post office and observation platform replaced an old post office and the remains of the Bohemian hut, which was closed since the 1980s. 

I have received two postcards of this Czech mountain. The first postcard came from Lucie (24 April 2015) Postcrossing and the second postcard came from Ota (25 May 2015) Postcrossing.

IT-311994 The Dolomites (Dolomiti)

The Dolomites (Italian: Dolomiti) are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east.

One national park and many other regional parks are located in the Dolomites. In August 2009, the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This mountain range is a tourist mecca, famous for skiing in the winter months and mountain climbing, hiking, cycling, and Base Jumping, as well as paragliding and hang gliding in summer and late spring/early autumn. Free climbing has been a tradition in the Dolomites since 1887. The main centres for tourism include: Rocca Pietore alongside the Marmolada Glacier, which lies on the border of Trentino and Veneto, the small towns of Alleghe, Falcade, Auronzo, Cortina d'Ampezzo and the villages of Arabba, Urtijëi and San Martino di Castrozza, as well as the whole of the Fassa, Gardena and Badia valleys.

This postcard came from Lamberto (16 April 2015) Postcrossing and interestingly, was sent with a Vatican City stamp.