Say hello to the Red Crab of Christmas Island. Around this time every year, Christmas Island - an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean - sees the annual migration of about 100 million Red Crabs from the forests to the sea to breed. This phenomenon has been called one of the wonders of the natural world. If you're keen to see it with your own eyes, the best spots to watch are said to be Flying Fish Cove, Ethel Beach and Greta Beach.

And onto the less fortunate Hairy Crab or Chinese Mitten Crab ("before" shot above, "after" shot below). Revered in Shanghai as the pinnacle of all culinary delicacies, especially for the female's roe, Hairy Crab Season is now in full swing. Chinese spend hundreds of yuan on this annual treat and restaurants in Shanghai and Hong Kong go into Hairy Crab menu overdrive.

Have you tried Hairy Crab or seen the Red Crab Migration on Christmas Island? We've love to hear about your experiences, please leave us a comment.

Photo Credits: "Red crab Christmas Island" by Peter from Perth; "A Crab Close-up" by triin; "Chinese Mitten Crab" by 囧-WQ-囧. Via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Angela Plumb, a tourist from the UK, captured this rare shot of a seven-month-old polar bear cub riding on its mother's back from a ship in the Svalbard archipelago - midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

The polar bear mother is wearing a radio collar, which prompted Mrs Plumb to contact Dr Jon Aars, from the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromso, to ask whether this was a common sighting.

"I hadn't seen this behaviour before or heard about it so I asked other researchers and found out it is something that has been observed but not frequently at all," Dr Aars says.

Via the BBC website.

By themanwithsalthair

Taking place in Cusco this week (24 June) is the festival of Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun. Inti Raymi pays homage to the Inca sun god, Inti, and marks the winter solstice.

Around 100,000 visitors flood into Cusco to mark the festival. To find out more about travelling to Cusco click here.

Today, the people of Pisa will honour their patron saint, Saint Ranieri, by lighting some 70,000 lumini (small glass lanterns) in the city's palazzi, along its bridges, and in the towers, as well as floating thousands of candles on the River Arno. The candles and lanterns create an incredible spectacle of light.

The Luminara di San Ranieri happens every year on 16th June.

Photo Credit: Luminara di San Ranieri by fcaboni via Flickr (Creative Commons).

This shot by frederic.salein depicts a scene that travellers to Botswana dream about encountering. Amazing light plus a stunning animal.

Check out AliceAfrica's two week African adventure travel itinerary here. For more information about the Chobe National Park click here.

This stunning shot by Ivan Makarov certainly offers a fresh perspective across Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah.

Ivan says: "This is by far the craziest and the most dangerous photo I have ever taken in my life. Brandon is sitting on the edge of the Dead Horse Point in Moab, Utah, and if he was to fall, he was to fly about 2,000 feet down."

Now is the time to head to Japan to see the Cherry Blossom in full bloom.

We love this shot, by skyseeker, of Mount Fuji though the pink branches of a Cherry tree.

For Japan travel itinerary ideas click here.

Budapest is one of the most impressive places to see the Danube River as it winds its course from the Black Forest to the Black Sea.

This shot shows off the stunning Széchenyi Chain Bridge, which joins Buda to Pest.

For more photos of world landmarks click here.

Photo Credit: Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary by SF Brit

It's -2 degrees in London today. Although it's not snowing (yet) this shot of Big Ben under a dusting of snow seems both apt and festive!

Photo by Andifeelfine via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Yunnan Province, China, is featured in Lonely Planet's "Best in Travel 2009" book, and the famed Tiger Leaping Gorge epitomises the region's beauty.

This shot, "Heavy Traffic" by Kiwi Mikex, highlights the Tiger Leaping Gorge's stunning views and serenity.

For more travel photography and world landmarks visit http://www.iloho.com/landmarks.

This shot, taken by Nature Explorer has got me wide-eyed and frantically trying to plan a holiday to Lombok.

Nature Explorer says the image was shot at Kuta Beach at "a unique moment" when the sea water level was so low you could "see the seaweed, all coral and small fish in the bottom of the sea". Apparently this happens on only 6 days per year.

Wow.

Boxing kangaroos 2 by aaardvaark is today's hottest shot. Why? Well because Captain Kangaroo premiered on this day in 1955.

Kind of tentative, we know, but we thought this picture was great!

Volcano and Arch by David A G Wilson has given us itchy feet today.

If you're lucky enough to have a trip to Antigua in the pipeline you should check out the stunning Casa Encantada boutique hotel, which is right in the centre of this 16th century colonial town (and UNESCO World Heritage Site). Bag the rooftop suite for USD 195 per night and enjoy views across to the Agua volcano (pictured above). Caramba!

Doesn't this shot by solea20 make you want to pack your bags straight away and jump on the next plane to Morocco?

I'm dying to know what's behind those doors. When I was on a train from Tangiers to Fez in 2001 a teacher told me that all doors in Morocco - whether they lead to a riad or a ruin - look the same. This is because Islamic culture frowns on the showing off of wealth.

So, in Marrakesh the most stunning palaces are hidden behind unassuming doors. I wonder what lies behind these.

As there is yet another typhoon over Hong Kong at the moment we're in a stormy, rainy mood. We liked this shot, taken by Mainephotonut, called "Stormy Day at Pemequid"

Where is Pemequid you might ask... Well, it's here:

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