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Top 10 Google Map Adventures of 2015: Photos : DNews

Dec 13, 2015 03:45 PM ET // by Alyssa Danigelis

It’s been quite the year for armchair travel. GoogleMaps cameras took the path less traveled, scalingdizzying cliffs with climbers, hitching a horse-drawnride across a frozen lake, hiking to Machu Piccu(above) and ziplining through the Amazon.

First launched in the U.S. back in 2007, GoogleStreet View is now providing 360-degreepanoramas on every continent. In the comingmonths, Google plans to expand Street Views inIndia, trek through the Northern British Columbiawilderness and map remote areas in Ireland.

Explorers can borrow a camera through the , which is an effortGoogle Street View Trekker Loan Programto share new perspectives with the world. While we await the next adventures, here’s a look back at theones Google introduced in 2015.

GoogleRide a Horse-Drawn Sled in Mongolia

Over the summer, Google introduced Street Viewsfrom their 3,000-mile journey .through MongoliaThe previous fall, the team had bolted the camerato a rugged pickup truck, but they frequently foundthemselves far from actual roads.

At times their trekker Ariuntuul strapped the camerato her back and hiked along. At another point theyhauled the camera on the back of a horse-drawnsled to cross Khuvsgul Lake, which had become afrozen solid block.

The journey also took them through the Gobi Desert, where they encountered locals taming wild horses.“On the opposite side of the country, closer to Mongolia’s border with Russia, the ‘roads’ look a littledifferent in the winter,” Street View program manager Cynthia Wei wrote on . The StreetGoogle’s blogView showed their pickup truck’s deep tracks in seemingly endless snow.

GoogleRaft a River

Dinosaurs once roamed the land in Colorado andUtah near the Yampa River. Nearly 1,500 of theirfossils are still in one large cliff at Dinosaur NationalMonument. The area’s famous canyons are also ascenic draw for hikers and whitewater rafters.

A team from the nonprofit conservation organization

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A team from the nonprofit conservation organizationAmerican Rivers and the rafting outfitter O.A.R.S.borrowed the Google Street View Trekker cameraand , capturing panoramic rivermounted it on a raftviews for a 72-mile stretch of the river. They wantedto spotlight the waterway’s natural beauty.

“We hope this inspires viewers from around theworld to take an active interest in exploring,protecting, and participating in this beautiful intactecosystem,” Google Earth Outreach programmanager .Karin Tuxen-Bettman said at the timeMapping the Yampa was their second River View

project after following the endangered Colorado River through the .Grand Canyon in 2014

GoogleGo on an Elephant Safari

In the fall, Google released Street View of Kenya forthe first time. The maps included the SamburuNational Reserve and a chance to see elephants upclose with the organization Save the Elephants,which has been studying the animals for 20 years.They’re helping the elephant population recoverfrom ivory poaching.

Inside the Reserve, a Google camera was attachedto one of the organization’s research vehicles. Theelephants there are so accustomed to seeing the

truck that they come right up to it. On this virtual tour, viewers get to know some of the elephants by name.

“While you make your journey through Street View, you may be surprised what awaits,” David Daballen,head of field operations at Save the Elephants, wrote on . The elephants aren’t alone outGoogle’s blogthere. Samburu warriors, a leopard, and even a pride of lions appear in the frame.

GoogleVisit Jordan's Ancient City

More than 2,000 years ago, a group of peoplecalled the Nabataeans carved a city called Petrainto brightly colored sandstone rock faces. Now thisiconic area, considered to be among the world’sgreatest wonders, is accessible on Google StreetView.

Visiting Petra this way is essentially anaudio-guided walking tour. The city’s sites arenarrated by Queen Rania Al Abdullah, who alsohelped consult on the project. “People all over the

world now have a window into our beautiful Kingdom in the heart of the Middle East,” she wrote on .Google’s blog

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.Google’s blog

Her silky voice takes virtual visitors from Petra’s main sandstone gateway all the way to the large Al-Diermonastery, which is surrounded by cliffs that form a natural amphitheater. Movie buffs might recognize theintricately carved rock face at Al Khazna, known as The Treasury, from Indiana Jones and the LastCrusade.

GoogleRock Climb

Long before it became an operating system forApple computers, El Capitan in Yosemite NationalPark was a rock climber’s dream. Soaring 3,000feet high, this spectacular rock formation is theworld’s largest granite monolith, the National ParkService .boasts

World-renowned rock climbers Lynn Hill, TommyCaldwell, and Alex Honnold took Google’s cameraalong for (video). The views aren’t justtheir ascentpanoramic. The photos they captured are part of an

interactive journey that begins at the base, where the climbers ready their gear. Audio clips and videosaccompany the panoramas.

Hill free-climbed The Nose route on El Cap in 1993 -- a feat many told her would be impossible. Caldwelldid the first ascent of the nearby Dawn Wall, considered the hardest big wall climb in the world. Honnoldclimbed El Cap by himself in five hours, mostly without a rope.

“I think it’s very human to want to explore something that’s unknown,” Hill told Google. “Once you step offthe ground, you have to navigate whatever challenges come your way.”

GoogleHang Out with Giant Tortoises

We almost lost the giant tortoises that helped givethe Galápagos Islands their name. For centuriesthey were over-exploited by humans and targetedby predators. The Galápagos Conservancy

that between 100,000 and 200,000 wereestimateslost. Several species were on the brink of extinction.

But determined conservation efforts saved thesegentle giants, which have an impressive ability tosurvive without food or water for up to a year. Twoyears ago, Google along with the Charles Darwin

Foundation and Galápagos National Park showing the diverse localcollected 360-degree panoramaswildlife and landscapes.

A second Google project began in 2014 to map the giant tortoise’s habitat. The Street View Trekker evengot to visit areas that are off limits to tourists, project lead Raleigh Seamster . Thosetold Outside Magazineunique images were released in September 2015. Now anyone can see the thriving tortoises having asnack or traversing the islands.

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GoogleHike an Incan Empire

Rising nearly 8,000 feet above sea level in themiddle of a tropical mountain forest, the Peruvianhistorical site Machu Picchu has been called one ofthe world’s greatest wonders. Winding walls,terraces, and buildings are lasting evidence of theInca Empire.

The site’s exact purpose remains a mystery, but thebreathtaking views from its stone steps don’t haveto be since Google added a Machu Picchu StreetView in December. Google Maps Tech Lead Daniel

Filip told that the team had been working on getting permission for years.The Guardian

Crisscrossing the sacred World Heritage site with the heavy high-resolution camera took seven days. Theteam also went inside the , where virtual visitors can click on moreMuseo Machupicchu at Casa Conchathan 130 artifacts to learn about their significance. “Machu Picchu, a true wonder of the world, is now just aclick away,” Filip wrote .on Google’s blog

GoogleZipline the Amazon

Want to get lost in the Amazon rainforest? Well, it’ll be harder now with Google Street View. For the firsttime, their bright green and black Trekker camera took a zipline to record images.

The Amazon rainforest-mapping project was done in partnership with the Amazonas SustainableFoundation to show off the forest’s wonder and open a window onto conservation efforts there. AlthoughGoogle’s cameras have been photographing the rainforest since 2010, they hadn’t been on a ziplinebefore. This custom one allowed the Trekker to reach 62 miles per hour, .the BBC reported

Overhead, the tree canopies are so thick they nearly blot out the sun. Below, the mossy trunks of oldgrowth trees and hanging vines provide perfect hiding spots for the millions of flora and fauna that thrivethere.

Besides ziplining, Google Map visitors can float down rivers that connect to one of the Amazon’s largesttributaries, and virtually hike more than 12 miles of trails. Fortunately, as Google Earth’s KarinTuxen-Bettman , you can leave the bug repellent at home.pointed out

GoogleTrek Mount Kinabalu

Legend has it that spirits roam the top of Malaysia’shighest peak, Mount Kinabalu. The name itself issaid to come from “Chinese widow” after a taleabout a woman hiked up daily for a glimpse of herdeparted husband. The spirits, touched by herdevotion, ultimately turned her into stone at thesummit.

Her vantage point can now be yours, without having

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Her vantage point can now be yours, without havingto pay for a climbing permit or jump through anybureaucratic hoops. In October, Google releasedviews from the mountain’s 13,400-foot-high graniteperch. “Scaling the Mount Kinabalu peak is eventougher with an 18-kg Trekker on your back,” localoperations lead Nhazlisham Hamdan captioned aphoto showing the ascent on .Google’s blog

Street View visitors can also make their way downvirtually along rope lines into Kinabulu Park, hometo orangutans and the fleshy red ,Rafflesia arnoldiithe world’s largest flower. The nature-filled views

continue down the Kinabatangan River and into the clear blue waters around Mabul and Mataking Islands.

GoogleExplore Middle Earth

When director Peter Jackson was looking forplaces to film his Lord of the Rings movies, NewZealand was a natural stand-in for Middle Earth.The country’s lush landscapes, alpine peaks, andnative forests formed the perfect backdrops.

In real life, the country boasts several “GreatWalks” -- multi-day treks to scenic remote areas.New Zealand’s Department of Conservation andGoogle collaborated on hauling the Trekker cameraout to .seven Great Walks

From Street View, visitors can now see the country’s tallest waterfall, cross a giant suspension bridge, andamble through the mossy forest along . While the Google team didn’t spot any hobbits, theyHeaphy Trackdid come across adorable baby seals in the wilderness.