101 Amazing Places Around The World To Visit Before You Die
Story by Karlina Valeiko • 1mo
101 Amazing Places Around The World To Visit Before You Die
Story by Karlina Valeiko • 1mo
What a wonderful world©THONGCHAI.S/Shutterstock
From jaw-dropping natural wonders to stunning man-made structures and everything in between, our world is jam-packed with gorgeous sights everywhere you look. Whether it's canyons, waterfalls and mountains or quaint towns, impressive buildings and historic cities, there's plenty on the planet to please the eye.
Join us on an armchair tour of the world's 101 most beautiful places.
Zhangye National Geopark, Gansu Province, China©THONGCHAI.S/Shutterstock
The rainbow-hued mountains in Zhangye National Geopark look just like an artist's paint palette. Part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site, this stunning formation was created by natural erosion, when layers of sand, silt, iron and minerals blended together to create a kaleidoscope of colours. The incredible park appears to have been decorated by Mother Nature herself.
Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA©Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock
The valleys of Antelope Canyon in Arizona were created over thousands of years by flash flooding, which eroded the sandstone pathways and shaped the distinctive curves you see today. What many don't know is that it's actually two separate slot canyons – Upper Antelope Canyon, or The Crack, and Lower Antelope Canyon, or The Corkscrew – but both make for a mesmerising sight.
Moai, Easter Island, Chile©alextrp/Shutterstock
Far-flung Easter Island – one of the most remote inhabited islands on Earth – is a remarkable place, made even more so by its mysterious moai. These giant stone-carved heads and torsos stand stoically on sites around the volcanic island. It's widely thought, but not known for certain, that they were carved by the Rapa Nui people between the 11th and 14th centuries.
Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa©sculpies/Shutterstock
South Africa's flat-topped mountain is one of the most famous and admired peaks in the world. It's also one of the most ancient at over 260 million years old. Now part of a national park, it's also home to an incredible array of flora and fauna, including endemic species such as the Table Mountain ghost frog and a whopping 1,470 flower species.
Pamukkale, Turkey©frantic/Alamy
The town of Pamukkale in Turkey is celebrated for its natural travertine terraces which cascade down its hillside like clouds. These 17 mineral-rich thermal pools are part of an ancient Roman spa city. The pools are formed by calcium carbonate deposits on the surface of the water and are said to have healing properties.
Luskentyre Sands, Isle of Harris, Scotland, UK©Jan Holm/Shutterstock
Tucked away on the western shores of South Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Luskentyre Sands is easily one of the most untouched places in the country. With miles of pristine white sand and eye-popping blue waters, it's often voted the most beautiful beach in the UK. Framed by the soaring peaks of the North Harris mountain range, the beach is Scotland’s version of a tropical paradise.
Sigiriya, Matale District, Sri Lanka©Suranga Weeratuna/Alamy
Jutting out of the plains and forests of northeast Sri Lanka, Sigiriya is one of the country’s most spellbinding sights. Built by king Kashyapa I in the 5th century, the name of the imposing rock fortress means Lion’s Rock. The only way to access the UNESCO World Heritage Site is through a passageway hewn in between a giant pair of lion paws.
Hạ Long Bay, Quảng Ninh, Vietnam©Nguyen Quang Ngoc Tonkin/Shutterstock
Featuring a constellation of roughly 1,600 limestone karst islands, Hạ Long Bay takes its name from an ancient legend about the dragon Hạ Long, who is thought to act as protector of the Vietnamese people. It’s not hard to see why local people turned to myths and legends to make sense of the landscape here: mist-draped and suffused with emerald light in this atmospheric shot, the sprawling archipelago looks every bit as otherworldly as the ancient tales suggest.
Seven Sisters, East Sussex, England, UK©GlennV/Shutterstock
A striking string of chalk cliffs topped with a crown of green, the Seven Sisters have fascinated visitors since Victorian times when Eastbourne and Seaford, the towns between which they are sandwiched, became popular seaside resorts. The landscape is incredibly dynamic today, especially at Birling Gap, a coombe rock bay that erodes at a faster rate than the surrounding chalk cliffs.
Kirkjufell, Iceland©Jack Millard/Unsplash
We've all heard of Everest and Fuji, and while these peaks are mesmerising in their own ways, Kirkjufell in Iceland is altogether more ethereal. The 1,519-foot (463m) mountain can be found on the island's western coastline, an area defined by crystalline fjords, geothermal pools and dynamic waterfalls. It's the most photographed peak in all of Iceland.
