27 Amazing Places To Visit Before You Die

27 / The Great Blue Hole, Belize

The Great Blue Hole is a world-class destination for recreational scuba divers attracted by the opportunity to dive in crystal-clear waters and see myriad species of marine life including tropical fish and spectacular coral formations. The marine life in these areas includes nurse sharks, giant groupers, and several types of reef sharks such as the Caribbean reef shark and the Blacktip shark. Dive excursions to the Great Blue Hole are full-day trips, that usually consist of one dive in the Blue Hole and two additional dives in nearby reefs.


26 / Tulip fields, Netherlands

From the end of March until the second week of May the flowers in the bulb fields bloom. It goes without saying that the exact period depends on the weather. Generally speaking, the best time is the second half of April. At the end of March the crocus season starts. The daffodils and early and small tulips are next, from the beginning of April. From mid-April the daffodils and the hyacinths bloom. Finally, from mid April until the first week in May the tulips show off their glorious colors.

The bright red, pink and yellow colors are overwhelmingly beautiful and are a must see, or should we say, a must experience!

Olgysha / Shutterstock


25 / Zhangye Danxia landform, Gansu, China

Large areas of northwestern China are sparsely populated, and contain stunning scenic locations unheard of by outsiders. On this trip, the highlight is the Danxia Landform of Zhangye—magnificently multi-coloured mountains, valleys, hills, and cliffs that ripple away towards the horizon. While facilities can be rustic and flights expensive, visits to these remote, off-the-beaten track areas are very worthwhile. You’ll be going somewhere comparatively few people have gone before, and you’ll see things in a more natural state, before the inevitable development for tourism.


24 / The Hang Son Doong cave, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam

on Doong cave(Vietnamese: Hang Son Doong) is world's largest cave, located in Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. It is found by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991 and was recently discovered in 2009 by British cavers, led by Howard Limbert. The name "Son Doong" cave means "mountain river cave", It was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding away the limestone underneath the mountain Where the limestone was weak, the ceiling collapsed creating huge skylights. Son Doong cave is more than 200 meters wide, 150 meters high, and approx 9 kilometers long, with caverns big enough to fit an entire city street inside them, twice as large as Deer Cave in Malaysia (currently considered the world's largest with 90 meters wide, 100 meters high and 2 kilometers long). Son Doong cave was classified as the largest cave in the world by BCRA (British Cave Research Association).

CARSTEN PETER/National Geographic Creative


23 / Hitachi Seaside Park in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan

Hitachi Seaside Park, located in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, next to the Ajigaura Beach, is a flower park and a popular tourist destination. The park covers an area of .5 hectares and the flowers are amazing all year round. Each season you will find a different variety of flower blossoming over the "Miharashi No Oka", a hill commanding a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. The park is particularly famous for blue nemophilas. Nemophilas are annual flowers with transparent blue petals. During spring, more than 4.5 million blue nemophilas bloom all over the park. The blooming period is called “Nemophilia Harmony” and attracts many visitors.


22 / Mendenhall Ice Caves of Juneau in Alaska, United States

Beautiful cave, simply the easy way to visit a glacier. Totally worth the Kayak trip in and the ice climbing over the Glacier. You need an experienced guide. Ice gear, warm layers etc. No food or bathroom once you leave the shore.

Flickr: 25949441@N02


21 / Mount Roraima in Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana

Mount Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima mountain chain in South America and one of the world’s most extraordinary natural geological formations. The 31 square kilometer summit area of Mount Roraima is defined by 400 meter tall cliffs on all sides and includes the borders of Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana. The tabletop mountains of the Pakaraima’s are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth, dating back to over two billion years ago.  


20 / Ancient Region of Anatolia in Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia is the ancient name of a large region in the center of Anatolia, although when we speak of Cappadocia today we refer specifically to the valleys of Goreme and Urgup, with their natural pinnacles and rock churches. In this survey of Cappadocia’s historical geography, the region will be examined in its entirety.

Ancient Anatolia or Asia Minor, the large peninsula where modern Turkey is located, consists of several regions. One of the most important was Cappadocia. Originally this region encompassed today’s provinces of Kirsehir, Nevsehir, Aksaray, Nigde, Kayseri, Malatya, the eastern part of Ankara, the southern parts of Yozgat and Sivas, and the northern part of Adana. 

Flickr: blieusong


19 / Sea of Stars, Vaadhoo Island, Maldives

Vaadhoo Island is one of the popular group of islands which are considered as the heaven on Earth.This island has lots of surprises,specialties which are revealed at night time.The splendid water in the sea just looks like a reflection in the mirror reflecting the stars sparkling from above the sky.

The Vaadhoo Island is located on the equator to the south west of Sri Lanka in Indian Ocean of Maldives which is a unique place for an unforgettable experience which is inhabited in the Raa Atoll Island.This contains of many number of islets which spreads over 900,000 square kilometers and they are decorated with white sand and surrounded by warm waters with rich marine life.

DOUG PERRINE/Barcroft Media /Landov


18 / Victoria Falls, bordering Zimbabwe and Zambia in Africa

"Victoria" — is one of the most spectacular attractions of Africa and one of the most unusual waterfalls in the world. It is created by the Zambezi River that suddenly plummets into a narrow, 100-meters deep chasm. At the same time, Victoria — is the only waterfall in the world that is over one kilometer wide and over one hundred meters deep. 

Its roar can be heard from 40 kilometers away, while the spray and mist from the falling water rises up to 400 meters and is visible from the distance of 50 kilometers. Even the rainbows are incredible here — they are of the "moon" kind: produced by the light reflected off the surface of the Moon.


17 / Trolltunga, Hordaland, Norway

Trolltunga is a spectacular example of the geological oddities that dot the Norwegian landscape.
The fittingly named 'Troll's Tongue' sticks out of a vertical mountain side above a 350m drop. It offers a magnificent view of Skjeggedal near town of Odda.
The location is far less know than some other spectacular geological oddities in Norway, and therefore, much less crowded, however still quite accessible. You can take a funicular up part of the way, though it isn't always functioning. It is roughly a 3-4 hour hike to the 'trolls tongue'.

Flickr: opedal


16 / Whitehaven Beach at Whitsunday Island in Australia

As soon as you step onto the gleaming white sand of Whitehaven Beach, you’ll agree with similarly smitten visitors who’ve named it one of the world’s best beaches.

Whitsunday Island’s famous beach stretches for 7 kilometres, washed by the sea’s rainbow swirls of turquoise, blue, green and azure. That stunning contrast of crystal-clear sea and bright white sand is due to Whitehaven’s sparkling white grains of sand, made up of 98 per cent pure white silica.


15 / The Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States

The Grand Canyon is on almost every traveler's bucket list. Indeed, Theodore Roosevelt called it "the one great sight which every American should see." The Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails offer stunning views, but if hiking's not your cup of tea, rent a bicycle or take a scenic drive through the park.


14 / Marble Caves at General Carrera Lake in Patagonia, Argentina and Chile

Carved into the Patagonian Andes, the Cuevas de Mármol are located on a peninsula of solid marble bordering Lake General Carrera, a remote glacial lake that spans the Chile-Argentina border. 
Formed by 6,000-plus years of waves washing up against calcium carbonate, the smooth, swirling blues of the cavern walls are a reflection of the lake's azure waters, which change in intensity and hue, depending on water levels and time of year. 
Located far from any road, the caves are accessible only by boat. Thirty minute tours are operated by a local company, weather and water conditions permitting.


13 / Tunnel of Love, Klevan, Ukraine

Tunnel of Love is a beautiful spot in Klevan, Ukraine. A three kilometer railway section leads to the fibreboard factory.

The train goes three times a day and delivers wood to the factory. However, the trees make a green corridor, which attracts many couples, as well as photographers for its eye catching avenue.

It is said that if you and your beloved come to the Tunnel of Love and sincerely make a wish, it will come true. This might be a new romantic place to discover.


12 / Salar De Uyuni in the Potosí and Oruro departments of southwest Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, located in Bolivia. Photographers flock here to capture the unique landscape. It is often visited as part of a 3 or 4 day tour of South West Bolivia, described below.

Salar de Uyuni comprises over 10,000km² in the Potosi region. The salt is over 10 meters thick in the centre. In the dry season, the salt plains are a completely flat expanse of dry salt, but in the wet season, it is covered with a thin sheet of water that is still drivable.
The standard tour heads south toward the southwest corner of Bolivia, by many fluorescent-coloured lakes that are created from a collection of different minerals from runoff from the surrounding mountains.


11 / Enchanted Well at Chapada Diamantina in Bahia, Brazil

Take a landscape of mesas, weird and fantastic rock formations aboveground, a system of quartzite caves with crystal clear lakes and underground rivers, and you have the setting for some of the wildest eco-adventures in Brazil.

Add in an historical diamond boom, prospectors, natural monuments and you have the 152,000 hectare Chapada Diamantina national park in the northeast state of Bahia. . Orient yourself with this interactive map from Expedia.


10 / Antelope Canyon in Arizona, United States

The sprawling Navajo Nation has no shortage of magical places, but the most photogenic might be Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, located just outside Page, Arizona. They are a testament to the power of water and time, as over the years, flash flooding has created deep, gorgeous passageways—called slot canyons—that you can walk through.


9 / Mount Everest, Nepal

Being famous worldwide for being the worlds tallest mountain (26,035 ft.), beauty can easily be found in the towering view of Mount Everest. The Tibetan word for this peak is Chomolungma which translates to “Mother of the Universe”. For those brave and capable enough to reach its peak and witness its unbelievable views first hand, the phrase “mother of the universe” is definitely fitting for a mountain as grand and mighty as Everest, perhaps one of natures most impressive creations. For those willing to push themselves to the edge to experience beauty, Mount Everest will provide a reward that is definitely worth the effort required.


8 / The Sundarban, Southren Bangladesh

The Sundarban is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The forest lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by the super confluence of Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers across Southren Bangladesh It is a world heritage site announced by UNSCO. The natural diversity of this jungle is also very majestic. About 70% of the jungle is located in Bangladesh and rest of jungle area is in India. 


7 / Largest cedar forest in the world, Middle Atlas, Morocco

Atlas cedars are justifiably famous. The largest and most beautiful plantings are in the central Middle Atlas, from Ifrane to Zad Pass, covering about 75,000 ha. There were far more of them in the past, but exploitation, aggravated by overgrazing goats, caused severe damage until the decision was taken in 1916 to protect the forest. Don't miss the "Gouraud cedar", identifiable by its huge candelabra-shaped branch, with a circumference of nearly 10m at the base.


6 / To Sua Ocean Trench, Lotofaga village on the south coast of Upolu, Samoa

Tosua actually means a “Gigantic Swimming Hole”. It is believed  that lava field blow holes making thees tide pools and walking paths along the shore and near the ocean’s edge. it is about 30 meters down from the ground level, one must climb down a long ladder to the natural pool. The pool is situated close to Lotofaga, which is a village on the south coast of Upolu island in Samoa. 


5 / Bamboo groves of Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan

If you’ve been planning a trip to Kyoto, you’ve probably seen pictures of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – along with the torii tunnels of Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine and Kinkaku-ji Temple, it’s one of the most photographed sights in the city. But no picture can capture the feeling of standing in the midst of this sprawling bamboo grove – the whole thing has a palpable sense of otherness that is quite unlike that of any normal forest we know of.


4 / Glowworm Caves in Waitomo, New Zealand

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves, located just outside the main Waitomo township on the North Island of New Zealand, is a famous attraction because of a sizeable population of glowworms that live in the caves. Glowworms or Arachnocampa luminosa are tiny, bioluminescent creatures that produce a blue-green light and are found exclusively in New Zealand.


3 / Sands of Time, Western Sahara, Morocco

A fount of solitude and the desert of childhood imaginings, the Sahara Desert is like nowhere else on earth. It is the world’s largest desert, at once continental in its scale and exquisite in its detail, from a sand sea the size of a small European country to an orange sand dune sculpted to perfection by the wind.  The southern province of Morocco, the western sahara is just where this amazing gold dunes desert mixes with the atlantic sea, a desert covering a territory roughly equivalent to the United States, the Sahara crosses around 20 lines of longitude and encompasses at least ten countries.

brookrushton


2 / Cenotes of Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

A cenote is a natural phenomenon, a sinkhole in the Earth’s surface. The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico has an estimated 7,000 cenotes because it is primarily made up of porous limestone. For millions of years, rainfall slowly ate away at the limestone and a huge system of underground caves and caverns was formed. Many filled with water from rain or from the underground water table. When the roof of a water filled cave collapses, a cenote is born. The water found in a cenote may be fresh water, salt water, or both. Structurally it may be completely open, like a lake, almost completely closed with just a small opening at the top, or somewhere in between.


1 / Kelimutu crater lakes, Flores Island, Indonesia

Kelimutu is a small, but well-known volcano in central Flores Island of Indonesia, close to the small town of Moni about 50 km to the east of Ende. At the summit of the volcano there are three crater lakes of varying colors. Although they share the crest of the same volcano and are practically side-by-side, the lakes periodically change colors from red and brown to turquoise and green, independent of each other. The peculiar colors and thick mist surrounding the volcano have earned Kelimutu a supernatural reputation.

Local villages believe that the spirits of the dead go to rest in one of the lakes based upon the deeds performed on Earth. Consequently, the lakes are named Tiwi Ata Mbupu (Lake of Old People), Tiwu Nua Muri Kooh Tai (Lake of Young Men and Maidens) and Tiwu Ata Polo (Lake of Evil Sprits, or Enchanted Lake).


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