33 Incredibly Surreal Places You Must Visit Before You Die.
There are many beautiful places to visit on this planet of ours. But there are a few places on Earth that almost seem other worldly. Places straight out of a science fiction movie. Mark Pygas of Distractify has put together this list of 33 amazing locations that really , you should try and visit before you die.
1.Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia
Source: earthporm.com
The world’s largest salt flat becomes the world’s largest mirror every year in the rainy season. This lake was born when several prehistoric lakes joined into one. With a thin layer of water the salt flat becomes incredibly reflective. So reflective that it’s used to calibrate satellites.
2.Tianzi Mountains, China
These uniquely tall and thin mountains were ormed underwater 380 million years ago and are so alien that they were used in James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Water flow destroyed the surrounding sandstone, leaving only resilient stone pillars. Some of these mountains reach over 4,000 feet above sea level.
Source: michaelyamashita.com3.Sentinels of the Arctic, Finland
Source: niccolobonfadini.comniccolobonfadini.com
Completely covered in snow and ice, what we are seeing here are trees. This strange sight occurs in winter, when temperatures range from -40 to -15 degrees centigrade.
4.Reed Flute Caves, China
Source: natureflip.com
This beautiful 240-meter-long cave system in Guilin, China has been a popular attraction for over 1200 years. The stalactites, stalagmites and pillars were all created through water erosion. Now they are highlighted by multi colored lights which create a truly surreal environment.
5.Skaftafell Ice Cave, Iceland
Source: all-that-is-interesting.com
These temporary ice caves are form at the edge of glaciers when flowing water melts a hole into glaciers. Tightly packed ice contains very few air bubbles and absorbs all light except for blue, giving the ice its unique color.
6.Antelope Canyon, Arizona, United States
Source: all-that-is-interesting.com
The Antelope canyon was formed by millions of years ago by flowing water that carved out a deep, yet narrow channel. Due to it’s narrow nature significantly less light makes it down to the deeper depths, so the walls often appear to be different colors.
7.Bigar Waterfall, Romania
The local people have named this waterfall “the miracle from the Minis gorge.” The moss formation which the water travels over is 8 meters tall, creating one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
8.Sea of Stars, Vaadhoo Island, Maldives
Source: jeffwongdesign.com
At night, this beach comes to life. The sparkle in the water comes from marine microbes called phytoplankton. The galaxy they paint across the shore is a sight to behold like nothing on Earth.
9.Grand Prismatic Hot Spring, Wyoming
Source: mostbeautifulplacesintheworld.org
The Grand Prismatic Hot Spring is the largest hot spring in the U.S.A. Vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented microbes, which form around the edges of the mineral-rich water.
10.Deadvlei, Namibia
Source: nationalgeographic.com
Believe it or not, these are not paintings. They’re photographs of “dead valley,” where the trees stand against a background of the highest sand dunes in the world. This was once a thriving forest, but the approaching desert has killed all life there.
11.Turquoise Ice, Lake Baikal, Russia
Lake Baikal is believed to be the oldest freshwater lake in the world. In winter time, the lake freezes over, but the water is so clear that you can see 130 feet below the ice. In March, frost and sun cause cracks in the ice crust, which results in the turquoise ice shards we see at the surface.
12.Socotra, Yemen
Source: nationalgeographic.com
Source: nationalgeographic.com
This place truly looks like no where on Earth as one third of the plant life on Socotra Island is found nowhere else. One of the most bizarre unique forms of life there is the dragon blood tree, which resembles an umbrella.
13.Zhangye Danxia Landform, Gansu, China
24 million years of red sandstone and mineral deposits create ehese colourful rock formations. Weather erosion has then carved amazing shapes into the rock, forming all the natural pillars, towers, ravines, valleys and waterfalls.
14.Tunnel of Love, Klevan, Ukraine
This tunnel through the trees was shaped over many years, as trains traveled the line three times time a day, molding it. The track is now abandoned, and has created a romantic spot for an afternoon stroll.
15.Glowworm Caves, Waitomo, New Zealand
The ceiling of this grotto has thousands of tiny glowworms hanging to it that radiate a luminescent light, creating a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie.
16.Yuanyang County, China
Source: dailymail.co.uk
These rice fields in China are located on the slopes of Ailao Mountain, these terraced levels help create flat surfaces along it’s uneven landscape.
17.Lake Hillier, Australia
Source: letithappenblog.files.wordpress.com
The surreal pink color of this lake is thought to be the result of a dye created by algae and bacteria in the water. Despite this, the lake doesn’t seem to have any adverse effects on humans or local wildlife.
18.Pamukkale Hot Springs, Turkey
Source: reversehomesickness.com
It has taken millions of years, to create the hotsprings in Pamukkale. Although it may look like these terraces are made of ice and snow, the ground is just coated in white limestone.
19.Caño Cristales River, Colombia
Source: imgur.com
Because of its extensive habitat of fauna and flora, this river appears in multi coloured as you travel along it. The bed rocks here are around 1.2 billion years old, and has been called it the most beautiful river in the world.
20.Patagonia Marble Caves, Chile
These caves were formed by thousands of years of waves crashing against calcium carbonate. They have smooth, swirling walls, which reflect the lake’s pure azure waters.
21.Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
Source: profissaoviajante.com
Intense volcanic activity around 50 to 60 million years ago, formed this lava plateau which as it cooled created columns that are so perfect, they almost look artificial.
22.Fly Geyser, Nevada
The Fly Geyser was accidentally created when a well was drilled and left uncapped. Minerals and algae started to rise from the geyser and accumulated to form this alien-like mound.
23.Underwater Waterfall, Mauritius Island
Strong underwater ocean currents continually drive sand off the shores of Mauritius into the abyss below, creating this one-of-a-kind underwater waterfall.
24.Mount Roraima, South America
Source: aqu52.files.wordpress.com
This tabletop mountain is one of the oldest mountains on Earth, dating back two billion years when the land was lifted high above the ground by tectonic activity. The sides of the mountain are sheer vertical cliffs, with several waterfalls, making it one of the most inaccessible areas on the planet. A great inspiration for a lost world!
25.Aogashima, Japan
The volcanic island of Aogashima is located 200 miles off the coast of Tokyo. As you can see from the picture, there’s a smaller volcano within the volcano island.
26.Fingal’s cave, Scotland
Source: blogspot.com
Like the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, this cave was formed by lava cooling and fracturing over millions of years. The jagged formations on the outside are entirely nature’s doing.
27.Underwater River, Cenote Angelita, Mexico
Source: anatoly.pro
This is very unusual. Underneath the water of Cenote Angelita is another flowing body of water. But this river is full of hydrogen sulfate, which is much heavier than normal salt water. When it sinks to the bottom, it creates a flow of its own.
28.Naica Mine, Mexico
Source: boredpanda.com
This silver mine is coated in crystals as big as 50 feet long and 4 feet wide. They Were formed by hydrothermal fluids rising from the magma chambers below, it is like something from Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.
29.Hidden Beach, Mexico
This magnificent hidden beach is only accessible by swimming through a fifty foot tunnel, and was created by a military explosion test in early 1900s.
30.Lake Natron, Tanzania
This lake has a uniquely high salt content. Salt-loving microorganisms thrive and produce red pigment, colorizing the water. For other animals, the salt is deadly and many calcify (effectively turning into stone) after taking a dip in the water.
31.The Eye of Africa, Mauritania
The Eye of Africa is located in the middle of the Sahara Desert. It is a deeply eroded bowl, over 24 miles in diameter. This natural formation is so impressive that for a long time, scientists believed it was the site of an asteroid impact.
32.Highlands, Iceland
Source: parrikar.com
Iceland has some of the most superb natural sights in the Northern Hemisphere. The mindblowing glaciers, craters, lakes and geysers are breathtaking by day, but when night falls, the area becomes one of the best places to witness the aurora borealis.
33.Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Plitvice National Park is absolutely stunning. Over thousands of years, water flowing over limestone and chalk created natural dams and eventually, beautiful lakes, caves and waterfalls.
Source: Distractify
Which of these amazing places would you like to visit? Leave a comment below, and please don’t forget to share it with your friends!