If you think you’ve seen it all—think again. The world is full of otherworldly natural wonders that will make you second-guess everything you knew about our home planet. From a salt flat so level NASA uses it to recalibrate satellite orbits to a forest so mystical it inspired the highest grossing film ever made, here are five destinations that are totally out of this world.
The Bolivian Salt Flats
Ah, the beautiful white sand beaches of Bolivia—wait, what? Salar de Uyuni is a natural wonder that draws thousands of tourists to South America, all of them hoping for a glimpse of the largest salt flat on Earth (not that it’s hard to spot—the area stretches more than 4,000 square miles). Formed by prehistoric lakes, the area is famous for clear skies and its exceptional flatness—it’s also loaded with more than nine million tons of lithium, an important component of batteries.
China’s Zhangjiajie Forest
With misty canyons, massive waterfalls, and sandstone-quartz pillars towering more than 650 feet in the air, China’s Zhangjiaji Forest could easily be mistaken for some fictional planet. So it makes sense the park’s “Southern Sky Column” rock formation directly inspired the landscape of James Cameron’s sci-fi flick “Avatar.” Zhangjiajie was recognized as China’s first national park, back in 1982, and now tallies more than 35 million visitors a year who flock there to see giant salamanders, glass mountain walkways, and a forest so dense it acts like a natural “oxygen bar.”
Antelope Canyon in Arizona
If you’ve seen this picture before, we’re not surprised—Antelope Canyon is the most visited slot canyon in the American Southwest. And for good reason: It’s easily accessible and beyond beautiful thanks to a perfect combination of color and light. The rainbow of orange and pink hues changes almost constantly as the sun passes over the rock feature, promising visitors a one-of-a-kind photo for their troubles—you’ll need a pay a fee to enter the Navajo territory, to support the families who own the land around the canyons, and to enter the poplar upper section of the canyon.
Wyoming’s Morning Glory Pool
Nope, not a portal to another world—this vivid hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park was named after the flower that shares the same colorful makeup. The eye-catching hue of the pool comes courtesy of the bacteria that live in the water, though it may not look that way for long: Several entryways have been blocked by coins and other objects that were tossed into the hole, cutting off the hot water supply. The vandalism has sadly earned the hot spring another nickname: “Faded Glory.”
Fingal’s Cave in Scotland
This sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa looks like a scene from Middle Earth, but this formation comes courtesy of lava, not a set designer. The cave is formed from basalt columns within a lava flow—cooling of the hot lava caused contraction and fracturing of the rock, resulting in the block-like pattern seen throughout the cave. Because of the area’s natural arched roof, echoes from the ocean waves send eerie moans reverberating through the “natural cathedral.”
More from GrindTV
6 bucket list adventures you can actually afford
Beauty of Norway as seen from a kayak
How to tell if you’re a weekend warrior
There are currently no comments for "5 places you won’t believe exist"
Post a Comment