Every traveler and adventurer wants to explore every place especially destinations that would leave you breathless because of the scenery. Some of my friends want to be in historical cities, others in tropical islands while someone I know wants a place where he can spend all his money to gamble. Regardless of where we want to go there’s no way that one cannot appreciate the world’s natural wonders and even man-made structures that have stood the test of time. I’ll be veering away from my usual car posts in this blog because I’ll be listing the best places that can easily make your eyes pop out. There are many awe-inspiring destinations but I’ll make this one a little different because most probably, you’ve never heard anything about the places that I’m going to mention yet they’re too magnificent to be taken for granted.
10. Fairy Chimneys-Cappadocia, Turkey
This place is a local tourist attraction for years and was only discovered recently by Western thrill-seekers. The Fairy Chimneys are oversized conical rock formations that are made of basalt. One friend of mine who had been there thought it looked more like massive phallic symbols rather than chimneys, which needless to say made it more appealing to her. Meanwhile, these formations are not only there to stimulate your visual sensors but the locals have converted them into dwellings where visitors can stay. If you ever plan to go to Turkey, better drop by this place and visit it.
9. Silbury Hill- Wiltshire, England
Most of us would never pay attention to a mound of earth unless it’s 130 feet high and is as big as five acres. That’s what the Silbury Hill is and it’s been standing on its place for almost 4500 years. The exact purpose of this massive structure is unknown although scholars believe that it was basically constructed to serve as either a burial place or a sundial. Moreover, it is believed that it took more than 15 years to finish dating back to the Neolithic period. Needless to say, if you’re into prehistoric architecture, visiting this place would certainly excite you.
8. Magnetic Hill – New Brunswick, Canada
New Brunswick in Canada might not ring a bell for many people but it has been attracting droves of people ever since the 1930’s. Motorists have been reporting that even when their engines are turned off their cars roll uphill hence calling it a “magnetic hill”.
On the other hand, there are no paranormal forces involved here rather this is merely an optical illusion that is caused of changing terrains giving you the impression that a vehicle appears to be ascending even if the engines are halted.
7. B15-Antarctica
If you’ve always wanted to go to Luxembourg then you might as well check out iceberg B15 which happens to be the biggest free-floating object in the world. It’s so big that it’s just like seeing Luxembourg floating while covered in ice and lots of penguins on it. In 2003 however, the iceberg split into two off the coast of New Zealand giving the “biggest iceberg” title to C19-A which happens to be as big as Brunei.
6. Stone Forest- Kunming, China
China has so many geographical anomalies to offer but one place that really stands out is the Stone Forest located in Kunming, Yunnan. The 96-acre place is breathtaking because of numerous limestone monuments that seem to sprout off the ground out of nowhere hence the name “Stone Forest”. The formation was caused by over 270 million years of different elements that eroded and reshaped the environment. The locals have divided the Stone forest into areas such as like Greater Stone Forest, Lesser Stone forest, Outer Stone Forest, Underground Stone Forest, Stone Forest Lake, and Da Dieshui Falls.
5. Carlsbad Cavern-Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico
If you want to see how the Earth’s surface changes over millions of years first hand then you just have to be in Carlsbad Cavern located in New Mexico. The 300-mile wide cavern was once part of the sea teeming with marine life about 250 millions years ago. After several million years and lots of evaporation later, it’s now a complex system of caves where different flora and fauna thrive. Today, thousands of stalactite formation can be found here and not to mention thousands of tourists that flock this place yearly to get a glimpse of this fantastic natural spectacle. What’s more interesting about the Carlsbad Cavern is that it’s so big that it hasn’t been explored totally ever since it was discovered leaving more than 90% of its area unscathed by humans.
4. Franz Josef Glacier-Westland National Park, New Zealand
The Franz Josef Glacier is another spectacular geographical oddity that looks like a frozen river while it descends from the country’s Southern Alps. The glacier is even more breathtaking by the fact that it is surrounded by temperate rainforests and lush greeneries. The glacier was first discovered by Julius Von Haast in 1863 and was named after Franz Josef I of Austria. Remarkably, the glacier is still growing despite of the imminent threat of global warming. Its growth is attributed to the strong snowfall that comes from the mountains where it emanates. The Franz Josef is believed to have existed for 15,000 years and had extended to the sea during that period. Every year, thousands of foreigners visit the Franz Josef to experience “ice age” first hand.
3. Rock of Gibraltar- Gibraltar, Iberian Peninsula
55 million years ago during the Jurassic period, the Eurasian and African tectonic plates collided violently forming a monolithic limestone promontory now called the Rock of Gibraltar. It is basically 426 meters in height and there isn’t much like this in the world that is more imposing and overwhelming hence the simile “Solid as the Rock of Gibraltar”. Prior to it being fortified in the many wars that the rock was used, Neanderthals have inhabited the Rock of Gibraltar when archaeologists excavated it in the 1950’s. In short, the Rock of Gibraltar didn’t only play a huge role in our history but also to our evolution. The Rock has been extremely fortified in World War II that prevented the attack of the Germans in many parts of Europe. Aside from that, the tunnel system was pivotal for the defense of the Mediterranean routes during that period.
2. Banaue Rice Terraces- Ifugao, Philippines
Talk about imposing structures, the Banaue Rice Terraces located in Ifugao (north of Manila) Philippines is easily one of the biggest man-made structures ever. It’s a two-thousand year-old engineering and agricultural feat that was created by the ancestors of the Batad people. The most fascinating fact about this wonder is that it was built using only bare hands while occupying over 4000 square miles of mountainside. The reason for creating this structure is simple: there wasn’t enough agricultural land because of the mountainous landscape, so the Batad people flattened the sides of the mountains so they can plant rice. The result is a majestic structure that very few can compare to. What’s more amazing about the whole terrace system is that it’s so formidable that until now, its till being used by the descendants of the Batad people.
1.The World Islands-Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The advancement in engineering has made possible one of the greatest man-made constructions ever, the World Islands located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is basically composed of 300 islands shaped to look like the world map. Just like its equally popular and amazing artificial island project called Palm Island, it is made from sand that is dredged from the sea. The overall cost of its construction was estimated to be around 14 billion USD while every island is sold from 15-20 millions USD. Because of the cost of each island, celebrities such as David Beckham, Angelina Jolie and Vijay Singh had been rumored to purchase some of the islands of “the world”.
Personally, I’d rather go to natural wonders that had been shaped through eons of years than visit a bunch of islands with an unbelievable price tag. Nevertheless, the world is big and that there are thousands of sights that you can choose from which don’t only tell you how wonderful the place we live in is but also how small our achievements are compared to what nature can actually do. So if I were you, I’d save money, work my ass off and someday visit the places that I mentioned in this post.
