A lot of areas on Earth look like they belong on another planet. For example, there are landscapes painted in neon hues, skies that dazzle with light shows and waterways that glimmer at night. These fascinating things remind us that nature isn’t just a background, it’s a lovely show that we should go see.
This blog will show you 11 spots in nature where you can see weird things happening. These are the kinds of locales that make you want to visit, leave you dumbfounded and provide you amazing photos for Instagram. Some of them are caves in New Zealand that glow, and others are stormy skies in Venezuela. Get ready for an adventure, since these journeys will take you to some of the most beautiful sites in nature.
Chasing the Northern Lights (Iceland)
One of the most humbling things you can do is stand under a great Arctic sky as it comes to life with ribbons of green, pink and violet. One of the simplest and most dependable sites in the world to see the Aurora Borealis is in Iceland. For every traveler, it’s a dream come true.
- The greatest time to go is between September and April when the evenings are long and the skies are clear.
- What to do: On a clear night, go to Thingvellir National Park, the Westfjords or even the outskirts of Reykjavik.
- If you’re going to see the aurora, rent a camper van and keep an eye on the activity forecasts.
- It’s not just the lights, it’s also the sound of the snow crunching under your boots and the sky dancing. This should be the first thing on everyone’s bucket list.
The Baobab Avenue (Madagascar)
One of the most creative sites on Earth is the Avenue of the Baobabs in western Madagascar. The baobab trees that flank the dusty road have huge trunks and slender branches that look like they belong in a storybook.
- Why it’s not normal: These “upside-down trees” may live in dry locations because they keep water in their trunks.
- When to go: From May to October when the weather is dry and the roads are simpler to travel to.
- If you want to view the baobabs’ shapes against an orange-pink sky, go at sunset. It’s like magic.
- It’s not just about the trees, it’s about wandering through a living cathedral of nature that has been there for more than 800 years.
Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia): The World’s Biggest Mirror
Imagine that you are standing on the edge of the sky. It feels like a gigantic mirror when it rains on the Salar de Uyuni. The horizon disappears, and you seem to float in an unending mirror.
- January to March is the greatest time to see the mirror effect, however the dry season provides large hexagonal salt patterns.
- Take pictures from different angles, you can make your buddies look smaller or make toy dinosaurs look like they’re real.
- Travel tip: Stay in one of the strange salt hotels made of salt blocks for the night.
- Uyuni isn’t just a flat of salt, it’s a place where art, science and surrealism come together.
The Waitomo Glowworm Caves (New Zealand)
Enter a cave where the ceiling looks like the night sky. There are hundreds of tiny glowworms in the Waitomo Glowworm Caves that shine a blue-green light.
- What makes it special: These glowworms only reside in New Zealand, which makes it one of the most magical locations in the world to be underground.
- The best part is the peaceful boat trip under the sparkling ceiling.
- Tip for travelers: For an exciting journey through the cave system, combine this with Black Water Rafting nearby.
- You’ll never forget the time you looked up and saw what looked like a complete cosmos above you.
The Cotton Castle Terraces (Turkey’s Pamukkale)
Pamukkale, which means “cotton castle” in Turkish, is one of the most beautiful sites on Earth. The white travertine terraces go down the hill and the water in them is blue and full of minerals.
- The terraces seem like frozen waterfalls and the pools are warm on their own, which is what makes it so wonderful.
- The ideal times to go are in the spring and fall when the weather is nice and there aren’t as many people.
- Travel tip: To maintain the terraces and appreciate how gentle they are, walk on them without shoes.
- When the sun reaches the pools they sparkle like diamonds, which makes the landscape feel both old and new.
The Bioluminescent Bays (Puerto Rico)
One of the most spectacular natural views in Puerto Rico are its bioluminescent bays. Dinoflagellates are small living things that light up when they are touched. This implies that every splash and paddle transforms into starlight.
- Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo and La Parguera are all great spots to visit.
- Best time: Kayaking at night when the moon isn’t out for the best glow.
- Travel tip: Don’t use bug spray or sunscreen before you go in because it hurts the delicate habitat.
- Running your hand through water and watching it shine is the closest thing to magic that nature can do.
The Danakil Depression (Ethiopia)
The Danakil Depression would be Mars’ tourism site on Earth. This is one of the hottest and most intense places on Earth yet it is also very lovely, with pools of brilliant colors, acid lakes and seething lava.
- Salt flats, volcanoes, and sulfur springs create a spectrum of brilliant greens, yellows and reds that make it seem unreal.
- The best time to go is from November to March when the weather is a little better.
- Travel tip: Always employ a qualified guide because it’s far away and the weather might be deadly.
- The Danakil shows how strong and wild the Earth is. It’s a location where just living feels like an adventure.
The Avatar Mountains (Zhangjiajie, China)
James Cameron’s Avatar has floating mountains. Do you recall them? They got the concept from the sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China. These tall buildings typically have fog around them and go hundreds of meters into the sky.
- What makes it special: There are more than 3,000 sandstone pillars that nature fashioned over millions of years.
- There are many things to view, like the world’s largest glass-bottom bridge, a lovely cable car ride and the iconic “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain.”
- Travel tip: Go in the early morning when the mist makes the pillars look like they’re floating.
- It appears like a dream come true but hikers and dreamers have to find it first.
The Catatumbo Lightning (Venezuela)
The storms that happen near Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela are the most amazing in the world. The Catatumbo Lightning is a strange event that makes lightning hit the ground practically every night for hours.
- The appropriate amount of air and humidity makes the perfect storm.
- From April to November is the best time to see it.
- Travel tip: A guided boat touring is the safest and most picturesque way to see the sights.
- Nature’s fireworks would be if you were on a boat and heard thunder and saw hundreds of bolts of lightning split the sky.
Monarch butterflies move back and forth between Mexico and the US
Millions of monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles from the US and Canada to Mexico every year. The orange wings of butterflies make the woodlands of Michoacán and Estado de México come alive.
- Why it’s so great: It’s fascinating to watch whole trees covered in butterflies that suddenly fly away in a golden cloud.
- The colonies are biggest from late January to early March so that’s the best time to go.
- If you’re going to see the butterflies go in the early morning when they start to warm up and wander around.
- This migration is a fragile wonder that reveals how all life on Earth is interrelated.
Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA
It appears like something out of a fantasy novel, with its rainbow colors and geothermal geyser. It’s one of the most unusual hidden gems in the US. It was constructed by mistake while drilling for oil in the 1960s. Recently it spews hot water that is encircled by mineral terraces.
- The brilliant green, red and yellow colors come from thermophilic algae.
- Fly Ranch is where it is and it is close to Gerlach, Nevada.
- Tip for travelers: You need to go on a tour that is related to Burning Man to get there, as it is located on a private island.
- It may not be the biggest geyser in the world, but it is the oddest.
It’s not enough to just tick off places or monuments when you travel. It’s also about observing the tremendous natural forces that shape our planet. These odd natural happenings, like trees that look like they’re upside down and lightning that never stops are the kinds of trips that stay with you forever.
These areas illustrate that our planet is the best artist of all. You can float over Bolivia’s salt plains,which seem like mirrors or glide over Puerto Rico’s shimmering waters.