10 EXTRAORDINARY, BREATHTAKING AND MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN THE WORLD TO VISIT

You don’t need to go to the movies to see spectacular scenes that will take your breath away, our planet Earth has enough natural spectacle all of its own. In fact, some of the geological wonders of this Earth are so amazing; a film director couldn’t even make them up. Here are just ten of those extraordinary places, here on planet Earth that everyone should try and visit:

1. Meteora rock formations, Greece

Rising as high as over 2,000 feet into the sky, the Meteora rock formations, in Greece, is a towering testament to what Mother Nature can do. These massive fingers of sandstone have been the home of monasteries for centuries and you might remember them from films, such as the James Bond movie, ‘For Your Eyes Only’. The name ‘Metioria’, incidentky, means “middle of the sky” or “suspended in the air”.

2. Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

Another one of most beautiful places in the world to visit is Perito Moreno Glacier. Said to be one of the most beautiful glaciers in the word, the Perito Moreno Glacier, in Argentina, can be reached on organised hiking tours or seen from a boat. The glacier is 97 square miles of ice, but it’s shrinking, so don’t leave it too late, if you want to see it on its full majesty.

3. Uluru (Ayres Rock), Australia

Ayres rock is an almost six miles wide sandstone monolith that is one of the most dramatic sites in the world. Actually, what you see is only a tiny proportion of the full size of the rock, most of which lies underground. If you get the chance, visit Ayres rock at dusk or dawn, when it takes on an eerie crimson hue.

4. The Maldives

Next one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit is the Maldives, it is more than just a popular holiday destination; it’s an area of outstanding natural beauty. Sadly though, if global warming continues at its present rate, the pristine beaches of the twenty six atolls that make up the Maldives will disappear beneath the sea.

5. The door to Hell, Turkmenistan

The Door to Hell, in Turkmenistan, is a huge burning hole in the ground that really does remind you of its name. It was created when a Soviet natural gas drilling complex collapsed and the engineers thought it would be safer to set the escaping natural gas. The fire has now been burning for the last forty years and it has become a major tourist attraction in the region.

6. Devils Tower, Wyoming, USA

The Devils Tower, in Wyoming, USA, is instantly recognisable to any film buff as the mountain on which the spaceship lands in Steven Spielberg’s, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. The rock, which is sacred to the local indigenous Native-Americans, is thought to have been created when molten rock was pushed up through the earth.

7. The Tulip Fields, Holland

Another one of most beautiful places in the world to visit is the tulip fields of Holland, it is a stunning display of beautiful colour that looks like a scene out of the Wizard of Oz. Miles and miles of pinks, blues, yellows and reds, stretch out for as far as the eye can see. The best time of year to view this spectacle, is from the end of March to the middle of May, but the exact time of blooming can vary with the weather.

8. Silfra Crack, Iceland

One of the most beautiful places in the world to visit for divers is  Silfra Crack, off the coast of Iceland. At the Silfra Crack, divers can dive between in a chasm, where the Eurasian tectonic plates meet the North American plates. The water here is crystal clear glacial meltwater, so visibility is incredible and experienced divers can dive as deep, as around 140 feet to explore the wonders of the Silfra Crack.

9. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The Salar de Uyuni, is the largest salt flat in the world, covering nearly 11,000 square km. What makes it stunning though, is when the rain falls and settles on the salt, it creates what has been described as the world’s largest mirror. When that happens, the sky is reflected in a perfect image creating an unimaginable, dreamlike world.

10. Bamboo Forest, Japan

The famous bamboo forest of Japan is found in a district, which is located to the West of the city of Kyoto, and it is another one of the most beautiful places in the world to visit. It is a huge forest of towering bamboo, through which trails have been cut for the visitor to walk through. It’s a beautiful and very peaceful place to visit, and the sound that swaying bamboo makes, as it blows in the wind, is almost surreal!

What are your favorite extraordinary and most beautiful places in the world to visit?

Stay happy!