With the day-to-day doldrums we endure, it's easy to forget just how fascinating, beautiful, and often miraculous our planet is.
These natural mountains, rivers, caves, shorelines, fields and islands are marvels of nature, truly surreal and colorful places that would make for an incredible bucket list for any seasoned or hopeful traveler.
I hope to visit as many of these as I can in my lifetime.
Who wouldn't want to go swimming in a pink lake?
1. Tianzi Mountains - China
Tianzi Mountain is located in Zhangjiajie in the Hunan Province of China, close to the Suoxi Valley. It is named after the farmer Xiang Dakun of the Tujia ethnic group, who led a successful local farmers' revolt and called himself "tianzi". Wikipedia
2. Antelope Canyon - Page, Arizona
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon in the American Southwest. It is located on Navajo land east of Page, Arizona. Wikipedia
3. Socotra
Located in the Arabian Sea, Socotra is an archipelago that consists of four islands. Socotra's bizarre-looking flora and fauna that has evolved in isolation from the rest of the world, including hundreds of plant species like these mushroom trees which are found nowhere else on Earth.
4. Canola Flower Fields - China
Luoping County is located in Qujing Prefecture, Yunnan, China. The county of Luoping in eastern Yunnan is noted for its beautiful scenery in spring, when its fields of canola plants are in full bloom, surrounding the area's mountains with a sea of golden flowers to spectacular effect. Wikipedia
5. Lake Hillier - Australia
This strange, naturally pink lake is located in the Recherche Archipelago of Australia. Scientists theorize that the odd color is caused by various bacteria or micro-algae that live in its waters. Not to worry, it's perfectly safe for swimming!
6. The Cave of the Crystals - Naica, Mexico
Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave is a cave connected to the Naica Mine at a depth of 300 metres, in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever found. Wikipedia
7. Mendenhall Ice Caves - Juneau, Alaska
The Mendenhall Glacier is a 12-mile-long glacier in the Mendenhall Valley, located only 12 miles from downtown Juneau in Southeast Alaska. Federally protected as part of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a unit of the Tongass National Forest. The Ice Caves are inside the glacier, accessible only to those willing to kayak to, and then ice climb over the glacier. AtlasObscura
8. Red Beach - Panjin, China
Red Beach, located in Dawa County, Panjin, Liaoning, China, is famous for its landscape featuring the red plant of Suaeda salsa of the Chenopodiaceae family. It is based in the biggest wetland and reed marsh in the world. Wikipedia
9. Angel Falls - Venezuela
Angel Falls is a waterfall in Venezuela. It is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 meters and a plunge of 807 meters. Wikipedia
10. Sea of Stars - Vaadhoo Islands, Maldives
The glowing blue tide at night is generated by phytoplankton known as dinoflagellates.
11. Zhangye National Geopark - China
The Gansu Zhangye National Geopark, is located in Sunan and Linze counties within the prefecture-level city of Zhangye. It covers an area of 322 square kilometres. The site became a quasi-national geopark on April 23, 2012. Wikipedia
12. Marble Caves - Patagonia, Chile & Argentina
General Carrera Lake (Chilean side) or Lake Buenos Aires (Argentine side) is a lake located in Patagonia and shared by Argentina and Chile. Both names are internationally accepted. The lake was likely formed by tectonic movements but the present-day shape also much indebted to past glacier erosion.
The Marble Caves, Marble Chapel and Marble Cathedral are an unusual geological formation located at the centre of the lake. They represent a group of caverns, columns and tunnels formed in monoliths of marble. The Marble Caves have been formed by wave action over the last 6,200 years. Wikipedia
13. Cano Cristales River - Colombia
Caño Cristales (English: Crystal Channel) is a Colombian river located in the Serrania de la Macarena province of Meta.
The river is commonly called the "River of Five Colors" or the "Liquid Rainbow", and is even referred to as the most beautiful river in the world due to its striking colors. The bed of river in the end of July through November is variously colored yellow, green, blue, black, and especially red, the last caused by the Macarenia clavigera (Podostemaceae) on the bottom of the river. Wikipedia
14. The Eye of the Sahara (Richat Structure) - Mauritania
The Richat Structure, also known as the Eye of the Sahara and Guelb er Richat, is a prominent circular feature in the Sahara near Ouadane, west–central Mauritania. Wikipedia
15. Reed Flute Caves - Guangxi, China
The Reed Flute Cave is a landmark and tourist attraction in Guilin, Guangxi, China. It is a natural limestone cave with multicolored lighting and has been one of Guilin’s most interesting attractions for over 1200 years. Wikipedia
16. Spotted Lake - British Columbia
Large concentrations of salt, titanium, calcium, sulfates, and other minerals form these spotted pockets.
17. Ice Towers of Mount Erebus - Antarctica
Superheated gas rises from the steam vents inside these frozen slopes.
