You've probably heard of the Grand Canyon, the Galapagos Islands, and Angel Falls in Venezuela; and you probably even know about little-known natural wonders like the needle forests at Tsingy de Bemaraha. These places are ideal for couples and are among the top 10 luxury honeymoon destinations. No matter how well we know about all the beautiful places in the world, there will always be more amazing and unusual places hidden from human eyes.
10. Kirkjufell
Mount Kirkjufell is known for its mesmerizing scenery. It is located in Iceland on the Snaefeldsnes peninsula. In fact, it is not of particular interest: being not the highest mountain range in Iceland, it is not even included in the list of volcanoes famous for the extraction of basalt lava in the world. What, then, is Kirkjufell so famous for? Thanks to the amazing location of all natural elements and stunning views; undoubtedly, this place has long attracted crowds of artists and photographers.
The mountain is truly impressive. The image of an idyllic and spiritual Iceland is created by majestic landscapes: from the Mediterranean Sea to the waterfalls bordering the mountain, which turn into a spring with crystal clear water. Also from here you can observe a bewitching view of the northern lights, which undoubtedly captivates a great many tourists.
9. Caño Cristales
The locals call the river Caño Cristales "River of Five Flowers”, it can rightly be attributed to hard-to-reach paradises. Due to its inconvenient location in the Colombian mountains, there are two known ways to get to the river, both of which require the use of overground transportation. The different colors of the river are obtained by combining algae, the natural color of the stones, and the blue tint of the water itself. For example, the color red comes from an algae called macarenia clavigera.
Due to the fact that the coloring of water is obtained in such a simple natural way, one might think that all this beauty was God's creation. Admire the beauty of Caño Cristales is advised in the summer, when the heat reveals the liveliest shades of red. Also, in addition to the amazing colors and biological diversity of this place, one can attribute the fact that the river flows between the rocks of the Guiana Shield, formed 1.2 billion years ago.
8. Taylor Glacier Blood Falls
It is certainly not the ice of Antarctica that comes to mind when we think of an unforgettable paradise. Research on the icy continent began relatively recently, but each time they bring new discoveries that are hidden from us under the thickness of the ice. One example is the Taylor Glacier, which produces a large stream of salty, iron-rich water. Explorer Thomas Griffith Taylor discovered the glacier in 1911 and suggested that the reddish hue of the water was caused by an unknown species of bacteria.
After some time, the true cause of this phenomenon was found out - the source of red water is a lake located at a depth of 400 meters under the ice surface. During the Miocene period, about 5 million years ago, the water level in Antarctica rose so much that a salt lake appeared on a previously dry area. When the water left, the lake was slowly covered with several glaciers until it finally separated from the surface of the earth.
Without access to oxygen, the lake remained in its original form and turned into a capsule. Microorganisms from the Miocene period remained in it, which break down iron deposits in salt water. Therefore, when water makes its way through the cracks to the surface and first reacts with oxygen, the iron hydroxide reacts with oxygen and becomes Blood Falls.
7. Beppu Hot Springs
In Japan, the city of Beppu has more than 2,500 hot springs - the second largest accumulation in the world. The locals came up with a name for these springs. "Nine Hells", each of which has its own characteristics.
- The blood pool is saturated with iron and gives the water and steam a reddish bright red color.
- 80 crocodiles have taken refuge in the source of the Devil's Mountain.
- The White Pond contains boric acid, due to which the water acquires the color of milk.
- Shaved head spring is made up of seething mud and resembles the shaved heads of monks that appear on the surface.
Based on these sources, a whole commercial campaign was launched, offering to purchase boiled vegetables and eggs cooked in multi-colored sources. There are also smaller springs where you can dip your feet, but next to most of them is a sign "Don't swimbecause the water temperature in some of them can reach 100 degrees Celsius.
6 Spotted Lake
The Okanagan Valley is located in British Columbia, on the southern border. For thousands of years, local tribes lived and fought in this valley, legends about the battles are known to this day. One of the most famous legends tells of a battle that took place in the hills near Spotted Lake, later known as Kliluk. The healing properties of the lake are in doubt and are still debated today.
Kliluka contains 11 minerals, including calcium and magnesium sulfate, small amounts of titanium and silver. In summer, when the lake partially evaporates, the minerals precipitate in the form of rounded "holes". Each "hole» differs in a special color, which depends on the minerals in it.
5. Red Beach Panjin
The magnificent crimson beach is located in China, near the city of Panjin. It is located in the middle of a huge, sprawling wetland on the Lyakhoe River, and it is in this part of it that it has such a bright color. Instead of sand, the beach is covered with saline soil, which is favorable for the life of many plants. But algae Suaeda salsa occupy over 1.4 million acres of land, thereby creating Red Beach and leaving other algae behind.
In summer, seaweeds are dark green in color. A beautiful sight. And in autumn, the plants take on a fiery red color, which turns the beach into a one-of-a-kind place. Most of the beaches are closed to preserve the sensitive ecosystem, but some parts are open to tourists.
4. Pamukkale Travertine Pools
One of the most famous attractions, without exaggeration, is the Travertine Pools in Pamukkale, Turkey. Travertine is a type of limestone found in many hot springs around the world.. When the water reaches the ground, the travertine hardens into a stepped structure that retains the water from the springs. As a result, one layer of crystal water is above another layer.
Due to their unusual shape, they are popular among residents and tourists. Pamukkale was an ancient landmark of the Greek city of Hierapolis, and the name itself translates as "cotton house". From a distance, this is exactly what it looks like. The pools are formed using calcium carbonate, which hardens and turns into travertine. Due to the high calcium content, snow-white mountain slopes are obtained.
3. Zhangye Danxia
Zhangye Danxia Geological Park is located in the southwestern part of China and contains several unusual features. Perhaps the most striking are the colorful rocks known as the Danxia landscapes. They got their magical color from the red sandstone and mineral deposits that formed over 24 million years. Each band is a separate mineral, and over the years they have layered on top of each other, eventually turning into a rainbow.
Wind and rain polished the surface of the rocks. China is the only country in the world with such mineral formation, so some landscapes are now protected by UNESCO. Zhangye City has begun to benefit from the huge interest in Danxia's landscapes, so many tour companies have sprung up to organize tours there.
2. Lake Retba
There are several names given by local residents in the same meaning: "pink lake"Although the name is not the best, but it is accurate. Lake Retba is located in Senegal and sand dunes separate it from the Atlantic Ocean. Due to such a fragile geographical separation, one type of algae Dunaliella salina grew in the warm waters of the lake. Seaweed Dunaliella exist only in salt water, and the water in the lake is comparable in salinity to the Dead Sea.
To survive in an environment with this salt concentration, algae secrete a special pigment that allows them to absorb more sunlight and beta-carotene to protect themselves from salt. The saltier the lake (especially during dry times), the deeper the red pigment penetrates. In dry times, the water takes on a color that can only be described by the word "bloody».
1. Lencois Maranhenses
Oases in the middle of the desert look stunning, but in some arid regions they are extremely rare. The Lencois Maraneses National Park, on the other hand, is littered with them. Located in northeastern Brazil, this 155,000-acre sandy park is not really a desert, even though it looks a lot like one. The park is located right next to the Amazonian jungle and receives as much moisture as rainforests.
When rainwater accumulates in the dunes, countless individual lagoons are formed that stretch to the horizon. Each lagoon functions as a unique ecosystem. Despite the absence of any inlets and outlets for water, fish can be found in many lagoons. But since the sandy soil contains no nutrients, Maranhenses is not densely populated with vegetation, which makes this park a combination of two worlds.
