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The world is a canvas full of extraordinary art, and the internet is much like an art gallery. The lesser-known spots now have a chance to shine, and you can see how amazing and diverse our planet is. When you first look at many of these locations, they look photoshopped, but on closer inspection you realize they are magnificently captured, real places that just look incredible. |
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The Great Blue Hole, Ambergris Caye, Belize |
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This dramatic sinkhole in the Belize Barrier Reef looks like a blue button in the middle of the ocean. It lies in the idyllic atoll of Lighthouse Reef and is over 400 feet deep (124m). |
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Hitachi Seaside Park, Ibaraki, Japan |
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This fanciful destination park is known for sprouting millions of year-round tulips and daffodils. The park is also host to cycling trails, rock festivals and an amusement park with a Ferris wheel. |
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A dam in Rayong, Thailand |
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This rippling body of water is a bell mouth spillway near the Khlong Yai Reservoir. The dam and spillway are used to drain excess water during the rainy season and the dam also produces hydroelectric power, a cheap form of energy for the nearby towns. |
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The Atacama Desert, Antofagasta, Chile |
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This colorful scene is the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar desert in the world. This surreal setting is often compared with Mars as the two planets share similar soil. Because of this, the location is frequently used to film sci-fi films set on Mars. |
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Door to Hell, Derweze, Turkmenistan |
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The Door to Hell was a name given to one of the largest natural gas fields in the world, located in Derweze, Turkmenistan. The locals began calling the fiery hole this colorful name because of the continuously burning flames in the center. |
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Spotted Lake, British Columbia Canada |
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This lake looks like it caught german measles. However, the spots are deposits rich in minerals such as magnesium sulfate, calcium and sodium sulfates. During the summer months the lake's water evaporates, leaving a field of eerie and colorful mineral deposits. |
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Goblin Valley State Park, Utah, USA |
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This remote park earned its name from the thousands of hoodoo rocks, nicknamed goblins, dotting the barren landscape of the San Rafael Desert. Their eerie appearance gives the park a dreamlike atmosphere. |
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Pamukkale Thermal Pools in Turkey |
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This travertine terraced region of Turkey, rich in minerals and hot springs, is famous for its use as a spa over centuries. Since becoming a World Heritage Site, efforts have been made to protect this unusual site from the damage that tourism had been causing it. |
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The Wave, Arizona, USA |
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This fantastic sandstone formation of rippling stripes on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes is the subject of thousands of landscape photographs. This otherworldly site is only accessible by following a hiking trail by foot. |
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The Pinnacles, near Cervantes, Australia |
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Western Australia is home to a series of limestone formations that look like something out of a Dali painting. These unique formations consist of seashells left by the former sea life of the area, broken down over thousands of years into the lime-rich sand. The landscape is found in the Namburg National Park. |
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Huanglong Valley in Sichuan, China |
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The rivers in this 3.6 km long travertine are said to resemble a golden dragon wheeling through the mountains. The surreal waters appear to be painted in shades of yellow, green, blue and brown. |
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Skaftafell National Park in Kirkjubaejarklaustur, Iceland |
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This park used to be a major area of settlement, but the local population was wiped out by a volcano eruption a few centuries back. The area is full of budding flora and fauna and the glaciers in the local caves form a surreal arctic scene, which are definitely worth a visit. |
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Yuan Yang terraces, in Yunnan, China |
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This landscape looks like something from a coloring book. The curvaceous lines and oval shapes are actually rice-paddy terraces, and this abstract looking scene changes colors throughout the season. This hard to reach destination has now become a World Heritage Site. |
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The Marble Caves, General Carrera Lake, bordering Patagonian Chile and Argentina |
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This curious formation in the center of the lake is due to the waves splashing the rocks for over 6,000 years. The cave can be reached by boat and has been called the most beautiful network of carved caves in the world. |
| h/t: www.lifebuzz.com |
