If you’re an avid traveller and you love to explore the exciting, naturally-formed features that our world has to offer, then you and I have something in common. There is nothing quite like trekking out to little-known spots that aren’t saturated with camera-draped tourists and man-made skyscrapers, and actually getting to see the unusual formations that make our world so amazing. I’ve always been interested in the geographical mindblowers, and always get a pang of jealousy whenever I see my sister’s holiday photos of her travels around the world. Her beautiful photos led to me realise that there must be so many more magnificent spots that get much less recognition than the postcard-worthy, stock-photo attractions – and this spurred me on to do a bit of research.
If you’re interested in discovering some absolutely awe-inspiring, natural (not man-made!) attractions that don’t get as much foot traffic then make sure you read on. Only once I began did I realise just how much of a challenging task I was taking on, as there are just so MANY amazing attractions that it’s difficult to narrow down. Here are some of my favourites:
The Blue Grotto, Capri
A small sea-cave known as the Blue Grotto is situated off the coast of the island of Capri, Italy. A small rock cavity allows sunshine through, which, when shining through the water, illuminates the cavern from underneath in a vivid, ethereal blue. The light comes from two sources – a small hole in the cave wall (1.5m in diameter) just at the water level which is used as the entrance to the cave. The second hole is underwater, much larger than the first and forms the primary light source. To enter, visitors must lie on their backs in a boat as they pass through the hole into the cave. Due to the small size of the entrance, it cannot be visited in bad weather as waves can cause the boats to smash into the rock’s roof. It’s possible to swim into the cave – best done later in the day when there’s less boat traffic. Interestingly, the Grotto was known by the Romans in previous days as “Gradola” after the nearby area with the same name, but was avoided as it was thought to be inhabited by witches. These days, the Blue Grotto has become the emblem of the island of Capri.
The Gates of Hell, Turkmenistan
A crater, measuring 60m wide and 20m deep, was formed near Derweze in 1971 when Soviet geologists, drilling for gas, ploughed into a massive natural gas cavern. The ground collapsed, taking the drilling rig with it and the area was suddenly infused with poisonous methane gas clouds. In order to get rid of the fumes, they threw a grenade into the crater hoping the gas would burn away. Instead, the crater has been burning non-stop ever since – going on about 41 years! Although the gas is a natural resource, the cause of the burning crater brings up a debate about whether this is in fact a “natural wonder” or “man-made”. You decide.
Socotra Archipelago – Yemen
An extremely isolated landform, Socotra Archipelago is approximately 250km long and is made up of four islands and two rocky islets which appear as the continuation of the Horn of Africa. The site is historically important due to its vast biodiversity of fauna and flora and has been dubbed “the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean”. Approximately 37% of its plants, 90% of its reptiles, and 95% of its land snails are not found anywhere else on earth. The main island (also called Socotra) has three geographical terrains: the coastal plains, a limestone plateau saturated with karstic caves, and the Haghier Mountains which rise to 1 503m. It has been described as being the most alien-looking place on earth.
Tsingy of Bemaraha, Madagascar
Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is located near the western coast of Madagascar. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 due to the unique geography of conserved mangrove forests, wild bird, and lemur populations that exist here. However, Bemaraha is most widely known for its otherworldly, rocky spires called “Tsingy” – sharp, limestone needle-like forests that can reach over 45m high. They are so dense that is almost impossible for humans to penetrate them.
Grand Prismatic Spring – USA
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States (approx. 72m x 116m) and the 3rd largest in the world. What’s so special about this hot spring though is not the mineral water that attracts so many to natural springs, but rather its rainbow-like colours. If you had to glance at this amazing earthly wonder, you may think it an entrance to another realm, threatening to whoosh you off to another land and time. However, it’s as real as ever – the colours are produced by pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow on the edges of the spring as a natural sunscreen. The centre of the spring is sterile as its temperature of 87°C is too hot to sustain life.
Salar de Uyuni – Bolivia
The white expanse, known as Salar de Uyumi, is the largest salt flat in the world, measuring at 10 582km². It is situated in the Potosi and Oruro regions in southwest Bolivia, near the summit of the Andes. It is elevated 3 656m above sea-level, which makes it very difficult to reach. Formed as a result of transformations between several ancient lakes, the Salar is covered by several metres of salt crust, with an unusual flatness. The crust covers a saltwater pool, which is exceedingly rich in lithium and makes up 50 to 70% of the world’s lithium reserves. Interestingly, when the Salar gets covered in water, it becomes one of the biggest mirrors on earth.
Richat Structure – Mauritania
The Richat Structure is situated in Mauritania, near Quadane, and is an eroded, slightly elliptical dome approximately 50km in diameter. This mysterious circular feature in the Sahara Desert is known as the “Eye of the Sahara”. The sedimentary rock is comprised of rocks from earlier eras such as the late Proterozoic in the centre, to Ordovician sandstone around the edges of the structure. As a result of differential erosion of quartzite layers, the structure has produced high relief (significantly raised) circular slopes. The centre is comprised of siliceous rock comprised of different rock and minerals clusters cemented together that is at least 3km in diameter. Contrary to popular belief, this structure is thought to have been formed by an explosion rather than by a meteor.
Just by writing about these amazing wonders, I have been inspired to visit them. There are so many magnificent places yet to be explored!
Main Image 1 by Broken Inaglory (Wikimedia)
