Red lakes, glowing caves, strange patterns, towering mountain peaks – it's as if we're not even on Earth.
The rich variety of stunning caves, colorful lakes and stunning rock formations provide an escape from earthly civilization – and at times you can feel as if you have truly left the whole world behind.
Lake Natron, Tanzania
This stunning salt lake is actually one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Few organisms feel comfortable in the warm, alkaline lake, but among them are the cyanobacteria that give the water its red color, and which attract many flamingos. Although most human settlements throughout history have formed around lakes and rivers, Lake Natron is an understandable exception.
Chilean Marble Caves
Cuevas de Mármol, located in the Patagonian Andes, on the General Carrera Glacier, was carved by waves that pounded the limestone rocks over a period of six thousand years. Its dynamically twisting blue patterns reflect the lake's blue waters, which change color depending on the water level and season.
Sand dunes in Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil
The desert region is located on the banks of the Briguecas River right next to the tropical Amazon basin, so during the rainy season, the sand dunes are also flooded due to heavy rainfall. Between July and September, the hollows between the hills fill with water, giving birth to smaller or larger lakes.
White Desert, Egypt
We only have to travel a few hours from Cairo to feel as if we have landed on the moon. The unique rock formations created by centuries of erosion and sandstorms appear in the landscape as large abstract sculptures. Some of them also have names, for example they are called Mushroom, Ice Cream Funnel, Monolith or Szigethegy.
Waitomo Caves, New Zealand
In 1887, Maori leader Tani Tenorau and English surveyor Fred Mace descended into the cave on a river, on a small raft. In the darkness, they noticed small lights shining above their heads like stars. Thousands of luminous insects settled peacefully on the ceiling, creating a dazzling bioluminescent universe.
Their colony still lives there today, lighting up the cave with an eerie blue light.
Caño Cristales, Colombia
For most of the year, the Crystal River is like any other river. But from September to November, during the short break between the wet and dry seasons, it glows red. In this case, the plant Macarenia clavigera, which belongs to the river seaweed, gives the water a wonderful color.
Glory be to God Mountain in China
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is famous for its rock formations hundreds of meters high and covered in dense foliage. One of the pillars, originally called the Southern Sky Pillar, has been renamed Avatar Hallelujah Mountain after it was inspired by the famous floating mountain from the movie Avatar.
Klelock Lake, Canada
Klelock Lake or Spotted Lake in British Columbia owes its special style to the large amount of minerals it contains. When some of the water evaporates in the summer, these minerals form stains. The indigenous people considered it a place of healing and buried around it.
Pamukkale Water Terraces, Türkiye
Thermal waters that have been flowing for thousands of years have carved their pools into the white rocks of the former city of Hierapolis, which was actually considered a spa by the ancient Romans.
Beastie Badlands, USA
The New Mexico desert is covered in strange undulating formations of colorful sandstone and shale. Huge sculptures and small mazes have been born here over thousands of years from softer layers eroded by moisture, creating improbable patterns.
If you want to see more unique natural wonders, you'll find two of them here.
(source: atlas Obscura, Images: Getty Images)
Formations | Interesting | Places | Miracles | strange
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