The world is bursting with strange yet beautiful places to visit and appreciate. Some places are thousands of years old, some modern and some newly discovered. We have jotted down a few of the most surreal and unusual destinations from around the globe that should be on every traveller's list.
Almost 50,000 years ago, a meteorite slammed into the earth in the Indian state of Maharashtra, leaving behind a massive crater 2km across and 170m deep that’s said to be the world's third-largest). According to scientists, it’s the only hypervelocity natural-impact crater in basaltic rock in the world. In simpler words, it’s as tranquil and relaxing a spot as you could hope to find, with a shallow green lake and wilderness all around, including marine birds. The lake water is said to be alkaline and has therapeutic properties for the skin. Scientists think the meteorite is still embedded about 600m below the south-eastern rim of the crater.
Nevada’s Fly Geyser is an unusual sight to behold. The geyser is said to be a small geothermal geyser and is located in Washoe County, Nevada. In 1916, the first geyser was formed during an irrigation drilling. Fly Geyser is open to limited tourists and also has three-hour guided nature walks from April to October every year.
The Rainbow Mountains of China, Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park
The spiralling and colourful lunar landscape of this national park is the result of sandstone and mineral deposits that have eroded into odd shapes throughout millennia. Infrastructure was installed inside the park after it was named a national geopark in 2011, making it accessible to tourists. Wooden stairs and platforms allow visitors to reach the tops of the hills without damaging the delicate landscape and offer views over the coloured strata.
In 1954 a bronze statue of Christ was lowered 17m to the seabed, offshore from the abbey, to bless the waters. The open-armed saviour was sculpted by the artist Guido Galletti and placed near the site where Italian diver Dario Gonzatti died in 1947. You can either dive to see it or, if the waters are calm, take a boat tour run by the Golfo Paradiso SNC.
This beach is proof of nature’s incredible ability to turn trash into treasure. Overlooked by cliffs, this place was once seen as just a convenient dumping ground for Fort Braggs’ garbage. Until the 1960s, people would discard junk– including old cars and appliances – straight over the cliffs and into the oceans. Until the authorities put a stop to it. Over the ensuing decades, the sea performed a remarkable and extraordinary act; the huge waves of the ocean turned the junk into jewel-like pebbles. These days the beach resembles a gem shop.
Aoshima is home to more cats than people and is a small town in an impressive maze of old wooden houses, with a solitary village shop that has been in business since the Meiji period, and an old-fashioned school. This Japanese island is home to more than 150 cats. Its 500 or so inhabitants are mostly fishermen.
About 8km west of the town on Highway 3, look for the Spotted Lake, which is a bizarre natural phenomenon and a top tourist attraction. In the hot summer sun, the lake's water begins to evaporate, this causes its high mineral content to crystallise and leave white-rimmed circles of green on the water.
Pamukkale has been made eternally famous by the gleaming white calcite travertines (terraces) overrunning with warm, mineral-rich waters on the mountain above the village – the so-called ‘Cotton Castle' (pamuk means 'cotton' in Turkish). Just above the travertines lies Hierapolis, once a Roman and Byzantine spa city, which has considerable ruins and a museum.
A beautiful sunrise over the travertine pools and terraces of Pamukkale, Turkey ©muratart/Shutterstock.com
The Fly Geyser is nothing less than mystical ©Alexandre Olive/Shutterstock.com
Amazing scenery of the Rainbow Mountains in China ©THONGCHAI.S/Shutterstock.com;
Christ of the Abyss is submerged off the coast of Key Largo ©Travelbug84/Shutterstock.com
Glass Beach is a beach in MacKerricher State Park, California ©IrinaK/Shutterstock.com
Japan's Cat Island is one of the most unusual places in the world ©sido kagawa/Shutterstock.com
Canda's Spotted Lake is the result of nature's extraordinary phenomena ©shahnoorhabib/Shutterstock.com
Natural travertine pools and terraces in Pamukkale, Turkey©fokke baarssen/Shutterstock
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