Top 10 Unbelievable Places That Actually Exist

Mexico
Located in the Yucatán Peninsula, Cenote Dos Ojos is one of Mexico's most famous and enchanting underwater cave systems. The name "Dos Ojos," meaning "Two Eyes" in Spanish, refers to the two circular cenotes, or natural sinkholes, connected by a vast underwater cavern system. The crystal-clear, mesmerically blue waters of Dos Ojos provide unparalleled visibility, making it a hot spot for snorkeling and scuba diving. If you can get there on a quiet day, though, the whole place is made just that little bit more fascinating by what dwells in the main cavern. Known as the Bat Cave, it’s home to lots of, well, bats. Dotted here and there between the stunning stalactites and stalagmites that have formed here over thousands of years.

China
Found in the Zhangye National Geopark, there may be no better place on Earth for visualizing the immense passage of time than along China’s Rainbow Mountains. These distinctive rock formations appear like a striped tiger stretching along the horizon. They’ve been made that way thanks to millions of years’ worth of sandstone deposits. The geological eras have piled on top of each other here, so that from a distance you could easily believe that some higher power had simply painted the ground. But, actually, we have the ever-evolving conditions of Earth to thank, with other climatological factors - such as the wind and rain - also playing their part in gradually cutting and sculpting the peaks, ravines and towers.

Turkey
Meaning "Cotton Castle" in Turkish, Pamukkale is an extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage site located in the Denizli Province of southwestern Turkey. Known for its dazzling white terraces of travertine, which is a glittering type of limestone, it has formed over hundreds of years, thanks to mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down the hillside. These waters leave (and have left) layers of calcium carbonate, which then solidify into the striking, snow-white formations that can be seen today. In the gaps and dips there are also turquoise pools, creating an effect that, at first glance, looks a lot like frozen waterfalls. It’s a place that people have been drawn to for hundreds of years, since at least the time of Ancient Greece. The waters are believed to have healing properties; the view just speaks for itself.

Croatia
As is becoming a theme, the Plitvice Lakes are another stunning location that needs to be seen both up close and from afar. At height, these lakes and pools might put you in mind of Rivendell, the land of the elves in “Lord of the Rings”. The waterfalls at the edge spill over, as though the entire park is a bowl of water that’s always gently overflowing. Get closer, and it may be the sounds of Plitvice that most strike a chord. The gentle ripples and the surrounding nature conjure up a truly idyllic setting. Visit in the depths of winter, and the views take on an altogether different dimension, though… with the frozen waters assuming the look of a frozen palace.

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Were we to continue our “Lord of the Rings” comparisons, then perhaps here we’ve moved from Rivendell to Mount Doom. Mount Nyiragongo is surely one of the most dramatic, affecting and awesome sites in today’s natural world. It’s also incredibly dangerous, however, and has sadly been the cause of death and destruction for hundreds of years. It’s a very active stratovolcano, with a lava lake that, at times, is the largest of its kind in the world. With an almost constant presence of blistering molten rock either within its pools or spilling down its sides, this mountain has also erupted more than 30 times in the last 150 years. We would call it hell on Earth but, actually, that title may yet fall to another on this list, coming up shortly.

Bolivia
Welcome to the world's largest salt flat. A bizarre and eerie landscape, where the sharp contrast between the white of the ground and the blue of the sky makes the view in real life feel something like a dramatic painting on canvas. Salar de Uyuni spans more than 3,900 square miles in the high altitudes of southwest Bolivia. This vast expanse, left behind by prehistoric lakes that evaporated long ago, creates a striking, almost alien feel, at incredible scale and with a unique kind of beauty. During the dry season, the salt flat resembles a vast, white desert, with endless hexagonal patterns formed across the surface. During the rainy season, it transforms into something like a giant mirror, reflecting the sky as if for eternity, in a breathtaking illusion where the ground and the heavens seamlessly merge.

New Zealand
Located in Waitomo, a rural region on New Zealand's North Island, these caves are an enchanting natural wonder famous for their population of glowworms. Step inside, and thanks to their bioluminescent inhabitants, there’s an instantly magical, starry ambiance - like something out of a kid’s animated movie.. The glowworms, known as Arachnocampa luminosa, are unique to New Zealand. And, without them, these might’ve only ever been a damp and dark cave system. With them, though, it’s a place on the world map that’s quite unlike any other. As thousands of worms emit their soft, bluish-green light, it’s easy to see why it’s an important site to the local Māori people. An ethereal dreamscape buried deep under rock.

Australia
On Middle Island in the Recherche Archipelago, along the southern coast of Australia, there’s a lake that’s also bubblegum pink. The extraordinary hue is only emphasized when seen from above, alongside the surrounding blue ocean and lush green forests, marking Lake Hillier as one of the most bizarre bodies of water on Earth. Scientists know that the pink is a result of there being Dunaliella salina algae in the water, which thrives in high-saline environments. And Lake Hillier is certainly that. It’s a slat lake with a high enough salt content to have previously attracted global salt mining companies to its shores. The mining has wound down in recent years, but it’s expected that the lake could remain pink forever. Right now, the color remains vivid all year-round, regardless of the season or weather conditions, and Hillier water remains pink even if it’s taken away from the lake in a separate container.

Turkmenistan
Otherwise known as the Darvaza gas crater, this is that other particularly hellish landscape mentioned a couple of entries ago. In this case, though, it isn’t a volcano spewing lava, it’s a natural gas field that’s just always burning. Strictly speaking, it isn’t an entirely natural phenomenon, as the fires were initially started by engineers who were looking to burn off poisonous gasses in the collapsed cavern. However, that was in the 1980s… and it’s been on fire ever since! Today, the so-called Gates of Hell are quite the miracle of science. And, although there have been attempts made to extinguish the flames over the years, none have so far achieved what could be impossible.

Mauritius
Situated around 1,000 miles off the south-eastern coast of Africa, with the famously unique island of Madagascar in between it and the continent, Mauritius is world-renowned for its immense beauty. But, amongst all the perfect beaches and crystal clear waters, there is one especially unusual natural feature. The island nation’s underwater waterfall is best viewed from the top of Le Morne Brabant Mountain, and it’s frankly amazing. However, it’s also something of an illusion. What’s actually happening here is the continual movement of sand rather than water, plunging into suddenly extreme depths of the sea. The colors that are created are made that way similarly to how they are in many of the world’s invariably epic marine sinkholes. But, even so, this view right here… is quite the sight to behold!

Have you been to any of these incredible places? Are you planning to go to any after watching this video? Let us know in the comments!