45 Incredible Places on Earth That Don’t Look Real

Have you ever wanted to visit a place straight out of a Dr. Suess book? Well, now’s your chance. Check out these 45 otherworldly places on Earth that don’t look real and learn about their surreal landscapes.

1. The Cave of Crystals – Mexico

Connected to the Naica Mine, the Cave of Crystals, also known as the Giant Crystal Cave, is a natural wonder in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. This magnificent geographical feature is buried deep within the Sierra de Naica Mountain and the crystals have been growing uninterrupted for half a million years. The cave is naturally filled with water, but even when pumped out, it is inhospitable, with temperatures reaching 113 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity levels at 100%.

2. Carlsbad Caverns – New Mexico, United States

Located in the Chihuahuan Desert of Southern New Mexico, the Carlsbad Caverns have more than 100 caves and a huge underground chamber with giant stalactites. This isn’t just any old cave; the Carlsbad Caverns is one of the best preserved and most diverse cave complexes in the world and features beautiful rock formations. 

3. Salar de Uyuni – Bolivia

Nestled in the Andes of Southwest Bolivia, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat. The once prehistoric lake dried up and left behind a desert-like landscape of blindingly white salt that reflects the environment around it.

4. Pamukkale Thermal Pools – Turkey

Located in the River Menderes valley of Southwest Turkey, the Pamukkale Thermal Pools, or “cotton castle,” is famous for its natural thermal pools surrounded by white limestone. This natural wonder is a popular attraction during the summer.

5. The Wave – Arizona, United States

This sandstone rock formation is situated on the Coyote Buttes in Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness in Arizona, near the Utah border. It features a stunning desert landscape and unique photo opportunities. However, you must get a permit to hike this beauty.

6. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park – China

Zhangjiajie is a national forest park in Hunan Province, China. It’s located within the Wulingjuan Scenic Area and features a remarkable natural beauty and completely unique geological pillar-like rock formations.

7. Lake Baikal – Russia

Lake Baikal is a massive and ancient lake in the mountainous region of Russia in Siberia. It is also the deepest and oldest lake on Earth, dating back 25 million years. Lake Baikal is home to more than 2,000 plant and animal species and features incredibly clear and pure water.

8. Lake Hillier – Australia

If you’ve ever wanted to check out a bubblegum pink lake, visit Lake Hillier. It’s located off the south coast of Western Australia on the Recherche Archipelago. Lake Hillier is a saline lake that gets its pink color from algae, halo bacteria, and other microbes.

9. Mendenhall Caves – Alaska, United States

Located 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska, the Mendenhall Caves are a spectacular sight. This 12-mile-long glacier features natural bright blue ice formations and frozen cave ceilings. You can also visit the 377-foot waterfall near the glacier or go on a tour inside one of the caves.

10. The Gates of Hell – Turkmenistan

The Darvaza gas crater, otherwise known as the “Gates of Hell” or “Door to Hell,” is a natural phenomenon that occurred when a burning natural gas field collapsed into a cavern in Turkmenistan. With hundreds of gas fires burning for around five decades near the rim of the crater, it has an eerie look and is a popular tourist attraction.

11. The Vatnajokull Ice Caves – Iceland

The Anaconda Ice Cave and Crystal Ice Cave are the hidden gems of the Vatnajokull Glacier in Iceland. These famous bright blue ice caves make you feel like you are on another planet, with its unique formations and colors.

12. Antelope Canyon – Arizona, United States

Located on Navajo land in the American Southwest state of Arizona, the Upper Antelope Canyon is a magnificent slot canyon, famous for its wave-like structure and fantastical light beams. It is a popular photography spot.

13. Lencois Maranhenses National Park – Brazil

This protected area is on Brazil’s north Atlantic coast, where it’s famous for its expansive desert landscape, enormous white dunes, and breathtaking seasonal lagoons. Visitors can take boat of dune buggy tours.

14. Hang Son Doong Cave – Vietnam

Based on volume, Hang Son Doong is the largest cave in Vietnam and one of the largest natural caves in the world. It’s located near the Laos and Vietnam border in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and is a popular trekking and camping spot.

15. Waipu Cave – New Zealand

The Waipu Caves Scenic Preserve offers a walking track through stunning caves filled with karst limestone, stalactites, stalagmites, and a galaxy of glow worms! The glow worms give the cave a vibrant blue glow that appears similar to the night sky.

16. Bergpark Wilhelmshohe – Germany

This landscape park in Kassel, Germany, is 590 acres of fairytale-like scenery. It is one of the largest parks on a hill slope in the world and the largest European hillside park. From castles and a Hercules monument to waterfalls and bridges built into rock faces.

17. Kuang Si Falls – Laos

Shallow pools filled with crystal clear turquoise waters sit atop a steep hillside, surrounded by lush vegetation and colorful foliage. The Kuang Si Falls is three-tiered waterfall near Luang Prabang in Laos.

18. Namib-Naukluft National Park – Namibia

Located in Western Namibia, the Namib-Naukluft Park sits between the Atlantic coast and the edge of the Great Escarpment. Encompassing part of the Namib Desert, the Naukluft mountain range, and the Sandwich Harbour Lagoon, this national park has a diverse and surreal landscape.

19. The Fairy Pools – Scotland

This natural waterfall phenomenon features stunning rock pools filled with vivid aqua blue mountain spring water fed by waterfalls. The Fairy Pools look magical and welcome brave swimmers willing to take the frigid plunge.

20. Fly Ranch Geyser – Nevada, United States

Located on Fly Ranch, a 3,800-acre private ranch in Northern Nevada, the Fly Geyser is a geothermal geyser colored bright red and green that spews boiling hot water high into the air. While it sits on private land, you can make reservations to get up close to this natural wonder.

21. Chocolate Hills – The Philippines

While they’re not made of chocolate, the Chocolate Hills definitely look like something out of a children’s novel. This unique geological formation consists of more than 1,200 hills covered in grass that turns brown during the dry season.

22. Hitachi Seaside Park – Japan

Facing the ocean in Hitachinaka, Japan, the Hitachi Seaside Park is a spectacular and enormous public park famous for its stunning flower fields. Visitors enjoy walking on the trails or spreading out a picnic blanket in the fields and feeling the fresh ocean breeze.

23. Grand Prismatic Spring – Wyoming, United States

Sitting in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the Grand Prismatic Spring is large hot spring, 300 feet in diameter and more than 120 feet deep. It is the largest hot spring in the United States and is famous for its bright rainbow colors.

24. The Snow Cave on Mutnovsky Volcano – Russia

The natural phenomenon of these Russian snow caves depends on several factors, such as weather and snow level. When water heated by the Mutnovsky Volcano flows down its slopes, it creates spectacular labyrinths in the snowfields and glaciers. If you ever get the chance to go inside one, you will be witness to sunlight streaking though the dome and the beautiful patterns it creates.

25. Vinicunca – Peru

The Rainbow Mountain of Peru, also known as Vinicunca, is a majestic natural attraction in the Andes in Peru’s Cusco region. The best time of the year to visit this colorful rainbow is during the dry season, specifically in August.

26. Socotra Island – Yemen

Located in the Socotra archipelago between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Yemen. Socotra Island is a very unique place and is globally important due to its rich biodiversity, including plant species and animals that do not occur anywhere else in the world.

27. Stone Forest – China

The Stone Forest of China is in Yunnan Province and it notable for its large set of unusual limestone formations. The area was once covered by an ancient sea that left behind calciferous shells, eventually becomes limestone and dolomite.

28. Huacachina – Peru

This desert oasis and small village is near the city of Ica in Southwest Peru. The village is centered around a therapeutic lagoon and its shores contain many bars, clubs, and restaurants.

29. Reynisdrangar Rocks – Iceland

These impressive rock formations sit on the shores of Reynisfjara Beach on Iceland’s southern coast. Made up of mainly basalt, Reynisdrangar are impending sea cliffs with an unusual look.

30. Red Beach – China

The Red Beach of Liaoning,China, is one of the largest wetland and reed marshes in the world. Comprised of shallow seas and tidelands, this wetland ecosystem is famous for its red plant – Suaeda salsa.

31. Zhangye National Geopark – China

Located in Gansu, China, the Zhangye National Geopark is an impressive and massive park featuring colorful geological formations. These hills and formations are ancient, dating back to the Cretaceous period.

32. Marble Caves – Chile

Accessible only by boat tours, the Marble Caves are a spectacular nature preserve in Chile. Over a long period, water eroded these calcium carbonate cliffs, eventually creating a stunning and colorful cave system.

33. Lake Natron – Tanzania

This alkaline (salt) lake is in the Arusha region of Tanzania, near the border of Kenya. Lake Natron features striking red water due to halophile organisms that thrive in salty conditions. The lake is also a breeding ground for thousands of lesser flamingos.

34. Dallol Volcano – Ethiopia

This volcano is in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia’s Afar Triangle. Dallol is a terrestrial hydrothermal system centered around a cinder cone volcano. It is remarkable for its wild colors, acidic fluids, and mineral patterns.

35. Tunnel of Love – Ukraine

This famous section of railway is near Klevan, Ukraine, and is a popular spot for couples to walk and take wedding or engagement phots, hence the name. The Tunnel of Love is part of an industrial railway surrounded by lush green arches.

36. Kawah Ijen Acid Lake – Indonesia

The Kawah Ijen volcano is in Java, Indonesia and it contains the largest natural acidic lake in the world. It’s a turquoise-colored acid lake inside a volcanic crater and features an otherworldly glow, especially from above.

37. Painted Dunes – California, United States

Found in Lasse Volcanic National Park, the Painted Dunes offer some of the best and most unique views in the Western United States. Not only do visitors enjoy hiking and scenic views, but they will also find all four types of volcanoes located within this 100,000-acre park in Lassen County, California.

38. Fjaðrárgljúfur – Iceland

This majestic canyon was cut by the waters of the river Fjaðrá. It is a magnificent and dramatic canyon in South Iceland, formed during the last Ice Age. The winding water makes its way through steep canyon walls and offers perfect panoramic views and walking trails.  

39. Sørvágsvatn – Faroe Islands

The largest lake in the Faroe Islands, Lake Sorvagsvatn sits on the island of Vagar, right on the edge of a cliff that drops into the sea. It offers some of the most breathtaking views in the world and creates an optical illusion when viewed at a certain angle.

40. Mount Roraima – Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela

The mountain features a characteristic flat top and is surrounded by cliffs. Mount Roraima sits at the junction of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana in South America. It is the highest mountain in the Pacaraima chain of tepuis.

41. Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park – Madagascar

Located in Northwest Madagascar, Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park features rare and remarkable geological formations. Along with its unique and explorable rock formations, visitors to this national park will find pristine forests and waterfalls.

42. Tolantongo Hot Springs – Mexico

Located four hours from Mexico City, Grutas Tolantongo is home to cascading hot springs in the side of a mountain, a cave, and a tunnel complex. The whole area is surrounded by a lush tropical paradise, perfect for the ultimate vacation.

43. Gobustan Mud Volcanoes – Azerbaijan

The country of Azerbaijan is home to a third of the world’s mud volcanoes, which looks as weird as it sounds. The landscape is full of bubbling and explosive mud caused by underground gasses.

44. Cave Metro Stations – Sweden

The subway stations in Stockholm use organic architecture, which includes natural cave systems. As far as subway stations go, Sweden’s Metro Cave Stations take first pick for the most beautiful. The station was carved right out of the bedrock and offers patrons a unique experience.

45. Na Pali Coast – Hawaii, United States

Featuring extraordinary natural beauty, Hawaii’s Na Pali Coast is a sacred place along Kauai’s north shore. Sheer emerald cliffs rise from crystal clear waters, providing wild and breathtaking views.

A Recap of the 45 Places on Earth That Don’t Look Real

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