Our planet is blessed with massive glaciers, juggled mountains, towering volcanoes, cascading waterfalls, and amazing wildlife, which have formed over millions and millions of years. These awe-inspiring natural wonders are scattered from Arizona to Antarctica. The spectacular natural wonders that only a very few percent of people will ever see in their lifetime.
So this is Scenic Hunter’s truly sensational panoramic trip to visit 27 natural wonders of the world.
27. Cliff of Moher
The cliffs of Moher are extraordinary sea cliffs towering high over the west Clare’s rugged Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. Majestic cliffs, a feast of vital sounds of the sea waves, endless green cliff top, and wildlife perfectly combine to make one of the gorgeous natural wonders of the world.
The cliffs of Moher reach 214 meters at their highest point and stretch over 8 kilometers along the Atlantic coast. The highest point of the cliffs of Moher is north of O’Brien’s tower it is the best place where you can enjoy the mesmerizing views of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Moher cliffs are home to the largest sea bird colony in Ireland between April and July, including Atlantic puffins. On a clear day, you can see the Aran Islands and all of the 5 surrounding countries from the cliffs.
26. Plitvice Lake National Park
Plitvice Lake National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in the whole of Croatia, covering almost 30,000 hectares. It lies in the mountainous karst of the central part of Croatia at the border of Herzegovina and Bosnia. Due to its outstanding natural surroundings of tufa lakes and caves connected by waterfalls, it was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
The stunning lake system is the result of millennia of ongoing biochemical and geological processes. The dams known as tufa barriers are formed by the deposition of calcium carbonates.
The area is home to an extremely wide range of Birds and animal species including grey wolf, eagle, brown bears, European wildcat, owl, Eurasian lynx, 321 different kinds of butterflies, and more than 50 species of mammals.
You must visit the breathtakingly beautiful setting of the Plitvice Lake national park at least a single time in your life.
25. Angel Falls
Angel Falls is the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall, located in Venezuela. It measures 979 meters high and has a plunge of 807 meters. It is located in the Canaima National Park and drops over the edge of the tabletop mountain Auyan-tepui Mountain. Majestic Angel Falls was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Due to its remoteness, Angel Falls is quite hard to visit. However, visiting Angel Falls is an extraordinary adventurous tour. Sightseeing flight tours are available from various nearby cities including, Santa Elena, Caracas, Isla Margarita, and Ciudad Bolivar.
However, its stunning setting, majestic mountainous landscapes, and awe-inspiring sceneries of the falls make it well worth the effort.
24. Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is a valley cut into the granite rock and sandstones in Southern Jordan. The Wadi Rum is also called the valley of the moon. The humbling desert landscape is designated the natural wonder of the world and a UNESCO world heritage site in 2011.
Wadi Rum’s landscape was carved out by millennia of erosion with slowly carving water and strong wind. Human habitation of the Wadi Rum dated back to the Neolithic era.
It is absolutely an otherworldly experience with massive dunes, caverns, towering cliffs, and swirling archways. Luxurious camping sites, stargazing opportunities, camel or spirited Arabian horses’ ridings, hike through canyons and rock climbing are some of the special activities offered for travelers.
Magical sunrays during sunrise and sunset with the combination of stunning colors of Wadi Rum make one of the spectacular sceneries of the planet.
23. The Maldives
The Maldives is a South Asian island country that lies southwest of India and Sri Lanka. It is also known as the tropical paradise of the world. The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia by land area and 2nd least populated country in Asia. The Maldives has such unique geography and its 1192 small coral islands are grouped into 26 atolls scattered across the stunning turquoise sea, surrounded by reefs and white sandy beaches.
It is considered one of the most geographically dispersed countries in the world. The natural beauty of the country is more than enough to confirm that it is indeed a natural wonder.
The Maldives is the world’s lowest lying country and its highest natural point measures only 2.4 meters. Over 80% of the land is composed of coral islands which rise less than one meter above sea level.
The islands are blest with diverse marine life; magnificent underwater sceneries, sugar white sandy beaches, crystalline turquoise water, and luxury underwater hotels and restaurants are available for travellers.
22. Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is located on the southeastern coastline of Brazil. It is also popular as Guanabara Bay. It is considered the world’s largest bay based on the volume of water. It is about 31 kilometers long and 28 kilometers wide. The name of the Guanabara comes from the historical Tapi language; it is translated as the bosom of the sea.
The harbour is surrounded by scenic mountains and pinnacles covered in greenery, which add a striking visual appearance to the seascape. It is one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Helicopter flight is the best way to capture the breathtaking aerial view of the harbour.
You can also explore the islands of the bay including Ilha das Cobras, Paqueta Island, and Governador Island.
21. Na Pali Coast
The Na Pali coast stretches approximately 15 miles along the northwest coast of Kauai island, Hawaii.
These gigantic jagged cliffs rise almost 4000 feet above the Pacific Ocean along the shoreline. The Na Pali coast features towering sea cliffs, narrow valleys, cascading waterfalls, streams, lush green valleys, and sea caves.
The coast is accessible by land, sea, and by air. The area is truly stunning and will leave you breathless as you gaze upon the NaPali.
20. Antarctica
Antarctica is the southernmost continent of Earth, surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Due to its highest average elevation, it is the coldest, windiest, iciest, and driest continent.
Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth and almost 70% of freshwater reserves of the world are frozen here.
Penguins, mites, nematodes, tardigrades, blue whales, orcas, and seals are some of the native species of animals living here. It doesn’t have a native population as well as no permanent human habitation.
The Antarctic region does an important role in global climate and acts as an integral part to balance the heat of the planet. The whole landmass of Antarctica is covered by a vast ice sheet it is almost 98% of the total land.
19. Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo is part of Tangger Mountain, located in east Java in Indonesia. It is an Active Somma Volcano. The stunning mount Bromo lies in the middle of a plain known as a sea of sand in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. It was a protected nature reserve since 1919. Even though mount Bromo is not among the tallest mountains in Indonesia, it is one of the most gorgeous due to its incredible setting.
Tourists from all around the world come here to snap their cameras to capture magnificent views when sunrise over mount Bromo. Indonesian Tangger people believe that a brave prince sacrificed his life for his family. Therefore they throw chicken, vegetables, and money into the crater of Mount Bromo during the annual Kasada festival to appease the Gods.
The Bromo is located between the cities of Surabaya, Malang, and Probolinggos. The national park has an incredible cluster of five volcanoes. The highest mountain in Java is called Semeru Puffing out smoke and making a scenic backdrop to Mount Bromo.
18. Lake Hillier
Lake Hillier lays just a thin strip of sand next to the Pacific Ocean in Middle Island on the south coast of Western Australia. The lake is about 600meters long and 250 meters wide and spreads over 16 hectares. The lake was first discovered by Matthew Flinders.
The Lake is particularly notable for its vivid colour. Its strawberry milkshake colour is due to the presence of the organism known as Dunaliella Salina and the high salt content.
The Salinity of this lake is very high and its salt concentration is 10 times higher than seawater. The most special thing is the water stays pink even when the water is separated from the lake.
The contrasting pink colour, surrounding greeneries, and vibrant blue colour of the Pacific Ocean make it magnificent. A scenic flight or cruise tour is perfect to explore its mesmerizing beauty.
17. Giant’s Causeway
Giant’s Causeway lies in country Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland. It covers an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. Most of the columns are hexagonal and some of the columns have four to eight sides. This amazing natural creation is a result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. The tallest columns measure approximately about 12 meters high. The basalts were part of a great volcanic plateau known as the Thulean Plateau which formed during the Paleocene around 50 to 60 million years ago. Highly fluid molten Basalt intruded through chalk beds to create an extensive volcanic plateau. The pressure between the massive numbers of columns sculpted them into polygonal shapes. The causeway was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986.
It is a great place to contemplate the puzzling geology, and visit 50 species of birds, and 200 species of plants. The cliffs, basalt columns, marshes, seashores, and grasslands make it one of the most remarkable natural sites in Europe.
16. Salar De Uyuni
“Salar De Uyuni” is over 1000 square kilometers large salt flat, which is known as the world’s largest salt flat. It is located near the crest of the Andes in Daniel Campos Province in southwest Bolivia, South America. Salar De Uyuni is part of the Altiplano, which is a high plateau formed during the uplift of the Andes mountain. The geological history of Salar de Uyuni is associated with the sequential transformation between giant prehistoric lakes some over 30000, to 42000 years ago. The largest prehistoric lake was Minchin. The center of Salar De Uyuni has a few islands, which are the remaining parts of the tops of ancient volcanoes submerged during the Lake Minchin era. These islands consist of some unusual coral-like structures, fossils, and algae.
When it rains, a thin layer of dead calm water transforms the flat into an over 129-kilometer large mirror of the world. It makes a stunning reflection of the sky. Salar de Uyuni has two distinct climatic seasons. The rainy season is from December to April when visitors come to witness the Salar’s breathtaking mirror effect. During the dry season from May to November temperatures are colder, and travelers can drive across the stark white landscape and can reach places that aren’t accessible during the rainy season.
15. Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, and it contains 22% – 23% of the fresh surface water in the world. Other than that it is the world’s deepest lake with 1642 meter maximum depth and the world’s oldest lake with 25 – 30 million years of geological history.
It is located in the southern part of eastern Siberia in Russia. More than 330 rivers and streams flow into the lake Baikal. Majestic mountains provide a picturesque backdrop to this amazing natural wonder. Baikal is home to over 3700 different species, many of which are only found in the Baikal. Therefore Lake Baikal is often referred the Galapagos of Russia.
Lake is rich in minerals that lead to the creation of most unusual species including Baikal oil fish, the Nerpa seal species, and Baikal Omul fish. Other than that bears, reindeer, wild boar, elk, and lynx can be found in the area.
It is absolutely a natural wonder and wildlife heaven. Winter from late January to early March is one of the best times to visit Baikal. When it is frozen you will be able to see 40 meters deep into the transparent blue icy lake and huge air bubbles that are frozen inside the lake.
14. Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American National Park. It is located in the western United States. It starts in the Northwest corner of Wyoming and stretches into Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone National Park was the first National Park in the USA as well as in the world.
Within 2.2 million acres of the Yellowstone are comprising rivers, lakes, canyons, a geothermal area, a mountain range, unique fauna and flora, and a diverse range of wildlife. The park is considered the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and one of the UNESCO world heritage sites since 1978.
It has paved roads to reach geothermal areas and some of the waterfalls and lakes. The geothermal area of Yellowstone contains half of the world’s active geysers. The park offers hiking, boating, camping, sightseeing, and fishing. You can explore geological wonders while enjoying adventurous activities.
13. Galapagos Island
Galapagos Island is an archipelago volcanic island, in the Republic of Ecuador. It is considered the world’s foremost spot for wildlife-viewing, and shelters a diverse array of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet. The landscape has a striking ruggedness and it is accentuated by high volcanic mountains, cliffs, and craters. The islands were designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1978.
Galapagos Islands are popular for their distinctive endemic species, including marine iguanas, giant tortoises, flightless cormorants, huge cacti, Galapagos lava lizards, finches, and many different subspecies of mockingbirds.
The archipelago and its immense marine reserve are considered the unique “living museum and showcase of evolution” and owns one of the richest marine ecosystems on the planet. Therefore, Galapagos Island is an excellent place to have an unforgettable travel experience.
12. The Sahara Desert
The Sahara desert is the world’s largest hot desert which lies on the African continent. The name Sahara came from the Arabic Language for desert. The Sahara desert stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Mediterranean Sea and Atlas Mountain in the north, to the Red Sea in the east, and a belt of semi-arid tropical savanna known as the Sahel is to the south.
Its area measures about 9,200,000 square kilometers, which is almost the same in size as China or the USA, and it’s a total of 8% of the earth’s land area. Several studies indicate that the Sahara became a climatic desert approximately 2 – 3 million years ago. The majestic desert is dominated by two climatic regimes, such as a dry tropical climate in the south and a dry subtropical climate in the north.
Spending a day around brown sand dunes and cliffs and night under the stars in the Sahara is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you can’t take this marvellous experience anywhere else in the world.
11. Pamukkale, Turkey
The meaning of the Pamukkale is “cotton candy” in Turkish. It is a natural site located in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. It is well known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down pearl white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside. This unbelievable natural masterpiece was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1988.
Pamukkale was formed by a high content of dissolved calcium bicarbonate waters which cascaded over the edge of the cliff.
It is also popular as Velvet white rock, white paradise, and magically healing hot water springs. Magnificent Pamukkale sounds more like a fairy tale than a real place, and it is absolutely much more than hot pools. It lies in the ancient Greek city of Hierapolis and offers many interesting historical ruins.
It is located in the River Menderes valley which has a temperate climate almost all over the year. Classical antiquity and the mineral-rich healing water of the Pamukkale attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. Sunset is the best time of the day to explore the magical beauty of the thermal water spring.
10. Zhangjiajie National Park
Zhangjiajie is located in the northwestern part of the Hunan province in China. It is a part of the greater Wulingyuan scenic area and holds the title of being the first UNESCO world heritage site in China. Giant sandstone pinnacles of Zhangjiajie National Park rise skyward from the valley floor, some of them are up to 200 meters tall with tufts of evergreen shrubs clinching to their narrow summits.
The world’s tallest outdoor lift known as the “hundred dragon sky lift” has been open to the public since 2002. It only takes less than two minutes to transport visitors to the top from its foot about 326 meters. It carries around 50 people at once.
Striking views of the National park almost every step of the way. Avatar mountains, countless cloud-kissing mountains, leafy trees, and clear streams, can enchant your journey while blending you with nature.
9. HaLong Bay
HaLong Bay is located in the Gulf of Tonkin, Quãng Ninh Province, Vietnam. 3000 rocky and forested tiny islets and towering limestone pillars rise from the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.
Magnificently scattered islands, ethereal beauty, wind, and wave-eroded grottos and caves perfectly blend together to make an exotic and picturesque seascape. A diverse array of both marine and land mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles are found in the water and tropical forests of the bay. The Majestic limestone has gone through 500 million years of formation under different environmental conditions. The creation of the karst of the bay has taken over 20 million years in the tropical wet climate.
Ha Long means descending dragons which are indicative of the silhouette of the limestone outcrop that pokes out from the water. An overnight boat trip is the most ideal way to experience the spectacular beauty of the bay.
8. Aurora Borealis
The Northern light or Aurora Borealis is a natural light that shimmers in the sky. Colourful blue, green, yellow, red, and orange lights move and change their shape gently.
Sola storms on our sun give out huge clouds of electrically charged particles. These particles travel millions of miles in space. Some of them may eventually come to earth, among them most of the particles are deflected away. But some of them are captured in the Earth’s magnetic fields. Those are accelerating down towards the north and south poles into the atmosphere and heating them up and making them glow. The different gases give different colours when they heat.
Northern lights appear randomly. Even though it occurs throughout the year, the probability of seeing them increases during the winter months due to dark skies. Canada’s far north, Iceland, Alaska, Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden are some of the best places in the world to explore the contrasting magical colours that move across the arctic sky.
7. Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is also popular as the “smoke that thunder” in the Tonga language. It is located in the province of Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe, along the borders of Zambia. The majestic Victoria Falls lies on the southern bank of the Zambezi River. It is spanning almost 1.7 kilometers and is split between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Tourists come from all over the world to explore the spectacular natural wonders. The Victoria Falls has the largest sheet of falling water than anywhere else on the earth, especially in the wet season; it drains over 500 million liters of water which cascade over the stunning cliff edge every minute.
Victoria Falls can be identified as one of the few places on earth where you can see the magic of the lunar rainbow or moon rainbow. Each full moon day in the evening, Victoria Falls rainforest re-opens to experience the beauty of the moon rainbow. It truly needs to be seen to be believed.
6. Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It comprised over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands spanning over 2,300 kilometers over an area of 344,400 square kilometers.
The structure of the reef is built by billions of tiny organisms called coral polyps and is home to diverse marine lives including 1,600 species of fish, rare species of whales, and six of the seven marine turtle species of the world.
It was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO world heritage site. The reef is blessed with hundreds of picturesque tropical islands, golden beaches, and a sun-soaked environment. Due to its fabulous appearance, the Great Barrier Reef has become the most sought-after tourist destination in the world.
5. Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is an immense canyon cut by the Colorado River in the Colorado Plateau, Arizona, United States. It is well known for its intricate and colourful landscapes and visually overwhelming size.
The Canyon is geologically significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are well preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon.
The Grand Canyon is truly a treasure and incomparable to anything else on Earth. The overwhelming and breathtaking Grand Canyon is the evidence of 2 billion years of geological history, The 277 miles long, over a mile deep and 18 miles wide Grand Canyon is arguably the most famous landscape of the USA and encompasses about 5000 square kilometers of multicoloured rocks, stunning ravines, dramatic cliffs, and plummeting canyons.
There is no doubt that the breathtaking and inspiring Grand Canyon National Park must have on every traveller’s bucket list. It is one of the premier natural attractions in the world, attracting over five million visitors annually. The south rim is open all year round but the north rim is open from mid-May to mid-October.
4. Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the highest mountain on the earth above sea level and is located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas on the border of Nepal, and Tibet, China. Its summit point runs across the China-Nepal border. Its most recently recorded elevation was 8,848.86 meters. The summit of Everest is often described as the size of a dining room table and capped with snow over ice over rock.
Below the summit, there is an area called a rainbow valley filled with dead bodies. The area down to about 8,000 meters is known as the death zone, high danger area leads to low pressure and low oxygen.
Everest has two main climbing routes such as the southeast ridge from Nepal and the North Ridge from Tibet. Other than that there are many other less frequently climbed routes available.
Mount Everest attracts many experienced climbers and mountaineers from all over the world. However, it presents many inherent dangers including altitude sickness, wind and weather, and hazards from the Khumbu icefalls and avalanches.
3. Amazon
The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in northern South America. This vast biome spans over eight rapidly developing countries including Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, a department of France. The Amazon River Basin is the largest drainage system in the world and supports the world’s largest rainforest, which accounts for more than half of the total volume of rainforests in the world.
Amazon River and the forest are bounded by the Andes Mountain to the west, the Guiana Highlands to the north, the Brazilian central plateau to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
The Amazon rainforest is often referred to as “the lung of the Earth”. The mesmerizing rainforest is the world’s richest and most-varied biological reservoir and contains several million species of plants, birds, insects, fishes, and other forms of life, many of which are still unrecorded by science.
The Amazon basin encompasses 7,000,000 square kilometers, of which nearly 5,500,000 square kilometers are covered by the rainforest. The majestic Amazon formed during the Eocene era approximately from 56 million to 33.9 million years ago.
2. Parícutin
Parícutin is a cinder cone volcano, which stands in the Mexican state of Michoacán, about 322 kilometers west of Mexico City. Parícutin is one of the youngest volcanoes and most notable volcanoes among all the scoria-cane type volcanoes on the planet. The volcano received widespread attention due to its sudden appearance.
Geologists explained that the volcanic activities in the state of Michoacán happen due to the subduction of Cocos and the Rivera tectonic plates that are placed along the Middle America Trench. The volcanic activities in this region cause rocky deposits, mountains, and volcanic soil. The Parícutin helped geologists to discover a bundle of secrets about the volcanoes and their activities.
The first eruption of Parícutin began in 1943 and the last eruption happened in 1952. Parícutin was coined one of the natural wonders of the planet because of its sudden appearance and rapidly growing formation. It is about a 12-mile round trip to the peak either by hiking or horseback riding. Hikers have to walk through lava fields and sandy banks. As well as Parícutincan be explored at any time of the year.
- Serengeti Migration
The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa, spanning northern Tanzania. The greatest migration is the world’s largest ever-moving circular migration of over a million animals across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
It is 800 kilometers round trip from Southern Serengeti in Tanzania to the northern edge of the Masai mara national reserve in Kenya after calving in the southern part of Tanzania. Roughly two million wildebeest including 300,000 zebras start the journey south of the Serengeti with the birth of half a million calves between January and March and follow an age-old route in search of nutritious grazing and water. The grasses of the plains have the highest protein and calcium content in the whole of the Serengeti.
The journey is a clockwise movement from the south, west, north, and back to the south. The journey is beset with danger and thriller; the youngest calves are snatched by hungry predators including lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, crocs, and wild dogs.
Serengeti Migration is one of the most sought-after experiences for wildlife and nature enthusiasts and one of the most exceptional natural wonders of the world. Most travellers pick the dry season which lasts from late June to October for a safari in the Serengeti National Park.
