Looking to get off the usual tourist path and uncover out-of-the-ordinary destinations? This guide features must-see offbeat attractions, quirky landmarks, natural wonders, and hidden corners of the world packed with personality. Leave the crowds behind and experience the magic of new places that are just a little left of center.
Glass Beach, California
This beach on the Northern California coast gets its name from the smooth, colorful pieces of discarded glass from decades of dumping, which have been polished by the ocean into a glittering blanket of natural art. An incredible example of environmental reclamation.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
The world’s largest salt flat transforms into the world’s largest mirror when flooded, perfectly reflecting the skies for a surreal heaven-on-Earth perspective during rainy season.
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Fly Geyser, Nevada
Fly Geyser’s rainbow mineral mounds unintentionally resulted from a well drilling mishap in 1916, proving accidental creations can become natural wonders.
Las Pozas, Mexico
The lifelong passion project of eccentric English millionaire Edward James, this architectural fantasy land of concrete and steel Surrealist sculpture gardens sits abandoned amidst the Mexican jungle.
Pamukkale, Turkey
With its unearthly cascading white stone terraces formed by mineral hot springs, Pamukkale resembles an alien landscape rather than natural Earth formations.
Hang Son Doong, Vietnam
Near the Laos border, this otherworldly cavern dwarfs all others as the largest on Earth. River channels, jungle foliage and massive sinkholes exist isolated inside for millennia.
The Wave, Arizona
Sandstone rock fluted into fluid repeating spectral forms across a small basin on the Utah border create this magical photography hot spot in the middle of the desolate desert.
Hashima Island, Japan
Once a thriving undersea coal mining hub, Hashima Island became an eerie ghost town when operations shuttered in the 1970s, leaving it in ruins ever since.
Tunnel of Love, Ukraine
Gleaming train tracks engulfed in an emerald forest canopy create a fairy tale-like passageway out of a mysterious dream. The perfect secret getaway spot off the beaten path.
Spotted Lake, Canada
During dry season, Spotted Lake’s unusually high concentrated mineral content creates vivid turquoise pools in psychedelic geometric formations – British Columbia’s hidden oasis.
Las Lajas Sanctuary, Colombia
This ornate Gothic Revival church bridges a deep gorge, making it appear to miraculously float in the clouds above the rushing waterway below.
Hierve El Agua, Mexico
Rather than centuries-old ruins, these petrified waterfall spires with natural mineral infinity pools only formed via geological processes in the last few decades, demonstrating the ever-changing Earth.
Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland
As if pulled from the pages of a fantastical storybook, this convoy of interwoven beech trees forms a magical tunnel overhead to mark the road.
Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
Iceland’s volcanic landscape offers endless otherworldly vistas and geothermal curiosity, like steaming vents and lava fields. This spot concentrates the rugged, raw appeal nicely.
Cappadocia, Turkey
Fairytale stone spires scattered across Cappadocia’s valleys make the region appear drawn from imagination. Early inhabitants carved homes and temples directly into the bizarre geological formations for centuries.
Sea of Stars, Vaadhoo Island
Microorganisms in the Maldives’s Vaadhoo Island almost appear to mimic stars reflecting the night sky, lighting up the shoreline with an ethereal glow for magical midnight swims.
The Gates of Hell, Turkmenistan
This colossal burning crater in the heart of Turkmenistan’s Karakum desert has smoldered nonstop since a Soviet drilling mishap in 1971 ignited the methane reserves below. The raging inferno shows no signs of extinguishing anytime soon.
Fingal’s Cave, Scotland
Unnatural geometric fractures sliced into the craggy Scottish isle of Staffa form cave walls mimicking a church’s pipe organ. The cave roof causes waves to resonate in unique purring melodies.
Socotra, Yemen
Plants on this isolated archipelago evolved into Dr. Seussian forms seen nowhere else on Earth. The island contains over 700 endemic species, creating a simultaneously alien and primordial garden landscape.
Pundakit, Mexico
The shallow limestone basin cradling the Mexcaltitán Lagoon turns mirror-like during floods, reflecting the colorful village Market and surroundings for a surreal doubled landscape illusion.
Eyes of Mara, Africa
Herds of hippos gathering in Tanzania’s Mara River have formed well-worn trails underwater, exposing stone banks that resemble gigantic emerging hippo heads when waters retreat during dry season.
Dallol, Ethiopia
With some of the most extreme temperatures on the planet, Ethiopia’s Dallol region is essentially inhospitable to life. The visual remains are striking sulphur chimneys and neon-bright mineral formations.
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Summer rainstorms eroded Antelope Canyon’s smooth curving sandstone into undulating ocher-hued contours creating a lightplay photographer’s paradise inside the slot canyon’s narrow walls.
Lake Hillier, Australia
The startling color of Western Australia’s Lake Hillier remains unexplained by science. The bright bubblegum pink lake dazzles when contrasted with the surrounding blue ocean inlet and verdant isle.
Polka Dot Mountain, British Columbia
High up in the Chilcotin’s amidst ordinary granite rises a spatter-painted slab nicknamed for its scattered embedded crystals of vibrant aquamarine feldspar glittering in the cliffside.
The Only Corn Palace, South Dakota
Since 1892, South Dakota’s Mitchell Corn Palace arena-auditorium has been ritually redecorated annually using thousands of bushels of native corn and other grains to create massive themed murals.
Thor’s Well, Oregon
On the rocky Oregon coast, Thor’s Well is a uniquely “draining sink” formation producing a dramatic seascape spectacle when waves thunder into the collapsed sea cave opening.
Naica Mine, Mexico
Extremely rare geode caverns below Naica contain gigantic translucent crystals exceeding 30 feet, presenting an otherworldly scene as the largest known natural crystals on our planet.
Richat Structure, Mauritania
Though its origins remain undetermined, Mauritania’s intensely circular Richat Structure impact crater entrances passersby with its sheer massive size and alien allure from high above.
Huacachina, Peru
The rare sight of a flourishing oasis village surrounded by massive sand dunes makes Peru’s Huacachina feel fantastical, especially while cresting the dunes on a thrillseeking sandboard.
Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, Hawaii
Intense volcanic activity produces striking jet-black beaches like Punalu’u on Hawaii’s Big Island where lava flowing into cool waters explosively shatters into coarse basalt pieces, creating an unusual dark shore.
The Cave of Crystals, Mexico
Naica’s Cave of Crystals contains some of planet Earth’s largest known natural crystal formations reaching nearly 40 feet, sparking intense scientific wonder at their creation and beauty.
Valley of Rainbows, China
At China’s Zhangye Danxia Landform, surreal technicolor rock formations eroded into jagged peaks and ridgelines display wild, rainbow-swirled patterns in a striking natural mosaic.
Blood Falls, Antarctica
Blood red water inexplicably oozes from Taylor Glacier, creating a shocking blood-hued waterfall against the icy brilliance of Antarctica’s starkly white landscape. The unsettling phenomenon captivates scientists.
Cape Flattery, Washington
Jutting out north from Washington State, Cape Flattery provides stunning wilderness vantage points to gaze through the iconic natural arch out towards the open ocean from a lofty sea cliff perch.
The Gates of Hell, Turkmenistan
This colossal burning crater in the heart of Turkmenistan’s Karakum desert has smoldered nonstop since a Soviet drilling mishap in 1971 ignited the methane reserves below. The raging inferno shows no signs of extinguishing anytime soon.
Fingal’s Cave, Scotland
Unnatural geometric fractures sliced into the craggy Scottish isle of Staffa form cave walls mimicking a church’s pipe organ. The cave roof causes waves to resonate in unique purring melodies.
Socotra, Yemen
Plants on this isolated archipelago evolved into Dr. Seussian forms seen nowhere else on Earth. The island contains over 700 endemic species, creating a simultaneously alien and primordial garden landscape.
Pundakit, Mexico
The shallow limestone basin cradling the Mexcaltitán Lagoon turns mirror-like during floods, reflecting the colorful village Market and surroundings for a surreal doubled landscape illusion.
Eyes of Mara, Africa
Herds of hippos gathering in Tanzania’s Mara River have formed well-worn trails underwater, exposing stone banks that resemble gigantic emerging hippo heads when waters retreat during dry season.
Dallol, Ethiopia
With some of the most extreme temperatures on the planet, Ethiopia’s Dallol region is essentially inhospitable to life. The visual remains are striking sulphur chimneys and neon-bright mineral formations.
Conclusion
Sometimes the most magical places are just slightly left of everyday, filled with personality you would never expect or believe possible until witnessed firsthand. Seeking out these unusual and extraordinary sights infuses travel with delight, moments of wonder, and expanded perspective as we rediscover just how endlessly fascinating our world remains. Though mainstream attractions provide comfort in familiarity, stepping outside the ordinary promises incredible rewards if you keep your sense of curiosity alive. Never stop exploring.