Here is a collection of the most surreal and mysterious landscapes on earth. These are places that have intrigued visitors, baffled scientists and captured the imagination of local people for centuries.
#1 The Wave, Arizona, U.S.
This sandstone rock formation is located in northern Arizona on the Utah border. (Photo: Greg Mote/flickr)
#2 Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, U.S.
Located in Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is home to brightly colored geological structures, which are formed from erosion and called hoodoos. The park hosts the largest collection of hoodoos in the world. (Shutterstock)
#3 Zhangye Danxia Landform, China
This landscape of surreal, psychedelic colours and shapes has to be seen to be believed. Known as the “eye candy” of Zhangye, the 400 square kilometre geological park can be found in the Gansu Province in central north China.
#4 Travertines, Pamukkale, Turkey
Pamukkale, which means cotton castle in Turkish, is located near the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis and has been a popular bathing spot for thousands of years.
#5 Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, U.S.
The Grand Prismatic Spring is bigger than a football field at 370 feet in diameter. (Photo: Lorcel/Shutterstock)
#6 Lake Hillier, Australia
This violently pink saline lake can be found on Middle Island in the Recherché Archipelago, off the coast of Western Australia. While only 600 metres long, the startlingly-coloured lake resembles a piece of Pop Art on the otherwise uniformly green island.
#7 Ice caves, Kamchatka, Russia
Stunning formations and hues of purples, blues, greens, and yellows, which arise when sunlight streams through their glacial ice.
#8 Red Beach, Panjin, China
You won’t find sand on this beach. Instead, this wetland is covered in the seepweed suaeda salsa, which turns a brilliant red every autumn. (Photo: Guo Yu/Shutterstock)
#9 Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
The extreme whiteness of these ancient salt flats stretches for more than 4,000 square miles. (Photo: Shutterstock)
#10 Dallol, Ethiopia
The Danakil Depression, in the northeastern corner of Ethiopia, is one of the hottest places on the planet, with temperatures reaching as high as 145 degrees Fahrenheit. With two active volcanoes, a bubbling lava lake, geysers, acid ponds, and several mineral deposits, the setting looks like something from another planet.