Although most of the planet has been discovered and well-documented, there’s still plenty of places that remain relatively unknown, and for no good reason. Here are 10 Incredibly Gorgeous Places You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.
Located two hours off the coast of Sydney, Lord Howe Island is not only remote geographically, but no more than 400 people are allowed to visit it at any given time. Accordingly, it looks like a literal paradise—from flawless beaches, a lagoon so blue it seems like a joke, a coral reef, volcanic peaks, rainforests, and wildlife that’s native only to the island. If dinosaurs were ever holding out in secret, they’d probably pick Lord Howe Island.
Any time someone mentions a canyon to check out in the United States, you’d probably drone out and assume they just mean the Grand Canyon. However, most people would consider Antelope Canyon (also in Arizona) to be somewhat more interesting. The canyon was created over thousands of years of rivers and streams eroding the sandstone, and the experience of walking through miles of them would be pretty mind-blowing.
“Glen Coe” is located in the Scottish Highlands, and is not only considered among one of the most gorgeous places in Scotland, but Europe as a whole. The “Glen of Weeping” contains Bidean nam Bian, one of the highest peaks in Scotland, as well as the winding River Coe. The glen got its namesake from its foggy, grim grandeur, but thankfully you’ll probably only weep from the great views. Or running from the Loch Ness monster. Whichever.
Translated into English, “pamukkale” means “cotton castle” in Turkish, which seems legit, considering that it looks like a giant pile of cotton balls. Once, the ancient Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis was built atop the stunning hot springs and otherworldly travertines (the layered terraces in the photo above), creating a unique mix of natural and architectural history. And that’s without mentioning that it’s pretty cool to chill out in the very same pools that the Greeks and Romans did, thousands of years ago.
Located across the borders of Namibia and (predominantly) South Africa, Namaqualand encompasses about 170,000 square miles—a few thousand miles larger than the state of California. Throughout the majority of the year Namaqualand looks like most of the region—arid and dry—but in spring it effloresces into something completely mesmerizing. Hundreds of thousands of daisies bloom, transforming the dry, empty land into on of the most gorgeous places on earth.
Is this photo from a beautiful, untouched island in the South Pacific? Nope. Plitvice is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe, the largest in Croatia, and most noticeably, it doesn’t look like anything out of Europe, much less Croatia. Now that Plitvice is a World Heritage Site, it will remain in a state much like it was when it was first opened in 1949—aside from the occasional walkway.
Not only were all these amazing terraces built by hand, but they are more than 2000 years old and cover over 4000 square miles (about the size of Los Angeles’s sprawl). The terraces are so old now that they look wholly natural; indigenous Filipino peoples traveled into the Ifugao mountains two millennia ago, seeking a permanent solution to providing enough food for their people. Still, they probably weren’t expecting that their rice terraces would be quite this permanent.
Though Norway contains the largest number of fjords in the world, Sognefjord is the largest (and second-largest in the world), and probably one of the most gorgeous places as well. With depths that go down nearly a mile and peaks that go over one into the air, you could spend many years just trying to see everything this 127-mile (205km) long waterway has to offer. And you’d need plenty of help, but thankfully there’s dozens and dozens of boats that troll these crystal-clear waters daily.
Located in Hunan Province, China, Wulingyuan is known for its approximately 3100 naturally created, towering sandstone pillars. After the release of Avatar, it’s pretty hard to think of this place as more than coincidentally a pretty close real-life version of Pandora. You’d have to imagine that walking on the ground floor would be at least as intimidating as running into a Na’vi in the wild.
Though Iceland is known for many of its waterfalls, none is perhaps as beautiful as Gullfoss, located on the White River (“Hvítá”). Translated from Icelandic, its name means “Golden Falls.” What makes the falls particularly stunning is that they traverse over three massive “steps,” plunging onto two stages, and then down a 32 meter (105ft) deep crevice. This creates the allusion that the falls are perching above an abyss—albeit probably much better looking than you’d imagine an abyss. Those travelling in Iceland should definitely not forget to visit the reykjadalur hot springs!
Do you know of any other under the radar gorgeous places? Let us know in the comments.
With their near vertical drop and gorgeous scenery, cliffs have attracted travelers and adrenaline seekers for hundreds of years. Here is a list of some of the most spectacular cliffs in the world.
The Cliffs of Moher are amongst the most impressive coastlines in the world, and are widely considered to be one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions, drawing almost one million visitors each year. The spectacular cliffs rise 120 meters (394 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag’s Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters (702 ft) just north of O’Brien’s Tower, eight kilometers away.
The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction. Currently there are eight apostles left but the name remains significant and spectacular especially in the Australian tourism industry.
The Trango Towers is family of world tallest rock towers located in the north of Baltoro Glacier, in Baltistan, a region of the Gilgit-Baltistan territory in northern Pakistan. Every year, a number of expeditions from all over the world visit Karakoram to climb the most challenging granite cliffs. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and most challenging rock climbing in the world. The highest point in the group is the summit of Great Trango Tower at 6,286 m (20,608 ft). The east face of the Great Trango Tower features the world’s greatest nearly vertical drop.
Preikestolen or the (pulpit rock) is a mountain formed like a huge pulpit towering over the Lysefjord in Rogaland, Fjord Norway. It consists of a steep cliff which rises 604 metres (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden, with an almost flat top of approximately 25 by 25 metres (82 by 82 feet). Preikestolen is a growing tourist attraction, only accessible via a 3.8 km (2.4 mi.) hike.
Étretat is a small coastal village best known for its spectacular cliffs, including a famous natural arch. The spectacular sea cliffs and the associated resort beach attracted famous artists including Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. The pebbled beach, sparked with quartz geodes, is wrapped in dramatic cliffs eroded into giant formations and offshore needles. Two of the arches can be seen from the town, a third requires a walk at low tide.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, these are the world’s highest sea cliffs—a 3,900-foot plunge from the top to seaside Kalaupapa village. The village is the site of a former leper colony. Views of these spectacular cliffs are featured in the movie Jurassic Park III. Because of the steep cliffs and surrounding ocean, Kalaupapa cannot be reached by car and visitors are transported by trail descending along the cliffs to Kalaupapa.
Drakensberg Amphitheatre is widely regarded as one of the most spectacular cliffs on earth. They are part of the Royal Natal National Park. The Amphitheatre is over 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in length and has precipitous cliffs rising approximately 1,220 metres (4,000 ft) along its entire length. The cliff face of the Amphitheatre is roughly three times the size of the total combined area of all the cliff faces in Yosemite’s famous El Capitan. Drakensberg Amphitheatre features a beautiful hiking trail to the top and Tugela Falls, the world’s second tallest falls, plunge over 948 metres (3,100 ft)from the Drakensberg Amphitheatre’s cliff tops.
Created by an ancient volcano, Acantilados de los Gigantes or (the Cliffs of the Giants) tower 500 metres (1,500 feet) above the western shore of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Narrow trails meander along the basalt cliff tops and down Barranco Seco to a secluded beach at the feet of the giants.
It is the most visited and one of the largest (but not the highest) tepuis in the Guiana Highlands. It features Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, drops from a cleft near the summit. The falls are 979 meters (3,212 ft) high, with an uninterrupted descent of 807 meters (2,648 ft) — a drop nineteen times higher than that of Niagara Falls.
A towering symbol of Britain’s physical and emotional detachment from the rest of Europe, these spectacular cliffs wrap around the southeast coast between Dover and Deal, facing toward France 20 miles across the English Channel. The striking color of the 350-foot-high cliffs derives from white chalk streaked with black flint.
The Vermilion Cliffs are made up of deposited silt and desert dunes, cemented by infiltrated carbonates and intensely colored by red iron oxide and other minerals, particularly bluish manganese. They are in the physiographic High Plateaus Section and Canyon Lands Section of the Colorado Plateau Province. The USA has some of the most spectacular cliff formations and areas of natural beauty in the world, so check out these USA travel tips to see what else you could find if you’re planning on visiting.
Cliffs of Eysturoy look like something out of an epic fantasy movie like “Lord of the Rings”. Cliffs of Eysturoy are located on the second biggest Faroe Island and feature some amazing scenery and waterfall.
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end.
The granite monolith extends about 3,000 feet (900 m) from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world’s favorite challenges for rock climbers and BASE jumpers.
Cabo Girão is a lofty sea cliff located along the southern coast of the island of Madeira, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. Cabo Girão is a popular lookout point, especially after a glass-floored viewing platform was installed in October 2012.The location is a popular starting point for hikers.
If you know of any other spectacular cliffs, please let us know in the comments below.
https://gobestplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/11151176545_eb791880ba_b-1024x550-fy1zwF.jpeg5501024mouradhttps://gobestplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/logo-best-plan-3-370x128.pngmourad2015-03-05 04:58:502020-10-07 16:42:2014 Most Spectacular Cliffs in the World
There’s no debate that our planet contains a colossal amount of beautiful and famous places, however in some instances those amazing photos of ancient landmarks you see in postcards are not always what they truly appear like in real life.
Pictures tend to convey more value than words, therefore let us know what you think about these famous landmarks like Stonehenge or the Egypt pyramids photographed in their “ideal” image, and a zoomed out image to embody their true surroundings.
https://gobestplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/l5-Mbb0TS.jpeg587880mouradhttps://gobestplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/logo-best-plan-3-370x128.pngmourad2015-02-25 06:44:262020-10-07 16:42:2014 Famous Places Photographed in Their True Surroundings
There’s nothing like a road trip to really experience a country. From coastal highways and dizzying mountain passes, to scenic roads through national parks and bridges over great spans of water; roads are the circulatory system that connects a country. After an extensive search online, the Sifter has compiled a list of some of the most beautiful, challenging and unforgettable roads in the world. We will warn you that some of these roads are dangerous so there is a risk of getting into a car accident. If this happens to you while on a road trip, you may need to contact a Manning car accident attorney to seek compensation.
While hardly exhaustive, this list should provide great inspiration for those planning an upcoming trip. Please feel free to share any additional roads in the comments.
California is one of the most popular states for a road trip. Its vast, sweeping beauty being taken in by thousands of people every month. Its popularity may cause you to want to take a road trip there and if you do, make sure you pay the Big Sur a visit. Your journey may not be entirely plain sailing though because, with so many people unfamiliar with the roads, lots of accidents occur every year. Keep an eye out for any Car accident news that may impede your progress through the state – it’ll help make your trip as seamless as possible.
State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north-south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. The highway is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the USA, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.
Highway 1 enters the Big Sur region crossing the San Carpoforo Creek just south of the Monterey County line. For about 90 miles (140 km) from the San Carpoforo Creek to the Carmel River, the road winds and hugs the cliffs of Big Sur, passing various coastal parks in the area. The road also briefly leaves the coast for a few miles and goes through a redwood forest in the Big Sur River valley. This segment of the highway, built between 1919 and 1937, also crosses several historic bridges, including the scenic Bixby Creek Bridge shown above. [Source]
Furka Pass (el. 2429 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri. The Furka Pass was used as a location in the James Bond filmGoldfinger. [Source]
Opened on July 7, 1989, the Atlantic Road is a National Tourist Route and was honoured as Norway’s Construction of the Century in 2005. The Atlantic is an 8.3 kilometer (5.2 miles) section of Country Road 64 which runs between the towns of Kristiansund and Molde, the two main population centres in the county of More og Romsdal in Fjord, Norway. The road is built on several small islands and skerries, which are connected by several causeways, viaducts and eight bridges.
4. White Rim Road, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
The 100-mile White Rim Road loops around and below the Island mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. Trips usually take two to three days by four-wheel-drive vehicle or three to four days by mountain bike. All vehicles and bikes must remain on roads. ATVs and non-street legal dirt bikes are not permitted. Pets are also not permitted, even in vehicles.
Under favorable weather conditions, the White Rim Road is considered moderately difficult for high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles. The steep, exposed sections of the Shafer Trail, Lathrop Canyon Road, Murphy’s Hogback, Hardscrabble Hill, and the Mineral Bottom switchbacks make the White Rim loop a challenging mountain bike ride, and require extreme caution for both vehicles and bikes during periods of inclement weather. [Source]
Tianmen Mountain is a mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China. A cable car operates from nearby Zhangjiajie railway station to the top of the mountain. It features 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 meters and an ascent of 1,279 meters. The highest gradient is an unusual 37 degrees. There is also an 11 km road with 99 bends that reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural hole in the mountain at a height of 131.5 meters. [Source]
The Seven Mile Bridge is a famous bridge in the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It connects Knight’s Key (part of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Among the longest bridges in existence when it was built, it is one of the many bridges on US 1 in the Keys, where the road is called the Overseas Highway. [Source]
Speaking of which my friend recently had an accident along this road. He decided that it was important to have a Personal injury law firm in Beaufort, SC or similar to legally support him. In the end, he found a lawyer that was a tremendous help to my friend with his case. He got the settlement he deserved in the end.
Chapman’s Peak Drive winds it way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast of the south-western tip of South Africa. The 9km route, with its 114 curves, skirts the rocky coastline of Chapman’s Peak (593m). The drive is affectionately known as “Chappies” and offers stunning 180° views with many areas along the route where you can stop and take in the exquisite scenery. [Source]
The Stelvio Pass, located in Italy, at 2757 m (9045 feet) is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, slightly below the Col de l’Iseran (2770 m, 9088 feet). Stelvio was also picked by the British automotive show Top Gear as its choice for the “greatest driving road in the world”, although their search was concentrated only in Europe. This conclusion was reached after the team went in search of a road that would satisfy every “petrolhead’s” driving fantasies in the premiere of the show’s 10th season. Top Gear later decided that the Transf?g?r??an Highway in Romania was possibly a superior driving road. [Source]
The Col de Turini (el. 1607 m) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Alpes-Maritimes in France. It lies near Sospel, between the communes of Moulinet and La Bollène-Vésubie in the Arrondissement of Nice. Anyone interested in Motorcycling in France should definitely pay Col de Turini a visit, as long as they like hairpin corners on a cliff. The road is famous for a stage of the Monte Carlo Rally which is held on the tight scenic roads with its many hairpin turns. The Col de Turini has also featured three times in the Tour de France (1948, 1950 and 1975) averaging 7.2% over 15.3 km when approached from the East starting at the valley of the river Vésubie. [Source]
The Guoliang Tunnel is carved along the side of and through a mountain in China. The tunnel is located in the Taihang Mountains which are situated in the Henan Province of China. If you want to get there, you should start your trip in Xinxiang. Leave the city by driving north on Huanyu Avenue (the S229). After 13 miles you’ll enter the town of Huixian. Stay on the S229 for 15 miles more until you reach the junction with the S228. Turn left here and keep following the S229. After 8 miles you reach the village of Nanzhaizen. Turn left again and follow directions to Guoliang, 8 miles further. [Source]
Denali Highway (Alaska Route 8) is a lightly traveled, mostly gravel highway in the U.S. state of Alaska. It leads from Paxson on the Richardson Highway to Cantwell on the Parks Highway. Opened in 1957, it was the first road access to Denali National Park (then known as Mount McKinley National Park). The Denali is 135 miles (217 km) in length. [Source]
The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an elevation of 4,693 m/15,397 ft. It connects China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s Gilgit–Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions and also serves as a popular tourist attraction. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The Karakorum Highway is known informally as the KKH, and – within Pakistan – officially as the N-35; within China, officially as China National Highway 314 (G314). [Source]
The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243-kilometre (151 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world’s largest war memorial; dedicated to casualties of World War I. It is an important tourist attraction in the region, which winds through varying terrain alongside the coast, and provides access to several prominent landmarks; including the nationally significant Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations. [Source]
Sani Pass is located in the western end of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa on the road between Underberg and Mokhotlong, Lesotho. Sani Pass is a notoriously dangerous road that requires the use of a 4×4 vehicle. The pass is approximately 9 km in length and requires above average driving experience. While South African immigration at the bottom of the pass prohibits vehicles deemed unsuitable for the journey, the Lesotho border agents at the top generally allow vehicles of all types to attempt the descent. Border between the two countries closes at 4:00 pm every day and the Pass is often closed due to weather conditions, especially during winter. [Source]
National Route 40 or RN40 (often called Ruta 40), is a route in western Argentina, stretching from Cabo Virgenes in Santa Cruz Province in the south to La Quiaca in Jujuy Province in the north, running parallel to the Andes mountains. The southern part of the route, a largely paved road through sparsely populated territory, has become a well-known adventure tourism journey.
Route 40 is the longest route in Argentina and one of the largest in the world (along with the U.S. Route 66 and the Stuart Highway in Australia. It is more than 5,000 km (3,107 mi) long and crosses 20 national parks, 18 major rivers, 27 passes on the Andes, and goes up to 5,000 m (16,404 ft) above sea level in Abra del Acay in Salta. [Source]
16. Going-to-the-Sun-Road, Glacier National Park, Montana
Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1932 and is a spectacular 50 mile, paved two-lane highway that bisects Glacier National Park east and west. It spans the width of the Park, crossing the Continental Divide at 6,646-foot-high Logan Pass. It passes through almost every type of terrain in the park, from large glacial lakes and cedar forests in the lower valleys to windswept alpine tundra atop the pass. Scenic viewpoints and pullouts line the road. In 1983 Going-To-The-Sun Road was included in the National Register of Historic Places and in 1985 was made a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. [Source]
Carved over the centuries by the Dades River, the Dades Gorge is now a very popular destination for travellers in Morocco. Travellers in 4WD (with a guide) can follow a mountain loop (at certain times of the year), following Dades Gorge as far north as Agoudal, then turning south to head for Todra Gorge. It can be accessed from the small town of Boumaine which lies 116 km northeast of Ouarzazate and 53 km from Tinerhir. A sealed road runs for 63 km through the Gorge as far as Msemrir, after that 4WD is necessary. The best time to visit the lower valleys is from March to May and the mountains are best from May to July. [Source]
18. U.S. Route 550 ‘The Million Dollar Highway, Colorado
U.S. Route 550 is a spur of U.S. Highway 50 that runs from Bernalillo, New Mexico to Montrose, Colorado in the western United States. The section from Silverton to Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway. The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles (40 km) in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray, Colorado. It is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles (19 km) south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gains the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic-many cut directly into the sides of mountains. [Source]
Trollstigen (English: Trolls’ Ladder) is a serpentine mountain road in Rauma, Norway, part of Norwegian National Road 63 connecting Åndalsnes in Rauma and Valldal in Norddal. It is a popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountain side. Trollstigen was opened on July 31, 1936, by King Haakon VII after 8 years of construction. During the top tourist season about 2,500 vehicles pass daily.
The road is narrow with many sharp bends, and although several bends have been widened during the years 2005 to 2012, vehicles over 12.4 metres long are prohibited from driving the road. At the 700 metres plateau there is a car park and several viewing balconies overlooking the bends and the Stigfossen waterfall. Trollstigen is closed during autumn and winter. A normal opening season stretches from mid-May to October, but may sometimes be shorter or longer due to changes in the weather conditions. [Source]
The Amalfi Coast is widely considered Italy’s most scenic stretch of coastline, a landscape of towering bluffs, pastel-hued villages terraced into hillsides, scenic roads, luxuriant gardens, and expansive vistas over turquoise waters and green-swathed mountains. Deemed by UNESCO “an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape,” the coast was awarded a coveted spot on the World Heritage list in 1997. The Amalfi Coast lies along the southern flanks of the Sorrento Peninsula, a cliff-edged promontory that wanders out from the mainland at the southern end of the Bay of Naples. [Source]
The Transf?g?r??an or DN7C is the second-highest paved road in Romania. Built as a strategic military route, the 90 km of twists and turns run north to south across the tallest sections of the Southern Carpathians, between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu, and the second highest, Negoiu. The road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and the cities of Sibiu and Pite?ti.
The road climbs to 2,034 metres altitude. The most spectacular route is from the North. It is a winding road, dotted with steep hairpin turns, long S-curves, and sharp descents. Top Gear host, Jeremy Clarkson, had said about Transf?g?r??an that, “this is the best road… in the world” – a title the program’s presenters had previously given to the Stelvio Pass in Italy. [Source]
https://gobestplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/bixby-bridge-highway-1-big-sur-california-Qr8ICx.jpeg534800mouradhttps://gobestplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/logo-best-plan-3-370x128.pngmourad2015-02-20 05:38:432020-10-07 16:42:2021 Most Scenic Roads in the World
