10 Extraordinary Unearthly Locations Hiding On Our Planet (And Waiting For You To Visit)

The breathtaking beauty of our amazing planet is undeniable. And despite the fact that humans have spent billions to explore other planets over the past sixty years, there are many unearthly-looking places that are actually right here on Earth. 

Valle de la Luna in Chile

The beautiful and astonishing wonders of Mother Nature is what today’s list is all about, and if you happen to be one of those people who doesn’t like to read and feed your spirit, with today’s list you will definitely feed your eyes with fantastic beauty that can only be found here....on Earth. 

CAVE OF THE CRYSTALS, MEXICO 

Cave of the Crystals, or Giant Crystal Cave, is a cave connected to the Naica Mine three hundred meters (980 ft) below the surface of Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals, some of the largest natural crystals ever discovered. 

The cave is extremely hot, with air temperatures reaching up to 58° C, with ninety to ninety-nine percent humidity. The cave is relatively unexplored due to these factors but scientists guarantee that without proper protection, people can only endure about ten minutes of exposure at a time.  

WAITOMO GLOWWORM CAVES, NEW ZEALAND  

World renowned and a magnet for both local and overseas visitors, the Waitomo Glowworm Caves occupy a high place on a New Zealand vacation wish list. 

The glowworm, Arachnocampa luminosa, is unique to New Zealand. Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their unmistakable luminescent light as expert guides provide informative commentary on the caves’ historical and geological significance.  

CAÑO CRISTALES, COLOMBIA 

It’s been a long time since anyone visited one of Colombia’s most impressive ecological wonders on a regular basis. Guerrilla, paramilitary, and army activity in the department of Meta over the last few decades has meant that Parque Nacional Natural Sierra de La Macarena, better known as Caño Cristales, has been closed to tourism since 1989. And, officially, it still is. 

But some pioneering tour agencies with an eye toward preservation have secured authorization to visit the site and began offering carefully crafted tours in 2009, despite continued FARC presence in the surrounding areas.

MARBLE CAVES, CHILE 

The Marble Caves are a geological formation of unusual beauty. These naturally formed caves of pure marble are bathed in the deep blue water of General Carrera Lake. 

The Marble Caves might be little known internationally but those tourists who have been lucky enough to see them are so impressed that they want to visit them again.  

BLOOD FALLS, ANTARCTICA 

Blood Falls is a bright red waterfall oozing from Antarctica’s ice. It’s nearly five stories high, in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, one of the coldest and most inhospitable places on Earth, a place scientists like to compare to the cold, dry deserts of Mars. 

The reddish deposit was found in 1911 by the English geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor, who first explored the valley that bears his name. The Antarctica pioneers first attributed the color to red algae, but later it was proven to be due to iron oxides.  

EYE OF SAHARA, MAURITANIA  

The Richat Structure, also known as the Eye of the Sahara or blue eye of Africa, is a striking geological circular feature in the Sahara Desert in Mauritania near Ouadane. It is nearly fifty kilometers across and visible from space. 

Originally interpreted as an asteroid impact structure because of its high degree of circularity, and then as a structure formed by a volcanic eruption that also seems improbable because of the lack of a dome of igneous or volcanic rock, it is now believed to be a highly symmetrical and deeply eroded dome that collapsed. 

It is now thought by many to have been caused by uplifted rock sculpted by erosion. But the fact that the “rings” are equidistant to the center and that the structure is nearly circular remains a mystery.  

"DOOR TO HELL," TURKMENISTAN  

This site was identified by Soviet engineers in 1971. It was initially thought to be a substantial oil field. The engineers set up a rig and camp nearby and started drilling operations to assess the quantity of oil available at the site. 

When they found gas instead, the ground beneath the rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater and disappeared. The name “Door to Hell” was given to the field by locals, referring to the fire, boiling mud, and orange flames in the large crater, which has a diameter of seventy meters (230 ft).  

ANTELOPE CANYON, ARIZONA (USA) 

Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon in the American Southwest. It is located on Navajo land east of Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or the Crack and Antelope Canyon or the Corkscrew. 

It is considered the most-photographed slot canyon in the world.   

GREAT BLUE HOLE, BELIZE 

The Great Blue Hole is a world-class destination for recreational scuba divers attracted by the opportunity to dive in crystal-clear waters and see myriad species of marine life including tropical fish and spectacular coral formations. 

The marine life in these areas includes nurse sharks, giant groupers, and several types of reef sharks such as the Caribbean reef shark and the black-tip shark. Dive excursions to the Great Blue Hole are full-day trips that usually consist of one dive in the Blue Hole and two additional dives in nearby reefs. 

THE WHITE DESERT, EGYPT 

The White Desert is the most well-known desert destination in Egypt and for a good reason. 

The quantity of unearthly, moon-like, and beautiful wind-carved rock formations in the form of giant mushrooms or pebbles is unequaled in any other desert in the world. 

References: 

https://www.tcmag.com

https://theo-cracy.com

Cave of the Crystals

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Lonely Planet Colombia 

The Marble Caves (Cavernas de Mármol)

Origin of Antarctica's eerie Blood Falls

Richat Structure

This Hellish Desert Pit Has Been On Fire for More Than 40 Years

Antelope Canyon

Great Blue Hole Of Belize - Largest Sea Hole In The World

The White Desert

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