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20 Crazy Places to Visit: The Most Unbelievable Destinations on Earth

  • Writer: momna Ikram
    momna Ikram
  • Oct 23
  • 8 min read

The world is full of wonders that go beyond what is conceivable - The destinations so surreal you wonder what you see and what you don't. These are places where the traveler is at a loss and where nature and history intersect in almost otherworldly ways. From stunning caves and boiling craters, to rainbow mountains and deserts reflecting back water, the list of crazy places to visit goes on and on, and is defying logic and expectations. 


Top Crazy Places to Visit 

crazy places to visit

These destinations are not just a set of sights to be visited - they are experiences to be enjoyed that will challenge the senses and alter the meaning of the term "exploration." Whether you're interested in eccentric natural formations or curious landscapes, or man-made eternal works buried under cities, all these amazing places are a treasure trove of history that tells you stories that you'll never forget. So, put on your sense of wonder - it's time to take a journey to some of the craziest places to visit on earth.


Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia - The World's Largest Salt Flats


The Salar de Uyuni salt flat is over 4,000 square miles across Bolivia, and is the largest salt flat in the world - and one among the most surreal things ever. After a rain, the flat becomes an infinite mirror which is a perfect reflection of the sky above. This will then make the effect like heaven and earth are impossible to separate. Often, there is a sense of people walking on and being put in another world. Whether it be for the sunrise or sunset or under a starry sky, Salar de Uyuni is sure to be one of the most impressive and surreal destinations for photography and wandering at the same time.


Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand - Nature's Light Show


Beneath the green hills of New Zealand lies a Galaxy of Light - the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Thousands of bioluminescent glowworms light up the darkness with soft light of blue-green color. The lights above seem to be the stars in the night sky as you float silently down the underground river. It's peaceful, but also otherworldly, and more of a feeling of floating in space than being underground. The natural beauty and the mesmerizing magic of Waitomo make it one of the coolest and craziest places to explore if you are a lover of nature.


Door to Hell, Turkmenistan: The Forever Burning


There is a fire in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan that will never go out, the Darvaza gas crater, otherwise known as the "Door to Hell." This humongous pothole was created by accident when the drilling rig caved in to a natural gas pocket in the 1970s. Scientists set it on fire in an attempt to stop the methane leak and believed it would burn in a couple of weeks. Decades later, the fire is still burning. At night, the flames illuminate the desert and give it a spooky glow, visible for miles in the distance. It's eerie, interesting, and without a doubt one of the craziest places to pay a visit to on the planet.


Cappadocia, Turkey: The Fairy Chimney country


The topography in Cappadocia is like a fantasy movie - tall rock spires, cone-shaped formations, and ancient cave dwellings carved out of the soft volcanic rock. The "fairy chimneys" have been eroded over millions of years, and have been converted by the local population into houses, hotels, and even churches. At the edge of daybreak, hundreds of colorful hot air balloons tower in the sky, offering one of the most phenomenal views on the planet. Today, with the combination of the beauty of nature and human creativity, Cappadocia is one of the craziest and most magical places for all those dreamers and photographers.


Socotra Island, Yemen – The Alien Island


Socotra Island looks like it belongs on another planet. Located off the coast of Yemen, it’s home To entirely unfamiliar landscapes and still more unfamiliar trees (most notably the Dragon's Blood tree with its umbrella-shaped growth pattern and deep red sap), its isolation has allowed hundreds of unique species of plants and animals to evolve that are otherwise not found anywhere else in the world. Socotra is also called the alien island, as it seems to be an alien world with its virgin beauty and alien-like landscape. For adventurous travelers to explore one of the most interesting and insane destinations to visit.


The Catacombs of France - Underneath the City of Lights in Paris


Underneath the romantic streets of Paris lies a deep, dark secret - miles of tunnels ripe with the skeletons of more than six million people. Known as the Catacombs, this underground labyrinth was constructed back in the eighteenth century when cemeteries became full. Today, hauntingly arched rooms with skull and bone arrangements in artistic designs remain walkways for people. The atmosphere is somehow eerily beautiful, a blend of history, mystery, and macabre beauty. It is so unlike the glittering city above, and it is one of the most eerily strange places to visit in Europe.


Mount Roraima, Venezuela - The Floating Mountain


Mount Roraima is an enormous mountain that seems to float over the clouds. The tepui is a tabletop mountain on the border between Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana, which is surrounded by steep cliffs, giving it an alien appearance. It served as the basis for Arthur Conan Doyle's novel, The Lost World, for good reason. The summit contains unique plants and scenery that have adapted to millions of years of isolation. Although getting there can be difficult, the reward is the otherworldly plateau, shrouded in fog and unclaimed by the passage of time - literally one of the most amazing and bizarre places to visit on the planet.


Pamukkale - White Terraces of Thermal Loveliness, Turkey


Pamukkale's spectacular white terraces look like frozen flowing water from a mountainside. The seventeen springs and infused pools of warm, mineralized natural waters make up a surreal scene of magic and serenity. The thermal baths are an experience and are one of the most beautiful and craziest places to visit in Turkey.


Antelope Canyon USA - Abstract Art of Nature

In the heart of the Arizona desert lies a marvelous masterpiece of wind and water, hidden in the depths of Antelope Canyon. Its twisted sandstone walls glow red, orange, and gold from the sunlight descending from above in cracks that dappled down. Its attractive colors and smooth curves make it one of the most photogenic and crazy places to visit in nature.


Lake Natron, Tanzania - Red Lake of Death


Lake Natron is bright crimson in color, hiding a deadly secret: it has been shown that Natrode's highly alkaline waters have calcifying animal life, turning them into walking statues. In spite of its uncanny nature, the lake hosts rare species of flamingos and makes for a beautiful, spooky view. The visit to the place is among the most extreme and crazy places to visit in Africa due to its surreal appearance.


China–Floating Pillar, Avatar, Wulingyuan


China's Wulingyuan National Park is dotted with thousands of sandstone pillars that stand out in the misty forests like towers. These gorgeous structures were used to inspire the floating mountains of the movie Avatar. Walking amongst them is like entering another world, and it should also be considered one of the craziest and most unique places to visit, and frankly, one of the wonders of nature.


Spotted Lake, Canada - The Polka-Dot Lake


Spotted Lake is a natural phenomenon in British Columbia that every summer changes color into a rich array of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and even a kind of purple. As the water dries, layers of rocks are created with distinct areas of circular patches in shades of green, blue, and yellow. This strange and beautiful sight is a geological wonder and one of Canada's most outrageous destinations to visit.


Great Blue Hole, Belize - Dive Lovers Heaven


In the waters of Belize, there is the Great Blue Hole - a huge circular sinkhole with golden blue waters that sink down over four hundred feet. We come here to see stalactites in the water with mystic sea creatures. Due to its weird shape, it is one of the weirdest and craziest places to visit on earth.


Coober Pedy, Australia - The underground village


In the hot Australian Outback, the inhabitants of Coober Pedy have sought refuge in the earth to construct their modern-day homes. Even the hotels, churches, and ordinary houses are dug into the rock in order to avoid the heat of the desert. It is an underground world of subterranean daily life - and one of the most unique and crazy places to visit.


Zhangye Danxia, China - Rainbow Mountains


The Zhangye Danxia landform resembles the painting that has come to life. Stratified layers of red, yellow, and orange rock form a series of rolling "rainbow" mountains that were folded by millions of years of weathering. The colors are brightest at sunrise and sunset, making this one of the most surreal and visually stunning places to visit in China's insane destinations.


Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland - The Legendary Way


It is said that giants made this road to Scotland, but according to science, it is a very different story. The Giant's Causeway consists of more than 40,000 columns of basalt rock in a hexagonal shape, and this is due to the effect of volcanoes. In its mysterious form and perfect geometry, this natural phenomenon amazes the visitor, as one of the mythical and absurd places to visit.


Fly Geyser, USA - Nevada, Luck of the Draw


In the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, the Fly Geyser is spewing in brilliant shades of red, green, and orange. The geyser was formerly accidentally formed by geothermal drilling, and over time, the mineral-rich water that comprised the geyser left behind layered rocks in a rainbow of colors. Its alien-like appearance is what makes it one of the most accidental crazy places to visit in America.


Aokigahara Forest, Japan - The Mystery Forest on the Sea


At the base of Mount Fuji, there is a dense and dark forest, Aokigahara, quite silent and mysterious. Called the "Sea of Trees", because of the quietness and creepy feeling. The haunting beauty and folklore of the forest make this one of the most interesting and crazy destinations in Japan.



Lake Hillier, Australia - The Pink Bubble Gum Lake


The brilliant pink of Lake Hillier seems quite artificial, but it is as natural as it can get. The color is due to microorganisms and the high salt content in the water, which always makes the water intensely pink. Surrounded by eucalyptus forest and the blue ocean, Lake Hillier is one of the most striking and surreal places to visit.


Crooked Forest, Poland - Optical Illusion of Nature


In western Poland, a grove of pine trees is all bent, at a perfect 90-degree angle, and then continues growing upwards. No one knows exactly why they grew as they did; theories range from artificial intervention to an unknown force of nature. This mysterious woodland remains to this day one of the most enigmatic and bonkers places to visit on earth.


Conclusion


There is so much more to this world than we dream it to be. From glowing caves and pink lakes to upside-down towns and natural curiosities, these crazy places to visit confirm that both nature and human ingenuity are beyond classification. Each of its destinations is a story, wild, beautiful, and unforgettable. So whether your fantasy is mythical creatures or magnificent vistas, get out of your comfort zone - because the world is full of wonders to be discovered.

 

 

 


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