1. Antelope Canyon, Arizona, United States
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: late March-early Aug
Cost: $
- Navajo Upper Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon in the American Southwest, on Navajo land east of Lechee
- The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tsé bighánílíní, which means 'the place where water runs through the (Slot Canyon) rocks'
- Lower Antelope Canyon is Hazdistazí, or 'spiral rock arches'
- They are accessible by Navajo guided tour only
Featured in The Best of Arizona
#4 in Most Surreal Attractions in the USA
#24 in Best Attractions in the USA
2. Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: late April-May, Sept-early Oct
Cost: $
- Largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica
- Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration
- Its colors match most of those seen in the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue
Featured in The Best of Wyoming
#2 in Best Attractions in the USA
#2 in Best National Parks in the USA
#8 in Best National Parks in the World
#11 in Best Attractions in the World
#15 in Best Landmarks in the USA
#46 in Best Landmarks in the World
3. Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
Best time to visit: Sept
Cost: $$
- Beach known for its crystal white silica sands and turquoise colored waters
- It is on an island only accessible by boat, seaplane, and helicopter from Airlie Beach, as well as Hamilton Island
Featured in The Best of Australia
4. Fly Ranch Geyser, Nevada, United States
Best time to visit: April-May, Oct-Nov
Cost: $
- Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser, is a small geothermal geyser located on private land in Washoe County
- The geyser is located near the edge of Fly Reservoir in the Hualapai Geothermal Flats and is approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) high
Featured in The Best of Nevada
#13 in Most Surreal Attractions in the USA
#81 in Best Attractions in the USA
5. Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Nov-Dec
Cost: $
- Cave at Waitomo on the North Island, known for its population of a glowworm species found exclusively in New Zealand
- The attraction has a modern visitor centre at the entrance, and there are organized tours that include a boat ride under the glowworms
Featured in The Best of New Zealand
6. Aogashima Island, Japan
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Volcanic island to the south of Japan in northernmost Micronesia
- It is the most isolated inhabited island of the Izus, which are politically and administratively part of Japan but geographically not part of the Japanese archipelago
- The island's area is 8.75 km2 (3.38 sq mi) and, as of 2014, its population is 170
- Aogashima is also within the boundaries of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
- Still considered an active volcano by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the last eruption of Aogashima was during a four-year period from 1781–1785
Featured in The Best of Japan
7. Meteora, Greece
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Rock formation in Thessaly, Greece, hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, second in importance only to Mount Athos
- The six (of an original twenty-four) monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area
- Between the 13th and 14th centuries, the twenty-four monasteries were established atop the rocks
Featured in The Best of Greece
8. Giant's Gate and Causeway Coast Circular, Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: June-Aug
Cost: $
- Area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption
- The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea
- Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have four, five, seven, or eight sides
Featured in The Best of Northern Ireland
#16 in Best Landmarks in the World
9. Hallerbos, Belgium
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Forest mostly situated in the municipality of Halle, known in the region for its bluebell carpet which covers the forest floor for a few weeks each spring
Featured in The Best of Belgium
10. The Wave, Arizona, United States
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: Jan-May, Sept-Dec
Cost: $
- Sandstone rock formation located in Arizona, near its northern border with Utah
- The formation is well-known among hikers and photographers for its colorful, undulating forms
- Due to the fragile nature of the formation and the large number of people wishing to visit it, a daily lottery system is used to dispense permits
Featured in The Best of Arizona
#1 in Most Surreal Attractions in the USA
#32 in Best Attractions in the USA
11. Prada Marfa, Texas, United States
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Permanent sculptural art installation located along U.S. Route 90, northwest of Marfa
- The installation, in the form of a freestanding building, specifically a Prada storefront, was inaugurated in 2005
Featured in The Best of Texas
12. Sassi di Matera, Italy
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Two districts of the Italian city of Matera, Basilicata, well-known for their ancient cave dwellings inhabited since the Paleolithic period
Featured in The Best of Italy
13. Navajo Loop and Queens Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States
Best time to visit: May-Sept
Cost: $
- Park whose major feature is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters
- Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks
Featured in The Best of Utah
#3 in Most Surreal Attractions in the USA
#6 in Best Attractions in the USA
#13 in Best National Parks in the USA