11 Unique Places For The Curious Traveler

When you want to go an adventure, there are so many
choices it can be hard to narrow it down. Finding travel destinations that will
enrich our appreciation of the natural and manmade world deepens our understanding
of everything around us. So go ahead and pack up your Copper
Rivers Duffel Bag and get ready to commence on a huge adventure.

The following 11 spots were selected due their
visual uniqueness and cultural value. We
hope this list inspires you to plan for travel right now or in the not so
distant future.

1. Zhangye
Danxia Landform, China

China
may hold the world’s largest population, but most of it is concentrated in
certain areas. Where these rainbow-like mountains are located, in an area of
northwestern China, there is an extremely sparse population. The rugged
wilderness combined with the multi-colored mountains makes one feel as if they’ve
stepped into a fantasy novel. This formation resulted when red sandstones and
minerals were laid down over 24 million ago according to science. Whatever the
reasoning behind it, seeing this oddly shaped and colorful mountains is an
experience that you’ll remember forever.

2. Ngorongoro
Crater, Tanzania

Millions of years ago an enormous volcano erupted on this site then
collapsed leaving behind the largest caldera in the world, the Ngorongoro
Crater. The Ngorongoro Crater Conservation is one of the most famous safari
spots in the world. It is a crater that holds a tremendous amount of wildlife
and nature to show off the full diversity of Africa’s animal population. Within
the are you can find plains, savanna, woodlands and forest making it a nature
lovers wonderland. On top of being home to wildlife, also the annual migration
of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and other animals across the plains is a natural
wonder in itself.

3.Petra,
Jordan

This abandoned red sandstone city is
a testament to the craftiness of those who built it in the first century BC.
The Nabateans created this city along a well-travelled route where they prospered
until several earthquakes began to make the area uninhabitable. The city was
eventually abandoned somewhere between the fourth and sixth century where it
remained largely forgotten. The site was re-discovered in 1812 by the Swiss traveler Johann
Ludwig Burckhardt where it was put back on European maps, although obviously
before this some locals still knew about the site. Today the city is heavily
visited by tourists who are starting to degrade the site that was
well-preserved due to the fact it was left abandoned, so who knows how much
longer unlimited access to the city will be allowed?

4.Iguaza Falls, Argentia/Brazil

Choosing
the best epically awesome waterfall was a tough task, but I’ve always been partial
towards Iguaza Falls. Waterfalls cascade both sides of deep and narrow gorge
that is surrounded by cliffs that go up to 230 feet high. When you are viewing
it in the gorge you feel as if you are surrounded by waterfalls which can be an
overwhelming experience to say the least. What makes this set of falls so
unique is that there are 200 separate waterfalls all coming down from these
cliffs. The variety of flow, height and shapes makes for a visually stunning experience
that shows off the variety of waterfalls that exist in nature. Visit this sit
when the river is high between January and March!

5.Mount Kilimanjaro

The
tallest mountain in Africa shoots up from the plains to highlight the enormous
height of 19.340 feet. What makes it so unusual is that that it stands alone
making the lofty peak seem out of place. If you want to go up a really tall
mountain, but you aren’t all that into the idea of climbing mountains, this is
an awesome choice for a mountain to climb. Anyone in moderate shape can hike up
the mountain to take in the view over Africa. It is home to countless wildlife
parks and reserves, so on top of the experience of the mountain one can
experience Africa’s famous wildlife.

6.The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Obviously this is one of the most
well-known on our list, but we feel that the great pyramids really can’t be
given enough credit. With over 100 pyramids and the sphinx one can wonder about
this area in wonder at how the Egyptian managed to build these structures. It
is still a mystery how exactly they built the pyramids, and when you see them
up close the sheer size and shape really presses the oddity of the Egyptian’s
capacity to build such structure hits home. What is more impressive is that all
this effort was put into building these pyramids as tombs rather than having
any particle application.

7.Angkor Wat, Cambodia

An ancient temple located in
Cambodia that was dedicated to the Hindu gods is a structure that many are not
aware even exists. We know very little about the civilization, the Khmer Empire,
that built this temple among many others. At some point the civilization fell,
but we aren’t exactly sure how or why this happened. Architecture like Angkor
Wat is all that remains of the once thriving Khmer Empire, and it serves as a
humbling reminder that even the most successful and innovative empire can fall
and fade without a trace.

8.Fjaðrárgljúfur,
Iceland

A memorizing and natural canyon
that seems like something taken out of a fairytale, the Fjaðrárgljúfur serves
as a wonderland for hikers. It was formed by the erosion caused by melting
glaciers resulting in a canyon that is 2 kilometers long and 100 meters deep.

9.Lena Pillars
National Park, Russia

This park is
filled with hundreds of skinny rock pillars that climb up into the sky like
small grey fingers. Many of the pillars around around 100 meter long, and they
look as if they may topple over at any given minute.

10. The Door to Hell, Turkmenistan

Speaking of Russians, remember when a group of Soviet scientists set a natural
gas reserve on fire in the 1970’s? Well, it is still burning today in a massive
pit of fire.

11.The White
Temple Wat Rong Khun, Thailand

This
white temple is of a unique aesthetic that is made of all white with elaborate
carvings and sculpture. It doesn’t even look real! Check it out for yourself!