A church hanging from a cliff? Why not! This is the stunningly beautiful 16th century Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona. It might not technically be hanging, but it looks that way because it's built on top a small cliffside surface of the Baldo Rocks in Verona, Italy. It was an ideal place for hermit monks during the medieval ages. Today, it's accessible by either a 1,500-step climb from the village of Bentino or a short paved path from the village of Spiazzi above.
Ever wondered where the longest wooden stairway in the world is located? You'll find it in Florli, a small town in Norway that has no roads, but does happen to have a very long and steep stairway with 4,444 steps (that's roughly roughly 270 floors high). At the top? Some pretty breathtaking views of the Lyserfjord.
Who’s up for a little ice canyoneering? Maligne Canyon within the Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada looks epically beautiful in the winter. The river inside the canyon freezes solid, making it possible to explore the various nooks and crannies... by walking on ice! No guard rails, no fences... just you, your gear, the ice and the natural beauty of the canyon. Winter tours are available but you can explore the canyon DIY-style, too.
Whoa... is this on Earth? It sure is! This is the amazing Timanfaya National Park, where over a hundred volcanoes can be found within a small area of roughly 20 square miles in size. It's all the direct result of a volcanic eruption that lasted for 6 years, between 1730 and 1736, in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain.
Are you up for an adventure? No seriously, are you up for a real adventure? How about climbing a via ferrata, spending a night in a pod (which is hanging a few hundred meters above the valley floor) and then zip-lining your way back down after you check out? If this sounds fun to you, then you're crazy... and you should add the very cool Skylodge Adventure Suites in Sacred Valley, Peru to your bucket list, because that’s exactly what you’re gonna do right after you check in to your room... errr, your pod.
These are the ruins of Fort Jefferson, an unfinished fortress about 70 miles away from civilization on top of a beautiful island called the Garden Key within Dry Tortugas National Park in lower Florida Keys. Built in 1847 using over 16 million bricks, it’s so massive that it's considered to be the largest brick structure in the US today! The easiest way to get there is via a daily ferry from Key West, and the best part? You can even pitch a tent, snorkel, or go for a swim!
Like we said before, we’re sticklers for beautiful, mind-bending roads...so here's one surrounded by snow! At an altitude of over 1,800 meters, the scenic Maloja Pass connects the Engadin Valley in Switzerland and Chiavenna Italy, and is open all year round except during super heavy snowfalls.
Whoa... This town is literally living under a rock! Here you can explore gorgeous cliffside houses and dwellings, all built under rock overhangs in the old town of Setenil De La Bodegas in Cadiz Spain. The street in the photo is Calle Cuevas de la Sombra. But, seriously, the entire area, including the road, is under a gigantic rock! So cool.
Enjoy a bath in the middle of nowhere in a rad copper bath tub, at the swanky and modern Hotel Aire de Bardenas in Tudela, Spain. Here everything is simple yet elegant, if a bit unusual...in a good way. In addition to great architecture, they also have a year round outdoor pool and bubble rooms. Located near the Bardenas Reales Nature Reserve, it’s probably the perfect place to enjoy the desert, moon, stars and sun!
It was unexpectedly cold the last couple of weeks, that even the mightiest of the mighty rivers started freezing over. Here’s a snapshot of Niagara Falls and all its white winter wonderland beauty during the polar vortex. It had experienced similar events in the past and it's always a sight to behold.
Meet the “Ghost Rider”... and no it's not Nicolas Cage! It’s one of the many weirdly-cool life-size sculptures you’ll find at the 7.8 acre Goldwell Open Air Museum in the Mojave Desert! What started as a sculpture park created by a group of Belgian artists near the historic ghost town of Rhyolite Nevada in 1984 was turned into a museum after the death of prominent artist and leader Albert Szukalski in 2000. One can also find a ghostly version of the “Last Supper” or a lady version of Icarus called “Icara” on display. And the best part? It’s free to visit!
Looking for a quirky stop on your way to Zion National Park? Here’s a place with some great old west-style buildings, a gift shop, a restaurant, and a petting zoo with cute residents like Sundance, the miniature donkey, Sampson and Buffy the alpacas. There's also the Fort Zion Restaurant and Virgin Trading post!
Meet the dead trees of Deadvlei (Dead Marsh) inside the Namib-Naukluft Park in Namibia...a place famous for its large red dunes, salt flats ,clear skies and outlandishly eerie landscape. These trees died almost a millennia ago but extreme dryness coupled with the sun’s heat prevented them from decomposing properly.
The futuristic-looking hot spring resort, Aqua Dome in Otztal Valley, is located in Langenfeld, Austria. About 80,000 litres of hot spring water flows into the resort’s various pools, spas and slides, including these three awesome outdoor pools every day. It's perfect for those who want to re-energize and experience the tingling feeling of cold air and warm sulfuric water.
The 19th century city of Tombstone in Cochise County, Arizona got its name from its founder, and valuable ore prospector Ed Schieffelin, who named the place in reference to his friends who kept telling him that the only stone he’ll find in his quest for fortune is his own tombstone. It now provides one of the best historical experiences of the old west, and and you can even experience live reenactments of the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Meet one of the coolest art installations, it's called the “Tiger and Turtle - Magic Mountain” and it was built on top of a hill in Duisburg, Germany. It has 249 steps and one can walk all over it except for the loop in the middle where physics prevents you from actually walking upside down. It may not be an extreme roller coaster ride but it’s still one of the craziest and coolest staircases around.
This is the “Devil’s Eye”... and it’s just one of the many underwater wonders you can explore at Ginnie Springs, along the Santa Fe River in High Springs, Florida. You can go camping, river tubing, snorkeling, and experienced divers can even go cave diving and explore the entire Devil’s Springs system too.
This crazy vertigo-inducing view of Sao Conrado beach is from the top of “Pedra da Gavea” in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. It's considered one of the highest mountains in the world that ends directly in the ocean... the catch? You’ll have to hike a couple of hours to see this epic view, including a climb on a portion of vertical rock face to reach the peak!
Welcome to Jurassic Park! No, not really...these two massive dinosaurs are Dinny and Mr. Rex, and they're part of an iconic roadside attraction called Cabazon Dinosaurs in Cabazon, California. You can even explore them, buy some dinosaur-themed souvenirs from the gift shop inside Dinny, or even peek through the mouth of Mr. Rex!
IntoTheWild
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. -John Lubbock