16th Avenue Tiled Steps: San Francisco’s Mosaic Staircase

In a quiet residential neighbourhood of San Francisco, California, an ordinary flight of outdoor steps has become an extraordinary work of public art. Known as the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, this colourful staircase carries visitors through a mosaic world of sea creatures, animals, birds and celestial designs. From a distance, it looks like a giant painting spread across a hillside. When viewed up close, thousands of individual pieces come together to tell a much bigger story.

The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, also known as the Moraga Steps, feature a colourful sea-to-sky mosaic created by artists and local residents in San Francisco.

Derinkuyu Underground City: Ancient City Beneath Cappadocia

Deep beneath the town of Derinkuyu in central Türkiye lies one of the most remarkable underground settlements ever carved into rock. The Derinkuyu Underground City is not simply a collection of caves. It is a carefully planned subterranean complex containing rooms, storage areas, stables, places of worship, a school, wells, ventilation shafts, and narrow passageways. 

A view inside the multi-level underground city of Derinkuyu in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Death Valley Sailing Stones

On the flat floor of Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, rocks appear to have travelled across the desert by themselves. Some leave long, winding trails behind them, while nearby stones remain exactly where they were. For decades, nobody could watch the rocks move, which made the place one of the strangest natural mysteries in the American West.

A sailing stone leaves a long trail across Racetrack Playa in Death Valley.

Vale da Lua, Brazil: The Incredible Moon Valley of Goiás

In the heart of the Brazilian cerrado, there is a landscape that looks like it is from another planet. Vale da Lua, or Moon Valley, is an impressive rock formation in the state of Goiás, close to Alto Paraíso de Goiás. It is one of the most unusual places to visit in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, with strange sculpted rocks, narrow channels, natural pools and smooth curves.

The name comes from the rocks' appearance. Over thousands of years, water has worn down the old stone into rounded shapes and winding grooves. Standing among them, it is easy to understand why visitors compare the landscape to the surface of the Moon.

Vale da Lua is renowned for its unusual rock formations in Goiás, Brazil.

Spiral Jetty: The Famous Spiral Earthwork in Utah’s Great Salt Lake

Spiral Jetty, Utah, is one of the most unusual and recognisable land artworks in the United States. Built from rocks, mud, and salt crystals, this enormous spiral-shaped sculpture extends into the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Created by American artist Robert Smithson in 1970, the work has become an important landmark in the history of contemporary art and one of Utah’s most fascinating attractions.

Unlike a traditional sculpture displayed inside a museum, Spiral Jetty exists within a constantly changing natural landscape. Water levels, weather, sunlight, and the lake’s salty environment can dramatically change its appearance. Occasionally, the structure is partly or completely underwater, while during drier periods its dark rocks and bright salt deposits become clearly visible.

Spiral Jetty stretches into the Great Salt Lake on Utah’s remote northeastern shore. [Image-Source]

Just Enough Room Island: The Tiny Island

Just Enough Room Island, or Hub Island, is located in the beautiful Thousand Islands region, a scenic archipelago that stretches along the border between New York and Ontario in Canada. 

The area is home to more than 1,800 islands of various sizes, ranging from large islands with hotels and castles to tiny rocky outcrops barely visible above the water. Among all of these islands, Just Enough Room Island stands out because of its incredibly small size. Covering only about 3,300 square feet (around 310 square metres), it is smaller than many suburban backyards. Yet, this tiny piece of land has become one of the region's most photographed attractions.

Tiny Just Enough Room Island with a cottage on the St Lawrence River

Zone of Silence Mexico: The Mystery of Mapimí

In the middle of northern Mexico lies a remote desert landscape that has drawn curious travellers, scientists, and storytellers for decades. Known as the Zone of Silence, the area is associated with the vast Bolsón de Mapimí and the surrounding Mapimí Biosphere Reserve, where the states of Durango, Chihuahua, and Coahuila meet. The place became famous for its stories of strange radio behaviour, unusual magnetic effects, meteorites, and even a military rocket that reportedly crashed in the area. Some of these stories have been repeated so often that they are now part of the desert's identity.

The remote desert landscape of the Zone of Silence stretches across the Mapimí region.

Strange Places in Jerusalem: Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Immovable Ladder Church of the Holy Sepulchre: A wooden step ladder leaning over a balcony against the right window at the Church of the Sepulchre's second-tier facade in Jerusalem's Old Town. The cornice is where the ladder rests, and it is placed against the window. The Armenian Apostolic Church owns this window. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre ladder is the symbol of Christianity's interfaith conflict. The six Christian denominations owning the Church agree to place the immovable ladder in their proper places. They are forbidden from moving, repairing, or changing anything inside the Church without their consent.

The famous immovable ladder rests against the façade of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

La Rinconada Peru: The Highest Permanent Settlement in the World

Imagine living in a place where every breath feels like a struggle, where the temperature rarely rises above freezing, and where the air holds only half the oxygen found at sea level. Welcome to La Rinconada, Peru. Perched at a staggering 5,100 metres (16,732 feet) above sea level in the majestic Peruvian Andes, this remote enclave holds the official Guinness World Records title for the highest permanent human settlement on Earth. 

Yet, nobody comes to La Rinconada for the alpine views or the crisp mountain air. They come for one thing only: gold. Tucked precariously beneath the shadow of Mount Ananea’s glacier, affectionately called "La Bella Durmiente" (The Sleeping Beauty), La Rinconada is a city built entirely on the modern gold rush. It is a place of dizzying paradoxes—a settlement frozen in time, yet hyper-connected to the volatile swings of global commodity markets.

La Rinconada, Peru, sits at about 5,100 metres above sea level in the remote Andes and is famous for its extreme altitude and gold-mining economy.

Colossi of Memnon: Egypt’s Giant Statues of Amenhotep III

On the west bank of the Nile at Luxor, two enormous seated statues stand in the open air, their weathered faces looking out across a landscape shaped by thousands of years of Egyptian history. Known as the Colossi of Memnon, they are among the most recognisable ancient monuments in southern Egypt. Yet the statues are only a surviving glimpse of something much larger: the mortuary temple built for Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

The massive Colossi of Memnon stand near ancient Thebes in Luxor, Egypt.

Floating Markets of Southeast Asia

A floating market can be described as a market that appears on the river, the main traffic route—a place where both the buyer and the seller use boats to transport their goods. The floating market is typically located in sections of the river that are neither too broad nor too narrow. The river section must not be too wide or too short. Many floating markets were established in areas where water transport was necessary. They are primarily tourist attractions and can be found in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Sri Lanka.

Traditional boats loaded with fresh fruits and local produce create a colorful scene at Bangladesh’s vibrant floating markets.

Moon Bridge in Taiwan

In the centre of Taipei City, Taiwan, a delicate white bridge spans the waters of Dahu Park in the Neihu District. One of the park’s most recognisable features is the elegant Moon Bridge, a landmark. The bridge’s arch shape is reflected in the tranquil lake, creating a beautiful scene that blends a traditional design inspired by China with Taipei's natural landscape.

Moon Bridge is a scenic landmark spanning Dahu Lake in Taipei, Taiwan.

Mount Roraima: Gran Sabana, Venezuela

Rising dramatically above the vast grasslands of Gran Sabana in Venezuela, Mount Roraima is one of the most extraordinary landscapes in South America, surrounded by three different countries: Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana. Its enormous flat-topped summit, towering cliffs, misty valleys, and unusual plants make it look almost unreal. From a distance, the mountain resembles a gigantic stone table floating above the surrounding landscape. Its sheer vertical cliff walls rise 7,671 feet (2,338 meters) above the surrounding forest floor, creating a surreal "floating island"

Mount Roraima rises dramatically above the grasslands of Venezuela's Gran Sabana.

Patomskiy Crater: The Mysterious Stone Cone Hidden in Siberia

In the remote wilderness of eastern Siberia, there is a strange geological formation that looks almost like a volcanic crater, but scientists say the story is far more complicated. The Patomskiy Crater, or Patom Crater, is an unusual stone cone that towers over the forested Patom Highlands in the Bodaibinsky District of Irkutsk Oblast of Russia.

The unusual Patomskiy Crater rises from the forested landscape of eastern Siberia.

Predjama Castle: Slovenia’s Castle Built Into a Cave

Imagine approaching a medieval castle and discovering that much of it sits directly in the mouth of a gigantic cave. That is Predjama Castle, one of Slovenia’s most extraordinary historic landmarks. Built into a 123-metre-high cliff near Postojna, the castle appears to grow out of the rock itself, combining mediaeval architecture with the dramatic landscape of the Slovenian Karst.

Predjama Castle appears to emerge directly from the limestone cliff.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: China’s Floating Mountains

I'll be honest — the first time I saw a photo of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, I thought it had been digitally altered. Thin stone pillars rise from the green valleys, some of which tower more than 200 metres above the surrounding landscape. When mist settles between them, the peaks can look almost as if they are floating in the clouds. But this place is completely real. comparison.

Towering sandstone pillars rise through the mist in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

Glass Beach California

Glass Beach, California, is one of the most unusual coastal attractions on the Mendocino County shoreline. Located near Fort Bragg, California, this beach is famous for thousands of smooth, colourful pieces of sea glass scattered among the pebbles. Blue, green, brown, white, and occasionally rare red or orange pieces can create a striking mosaic along the shore.

What makes Glass Beach especially interesting is that its beauty has an unexpected origin. The colourful glass was not formed naturally. Much of it came from discarded household items and bottles that were dumped along the coastline decades ago. Over many years, the Pacific Ocean gradually broke, tumbled, and polished the glass, transforming unwanted waste into smooth, rounded pieces.

Sea glass pebbles blanket the shoreline at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California.

Monsanto, Portugal: Village of Giant Boulders

Monsanto, Portugal, is a historic village built among enormous granite boulders on a rocky hillside in the Beira Interior region. Instead of removing the giant stones, generations of residents incorporated them into their houses, using the rock as walls and, in some cases, as roofs. The result is one of Portugal’s most unusual historic village landscapes.

Monsanto is famous for houses built among enormous granite boulders.

Bolton Strid: The Deadly Stretch of the River Wharfe

Bolton Strid is one of the most striking and deceptive natural features in Yorkshire. Here, the River Wharfe suddenly squeezes through a narrow rocky channel in Strid Wood, near Bolton Abbey. From the surrounding woodland, the scene can look almost peaceful: green trees, moss-covered rocks and clear rushing water. Yet the Strid has an entirely unique reputation from an ordinary riverside viewpoint.

The river is forced through a tight opening at intense pressure, while the rocks and water conceal hazards beneath the surface. The Bolton Abbey Estate itself warns visitors that the Strid is extremely dangerous and that lives have been lost there.

The River Wharfe narrows dramatically at Bolton Strid near Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire.

Ganvié Lake Village: Life on the Water in Benin

Imagine waking up in a house with water beneath it and taking a canoe instead of a bus when you need to go somewhere. That is everyday life in Ganvié, a lakeside settlement in southern Benin. The village stands on Lake Nokoué, where waterways connect houses, markets, and other buildings instead of normal streets. Boats move between them throughout the day.

Ganvie, Africa's largest lake village