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]

Devil’s Kettle Waterfall: Minnesota’s Mysterious Vanishing Waterfall

In the deep part of the forest in the U.S. state of Minnesota, there lies one of the most fascinating natural mysteries known—Devil’s Kettle Waterfall. The unusual waterfall is located in Judge C.R. Magney State Park, near the town of Grand Marais in northeastern Minnesota. Unlike ordinary waterfalls, Devil’s Kettle divides into two streams: one continues down the valley as usual, while the other falls into a large circular hole called the Devil’s Kettle and vanishes without a trace.

The unique Devil's Kettle Waterfall on Minnesota's Brule River. [Photo | Source]

Witches' Broom: The Mysterious Tree Growth

Sometimes a tree develops a strange-looking mass of branches that seems completely out of place. Instead of growing in the usual pattern, dozens of short twigs crowd together in one area, creating a tangled ball that can look surprisingly like a bird's nest. This unusual growth is known as witches' broom.

Witches' broom growing on a forest tree—Photo | Source

Methuselah Tree: The 4,700-Year-Old Bristlecone Pine

The Methuselah Tree is a remarkable 4,700-year-old bristlecone pine growing in the White Mountains of California. Known for its extraordinary age and ability to survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth, this ancient tree has become a symbol of nature's resilience. Its slow growth, dense wood, and remote high-elevation habitat have helped it survive for thousands of years, making Methuselah one of the most famous ancient trees on the planet.

The Methuselah Tree is a famous ancient Great Basin bristlecone pine in California’s White Mountains.

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.

The Great Ziggurat of Ur: The Ancient Monument of Mesopotamia

The Great Ziggurat of Ur (Ziggurat Etemenniguru) is the best-preserved temple complex in ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq). It was constructed early in the 21st century BC (about 2047 BC) in the city of Ur by the local kings Ur Nammu and Shulgi. The Ekishnugal Sanctuary was built to honour the lunar god Nanna. In the following years, it was restored several times and was substantially expanded by the New Babylonian king Nabonidus.

The Great Ziggurat of Ur, or Ziggurat Etemenniguru, is one of the best-known surviving monuments of ancient Mesopotamia.

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.

Frankenstein Castle: Germany’s Mysterious Medieval Ruin

The name Frankenstein brings to mind a fictional scientist and the creature he brings to life. Yet, high above the wooded hills near Darmstadt in the German state of Hesse, there is a real Frankenstein Castle, known locally as Burg Frankenstein. Its weathered stone walls, old towers, and wooded setting make it an intriguing place to explore, even without the monster stories attached.

Historic Frankenstein Castle stands above the forested landscape of Mühltal, Germany.