Massive volcanic craters, acres of raw jungle and stretch of deserted sand dunes: the work of Mother Earth is beyond our imagination. Thanks to these natural wonders, our Earth has been blessed with gorgeous landscapes and undulating backdrops. Without environmental protection, they might be gone faster than we expect. To pay tribute to these phenomenal sites, here’s my roundup (based on readings and travels) of the world’s top natural wonders.
1. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world’s largest coral reef system stretches over 2,600 kilometers and can be seen from outer space. Supporting a wide diversity of marine life, the Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage site since 1981. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as overfishing and tourism. A trip to Australia would be ideal from November to May, when summer temperatures are pleasant and Queensland’s vibrant aquatic life is at its most active.
Photo by Sarah Ackerman
Photo by Brewbooks
2. Amazon Rainforest, South America
An extensive forest covering most of the Amazon Basin of South America, is spread across 8 different countries and covers over 5.5 million km sq. Home to proliferate wildlife and nearly-extinct primitive tribes, the Amazon Rainforest is the largest and most species-rich tropical rainforest in the world.
The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with Rio de Janeiro as the best place to enter the jungle from. We trekked through the Ecuadorian part of the jungle, visiting tribes and exploring the forest at night.
3. Grand Canyon, USA
A steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in Arizona is one of the most awe-striking natural site in the United States. The Grand Canyon is a creation formed by over two billions years of nature’s work. Aside from casual sightseeing from the South Rim, the floor of the valley is accessible by foot, mule or rafting. Other activities like whitewater rafting, hiking and running are especially popular.
Photo by Andy Won
4. Sahara Desert, North Africa
The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert covering over 9 million km sq of area. Spanning most of Northern Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Chad and Algeria), it’s almost as large as the continent of Europe. Consisting of rocky formations and large sand dunes, a trip through the Sahara is one of mystique and desolation. Visitors can experience the various cultures around the desert through the little Saharan villages.
Photo by wonker
5. Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Over 972km west of continental Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands have been secluded from humans for thousands of years, resulting in unique and endemic species of wildlife. This volcanic archipelago of 13 islands is sprouting with marine lizards, giant land tortoises and blue-footed boobies everywhere. An opportunity to visit the islands makes one feels privileged to experience such rare sights in this modern world.
6. Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
The crater is a sprawling conservation land, with one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. As a natural sanctuary to thousands of birds, lions, zebras, black rhino, it is often called Africa’s Eden.
Known as the “largest unbroken caldera in the world”, the crater is 610 meters deep and 260 sq km. Only the indigenous tribe of Maasai are allowed to live in the land.The crater is most popular for bird watching, photography, walking safaris, and game viewing.
7. Halong Bay, Vietnam
Halong Bay – meaning ‘Descending Dragon Bay’ in Vietnamese- is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It features thousands of limestone karsts and oddly-shaped islets rising from emerald green waters. The evolution of these limestone karsts has taken over 20 million years to form, under the impact of the tropical wet climate. With such biodiversity and ecologically-rich grounds, there is also a thick cultural and historical side to the country.
Photo by Ethan Crowley
8. Iguazu Falls, South America
Located on the Argentinean-Brazilian border, the falls divide the countries, as if the waters were plunging off the edge of the tectonic plates. It has been compared with the Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls, but the Iguazu definitely offers better views and well-designed walkways. At the Devils’s Throat, you are standing in the midst of the torrential waters, surrounded by 360degrees of waterfalls. Visitors can see the falls from the Brazilian side (Foz de Iguacu) or the Argentinean side (Puerto Iguazu).
References: TravelChannel and Wikipedia.
*Photos not credited are shot by myself and Alberto Molero.
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Great Picks.Thanks for sharing.I visited Ha Long Bay last October and enjoyed the spectacular scenery.
Great list though it may be a bit premature as there is currently a worldwide / internet wide competition to name the New 7 Wonders of Nature (with some of the above in the running). You can check it out here http://www.new7wonders.com/n7w/nature/finalists my own personal favorite goes to El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico
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Yes thanks for sharing the link – I'm off to vote for my favourite!
If in my lifetime I get see all of these, I will die a happy person! And there was me thinking that the Brecon beacons were beautiful, they are nothing in comparison!
Great selection, it's very difficult to pick only 8 natural wonders! I've been to 6 of them, but missing from your list and the new7wonders list is anything in the Antarctic or South Georgia. Absolutely phenomenal scenery and wildlife, only Galapagos comes close!
Also, in terms of a complete nature experience Angel Falls just tops Iguazu for me.
ooh yes the Antarctic..and Angel Falls! I haven't been to these places, that's why I didn't include them in the list. But I'm definitely checking them out – I'd love to see the Victoria Falls in Zambia too.
Yes, Vic Falls is WELL worth the trip! And after viewing the falls, try a raft trip just downstream, now THAT is some serious whitewater!!
Great places but Ángel Fall and Roraima Tepuy deserve to be on this ranking
This is a great list. So far I've only made it to one of the places you mentioned – Iguazu Falls. It was pretty amazing. It will be interesting to see which of these sites make it on to the upcoming 7 wonders list.
More pictures of Grand Canyon here :
http://www.roadtrippin.fr/arizona/grandcanyon/site-grandcanyon.php
Thanks Dom for sharing your photos with us, you've got some amazing shots there!
Glad to see you included Halong Bay …it truly is one unique place i the world. I would also throw in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia…. there is no similar one in the world. ..but then there are so many nice places right?Happy global travels!
Federico
maitravelsite dot com
Oh yes, how could I forget the Salar de Uyuni! It's definitely one of a kind – I remember watching the sun rise across the white crystalline surface of the salt flat, stretching into the endless horizon. Nothing like this elsewhere in the world! Thanks Federico for sharing.
we have seen two of these great natural wonders but we still have 6 to go!
Hi Nellie, love the series here and I am headed to Halong Bay in May. Gonna love visiting this place! Too bad Malaysia was not included in this list
Regards,
David
Rio de Janeiro as the best entry to the Amazon basin?
If you talking about international flights to Brazil, then you maybe right.
Rio de Janeiro is 2.000 km south of the Amazon forest, and the best cities to enter it from are Belém and Manaus.
cheers.
Oops thanks Andre for pointing out my mistake. I’d taken a trip into the Amazon from Banos, Ecuador and had heard from other travellers that it’s actually nicer to see it from the Brazilian end. Thanks for letting us know!
Oh my those photographs are to die for. My heart was racing as I was reading through this list. Though I also know that there are many wonders of our world. The list could go on and on.
I´ve been to 6 of those. Im proud to have 2 of them in my own country. Specialy Iguazu Falls, 600 kms from where I live.
Despite of you say that Rio de Janeiro is in Amazon Basin (same distance Sydney to Singapore), I really think that the view over the christ statue should be the 9th.
Anyway the list is absolutly right. Congrat for your website. I follow you at twitter.
André – Brasil
Thanks André! I bet everyone is envious of you, being Brazilian and having so many amazing wonders at your doorstep. I went on a 6-month trip around South and Central America, actually skipped Brazil because I wanted to spend more time exploring the country alone. So I’ll be back next year, definitely stay in touch!
NATURE is GREAT!
Hey, you got a great collection here. Ha Long bay is my favorite by the way.
Amazing pictures! That is a nice and informative site. Took time to read all the really nice comments, but I really enjoyed. It proved to be Very helpful. It is always feel nice when you can get not only be informed, but also get knowledge!
ive been to great barrier reef amazing
Beauiful, Haha, one of the older wonders was in New Zealand `The pink and white terraces' was the eighth one but since they are gone now due to the tarawera eruption in 1886, i dont think they are anymore.. never got to see them.
Great post, Nellie
Very nice indeed!
i love the high quality photo of sahara desert. hope to get there in the near future.
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Really amazing nature great……………………..
i like these top wonder of world so nice and beatiful
what a beautiful place to visit i really like it i would like to see these wonder of world once upon a time in my life what.Also that is a informative site.Very nice indeed amazing world.
Speechless after looking at such a wonder full places…God is best artist, no question on this…
i want to live in sahara desert!!!!
its really great work by nature..
Tanzania's one of the most amazing countries I've been to – so captivating with its raw landscapes and wlldlife. During our wildlife safari at Ngorongoro, we were staring straight into the faces of lions, cheetahs and elephants – just 10cm away from us!