26 Secret Travel Destinations You’ve Never Heard Of

There are so many incredible places in this world, but some of them are so gorgeous, they actually look out of this world. These are the lesser-known, lesser-traveled spots that seem to be taken directly from a sci-fi novel. The only thing is, they’re actually real.

Below are 26 of these surreal places, each one of them more spectacular then the last. The photographers who captured these landmarks manage to get just the right shot – photos that capture the location’s natural beauty and make it look like a fantasy at the same time. #17 will below your mind.

#2. The vibrant glaciers at Skaftafell National Park in Kirkjubaejarklaustur, Iceland.

#3. Grand Prismatic Spring, the natural hotspring that creates a rainbow colored cauldron in Wyoming.

#4. A gorgeous dam in Rayong, Thailand.

#5. The Atacama Desert, just west of the Andes Mountains in Antofagasta Region, Chile

#6. Mono Lake in California’s Eastern Sierra.

#7. The ‘Door to Hell’ Gas Deposit was given it’s names because of the large flames in the center of the crater. It’s located in Darvaza, Turkmenistan.

#8. The Yuan Yang terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Yunnan, China.

#9. Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park in Nagano, Japan, where you can actually enjoy the hot springs with the monkeys.

#10. Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki, Japan, which includes millions of vibrant flowers.

#11. The Spotted Lake in British Columbia, Canada, whose polka dot pattern is created by the minerals present in the water.

#12. Goblin Valley State Park in Utah, where strange faces seem to be peering at visitors from the rocks.

#13. The Wave, a sandstone rock formation on the Arizona-Utah border.

#14. Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The Badlands consist of over 242,000 acres of amazing topography.

#15. The moutainous and gorgeous Huanglong Scenic Valley in Sichuan, China.

#16. Vale da Lua, or “Valley of the Moon” in Brazil.

#17. The Great Blue Hole, a large sinkhole that measures up to 124 meters deep in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

#18. The incredible Pamukkale Thermal Pools in Pamukkale, Turkey.

#19. The Pinnacles, limestone formations near the town of Cervantes, Australia.

#20. Stone Forest in Yunnan, China, made up entirely of limestone formations.

#21. Antelope Canyon in Arizona, referred to by the Navajos as “The place where the water runs through the rocks.”

#22. The 80 foot McWay Falls in California, which fall directly into the Pacific Ocean.

#23. The Hidden Beach, tucked away in the Marieta Islands of Mexico.

#24. The General Carrera Lake is between the border of Chile and Argentina, and over the last 6000 years, the waves hitting the shore have carved caves in the marble around the lake. These are the Marble Caves.

#25. The rainbow-colored Cano Cristales River in Meta, Colombia. The colors come from the presence of minerals and weeds in the water.

#26. The Tosua Pool in Samoa, one of the most beautiful natural swimming pools in the world.