La Colonia Tovar – A Picturesque German Alpine Village in Venezuela
Venezuela is one of the last places you would expect to find a picturesque German alpine village, and yet… La Colonia Tovar, also known as ‘The Germany of the Caribbean’, is conspicuous for its white houses with timbers and red roofs surrounded by flower gardens, carefully tended fields and creeks with water mills, and its hearty German […]
World’s Only Public Diamond Mine Lets You Keep What You Find
The Crater of Diamonds State Park, in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, is the world’s only diamond mine open to the public. Visitors get to go on a real-life treasure hunt and keep whatever they find! According to park officials, over 600 diamonds of various colors and grades are found by visitors each year. Over 75,000 diamonds have […]
The Petrifying Well of Knaresborough Turns Objects into Stone
Located on the banks of the river Nidd, near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, is a mystical well that converts objects to stone. Any object touched by the well’s dripping waters – leaves, sticks, dead birds, and more – naturally turn to stone within a few months! For many centuries, locals believed that the Petrifying Well […]
There Is a “Crappy” Poop-Themed Cafe in South Korea
Believe it or not, there’s a cafe in Seoul, South Korea that has poop as its central theme. From the outside, Poop Cafe looks perfectly normal but when it comes to service, everything comes with a toilet twist. Coffee and tea, for instance, are served in adorable little toilet bowl-shaped cups. The foam art on the […]
Norwegian Wildlife Park Lets Visitors Get Up-Close and Personal with Majestic Wolves
Situated in Salangsdalen, Norway’s Troms county, Polar Park has a diverse population of wild animals, including foxes, reindeer, wolverines, wolves, lynx, elk, musk, and bears. But the most popular attraction is the Wolf Camp, a facility set up with the goal of ensuring a better life for wolves in captivity. It also provides visitors with […]
Abandoned Chinese Village Reclaimed by Nature Becomes Tourist Attraction
It really doesn’t take long for Mother Nature to reclaim her territory, slowly obliterating all signs of human occupation, if we only allow it. Case in point is the abandoned Chinese village of Houtou Wan which, within a span of 50 years, has become a beautiful secret garden completely covered in lush vegetation. Houtou Wan village […]
In This Small Alaskan Town Everyone Lives under the Same Roof
Most of the 200-odd residents of the Alaskan town of Whittier all live in the same 14-story condominium – Begich Towers – located on the edge of town. The former Army barracks is often described as a ‘vertical town’ with walls so thin that keeping secrets is simply out of the question. Apart from residential […]
No Girls Allowed – The Greek State That Forbids Both Human and Animal Females
Mount Athos, formally known as Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain, is located on the Greek peninsula of Halkidiki. The monastic traditions of the mountain date back to 800 A.D. and the Byzantine era. Today, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, and 2,000 monks from Greece and other eastern orthodox countries such […]
Villa Epecuen – The Argentinian Town That Spent 25 Years Underwater
The town of Epecuen, in the Argentinian farmlands southwest of Buenos Aires, was once a bustling lakeside resort with a population of over 5,000. Over a quarter of a century ago it was flooded by the waters of a nearby lake and, until recently, it remained submerged. Now it’s finally come back up for air. […]
Welcome to Ifrane, Africa’s Little Switzerland
Ifrane is a small town and ski resort in Morocco, famous for its European style and its similarity to the tourist haven of Switzerland. Developed by the French in the 1930s, Ifrane is so reminiscent of the Swiss Alps that it is fondly referred to as ‘Africa’s Little Switzerland’. The town is located at an altitude of […]
World’s Largest Snake Gathering Turns Canadian Wilds into a Slithering Sea
Every spring, the Canadian wilds of Manitoba become a sea of nightmarish writhing snakes. A tangled mass of thousands of red-sided garter snakes come together in what is considered the largest snake-gathering in the world. After spending the long winter months in hibernation, they all come out for a bit of a breather, to frolic […]
Party Like a Caveman at This Cave Nightclub in Cuba
Disco Ayala, in Trinidad, Cuba, is not your average party destination. It’s located on the outskirts of town, in a natural cave that was once the home of a notorious serial killer. After walking down the dusty street leading up to the tiny cave mouth, revelers take the stairs leading down to the gated entrance […]
The Santa Cruz Mystery Spot That Seems to Defy Physics
The Mystery Spot, located in Santa Cruz, California, is sort of like a house of illusions. Here, water flows upwards, cars and balls roll uphill, short people appear to be the same height as taller ones, and people can lean forward up to 45 degrees without falling flat on their faces. It seems as though […]
Japan’s Valley of the Dolls – Artist Repopulates Deserted Village with Creepy Dolls
When Japanese artist Ayano Tsukimi returned to her village 11 years ago, it wasn’t the place she once knew it to be. There were hardly any people around anymore, so she decided to repopulate the place herself – with handmade dolls. These dolls can be seen strewn across the village, on benches, in the street, […]
Share a Coffee with Snakes and Scorpions at Vietnam’s Popular Pet Cafe
If you love dogs, cats and cute, cuddly bunnies, then Vietnam’s Pet Café is certainly not the place for you. It exists to serve a totally different kind of animal lover. Located in the capital city of Hanoi, the café has an awesome collection of snakes, rats, lizards, tarantulas and even a few hedgehogs, stored […]