Mexico’s Tule Tree Has the World’s Thickest Trunk, And It’s Still Growing
Located a church courtyard, in the picturesque town of Santa Maria del Tule, the Tree of Tule is a 2,000-year-old Montezuma cypress famous for having the world’s thickest trunk. So just how thick is Mexico’s Tule Tree? Well, it takes thirty people with arms extended joining hands to fully encircle it, so that should give […]
Welcome to Yanjin, the World’s Narrowest City
Built along the Nanxi River, between the steep mountains of China’s Yunnan Province, Yanjin county is widely regarded as the world’s narrowest city. Looking at Yanjin county from above, it’s hard to believe that such a settlement actually exists in real life. The narrow stretch of usable land sandwiched between the troubled waters of the […]
Hoshizuna-no-Hama – Japan’s Beautiful Star Sand Beach
Hoshizuna-no-Hama, which translates to “Sand in the Shape of a Star”, is a small but charming Japanese beach famous for its star-shaped tiny grains of sand. Located on Irimote, the second-largest island in Okinawa prefecture, Hoshizuna-no-Hama doesn’t look too different than the hundreds of other beaches in the Japanese archipelago, at least at first glance. […]
Devil’s Bath – New Zealand’s Neon Green Sulphur Pond
New Zealand’s Wai-O-Tapu volcanic area offers no shortage of intriguing natural wonders, but perhaps the most eye-catching one is Devil’s Bath, a bright green pond full of sulfur-infused stink water. Devil’s Bath gets its color from a combination of hydrogen sulfide gases and ferrous salts. The shade and intensity of the green sludge depends on the […]
Kagami Numa – Japan’s Magical Dragon’s Eye Lake
Kagami Numa is a mythical Japanese lake that turns into a giant eye every spring, during the thawing process, hence its nickname, Dragon’s Eye Lake. Located near the summit of Mount Hachimantai in north-eastern Japan, in the middle of a dense forest, Kagami Numa doesn’t look much different than the many other volcanic lakes in […]
“Tree of Life” Grows on Salt Island in the Middle of the Dead Sea
A tree seemingly growing out of a pristine white salt island in the heart of the Dead Sea isn’t something you’d expect to see when visiting the world’s saltiest body of water, and yet that’s exactly the sight you’re treated to near the beach of Ein Bokek. With a salt concentration over 10 times that […]
Villagers Hand-Carve 1.2Km Mountain Tunnel to Connect Their Home to the Outside World
The Guoliang Tunnel connecting the clifftop village of Guoliang, in China’s Henan province, to the outside world was carved by hand using basic tools like chisels and hammers, and is now referred to as the eight wonder of the world. For centuries, the people of Guoliang, a small Chinese village perched atop a cliff in […]
Mount Thor – The World’s Tallest Vertical Rockface
Named after the Nordic god of Thunder, Mount Thor is the world’s tallest vertical rockface, which also makes it one of the most difficult rock formations to climb. A part of the Auyuittuq National Park, on northern Canada’s remote Baffin Island, Mount Thor isn’t the park’s tallest peak, but it is definitely the most intimidating, […]
Guatemalan Entrepreneur Uses Live Volcano as His Own Pizza Oven
An amateur chef in Guatemala has become famous for turning the country’s Pacaya volcano into a pop-up pizzeria that serves fresh volcanically-baked pizza to tourists. Mario David García Mansilla grew up in the shadow of Pacaya, one of Guatemala’s most active volcanos, and although he loved his home enough to know he never wanted to […]
Abandoned Building Mysteriously Shows Up on El Salvador Beach
A mysterious ruined villa was recently discovered on a beach in Costa del Sol, El Salvador, leaving tourists scratching their heads at how it got there. One of the last things you would expect to find washed up on a tropical beach is a concrete villa, and yet that’s exactly the kind of bizarre attraction […]
The Florida Goblet – A Eucalyptus Plantation With a Very Unique Shape
The South American country of Uruguay is home to a unique eucalyptus plantation with a very distinct shape that can only by admired from high above. Up until a few years ago, few people even knew that the Florida Goblet existed. It wasn’t until Google Earth became a thing that people discovered its unusual shape. […]
Cono de Arita – Argentina’s Mysterious Natural Pyramid
The Salar de Arizaro, Argentina’s second largest salt flat, is home to one of the world’s most mysterious natural formations – Cono de Arita, a 200-meter-tall conical pyramid that’s so perfectly shaped that it appears man-made. In fact, all through the early twentieth century, everyone was convinced that Cono de Arita, like the actual pyramids […]
Burj Al Babas – Turkey’s Famous Ghost Town of Fairytale Castles
Burj Al Babas is an abandoned housing development in Turkey, which consists of hundreds of miniature Disney-like chateaus stretching out almost as far as the eye can see. It was supposed to be a bustling holiday retreat for the world’s super-rich, a neighborhood of castle-inspired villas spread around in a picturesque valley, near the the […]
The Only On and Off This Island Is by Industrial Crane
Minami-daitojima, a small Japanese island surrounded by raised coral reef, has no beaches or docks, so the only way for people or boats to make it on the island is to be flung through the air by large industrial cranes. A round uplifted coral island in the Okinawa archipelago, Minami-daitojima, aka Daito Island, has been […]
The Well of Barhout – Yemen’s Mysterious Well of Hell
In the arid wastes of eastern Yemen lies a fascinating natural wonder called the Well of Barhout. Shrouded in mystery and folklore, this large hole in the ground said to be the most hated spot on Earth to God. Located in the eponymous valley, Barhout Well is 30 meters wide and thought to be anywhere […]