15 Jaw-Dropping Destinations That Will Give You A Major Case Of Wanderlust

After so much time in the pandemic, we’re all experiencing a bit more wanderlust than usual.

Most people have a running list of places they hope to visit at some point during their lifetimes. Whether it’s a trip to Scotland to see where your ancestry began or a trek through Yosemite, there’s no shortage of gorgeous places to visit. Here are a few you may not have heard of that are definitely worth adding to your wish list!

Spotted Lake owes its unique appearance to an abundance of minerals like calcium, sodium sulphate, and magnesium sulphate. In the summertime, the water in the lake evaporates, leaving pools of these minerals and creating a cool polka dot look.

Natural minerals are at play in Pamukkale, too! This town in western Turkey has thermal waters that dramatically flow down the hillsides. Nearby Hierapolis is an ancient Roman spa city that’s been around since 190 B.C. There, you can not only bask in the natural baths, but you can also tour well-preserved Roman ruins for miles.

The Chocolate Hills get their name from 1,700 mounds that resemble giant Hershey’s Kisses. These mounds are all natural and form when vegetation dries up after the rainy season. Some of them get up to 400 feet tall!

This incredible video takes you inside a place many will never see: the stunning glowworm caves that light up like a billion lightning bugs. This video won New Zealand Geographic’s 2015 Photographer of the Year award in the time-lapse category.

This saline lake is located on Middle Island, one of the land masses that make up the Recherche Archipelago in the Goldfields-Esperance region off the south coast of Western Australia. Don’t adjust your screens; the water really is pink!

This tiny island is known as the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean.” Its stunning beauty and biodiversity is famous worldwide, and it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This is Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sixty million years ago, a volcanic eruption created columns of layered basalt, resulting in dramatic cliffs that draw millions of visitors each year.

Geographical conditions and flowing mineral hot springs created these amazing terrace formations over thousands of years.

Silfra fissure in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland, has the clearest water in the world! The water is icy cold year-round because it flows from the nearby Langjökull Glacier. This is the only place on earth where you can dive or snorkel in the crack between two continental plates.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, you might recognize this destination from the “Avatar” movie. Wulingyuan Scenic Area in China’s Hunan Province is made up of over 3,000 sandstone peaks and pillars. Some of these can stretch 660 feet tall!

This natural well near the shore of the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area fills up and drains with the ocean’s tide. This video was taken during high tide, when the phenomenon is even more stunning.

Goblin Valley State Park in southern Utah has miles of natural rock formations that look like fantastic creatures.

Caño Cristales is known as Colombia’s rainbow river. The colors come from the abundant macarenia clavigera plant, which changes colors depending on water and light conditions.

Only experienced spelunkers can visit this incredible ice cave located deep under Vatnajokull National Park. Thankfully for us, those explorers took an incredible 4D video so we can admire the splendor, too.

This is the hottest and most remote inhabited place on earth! At over 100 meters below sea level, it’s famous for its acidic hot springs, geysers, and pools of acid.

Maybe skip the mineral bath at that last place? The world is full of so many marvels, and we can’t wait to slowly check them off our bucket list!

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