30 stunning lesser-known landscapes to see before you die

Mesmerising Mother Nature

Our planet is full of wonder, especially when it comes to the creativity of Mother Nature and the power of time. We've found some of the most beautiful but lesser-known landscapes that have been centuries in the making.

From otherworldly lava fields and kaleidoscopic glacial valleys to unusual rock formations and mesmerising archipelagos, these marvels of the natural world are sure to surprise you.

Click through as we reveal 30 of the world's most incredible landscapes...

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar

Reminiscent of a forest made of stone, the spiky limestone pinnacles of this national park are believed to be around 200 million years-old, and they are as impenetrable and inaccessible as their dramatic, jagged beauty suggests.

Tsingy de Bemaraha, whose name means ‘the place where one cannot walk’, is a giant labyrinth of rock formations, lakes, mangroves, lakes and canyons, with just a few trails and rope bridges the only signs of human interference.

Richat Structure, Mauritania

Astronauts have been mesmerised and puzzled by the Richat Structure – also known as the Eye of Sahara – pretty much since humans first entered space. Viewed from the International Space Station, the 28-mile (45km) wide swirl in Mauritania resembles a bullseye with several circular rings appearing to be pulsating out of the centre.

The geological quirk was believed to be a crater caused by a meteorite, but it’s now thought it was once a domed anticline (a ridge or fold of rock layers) that has eroded over time.

Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province, China

More like an impressionist painting, the cascading rice terraces in China's Yuanyang County have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. Built on red-soil mountains over 2,500 years ago and reaching up to 6,561 feet (2,000m) above sea level, the rice terraces fill with spring water from the forests above.

The laddered Bada rice terraces (pictured) take up an incredible area of 2,347 acres and rise up 3,700 levels.

Palawan, the Philippines

An archipelagic province of the Philippines, located to the east of the country, between Sulu Sea and South China Sea, it's a regular on various most beautiful island lists. Here, steep, jungle-clad mountains rise up from the azure waters, creating plenty of hidden coves and deserted beaches.

The marine life here is equally gorgeous, filled with coral reefs home to schools of colourful fish, while barracudas in Coron Bay have made shipwrecks their playground.

Palouse, Washington, USA

Despite being one of America's most attractive regions, Palouse often slips under the radar. This major agricultural area, which also encompasses parts of Idaho, is known for picture-perfect pastoral fields that shimmer in shades of purple and green.

These idyllic hills were formed over tens of thousands of years, from wind-blown dust and silt from dryer climes, creating the gently undulating landscape we see today.

Chocolate Hills, the Philippines

Upwards of a thousand neat, conical mounds spread out across the Philippines’ Bohol region. They’re gift-wrapped in lush green grass which browns in the summer, leaving the area looking a little like a box of chocolates.

Unsurprisingly, the curious landscape is bound up with myths and legends, and the most famous story concerns a pair of feuding giants. Experts can’t settle on exactly how these mounds were formed either, though they agree it was at the hands of Mother Nature.

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhão, Brazil

Over on Brazil’s north Atlantic coast, you'll find a seemingly endless stretch of white sand dunes. Covering an area of 598 square miles (1,550sq km), this plain springs to life between May and September when rainwater trickles through the landscape and forms thousands of seasonal azure pools and lakes.

A paradise for wildlife, this otherworldly landscape attracts a wealth of animals, including 42 species of reptile and migratory birds.

Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

Here, at one of the most unusual places on the planet, steam spits out from openings in the Earth’s crust and chemicals released by the hot springs colour the rocky mineral deposits yellow, orange and green. This eerie lunar-like landscape of sulphur springs is also one of the hottest places on Earth.

As it lies at a junction of three tectonic plates, a very complex geological history has resulted in one of the most alien landscapes you can find on our planet.

Santiago Island lava field, Galápagos, Ecuador

Galápagos Islands are certainly full of all sorts of natural world wonders, but Santiago Island's lava field is one of the most unbelievable. The lava, hardened mid-flow, twists in all manner of shapes and patterns, creating a unique patchwork of lava rock.

Despite the barren appearance, life is abundant near the shore where Galápagos penguins, lava lizards, sea turtles, marine iguanas and blue herons among others have found a home.

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Salt pans, Gozo, Malta

The pretty Maltese island of Gozo is worth a visit for its Neolithic sites and rugged stretches of coastline. The isle is also famous for its salt production and in the north you'll find large clusters of salt pans.

They're at their most picturesque when seen from above: the pans appear like a mosaic with hues of earth brown, white and sand punctured by emerald-green water.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Straddling the California-Nevada state border, Zabriskie Point is the perfect viewpoint looking over the badlands of the Death Valley National Park. The peculiar wave-like pattern of these hills is the result of Furnace Creek Lake, which dried up five million years ago, and erosion.

Thanks to its sun-baked slopes, the unusual landscape has also been picked as the backdrop in several films and, most recently, in The Mandalorian.

Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki, New Zealand

Around 30 million years in the making, the Pancake Rocks at Dolomite Point near Punakaiki are a heavily eroded limestone area with vertical blowholes. Named so due to their resemblance to stacks of pancakes, it's an equally strange and beautiful environment that really comes alive during high tide when water smashes against the rocks, creating a geyser effect.

There's a track snaking its way through the rock faces and those visiting might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Hector's dolphins, too, who like to play close to the shore.

Vale da Lua, Brazil

It's not often that rocky landscapes look as soft as this one, almost resembling melted wax. Located close to the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, this mesmerising landscape is called Vale da Lua, or Valley of the Moon, due to its smooth, rocky surface. Created by ancient river, sand and lava flows, it's a landscape like no other on Earth.

Small pools of chilly emerald waters dot the rockscape and a river still flows through the unusual rocks. Come heavy downpours though, and the environment quickly becomes hostile, with the valley flooding quickly and violently.

Waimea Canyon State Park, Hawaii, USA

Also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, it's easy to see why. Although not as big or as old as its Arizona cousin, its unique natural beauty is simply astonishing. A dynamic landscape home to countless species of plants and trees, the canyon is around 10 miles (16km) long, a mile (1.6km) wide and around 3,600 feet (1,097m) deep.

Dotted with plunging waterfalls, the bright red soil and lush greenery creates an incredible pattern that covers deep valley gorges, crested buttes and rugged crags for miles inland.

Munnar, Kerala, India

High in the Western Ghats, this hill station and former resort for the upper echelons of the British Raj looks out over lush plantations and mist-covered hilltops. Dotted by tea estates, which were originally established by the Scottish, there are also plenty of up-to-no-good elephants, which are often spotted (or heard) crashing through the greenery.

The region is also famous for the elusive neelakurinji flowers, which only bloom every 12 years. The next event is due to happen in 2030.

Purnululu National Park, Western Australia, Australia

The vast and varied Kimberly region in Western Australia is one of the last great wildernesses on Earth. One of the rugged region's many wonders are the beehive-like rock formations known as the Bungle Bungle Range in the Purnululu National Park.

The maze of orange and black-striped karst sandstone domes is best seen from above.

Seven Coloured Earths, Mauritius

The island's most famous natural wonder, the Seven Coloured Earths are colourful sand dunes surrounded by a dense tropical forest. The dunes were created as basaltic lava gradually transformed into clay minerals, and due to various cooling temperatures of the rock, resulted in seven different colours.

True to the name, the dunes are red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow.

Skazka Canyon, Kyrgyzstan

Located in remote Kyrgyzstan, the name means Fairy Tale Canyon and, with its bright red rock formations and winding sandy passageways, it’s easy to see why. Thought to be one of the most striking sights in this central Asian country, it formed over thousands of years due to ice, water and wind erosion, leaving the landscape moulded into all sorts of shapes. 

Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia, Australia

The Ningaloo Marine Park hugs more than 160 miles (257km) of Western Australia's coastline, and is home to more than 500 species of fish and 200 types of coral. Protecting Ningaloo Reef – Australia's largest fringing reef – the marine park is a treasure trove of biodiversity.

From an eagle viewpoint, the cyan waters of the marine park create incredible contrast with the landscape of Cape Range National Park, known for its pale, sandy beaches, rugged gorges and orange rockscapes.

Red Beach, Panjin, China

You’ll not find golden sand on this expansive beach in northeastern China. It’s actually a vast wetland area whose marshes are home to a rare species of seepweeds – and, come fall, the plant turns a vibrant crimson, creating the blood-red carpet the site is famous for.

Migratory birds including the apt (and very rare) red-crowned crane make their home here too.

Painted Dunes, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, USA

You've probably heard of Oregon's Painted Hills, but these pastel-coloured Painted Dunes are a highlight of Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. Sitting in the shadows of the Cinder Cone volcano, the otherworldly red and orange mounds are formed of oxidised volcanic ash layers and dotted with pine trees, creating an unusual contrast.

Almost like a watercolour painting, the dunes are even more striking when viewed against the contrast of the coal-like volcanic earth surrounding them.

Colonia de Sant Jordi, Ses Salines, Mallorca, Spain

While it may look like a giant paint palette, this pink landscape is actually made up of salt flats and is situated in the seaside resort of Colonia de Sant Jordi in Mallorca's Ses Salines district. Salt is a major export here and a great source of local pride – a symbol of a salt mound even appears on the area's coat of arms.

The colours – earthy pink, deep tan and terracotta – pop when captured from up high.

Zao Onsen, Yamagata, Japan

Each winter, it seems snow monsters appear in the frozen north of Japan. They're actually pine trees, but the wind whips their snow- and ice-covered forms into bizarre shapes which lend themselves to imaginative interpretations.

These juhyo (snow monsters) are a major draw at the ski resort of Zao Onsen in Yamagata prefecture, where the landscape can be surveyed from a ropeway, but they're found in a few other spots in northern Japan too.

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA

A familiar name to those into car racing, Bonneville Salt Flats is what remains of a pre-historic lake. There’s hardly any sign of life here, a blazingly white, lunar-esque landscape whose surface cracks and curls in the sunshine. These salt pans sprawl across almost 30,000 acres and, unsurprisingly, nothing grows or lives here.

Thanks to the flat and barren landscape, it's known for land speed records set at the Bonneville Speedway – an area of the salt flats dedicated to motor sports.

The Pinnacles, Western Australia, Australia

These surreal lunar-like limestone formations, known as the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park, are even more mesmerising in the flesh. Reaching up to 16 feet (5m) high, thousands of individual formations are dotted among the desert sands as far as the eye can see.

While they are entirely natural, formed around 30,000 years ago as the sea receded and left deposits of seashells, they look as if they were sculpted by hand.

Zhangye National Geopark, Gansu, China

The rainbow-hued mountains in Zhangye National Geopark look just like an artist's paint palette. Part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site, this stunning formation was created by natural erosion, when layers of sand, silt, iron and minerals blended together to create a kaleidoscope of colours.

The incredible park appears to have been decorated by Mother Nature herself.

Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada

It might look like it belongs in a sci-fi flick, but this landscape is very much on planet Earth. The craggy area makes up Dinosaur Provincial Park which (as its name suggests) is rich in fossils from numerous dinosaur species – more than 150 full dinosaur skeletons have been unearthed here.

And even without the echoes of yesteryear, the rockscapes are impressive: think dramatic badlands punctured with hoodoos and mesas, striped with rust red.

Valle de la Luna, Atacama Desert, Chile

This arid stretch of the Atacama Desert lives up to its name. Valle de la Luna means Valley of the Moon and the cracked landscape is, indeed, about as lunar as you’ll find on this planet.

It’s a world of jagged rocks and sand dunes giving way to broad, white salt flats, and offers some of the greatest stargazing opportunities on Earth.

Landmannalaugar, Iceland

The Highlands of Iceland are renowned for thermal springs and mirror-like fjords but Landmannalaugar is unlike anywhere else in the world. Part of the Fjallabak Nature Reserve on the edge of the Laugahraun lava field, this unique and unusual landscape was formed during a volcanic eruption around 1477.

Famed for its geothermal springs and azure rivers, this rugged region also benefits from candy-coloured hills that appear to be painted by hand.

Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, New Mexico, USA

An alien landscape in northern New Mexico, Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness is formed of bizarre hoodoos and teetering, mushrooming rock towers. The pale clay formations have been carved out by water and wind over many thousands of years, and numerous fossils have been found in the area, including ancient dinosaur remains.

There are no trails here either, leaving the impression of an untouched wilderness.

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