10 Mysterious Travel Destinations You Won’t Believe Exist

Around the world, there are diverse destinations that offer breathtaking landscapes, making one feel like they have entered another realm. For some, these places become lifelong dream destinations that they feel they must visit at least once in their lifetime. Even though travel may be restricted at the moment, planning a personal bucket list of destinations to explore freely around the world when the time comes can be a great idea. Let’s now explore and introduce ten truly mystical destinations with captivating landscapes.

Indein Ruins, Myanmar

One of Myanmar’s most famous travel destinations is the “Inle Lake” located at the southwest tip of Inle Lake. To reach this place, one must travel by boat for an extended period, where various Buddhist relics are nestled. It is said that the first stupa was erected here about 2,500 years ago, and the total number of stupas in this location exceeds a thousand. The sight of diverse and colorful stupas rising chaotically is truly spectacular.

 

Sea of Stars, Maldives

The Maldives, often associated with the cocktail “Mojito,” is a familiar destination for many Koreans, especially for honeymoon trips. One of the spectacular sights you can witness here is the phenomenon known as the “Sea of Stars,” where bioluminescent phytoplankton emits a blue light when the plant-based plankton is agitated by the waves crashing on the shore. This phenomenon is not visible every day and occurs when various surrounding conditions are suitable. Similar occurrences are also known to happen in places like Puerto Rico, Taiwan’s Matsu Islands, and beyond the Maldives.

Jellyfish Lake, Republic of Palau

The Republic of Palau, an island nation in the western region of Micronesia in Oceania, is known for its beautiful ocean views and its many tourist attractions that take advantage of its natural environment. The most famous place here is a saltwater lake in the mountains that is home to tens of thousands of virtually non-toxic jellyfish. At one point, the Palau government had to ban access due to a significant decrease in the jellyfish population, but it reopened in 2019.

 

Caño Cristales River

In the Meta Department of Colombia, there is the “Caño Cristales River” in Serranía de la Macarena. This river is known as the “River of Five Colors” or the “Liquid Rainbow,” recognized as one of the most beautiful rivers in the world due to its stunning array of colors. The river displays various hues, including yellow, green, blue, black, and red, creating a vibrant and colorful landscape. The reason for these diverse colors is the presence of various aquatic plants that inhabit the riverbed.

 

Silfra Rift, Iceland

Iceland’s Silfra Rift is where the North American and Eurasian continents meet. The two large continental plates meet and slowly drift apart, causing earthquakes about once every ten years. It’s a place where you can touch two continents at once, and the deep sea water is so blue and clear that divers consider it a must-visit destination in their lifetime. It is a tourist spot that can be found in the Þingvellir National Park in Iceland.

 

Tunnel of Love, Ukraine

Near the village of Kleven in the Rivne region of Ukraine, you can find a railroad with a unique appearance. Known as the ‘Tunnel of Love’ (Tunel Kokhaniya in Ukrainian), this railroad is formed by numerous trees and shrubs intertwining with various plants to form an arch. Located about 2.5 miles from the railway line connecting Kleven and Orzhiv, it’s said that if lovers walk through the tunnel together, they can make their love or wishes come true.

 

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Bolivia is home to the world’s largest salt flat, known as the Salar de Uyuni. This location is an iconic travel destination in Bolivia, technically not a desert but a salt lake. Over the years, the salt from the lake has crystallized on the surface, creating a vast expanse that, during the rainy season, reflects the sky like a giant mirror, giving the illusion of the horizon disappearing and the sky mirrored on the ground. Due to this phenomenon, the area is often referred to as the “world’s largest mirror.”

 

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

In Vietnam, you can see the world’s largest natural cave. The ‘Son Doong Cave,’ located in Quảng Bình Province’s Bố Trạch District, is 4 miles long, 656 feet high, and 492 feet wide. It is located about 280 miles south of Hanoi and is designated as Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park. Inside, there is a fast-flowing underground river, and you can see karst limestone inside. The cave is estimated to have been formed between 2 and 5 million years ago.

 

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, located in the northwest of Wyoming, the south of Montana, and the east of Idaho, is the largest national park in the United States and the first in the world. The park got its name ‘Yellowstone’ because the water containing sulfur flows and the rocks turn yellow. There are more than 10,000 types of hot springs, including a large number of geysers that spew hot underground water up to the sky. Among them, the most famous is the ‘Old Faithful Geyser,’ which erupts water with an explosion sound every 40 to 80 minutes.

 

Dettifoss Waterfall, Iceland

In Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland, you can see ‘Dettifoss,’ the waterfall with the highest volume in Europe. Although the height is only 147 feet, the width exceeds 328 feet, and a tremendous amount of water falls every second. This place is familiar to us as the backdrop for various movies, especially the movie ‘Prometheus.’ In addition to Dettifoss, you can find many waterfalls with spectacular views in Iceland, including Gullfoss and Haifoss.
 

By. Deok Su Choi