Travel Guide: The Weirdest Natural Places in the World to Visit

The idea of travel and its luxury is a distortion in the present times of COVID-19. A cherished experience by the passionate ones, traveling became uncertain for almost a year worldwide. However, the new year brings in fresh hope, and as the world embraces the year 2021, explorers are now hopeful and well into fantasizing about their next travel destination. Travelers are specifically known to possess an ultimate goal- to visit and tick off every place on this planet earth ranging from eye-pleasing to weirdest and strangest places of the world to visit in 2021. From historical sites, fascinating villages, gorgeous beach locations, freezing hill stations to uncanny, mysterious places. Travel buffs would love to visit them all.

Interestingly, our planet does burst out with strange yet breathtaking places to visit and be grateful for their delight. Few of these places are thousands of years old, few relatively modern, and some newly discovered. These places are known to be weird because of one or more unique or unseen characteristics. They are the most surreal and unusual destinations worldwide that are worth a visit by enthusiastic travelers.

Let us look at the list of the weirdest and strangest places in the world to visit in the year 2021.

The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland

The Giant’s Causeway results from an ancient volcanic eruption that later formed into perfectly straight rocks jutting out of the sea. Around sixty million years ago, a vast volcanic eruption emitted out a mass of molten basalt. It then solidified and contracted as it cooled, creating the pillar-like structures and cracks that are a sight even today. It is now a World Heritage Site with an estimate of 37,000 geometrically perfect polygon columns. This natural wonder, located in Northern Ireland, is best to be visited between April and June. You can reach there either from Belfast or from Dublin via Bushmills.

How to reach Giant Causeway: Travelers can drive to the location from Bushmills village, Coleraine or Ballycastle. There are regular bus and train services from these places.

Lonar Lake in India

Located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, this weird lake was formed almost 50,000 years ago from a crater formed by a meteorite. The massive crater, which is 2kms and 270m deep, is the third-largest meteorite crater lake in the world. Scientists establish it as the only hypervelocity natural-impact crater in basaltic rock in the world. The water of Lonar Lake is said to have therapeutic properties for the skin and is alkaline.

How to reach Lonar Lake: Travelers can fly to Aurangabad Airport situated 157 km away and take a taxi from there. There are train services to Jalna around 90 km from the location.

Spotted Lake Khiluk in Canada

Another weird place on this planet earth worth a visit is the Spotted lake Khiluk in British Columbia, Canada. It is known as the most mineralized lake in the world. It has also long been a sacred place for the native Okanagan (Syilx) people. One can view the unique lake on Highway 3, northwest of Osoyoos’ small town in British Columbia. The lake comprises 365 separate pools present in a strange mosaic-like pattern. Each pool is believed to hold a unique and highly concentrated chemical content. It is a place to explore!

Pamukkale in Turkey

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwest Turkey is a group of small pools resulting from calcium carbonate deposits. Pamukkale is eternally famous for the gleaming white calcite terraces overrunning with warm, mineral-rich waters on the mountain above the village known as ‘Cotton Castle.’ Immensely famous among locals and tourists alike, these are pools of warm water fed by an underground spring. April to mid-June is the best time to visit this place and preferably with a small group or tour guide along.

How to reach Pamukkale: Travellers can fly to Denizli-Cardak, located 70 km away. They can hire a taxi from the airport to the location.

Badab-e Surt in Iran

Badab-e Surt is the beautiful travertine terraces in northern Iran, and an incredible natural phenomenon formed over several years. Travertine is a specific limestone that forms from deep calcium deposits in running water. In this case, specifically, it formed from two hot springs having various mineral properties. The terraces’ unusual reddish color is down to iron oxide’s high content in one of the springs.

How to reach Badab-e Surt: Travellers can drive from Semnan or Fulaf Mahalleg to Orost Village or Sari through the Kiasar forest to Badab-e Surt.

Christ of the Abyss in Italy

It is one of the weirdest and strangest places in the world situated underwater, which is also a favorite place for deep-sea divers. In 1954 a bronze statue of Christ was lowered 17m to the seabed, offshore from the abbey, to bless the waters. It is how this strange underwater statue formed! It is a 2.50 meters bronze statue. The open-armed savior was sculpted by the artist Guido Galletti and is one of the best tourist spots in Italy for thrill-seekers.

How to reach Christ of the Abyss: Travelers can reach Christ of the Abyss by boat from Key Largo.

Glass Beach in California

This sparkling sea glass beach in California is proof of nature’s incredible abilities. Until the 1960s, the place was just a convenient dumping ground for all kinds of junk, including old cars and appliances. With time, the waves shattered everything down into colorful pebbles, and the beach became a significant tourist attraction thereon. Now, overlooked by cliffs, the beach has turned into a gem shop.

Fly Geyser in Nevada

Created unintentionally in 1964 after an energy company drilled down into geothermal waters, Nevada’s Fly Geyser is an unusual sight to behold. The geyser is known to be a small geothermal geyser and sits in Washoe County, Nevada. Now, a scalding fountain erupts up to five feet high, and the resultant mineral build-up makes the cone grow by several inches every year.

How to reach Fly Geyser: The only way to reach Fly Geyser is through hour-long nature walks.

Blood Falls in Antarctica

This creepy-looking red water amidst the unending white snow exists in Antarctica. The water is red due to the presence of vast amounts of Iron. The best time to visit this weird and strange place is from November to March. Researchers of the University of Alaska have studied and concluded that the red hue exists due to an “oxidized iron of the brine saltwater, and the same process gives the iron a deep dark red color on rusting.”

Cat Island in Japan

Credit: Johnny Times

Aoshima in Japan is home to more cats than people and is a small town in an impressive maze of old wooden houses. Initially, the cats were encouraged since the island produced silk, and mice are a natural predator of silkworms. It is one of the strangest places in the world and a heaven for cat lovers. The island also has a devoted cat shrine, along with the newly built cat-shaped cabins specifically for tourists to stay in!

How to reach Cat Island: Travellers can reach Cat Island only by ferry from Ishinomaki city.

The Nasca Lines in Peru

Visit this pace to witness one of the weirdest and strangest places and mysteries of human civilization. The animal figures and geometric shapes etched by the ancient Nasca into Peru’s barren Pampa de San José are among South America’s great mysteries. Their drawings of monkeys, birds, fish, and even a ghostly human shape, can still be seen from the air. The Nasca Lines are best explored from scenic flights to discover the vast figures and animals.

How to reach Nasca Lines: The only way to view Nasca Lines is from the nearest observation tower.

Thor’s Well in Oregon

Thor’s well or the Spouting Horn in Oregon gives an enchanting view from the Captain Cook Trail. The weirdest thing about this place occurs during rough conditions when the surf seeps into the sinkhole located there and shoots upward high into the sky. It is undoubtedly a dramatic sight, but a terrifying experience if a person stands near it.

Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle is perhaps the most popular weirdest and strangest places in the world. The triangle in the Pacific Ocean is a mystery for thousands of years now. The Devil’s Triangle is also known as the place between Bermuda, Florida, and Puerto Rico. There have been many theories of lost ships and planes in this infamous triangle!

Lake Hillier in Australia

A distinctive feature of Lake Hillier that makes it weirdest is that the lake has a pink hue throughout the year. Many research took place to understand this concept, with some scientists stating that the pink hue occurs due to a high salinity value, salt-lover algae, and pink bacteria in the lake.

The Tianzi Mountains in China

A unique tourist spot globally, the Tianzi Mountains is the sole inspiration for Avatar’s sets’ floating mountains. Found in the northwest of Hunan Province in China, these mountain peaks are spread across an area of 21 square miles. Located inside the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, they abruptly rose from the ground to create a beautiful landscape. These staggering mountains are limestone pinnacles covered in lush greenery and often shrouded in mist. When visiting China, the Tianzi Mountain is a place you must visit.

How to reach Tianzi Mountains: Travelers can reach the mountains by car or bus from Zhangjiajie city, located 55 km away.

Salar De Uyuni in Bolivia

Nestled in Potosí and Oruro departments, it is the world’s giant salt pan and a severely weirdest place. The Salar De Uyuni forms the remains of a prehistoric lake that eventually dried off and left behind void space of bright-white salt, rock formations, and cacti-islands. It also becomes the world’s most enormous natural mirror when a thin film of water gathers on the lake’s surface.

How to reach Salar De Uyuni: Travelers can take a bus or train to Uyuni and then take a Tupiza town tour, located around 200 km away.

Socotra Island in Yemen

Credit: https://www.pandotrip.com/

The biodiversity on Socotra Island looks straight out of a sci-fi movie! The trees and flora found here are not to be found anywhere in the world. The island exists separately from the African mainland and has ancient-looking trees.

How to reach Socotra Island: The only way to reach Socotra Island is to fly from Yemen or Cairo. There is only a single airline, except Yemen Airways, that flies to Socotra.

Chocolate Hills in Philippines

The Chocolate Hills are a set of conical-shaped mounds located amid the Philippines islands. The hills are exact in height and shape. As per UNESCO, the Cholocate Hills are the deposits of coral that occurred due to rainwater erosion. The hills earned the name ‘Chocolate’ as the hills’ foliage turns from green to dark brown during the dry season.

How to reach Chocolate Hills: Travelers can reach Chocolate Hills by bus or taxi from Tubigon.

Red Beach in China

As you can guess, Red beach earned its name because of the red hue that covers the entire area. The beach turns deep red during autumn, caused by the seaweed named Sueda. It is more like a sweep of tidal wetlands that into a perfect stop for migratory birds. The whole beach blooms red, leaving only thin strips of sea visible, but only a section of it is open to the public.

How to reach Red Beach: Travelers can reach the beach by boat from Akrotiri port or Perissa or walk down the path.

Goblin Valley State Park in USA

Located in Utah, the valley has a plenty of pinnacles that dot the entire 1-2 miles. The pinnacles formed by soft sandstone that have been, over the years, faced extreme erosion by wind and water. The hoodoos resemble the shape of a goblin, hence the name Goblin Valley!

How to reach Goblin Valley: Travelers can reach Goblin Valley by bus or taxi from Hanksville.

Catacombs in France

The Catacombs in Paris are quarry tunnels underneath Paris city and are several million Parisians’ resting place. The Catacombs consist of several anonymous skulls and bones acquired from Paris’ overcrowded graveyards in the earlier centuries. As time passed and the Catacombs turned into a tourist destination, authorities in Paris arranged the bones neatly in macabre displays and turned it into a glorious tourist destination.

The strangest and weirdest places in the world are undoubtedly great tourist destinations to visit! It will indeed give the thrill and adventurous rush of adrenaline that a traveler expects. So pack your bags and head to these fantastic yet weirdest and strangest places in the world.