The World's Strangest Natural Wonders
By EXPLORE STAFF
Since Romans built the city of Hierapolis at the end of the second century B.C., people have dipped into these thermal, calcite-rich waters of Pamukkale in Turkey. Flowing over 650 ft cliffs, the pools and petrified waterfalls are white, hence the name, which means “cotton castle.”
Thermal Pools at Pamukkale
Caño Cristales is a beautiful Columbian river where clavigera plants add blue, green, yellow, and black to its rapids, waterfalls, and tide pools. Less than 65 miles long and only up to 13 miles wide, it flows through Piscina de los Turistas, where people can stop to take photos or go for a scenic swim.
Caño Cristales
New Zealand has a plethora of natural scenery and fascinating wildlife, and glowworms can be found throughout, particularly in forests and on the banks of lakes and rivers. A visit through Waitomo Caves boasts a mesmerizing show of thousands of blue-green lights of these tiny insects.
Glowworms at Waitomo Caves
The Marble Caves, or “Capillas de Mármol,” are a series of cave formations located in a lake in Chilean Patagonia. The black and white caves are made up of three formations called the Cathedral, the Cave, and the Chapel, all of which make a stunning contrast with the surrounding blue waters.
Marble Caves
A spot that typically only West Coasters know about, Thor's Well is a 20-foot-deep hole that functions as a saltwater fountain on the edge of the Cape Perpetua coast in Oregon. Between an hour before and an hour after high tide, the hole is repeatedly filled by the waves until water bubbles and sprays out from the top.
Thor’s Well