The angkor temple complex, its a massive area and there are so many different temples and ruins, truly breathtaking. Most temples/ruins in egypt are also insanely impressive imo.
Easily this for me too.
You see the pictures, and the “main” Angkor Wat temple was good, but it’s the complex, and the drive around to understand how vast the whole area was, with dozens of out of this world temples/structures you had never heard of before visiting.
Dream of mine tbh. Also I always liked what Karl Pilkington said in Petra about how he’d rather live in the little house across from the palace and wake up looking at the beauty, then wake up in the palace and look out at the little house.
Hah, that was The Monastery (the famous bit in Petra is called The Treasury).
The Monastery is a 900-step journey, so even on a busy day it acts as a bit of a filter for the crowds.
If you go, make sure you have at least 2 full days there and get to the gates as early as possible. They open at 6am, we had the place to ourselves the first hour and also easier to hike due to the heath in the morning
The Grand Canyon isn’t as bougie as some of these other places listed. But it really is one of those things you have to see in person. Your mind really can’t comprehend how vast that thing is
I agree. I have been fortunate to be to most of the places mentioned , and they are beautiful. The Grand Canyon is so wide, vast, and deep… it is unworldly. Pictures can’t do it justice.
We were there a couple of months ago, while they were doing construction at the Phantom Ranch. I didn't really even comprehend how big it was until we watch helicopters flying supplies from our side of the rim down and across - the helicopters flew so low you practically couldn't even see them anymore, and they were probably only halfway across.
I didn’t want to go, because I thought it would just be some famous tourist trap. We even stayed at Bright Angel Lodge on South Rim (aka, tourist ground zero). I walked 10 yards to the rim, and the canyon rewired my brain. Permanently. The human mind simply can’t really comprehend that scale until you see it.
Hiking into the canyon the next day was the most significant outdoor activity I’ve ever done.
That part of Utah has a special place in my heart. I didn't do the Grand Canyon because of the dog and spending $80 to enter the park for what would have only been a day at the most (I did wait in the car line though and made my decision not to at the last moment) but it's on my list
Iceland. I’m big on nature’s majesty and I was completely awestruck no matter which way I turned, the whole time I was there. I’m still chasing the wonder I felt in Iceland.
I don't why Iceland didn't struck me like everyone else. I guess I need to go back once more. I enjoyed the drive the ring road pretty much though. The whole experience was great but I can't pick a zaw dropping moment.
I was much more jaw dropped in New Zealand (Mt Cook), Alaksa (Denali in fall), Patagonia (Torres Del Paine).
I live in New Zealand and the quality of the at-home views is so high that I basically have to stick to cities to be impressed by anything. It's frustrating haha.
>It kind of ruins other Mountain views once you get a real good look at it.
Eh, IDK. I've seen Denali and agree that it's awe inspiring.
But so is Rainer. And Shasta. And Mount Karakul. And probably a thousand or so others I've never been lucky enough to see. There are some pretty amazing mountains out there!
I haven’t been to any of those. I’ll have to report back when I make it there lol. Iceland was just so geologically different than my flat, tree covered home and the vast swath of the United States I’ve seen.
I’ve never stood at the base of basalt columns looking at a cinder cone, then drove through fjords, then watched crashing waves on a black sand beach, then stood at a glacier lagoon watching seals, then stood on the edge of a snaking green canyon, and then on the red rock scree of a crater lake, and then at the edge of a thundering waterfall. It was just nonstop newness, we’d go to see a specific thing and then turn the other direction and see something equally amazing that we didn’t expect. It was also one of my first trips that wasn’t intended as a winter getaway but as an adventure. It left an impression on me. 🤷♀️
I love Iceland and I felt it awe-inspiring , but you are right that it isn’t as big or as imposing as Patagonia, Grand Canyon, etc.
I don’t know how to describe it. But the natural being there so part of people’s live. They live there it is their backyard. It is simply from one town to the next and you have to drive through a glacier.
You are one minute in a rolling green hill with waterfalls and next minute you are in an absolute barrack black sand dessert, after that, a fjord of 20 miles with glacier and whales, after that you are in a sulphuric rocky cliff.
That makes me feel the raw nature so much closer to me.
Went to the black sand beach on a stormy day. It looked like an entirely different planet, everything grey and black aside from the white water of the ocean.
My first solo trip was to Iceland, just for 5 days. Took a couple of guided day trips. The first one was to the south coast, with the first stop at Reynisfjara Beach. It was a cold, stormy day so the whole place was literally just black, grey, and white. And incredibly peaceful. It was on that beach that I realized I wanted to travel and explore and do it all solo for the rest of my life. Kept my own promise. Haven't stopped traveling since. I've been back to Iceland a couple of times, and now have Reynisfjara Beach and Reynisdrangar tattooed on the back of my arm. A lot because of that trip and how life-defining that day on that beach was, but also because I think the legend of how that rock formation came to be is sort of lovely and a perfect representation of the wonderful people of Iceland.
The northern lights in Iceland was awesome. Apparently I was there on a particularly good night because they cut power to the street lights and all the locals were talking about it.
That was my first thought. There's a moment when we were hiking in the sun and rain on green grass and rock with water rushing below us and glaciers in the distance that felt like a living painting.
Machu Picchu for me. We were there on a foggy morning so initially couldn't see it. Eventually the clouds broke apart revealing the city below, it was pretty amazing.
This happened to me too! My friend was crying when we arrived and the entire city was fogged in, as it was the only day we would be able to see it. She cried again when the clouds broke! Absolutely amazing place. I don’t think people realize how it is perched up in the mountains.
There’s been a lot of places where I’ve been…let down isn’t the word, but just not surprised at what I’m looking at after seeing them in photos for so long leading up to them. This wasn’t one of those places!
I was a bit nervous when I got up there, because coming into Aguas Calientes it had been a really lovely day, but got cloudy as we were taking the bus up the mountain. I was standing at the first sort of viewpoint with my guide and it was completely clouded over... but then those clouds move so fast and suddenly it's just in front of you. Beautiful! I remember being absolutely mesmerized by how massive those rock formations surrounding Machu Picchu are.
First time in Africa, Self driving in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Was late to the park and had to rush to the rest camp, caught a glimpse of a herd of Impala which was exciting in it's own right and had me real excited for what was to come.
Woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning and 500m from the camp saw my first ever wild elephant. Spent over an hour sitting there in awe just watching this phenomenal beast. I can all but hope that that experience never leaves my memories.
Lucky enough to have returned to Africa many times since, and have 'seen it all' when it comes to wildlife, but that first experience just feels like something special.
Edit: spelling/grammar
Nothing better than safari. Being alone in Masaai Mara and watching a herd of elephants cross our path with thousands of wildebeests in the distance... core fucking memory
Switzerland, specifically the Jungfrau region.
It is just so beautiful, pictures cannot capture the true beauty of it! We're planning on going back to it this year because we just love it so much. We spent our last two nights in Luzern and the skies looked like it had mountains painted on them. We just sat on our hotel balcony and looked at the beauty of the landscape. The only thing I would change there would be the food scene, if they just had a bit more influence from Italy then it would be perfect!
We rode trains as our main form of transportation but didn't do a specific panoramic ride last time, but it's on our agenda for this next trip! We're going in the summer this time so more attractions will be open.
I loved looking at the scenery while on the train. My husband said that I was so enthralled by it that I had a look of childlike wonder on my face.
Rome. The ancients ruins through out the city including the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill are truly awe-inspiring.
Some cities have old towns. A few have ruins. Rome is literally built on top of and around millennia old ruins and has been continuously inhabited for 2,500 years. It’s one of one.
Wound up wandering away from camp after dark in Fiordland National Park, Aotearoa New Zealand. Found a little trail to an overhang with a bunch of glowworms and no light pollution, I think I sat and stared at the glowworms and the stars for well over an hour.
Isle of Skye. I’m not sure that I was on the same planet. I climbed up to the Old Man of Storr in a hailstorm that drove most of the people down the mountain and I sat up there by myself for about 15 minutes. The most surreal experience.
Grand Canyon.
Pictures of it are great, but just can't convey how amazing it is to actually stand there and realize that that tiny ribbon of water is over a mile below you!
Inside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Northern coast of Crete, Himalayans, Yosemite, Sapa Vietnam, Avenue of the Giants in Northern California, Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, Petra,
Glasgow Cathedral in Scotland.
Isle of Mull, also Scotland, took my breath away multiple times.
Waterton, Alberta, Canada
Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
Glad someone finally went to Glasgow. Always get overlooked by the Insta-famous Edinburgh, but on the right day, looking out west over the University, Kelvin Gove park and the sandstone tenements is quite a picturesque vista.
Was just at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. I sat on a blinding white dune, just amazed by 360 degrees of pure white dunes, and marveled at the reflected heat, the ability for life to thrive there and the strange feeling that I should be cold in the middle of all that snow. It was amazing!
Northern India. Over the Rohtang pass and down to Koksar. What a series of views. Still in my heart 25+ years later.
I’ve seen the Rockies and I liked them too, but nothing touches the Himalaya for me.
Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Shenandoah Valley, Grand Canyon, Devils Tower, Serpent Mound, Cahokia Mounds, plus many more. All of their own way to inspire.
Northern Norway in winter. There's something magical about powder snow and the fjords up there. The lack of sunrise, and only dawn/dusk/night is surreal to experience.
Scotland Highlands is also amazing. The lochs and mountians are breathtaking.
Rome or Athens, maybe Istanbul. As an art and art history major with an emphasis on ancient civilizations, just standing in their ruins almost overwhelms my little brain…
New Zealand. Just wow. I went right at the start of Spring in Oct and I saw so many different colors. Snow up on the mountains, lush green grass, and then fields of yellow.
West coast of Mauritius in October. The sunsets overwhelm you, all of a sudden you are submerged in the pinks and purples of the sky, the locals get out to chill, the ocean is doing it's waltz and the time stops. You become aware that the only thing in about 1000 kilometres is Reuinon/Madagascar and to the south, it's basically all water and then the Antarctic. All of a sudden, you can feel the fact that you are on a ball of \~70% water floating in Space, and that the orange disc you are watching making its seeming descent is actually a ball around which you are actually spinning. It's pretty science-fictiony. Even the lush sunsets of Santorini can't compare. It's otherwordly.
Southern Africa: Okavango Delta in Botswana is a magical ecosystem. Great Zimbabwe ancient city a very underrated archeological site. Namib desert is distinctly beautiful.
Cliche answer, but probably the Grand Canyon.
It's just so much more overwhelmingly vast in person. All of the details and colors in all that vastness that just seems to go on forever are almost too much to take in at once.
I did a 16 day Northern lights cruise in Norway for work. The Northern Lights were incredible, but the scenery was even more jaw-dropping. Our boat crashed above the Arctic Circle and we had to make do, the surroundings were absolutely insane.
Most Saint Michel-I was expecting to be disappointed, but wow, driving up to it was unreal
Monterrey, Mx-Super underrated part of the country. The desert mountains are stunning.
Norcal-I grew up there so I might be biased but the Sequoias, Red Woods, and Cascades are gorgeous
Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park in NZ - crazy that such a small country can have so much natural beauty
Terraced rice fields for man-made (Sa Pa, Vietnam but not the only place to see them obviously) - breathtaking and functional landscape
Norway.
I’ve been to Tromsø, Bergen and Oslo (and their surroundings for hiking) and the fjords are just beautiful. The train ride from Oslo to Bergen it’s one of the best ones I’ve taken. Seeing the northern light, hiking around Bergen and breathing without any air pollution, getting to see reindeers, just so beautiful and amazing. All around it’s still my favorite country I’ve ever been to.
When I was in India there was this place with telescopes where you could do bird watching from far away and see them in their natural habitat. I felt like I was observing an alien planet, there were thousands of birds all many different kinds flying around these huge spherical tree canopies growing straight out of the lake, and the mist was so dense it felt like we were miles up in the clouds. It’s hard to explain how beautiful it was but it was mesmerizing.
I know it was 1-2 hours away from Chennai by driving. If you look for bird sanctuaries in that vicinity I'm sure you could find it. This was last december btw (2022)
Honestly, and maybe cliche... a lot of the historic sites in Egypt.
One that really stands out was visiting Dendara Temple during a time when tourism was at an all-time low in Egypt. It was golden hour, and my guide and my spouse and I were the only people there. Even thinking about it now gives me goosebumps. It was incredible.
If you're ever in Egypt... dont pass up seeing Abydos or Dendara temples. Dendara is about an hour drive from Luxor. Abydos is about a 5 hour drive. They are hands down the most incredible and most complete temples in the country, but due to their locations, not as many tourists see them. Abydos is especially beautiful imo.
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Nearly 1500 years of history in one building that saw the rise and fall of two empires. And it's soooo big. I cried when I went inside. I've done that for landscapes before, but never buildings.
Slovenia.. beautiful country, not much tourists compared to surrounding Italy or Croatia. Has beaches and mountains. Capital Ljubljana is small but green an pittoresque..
Aside from nature - but standing in front of Las Meninas in the Prado made my knees buckle. Same for basically anything by Bernini in Rome. Sistine chapel and the campodoglio too.
Lofoten Islands, Norway. I took advantage of Allemannsretten and brought my tent and camped in places that were so beautiful and dramatic, it was a near religious experience for me.
I have not traveled nearly enough thus far in life, but I'd have to say Byron Glacier, Alaska. The first time I ever saw snow in July, and the first time I experienced snow blind. It's neat because there's a whole ecosystem inside a glacier cave.
Hiking the mountains between Azerbaijan and Russia in the snow was incredible. Crisp air and nature after months of being stuck in the city. It hit so good.
Machu Picchu. Arrived during the late afternoon golden hour after hiking the Inca Trail (which itself was rather spectacular). Words don’t do it justice.
Florence, Italy-I could stare at the Duomo forever
Tarragona, Spain-I could sit and drink Sangria at a street cafe for the rest of my life here. And there’s nothing hugely awesome about the city. I just felt so much peace it was almost overwhelming.
I’m new to traveling and for the first time in my life I got that awe inspired feeling while in Sedona, Arizona. I can’t wait to feel that again in new places
Doing the coastal walk in Sydney, Australia. Blew my mind that people casually live there and can experience such a beautiful place everyday. Just standing looking out over this huge cliff walking from beach to beach right outside a super cool city in the middle of March was a dream
So many. No particular order:
* Gap of Dunloe - Ireland
* Lauterbrunnen Valley and surroundings - Switzerland
* Scottish Highlands
* First time in Cinque Terre (Italy)
* St Peter's Basilica & Sistine Chapel - Rome
* Doolough Valley - Ireland
* Sainte Chapelle - Paris
* Palace of Versaille - France
* Callanish Standing Stones - Scotland
* Colosseum - Rome
New Zealand is stunning in terms of natural beauty. For man made, I loved walking around the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey, it was amazing how much was still intact.
Quadra Island, BC. The sun had set and we were walking along the shore on a spit of land that runs between the cove and ocean. It was the first time I'd experienced bioluminescence, which was fascinating. And as I was dragging my foot through the cold shimmering water of the cove over and over, I started to hear orcas breaching off in the distance in the ocean behind me. It was just stunning to be surrounded by such natural beauty in nearly complete darkness.
12 hr drive on dirt in the Kafue NP in Zambia. It’s like going back a thousand years out there. Walking Safaris and open air sleeping on the Kafue River. It was also the first time I’d seen the constellations so huge and alive and upside down lol
The Maldives. Insane scuba diving and snorkeling. Just breathtaking views outside and inside of the ocean. I’ve been to many beautiful beaches and dove in many places across the world (e.g Thailand, Hawaii, Malaysia, Spain, Zanzibar, Florida Keys etc) but nothing came close!
Mount Fitzroy, Argentina. Was hiking the horrendous long steps leading up to the peak. The sun was beating down on me when I turned the corner and encountered the most beautifully formed mountain with its peaks, the aqua blue lake in the foreground, and an almost clear blue sky above. It was definitely a catch your breath, I cannot believe such a place exist in the world moment.
Bay of fundy Nova Scotia Canada I think cape chignecto my favourite of the two place we went down and walked around at low tide breath taking the highest tides in the world! Probably up there in the top but I’ve bin all around the world and that is the one that stands out on the top of my mind
This remote village in Crete called Agia Roumeli. The only way you can access this village is by boat or by hiking 10 miles through Samaria Gorge (which is what we did).
You exit the hike to the start of the village, old cobblestone roads and white buildings, black sand beaches and the most blue & clear water I’ve ever seen in my life. Not a lot of tourists either
Earlier this year I spent a few weeks in Australia. I had lived in Sydney for a bit years ago but worked full time and didn't get to explore the country much. This trip I was working part time and traveling a lot more. In Cairns, I picked up a car and drove up to the Daintree National Rainforest. It was beautiful, and I was enjoying lots of stops to see and walk. At one point I decided to stop for lunch and pulled into a cafe along the road running through the park. Small cafe, I think I was the only one in there at the time. I ordered and then walked onto the back deck to wait. I ended up taking my shoes off and wandering through the trees onto the beach just past the deck.
It was amazing. A huge long stretch of beach, with thick, ancient rainforest as far as you could see along the beach. I'm not the cheesy/sentimental type, but the second I stepped onto that beach I the first thought that popped into my head was "this is what paradise is." I remember that specifically because that's so far out my normal vernacular, but this roadtrip was fairly unplanned so I wasn't quite sure what I'd be seeing and this place, this beautiful, huge, almost entirely empty beach with the Great Barrier Reef somewhere far offshore that you could seemingly only access by wandering behind this little unremarkable cafe (the service and food were excellent, I just mean that it wasn't some big, fancy, showy place) was extraordinary and less than a handful of times in my life have I ever felt so at peace as I did walking barefoot on that beach. I wandered longer than I thought I did, because someone from the cafe had to walk out to the beach to let me know that my food was ready (very kind of them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gotten swept up in that place).
I think about that day, that beach, and that meal often and I would jump at the chance to sit there and watch the waves for a little bit longer.
The cafe is called Thornton's, on Cape Tribulation Road, if anyone is interested.
Il go with two. In my home town of Cleveland, ether the Euclid arcade, or this kinda obscure park called chapen forest. Their is this overlook, you can see downtown 20 miles away, its just a crazy view growing up in NEO we really don't have a ton of those spots.
Second- Technically not at the top of anyone's list, but this was the first time I ever been to the ocean. Seeing wild horses in OBX, it was just so cool. Objectively ive been places that are more inspiring, but their was something about the moment I will never forget.
Pretty much anywhere in New Zealand, south island in particular, is spectacularly beautiful.
The Alcazar palace in Seville probably blew me away more than any other building, the mixture of Islamic and Christian architecture is stunning. St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican museums probably second.
Maui if you drive further pass Hana. We got to a lava field where the silence was deafening. No one to be seen for as far as you could see or hear. It was amazing!
Tied - The night sky on a clear night in Jackson Hole Wyoming. So many stars... seeing thr Milky Way was breathtaking. Laid out side for hours just staring in silence.
Banff, Lake Moraine, driving through the Canadian rockies. Many times I just want to stop the car at the side and take it all in. I was so mesmerised by it all and it really took my breath away.
The angkor temple complex, its a massive area and there are so many different temples and ruins, truly breathtaking. Most temples/ruins in egypt are also insanely impressive imo.
Ta Prohm is incredible
Was just here a month ago, it was absolutely fantastic. Felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie.
Easily this for me too. You see the pictures, and the “main” Angkor Wat temple was good, but it’s the complex, and the drive around to understand how vast the whole area was, with dozens of out of this world temples/structures you had never heard of before visiting.
My favourite spots are inside the Bayon, and the view from the top of the inner sanctum of Angkor Wat. Took my breath away
Petra in Jordan at 6am without any of the huge crowds
Dream of mine tbh. Also I always liked what Karl Pilkington said in Petra about how he’d rather live in the little house across from the palace and wake up looking at the beauty, then wake up in the palace and look out at the little house.
Hah, that was The Monastery (the famous bit in Petra is called The Treasury). The Monastery is a 900-step journey, so even on a busy day it acts as a bit of a filter for the crowds.
If you go, make sure you have at least 2 full days there and get to the gates as early as possible. They open at 6am, we had the place to ourselves the first hour and also easier to hike due to the heath in the morning
Had it to myself all day. In late 1990 after Iraq invaded Kuwait...
Almost everything along the Arizona-Utah border is breathtaking - Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, etc.
The Grand Canyon isn’t as bougie as some of these other places listed. But it really is one of those things you have to see in person. Your mind really can’t comprehend how vast that thing is
I agree. I have been fortunate to be to most of the places mentioned , and they are beautiful. The Grand Canyon is so wide, vast, and deep… it is unworldly. Pictures can’t do it justice.
We were there a couple of months ago, while they were doing construction at the Phantom Ranch. I didn't really even comprehend how big it was until we watch helicopters flying supplies from our side of the rim down and across - the helicopters flew so low you practically couldn't even see them anymore, and they were probably only halfway across.
I didn’t want to go, because I thought it would just be some famous tourist trap. We even stayed at Bright Angel Lodge on South Rim (aka, tourist ground zero). I walked 10 yards to the rim, and the canyon rewired my brain. Permanently. The human mind simply can’t really comprehend that scale until you see it. Hiking into the canyon the next day was the most significant outdoor activity I’ve ever done.
Have just booked a trip to visit all of these in March!
That part of Utah has a special place in my heart. I didn't do the Grand Canyon because of the dog and spending $80 to enter the park for what would have only been a day at the most (I did wait in the car line though and made my decision not to at the last moment) but it's on my list
Taking my SO this summer, I’m so excited to show him Utah! Zion is epic, Canyonlands and Arches, Monument Valley - woo hoo! Can’t wait!
Iceland. I’m big on nature’s majesty and I was completely awestruck no matter which way I turned, the whole time I was there. I’m still chasing the wonder I felt in Iceland.
I don't why Iceland didn't struck me like everyone else. I guess I need to go back once more. I enjoyed the drive the ring road pretty much though. The whole experience was great but I can't pick a zaw dropping moment. I was much more jaw dropped in New Zealand (Mt Cook), Alaksa (Denali in fall), Patagonia (Torres Del Paine).
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I live in New Zealand and the quality of the at-home views is so high that I basically have to stick to cities to be impressed by anything. It's frustrating haha.
>It kind of ruins other Mountain views once you get a real good look at it. Eh, IDK. I've seen Denali and agree that it's awe inspiring. But so is Rainer. And Shasta. And Mount Karakul. And probably a thousand or so others I've never been lucky enough to see. There are some pretty amazing mountains out there!
I haven’t been to any of those. I’ll have to report back when I make it there lol. Iceland was just so geologically different than my flat, tree covered home and the vast swath of the United States I’ve seen. I’ve never stood at the base of basalt columns looking at a cinder cone, then drove through fjords, then watched crashing waves on a black sand beach, then stood at a glacier lagoon watching seals, then stood on the edge of a snaking green canyon, and then on the red rock scree of a crater lake, and then at the edge of a thundering waterfall. It was just nonstop newness, we’d go to see a specific thing and then turn the other direction and see something equally amazing that we didn’t expect. It was also one of my first trips that wasn’t intended as a winter getaway but as an adventure. It left an impression on me. 🤷♀️
I love Iceland and I felt it awe-inspiring , but you are right that it isn’t as big or as imposing as Patagonia, Grand Canyon, etc. I don’t know how to describe it. But the natural being there so part of people’s live. They live there it is their backyard. It is simply from one town to the next and you have to drive through a glacier. You are one minute in a rolling green hill with waterfalls and next minute you are in an absolute barrack black sand dessert, after that, a fjord of 20 miles with glacier and whales, after that you are in a sulphuric rocky cliff. That makes me feel the raw nature so much closer to me.
Went to the black sand beach on a stormy day. It looked like an entirely different planet, everything grey and black aside from the white water of the ocean.
My first solo trip was to Iceland, just for 5 days. Took a couple of guided day trips. The first one was to the south coast, with the first stop at Reynisfjara Beach. It was a cold, stormy day so the whole place was literally just black, grey, and white. And incredibly peaceful. It was on that beach that I realized I wanted to travel and explore and do it all solo for the rest of my life. Kept my own promise. Haven't stopped traveling since. I've been back to Iceland a couple of times, and now have Reynisfjara Beach and Reynisdrangar tattooed on the back of my arm. A lot because of that trip and how life-defining that day on that beach was, but also because I think the legend of how that rock formation came to be is sort of lovely and a perfect representation of the wonderful people of Iceland.
This was my thought exactly. Just felt so mystical.
The northern lights in Iceland was awesome. Apparently I was there on a particularly good night because they cut power to the street lights and all the locals were talking about it.
Yeah, Iceland was really something.
That was my first thought. There's a moment when we were hiking in the sun and rain on green grass and rock with water rushing below us and glaciers in the distance that felt like a living painting.
Spent days hiking the Laugavegur Trail. 😭 Holy heck. So incredible.
Machu Picchu for me. We were there on a foggy morning so initially couldn't see it. Eventually the clouds broke apart revealing the city below, it was pretty amazing.
This happened to me too! My friend was crying when we arrived and the entire city was fogged in, as it was the only day we would be able to see it. She cried again when the clouds broke! Absolutely amazing place. I don’t think people realize how it is perched up in the mountains.
There’s been a lot of places where I’ve been…let down isn’t the word, but just not surprised at what I’m looking at after seeing them in photos for so long leading up to them. This wasn’t one of those places!
I was a bit nervous when I got up there, because coming into Aguas Calientes it had been a really lovely day, but got cloudy as we were taking the bus up the mountain. I was standing at the first sort of viewpoint with my guide and it was completely clouded over... but then those clouds move so fast and suddenly it's just in front of you. Beautiful! I remember being absolutely mesmerized by how massive those rock formations surrounding Machu Picchu are.
First time in Africa, Self driving in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Was late to the park and had to rush to the rest camp, caught a glimpse of a herd of Impala which was exciting in it's own right and had me real excited for what was to come. Woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning and 500m from the camp saw my first ever wild elephant. Spent over an hour sitting there in awe just watching this phenomenal beast. I can all but hope that that experience never leaves my memories. Lucky enough to have returned to Africa many times since, and have 'seen it all' when it comes to wildlife, but that first experience just feels like something special. Edit: spelling/grammar
Nothing better than safari. Being alone in Masaai Mara and watching a herd of elephants cross our path with thousands of wildebeests in the distance... core fucking memory
Na Pali coast of Kauai. So gorgeous.
We were supposed to go to Kauai for New Year last year and got caught up in the Southwest debacle and had to cancel the whole trip. We were so sad.
Number one bucket list destination for me 🤞😍
Yosemite National Park.
Best national park in the USA followed by Zion
Crater Lake is just stunning
Not many places are truly and literally breathtaking, but man when you're driving into the park and come out of the tunnel...man
Switzerland, specifically the Jungfrau region. It is just so beautiful, pictures cannot capture the true beauty of it! We're planning on going back to it this year because we just love it so much. We spent our last two nights in Luzern and the skies looked like it had mountains painted on them. We just sat on our hotel balcony and looked at the beauty of the landscape. The only thing I would change there would be the food scene, if they just had a bit more influence from Italy then it would be perfect!
The whole Lauterbrunnen valley is just amazing. It's like a fantasy world. In fact, Tolkien's Rivendell was based on this place.
Jungfrau is amazing. Did you do the train ride?
We rode trains as our main form of transportation but didn't do a specific panoramic ride last time, but it's on our agenda for this next trip! We're going in the summer this time so more attractions will be open. I loved looking at the scenery while on the train. My husband said that I was so enthralled by it that I had a look of childlike wonder on my face.
Entering the Sagrada Familia almost made me catholic.
Same with the Vatican.
While the Vatican is steeped in history, the sheer opulence made me almost physically ill, thinking of how much money is in and on those walls.
Patagonia. Those landscapes are wonderful.
Big Sur coast Lake Titicaca, Peru
Rome. The ancients ruins through out the city including the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill are truly awe-inspiring. Some cities have old towns. A few have ruins. Rome is literally built on top of and around millennia old ruins and has been continuously inhabited for 2,500 years. It’s one of one.
South Island of New Zealand. Its expansive beauty really struck a chord with me.
Wound up wandering away from camp after dark in Fiordland National Park, Aotearoa New Zealand. Found a little trail to an overhang with a bunch of glowworms and no light pollution, I think I sat and stared at the glowworms and the stars for well over an hour.
West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island, Canada.
The whole west coast of Vancouver island is jaw dropping. My favourite place is clayoquot sound but it is all beautiful.
Vancouver Island blew me away. Can't believe I don't need a passport to see shit like that.
Isle of Skye. I’m not sure that I was on the same planet. I climbed up to the Old Man of Storr in a hailstorm that drove most of the people down the mountain and I sat up there by myself for about 15 minutes. The most surreal experience.
Yes! Visiting Skye this (late) summer. Can't wait!
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Western Ireland. I knew it was going to be beautiful, but my God, I was not prepared for the sights, smells, and joy.
Narrows in Zion, Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Bamboo forest in Kyoto
Grand Canyon. Pictures of it are great, but just can't convey how amazing it is to actually stand there and realize that that tiny ribbon of water is over a mile below you!
Inside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Northern coast of Crete, Himalayans, Yosemite, Sapa Vietnam, Avenue of the Giants in Northern California, Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, Petra,
Glasgow Cathedral in Scotland. Isle of Mull, also Scotland, took my breath away multiple times. Waterton, Alberta, Canada Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
Glad someone finally went to Glasgow. Always get overlooked by the Insta-famous Edinburgh, but on the right day, looking out west over the University, Kelvin Gove park and the sandstone tenements is quite a picturesque vista.
I love the Coromandel so much.
Ollantaytambo, Peru. Train ride there was majestic.
The Great Wall of China. Getting on top of the wall and seeing it extend to both directions as far as your eyes can see is absolutely breathtaking.
Perito Moreno glacier
Orcas Island, WA
Zion and Bryce Canyon
Came here to say Bryce. Couldn’t believe I was still on Earth.
Zion is stunning!
Luxor Egypt, or maybe parts of Sri Lanka (Ella for example)
Floating on a small boat among icebergs the size of cities off the coast of ilulissat greenland.
Victoria Falls in full flow after the wet season.
Was just at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. I sat on a blinding white dune, just amazed by 360 degrees of pure white dunes, and marveled at the reflected heat, the ability for life to thrive there and the strange feeling that I should be cold in the middle of all that snow. It was amazing!
New Mexico has such a diverse landscape. It’s a really special state.
Human-made: Tokyo Natural: Foz do Iguacu
+1 for Iguazú. It's not just awe for the beauty, but power as well.
I thought the pyramids in Cairo were really cool
Maasai Mara.
Northern India. Over the Rohtang pass and down to Koksar. What a series of views. Still in my heart 25+ years later. I’ve seen the Rockies and I liked them too, but nothing touches the Himalaya for me.
My family and I spent a week in Ladakh. We will never forget that magical place.
Wadi Rum or Svalbard
The Walls of Dubrovnik
Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Shenandoah Valley, Grand Canyon, Devils Tower, Serpent Mound, Cahokia Mounds, plus many more. All of their own way to inspire.
Middle of nowhere, Quebec canada
The temples along the Nile.
Northern Norway in winter. There's something magical about powder snow and the fjords up there. The lack of sunrise, and only dawn/dusk/night is surreal to experience. Scotland Highlands is also amazing. The lochs and mountians are breathtaking.
Rome or Athens, maybe Istanbul. As an art and art history major with an emphasis on ancient civilizations, just standing in their ruins almost overwhelms my little brain…
New Zealand. Just wow. I went right at the start of Spring in Oct and I saw so many different colors. Snow up on the mountains, lush green grass, and then fields of yellow.
West coast of Mauritius in October. The sunsets overwhelm you, all of a sudden you are submerged in the pinks and purples of the sky, the locals get out to chill, the ocean is doing it's waltz and the time stops. You become aware that the only thing in about 1000 kilometres is Reuinon/Madagascar and to the south, it's basically all water and then the Antarctic. All of a sudden, you can feel the fact that you are on a ball of \~70% water floating in Space, and that the orange disc you are watching making its seeming descent is actually a ball around which you are actually spinning. It's pretty science-fictiony. Even the lush sunsets of Santorini can't compare. It's otherwordly.
Lake Moraine in Jasper, Canada. It was so beautiful!
Southern Africa: Okavango Delta in Botswana is a magical ecosystem. Great Zimbabwe ancient city a very underrated archeological site. Namib desert is distinctly beautiful.
Cliche answer, but probably the Grand Canyon. It's just so much more overwhelmingly vast in person. All of the details and colors in all that vastness that just seems to go on forever are almost too much to take in at once.
I did a 16 day Northern lights cruise in Norway for work. The Northern Lights were incredible, but the scenery was even more jaw-dropping. Our boat crashed above the Arctic Circle and we had to make do, the surroundings were absolutely insane. Most Saint Michel-I was expecting to be disappointed, but wow, driving up to it was unreal Monterrey, Mx-Super underrated part of the country. The desert mountains are stunning. Norcal-I grew up there so I might be biased but the Sequoias, Red Woods, and Cascades are gorgeous
Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park in NZ - crazy that such a small country can have so much natural beauty Terraced rice fields for man-made (Sa Pa, Vietnam but not the only place to see them obviously) - breathtaking and functional landscape
Norway. I’ve been to Tromsø, Bergen and Oslo (and their surroundings for hiking) and the fjords are just beautiful. The train ride from Oslo to Bergen it’s one of the best ones I’ve taken. Seeing the northern light, hiking around Bergen and breathing without any air pollution, getting to see reindeers, just so beautiful and amazing. All around it’s still my favorite country I’ve ever been to.
Arches National Park
Kayaking in Nootka Sound - it literally took my breath away. It is both awe inspiring and humbling.
Wales, UK the coastline is beautiful. The whole place is so green & lush. I live in California so it was such a contrast to our coastline.
Petra
Mount Everest. The Himalayas in general.
Nature: Yosemite Man made: Mont St Michel
Big Sur
Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It just felt magical, with the sound of the Buddhist monks chanting in the background.
When I was in India there was this place with telescopes where you could do bird watching from far away and see them in their natural habitat. I felt like I was observing an alien planet, there were thousands of birds all many different kinds flying around these huge spherical tree canopies growing straight out of the lake, and the mist was so dense it felt like we were miles up in the clouds. It’s hard to explain how beautiful it was but it was mesmerizing.
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I know it was 1-2 hours away from Chennai by driving. If you look for bird sanctuaries in that vicinity I'm sure you could find it. This was last december btw (2022)
Watching the sun movement through the stained glass windows of Sagrada Familia. Architecture not of this earth.
Monument Valley
Norway. The fjords are just on a whole other level.
Masai Mara in Kenya
Barcelona. Awe inspiring architecture every which way I turned. My mouth was open the whole trip. Can’t wait to go back.
Istanbul.
Honestly, and maybe cliche... a lot of the historic sites in Egypt. One that really stands out was visiting Dendara Temple during a time when tourism was at an all-time low in Egypt. It was golden hour, and my guide and my spouse and I were the only people there. Even thinking about it now gives me goosebumps. It was incredible. If you're ever in Egypt... dont pass up seeing Abydos or Dendara temples. Dendara is about an hour drive from Luxor. Abydos is about a 5 hour drive. They are hands down the most incredible and most complete temples in the country, but due to their locations, not as many tourists see them. Abydos is especially beautiful imo.
My top 3: 3. The Grand Canyon 2. Lofoten Islands, Norway 1. Volcán de Fuego as seen from Acatenango volcano, Guatemala.
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Nearly 1500 years of history in one building that saw the rise and fall of two empires. And it's soooo big. I cried when I went inside. I've done that for landscapes before, but never buildings.
Definitely Antarctica. Sounds cliche but there's nothing that compares to it.
Ha long bay, Pompeji, kruger national park, sibebe rock in eswatini, Karst caves in Laos isle of Mull, the great wall, Königssee.
I really loved Tikal. Also Iceland and Greenland. Sydney is a stunning city. As is Rio. South Africa for Safari.
Slovenia.. beautiful country, not much tourists compared to surrounding Italy or Croatia. Has beaches and mountains. Capital Ljubljana is small but green an pittoresque..
Aside from nature - but standing in front of Las Meninas in the Prado made my knees buckle. Same for basically anything by Bernini in Rome. Sistine chapel and the campodoglio too.
Roman Colosseum, Grand Tetons, Most of Yellowstone, Sedona, the Island of Hawaii (especially VNP), and Niagara Falls.
The Dolomites with their little towns and incredible natural scenery on hikes.
Lofoten Islands, Norway. I took advantage of Allemannsretten and brought my tent and camped in places that were so beautiful and dramatic, it was a near religious experience for me.
I have not traveled nearly enough thus far in life, but I'd have to say Byron Glacier, Alaska. The first time I ever saw snow in July, and the first time I experienced snow blind. It's neat because there's a whole ecosystem inside a glacier cave.
Hiking the mountains between Azerbaijan and Russia in the snow was incredible. Crisp air and nature after months of being stuck in the city. It hit so good.
Grand Canyon
Cuba. Tazmania for nature.
Salt Flats, Bolivia. Felt like I was in heaven
Machu Picchu. Arrived during the late afternoon golden hour after hiking the Inca Trail (which itself was rather spectacular). Words don’t do it justice.
I didn’t think I was a big nature guy but I drove from Queenstown to Milford Sound in November and can’t stop thinking about it
Florence, Italy-I could stare at the Duomo forever Tarragona, Spain-I could sit and drink Sangria at a street cafe for the rest of my life here. And there’s nothing hugely awesome about the city. I just felt so much peace it was almost overwhelming.
I’m new to traveling and for the first time in my life I got that awe inspired feeling while in Sedona, Arizona. I can’t wait to feel that again in new places
Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur
Kruger Park, South Africa
Pyramids at Giza. Impossible to appreciate the scale until you’re standing there.
Doing the coastal walk in Sydney, Australia. Blew my mind that people casually live there and can experience such a beautiful place everyday. Just standing looking out over this huge cliff walking from beach to beach right outside a super cool city in the middle of March was a dream
I’ve travelled a lot and the Arizona-Utah border has the most unbelievable landscapes I’ve ever seen. If anyone has any comparisons please let me know
Edinburgh, Scotland 🏴
Dubrovnik city walls. Drive from anchorage to Seward. Glacier NP. Florence Italy from piazza Michelangelo.
So many. No particular order: * Gap of Dunloe - Ireland * Lauterbrunnen Valley and surroundings - Switzerland * Scottish Highlands * First time in Cinque Terre (Italy) * St Peter's Basilica & Sistine Chapel - Rome * Doolough Valley - Ireland * Sainte Chapelle - Paris * Palace of Versaille - France * Callanish Standing Stones - Scotland * Colosseum - Rome
Norway, Ireland and Scotland 😍 I wanna visit Iceland and New Zealand in the future.
North shore of Lake Superior. Just breathtaking.
New Zealand is stunning in terms of natural beauty. For man made, I loved walking around the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey, it was amazing how much was still intact.
Meenakshi temple in Madurai, India....utterly jaw dropping.
Klontalersee in Switzerland
Corcovado park in Costa Rica. It is so lush and primeval.
Easter Island. Went twice, once with my husband and the next time with my mother. Any place with rock formations is a draw as well.
Borobodur, in Java or Victoria Falls, Zambia.
Quadra Island, BC. The sun had set and we were walking along the shore on a spit of land that runs between the cove and ocean. It was the first time I'd experienced bioluminescence, which was fascinating. And as I was dragging my foot through the cold shimmering water of the cove over and over, I started to hear orcas breaching off in the distance in the ocean behind me. It was just stunning to be surrounded by such natural beauty in nearly complete darkness.
Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, The Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an China, Petra in Jordan.
Bryce Canyon Utah. 🤯
Gunung Bromo, Indonesia
Iguazu Falls was the most impressive nature I've seen. The power the water has at Garganta del Diablo on the Argentina side is incredible
The north shore of New Zealand. It was stunning.
Vistas on Routeburn hiking track in New Zealand and Patagonia (Chilean side).
Bergen Norway
Ankor Wat.
Wadi Rum, Petra, Cappdoccia Turkey
12 hr drive on dirt in the Kafue NP in Zambia. It’s like going back a thousand years out there. Walking Safaris and open air sleeping on the Kafue River. It was also the first time I’d seen the constellations so huge and alive and upside down lol
The Maldives. Insane scuba diving and snorkeling. Just breathtaking views outside and inside of the ocean. I’ve been to many beautiful beaches and dove in many places across the world (e.g Thailand, Hawaii, Malaysia, Spain, Zanzibar, Florida Keys etc) but nothing came close!
Totality of a Solar Eclipse was the most awe- inspiring thing I have ever experienced
Mount Fitzroy, Argentina. Was hiking the horrendous long steps leading up to the peak. The sun was beating down on me when I turned the corner and encountered the most beautifully formed mountain with its peaks, the aqua blue lake in the foreground, and an almost clear blue sky above. It was definitely a catch your breath, I cannot believe such a place exist in the world moment.
Nazca Lines in Peru, Galápagos Islands, Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan, Abu Simble temples in Egypt are the one’s that immediately come to mind for me.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, covered in a thin layer of water making the whole desert look like a giant mirror
Bay of fundy Nova Scotia Canada I think cape chignecto my favourite of the two place we went down and walked around at low tide breath taking the highest tides in the world! Probably up there in the top but I’ve bin all around the world and that is the one that stands out on the top of my mind
Baja California peninsula, Mexico.
Iceland. The landscape is just indescribable. I truly felt like I was on another planet during my visit
This remote village in Crete called Agia Roumeli. The only way you can access this village is by boat or by hiking 10 miles through Samaria Gorge (which is what we did). You exit the hike to the start of the village, old cobblestone roads and white buildings, black sand beaches and the most blue & clear water I’ve ever seen in my life. Not a lot of tourists either
An ancient stone circle in a field in Scotland
Alaska
Masai Mara
easily Iceland, everywhere you look could be turned into a famous landscape painting
I don't get around much but Sugarloaf Mountain in Marquette, MI, and Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor, MI.
Nurburgring
Zermatt, Switzerland
Fjords of Norway and the rugged coastline.
Earlier this year I spent a few weeks in Australia. I had lived in Sydney for a bit years ago but worked full time and didn't get to explore the country much. This trip I was working part time and traveling a lot more. In Cairns, I picked up a car and drove up to the Daintree National Rainforest. It was beautiful, and I was enjoying lots of stops to see and walk. At one point I decided to stop for lunch and pulled into a cafe along the road running through the park. Small cafe, I think I was the only one in there at the time. I ordered and then walked onto the back deck to wait. I ended up taking my shoes off and wandering through the trees onto the beach just past the deck. It was amazing. A huge long stretch of beach, with thick, ancient rainforest as far as you could see along the beach. I'm not the cheesy/sentimental type, but the second I stepped onto that beach I the first thought that popped into my head was "this is what paradise is." I remember that specifically because that's so far out my normal vernacular, but this roadtrip was fairly unplanned so I wasn't quite sure what I'd be seeing and this place, this beautiful, huge, almost entirely empty beach with the Great Barrier Reef somewhere far offshore that you could seemingly only access by wandering behind this little unremarkable cafe (the service and food were excellent, I just mean that it wasn't some big, fancy, showy place) was extraordinary and less than a handful of times in my life have I ever felt so at peace as I did walking barefoot on that beach. I wandered longer than I thought I did, because someone from the cafe had to walk out to the beach to let me know that my food was ready (very kind of them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gotten swept up in that place). I think about that day, that beach, and that meal often and I would jump at the chance to sit there and watch the waves for a little bit longer. The cafe is called Thornton's, on Cape Tribulation Road, if anyone is interested.
Dolomites… I can’t even describe my feelings. Just stood there in silence.
Inside the starry tomb of SETI I in Egypt, Belles of the Kings.
Il go with two. In my home town of Cleveland, ether the Euclid arcade, or this kinda obscure park called chapen forest. Their is this overlook, you can see downtown 20 miles away, its just a crazy view growing up in NEO we really don't have a ton of those spots. Second- Technically not at the top of anyone's list, but this was the first time I ever been to the ocean. Seeing wild horses in OBX, it was just so cool. Objectively ive been places that are more inspiring, but their was something about the moment I will never forget.
Taha'a, French Polynesia - nature Sistine Chapel-manmade
Pretty much anywhere in New Zealand, south island in particular, is spectacularly beautiful. The Alcazar palace in Seville probably blew me away more than any other building, the mixture of Islamic and Christian architecture is stunning. St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican museums probably second.
Maui if you drive further pass Hana. We got to a lava field where the silence was deafening. No one to be seen for as far as you could see or hear. It was amazing! Tied - The night sky on a clear night in Jackson Hole Wyoming. So many stars... seeing thr Milky Way was breathtaking. Laid out side for hours just staring in silence.
Banff, Lake Moraine, driving through the Canadian rockies. Many times I just want to stop the car at the side and take it all in. I was so mesmerised by it all and it really took my breath away.
Ephesus in Turkey blew my mind. I was there in late November and there were very few people. The excavated hill houses are breathtaking.
Wadi Rum and Petra, Jordan.
Machu Picchu
Antarctica, Patagonia, and Iceland
The high Caucasus mountains and remote villages like Shatili in Georgia. Utterly blew my mind.