It’s time to add to your bucket list. There are a lot of beautiful places in the world that you really should see. Yet if you don’t plan carefully, the views are obscured by tons of tourists.  

So, if you’re looking to switch things up a bit, and would like to see places that are arguably just as beautiful as the traditional tourist stops, but comparatively crowd-free. consider these beautiful places that you may not even know exist. Here to help you finalize your list, are the 20 most beautiful places in the world you might not know exist.

The 20 Most Beautiful Places in the World You may not Know Exist

Abraham Lake, Canada

If you’ve ever pondered over what can happen when methane bubbles generated by bacteria feeding off of various dead matter on a lake floor get trapped in freezing water, look no further than Abraham Lake in Alberta, Canada. While methane bubbles go unnoticed in an unfrozen lake, here they actually create numerous pockets that look like orbs caught inside the ice. If you’re out there snowmobiling and need a smoke break, don’t light up here. If the ice actually cracks and those bubbles burst, methane is quite flammable.

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Cueva de los Cristales, Mexico

Also known as the “Cave of Crystals”, until 2000, most people didn’t even know this place in Chihuahua, Mexico existed. It was in 2000 that two siblings mining for silver accidentally uncovered the cavern. The cave is rife with 30-foot, translucent crystals. Some of them are almost half a million years old. To see it though you must take a 20-minute ride through a deep mine shaft. It’s terribly hot and humid here due to the hot magma field that runs one mile beneath your very feet.

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Dean’s Blue Hole, The Bahamas

You will find Dean’s Blue Hole on Long Island in the Bahamas. This hidden gem combines Mexican cenotes with Caribbean beaches, albeit under the sea. It’s reported to be the world’s largest blue hole too.  

Mind you, the surrounding limestone walls and white sand beach in themselves are worthy of inclusion. You don’t reach the real treat until you go through the 60-foot bottleneck. That’s where this blue hole opens into one of Earth’s largest underwater cenotes. It’s highlighted by current-free clear turquoise water, tropical fish, and even seahorses.

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The Crystal Mill, USA

Head to Marble, Colorado, less than one hour out of Aspen. It is here, following up to an eight-hour hike, that you will find the Crystal Mill. It’s the sole remnant of a ghost town nestled at the base of the rugged Rocky Mountains. If you’re a leaf lover, be sure to visit in the fall. You can check out the mill, and see the snow-topped mountains, and the golden leaves all at the same time.

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Iguazu Falls, Argentina

These fantastic falls found in a lush rainforest in Misiones Province aren’t as obscure as other entries here but equating them with Victoria or Niagara doesn’t do these falls justice. Iguazu Falls are like a city of waterfalls. There are 250 of them spanning an area of almost two miles. 53,000 cubic feet of water thunder over the falls every second.

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Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil

The name of this attraction in Maranhao translates to “bedsheets of Maranhao.” To be fair, these pristine coastal dunes swaying along 600 square miles of shoreline actually do resemble bed sheets. These distinctive dunes are born of a specific natural process. The Preguicas and Parnaiba Rivers carry sand from within Brazil to the ocean, and the currents and winds blow inland, sending the sand to the shore. This place might seem like a desert, but temporary lagoons appear here between the sand dunes during the rainy season and they reportedly make exceptional fishing holes.

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Cavernas de Marmol, Chile 

The Cavernas de Marmol, a.k.a. the Marble Cathedral. Is located in Lake General Carrera. The caves here are accessible only by boat and are found close to the Argentina-Chile border.

They actually reflect the water’s color. They’re turquoise in spring, but dark blue in summer. These reflections also alter the way the marble’s patterns look. So, if you visit during different times of the year, each visit will be a unique experience. Mind you, after you drive 1,000 miles from Santiago and the long boat ride, one visit might be plenty.

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The Forest of Knives, Madagascar 

If this name reminds you more of a setting for some cheesy horror movie, people also refer to it as the Tsingy Forest. This limestone forest is surrealistically beautiful. Here you will discover a combination of 200-foot rock slabs and native trees that create a fantastic forest of both jagged peaks and leaves. The main draw here is actually rock climbing. Veteran visitors recommend caution though because climbing here can be exceptionally dangerous. One slip and you could suffer what some call “a Ginsu-like gash.”

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The Seven-Coloured Earth of Chamarel

You’ll find this beautiful place in Chamarel, Mauritius. We know there’s no pot of gold at the end of rainbows and no matter how quick you are, they’re often gone before you can Instagram them. Ah, but this particular rainbow is actually made out of sand and may withstand thousands of years of erosion and rain. These colorful rainbow sand dunes feature seven different colors of sand: blue, brown, green, purple, red, violet, and yellow. Amazingly, if you scoop up the sand, put it into a clear bottle, and mix it up, the sand will slowly resettle into the individual colored layers.  

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Deadvlei, Namibia

Journey to Hardap. Here you will find a valley featuring little more than a nigh-oppressive sun and 1,300-foot-tall sand dunes in what was, 900 years ago, a verdant forest irrigated by the mighty Tsauchab River. Now there’s not even enough water here to allow the parched remaining trees to decompose. Thus, they remain there as little more than charred relics. Throw in a deep-blue sky and rust-tinged sand and this is one of the world’s most colorful yet desolate travel destinations.

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Deception Island, Antarctica

Yes, hiking to the very top of a genuine active volcano is an exceptional experience. So is boating into one. Here on this isle in the South Shetland Islands, you can do both.

Don’t fret though as this volcano has not actually erupted since 1992. It has a convenient horseshoe-shaped caldera, and boats can sail up to the smoldering beaches there. Cruise around the memorable volcanic bay and take in the view of the ash and snow that cover the various lava formations in the middle of the steam.

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The Lemaire Channel, Antarctica

This striking channel is seven miles in length and has a width of one mile. It is located between Kyiv Peninsula and the majestic mountains on Booth Island. Because it is so photogenic, it was first nicknamed the “Kodak Channel.” The best time to visit this beautiful place is when the entrance is not blocked by any ice. That way, the boat you are on can actually make the trip inside the channel.

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The Red Seabeach, China

Travel to Pinjin, a beautiful spot in China. The best time to visit this wondrous wetland is in September. That’s when the striking seepweeds mature and change from green to bright scarlet.  

Nevertheless, this marsh, spanning an area of 16 miles, is one of the country’s most beautiful places to see the various birds and native wildlife all year. In September though, the red fields draw numerous flocks of 200+ species of birds that migrate all the way from Asia to Australia. Enjoy the view from one of the numerous wooden bridges constructed over the water there.

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The Sea of Stars, Maldives

Vaadhoo Island is one of the Maldives’ inhabited islands. It is here that you will find one of the world’s few bioluminescent bays. (Puerto Rico’s La Parguera is arguably one of the more well-known.) Both are home to a specific species of plankton named dinoflagellates which gives water a distinctly otherworldly glow. Vaadhoo Island stands out though because the plankton’s stunning blue light appears almost to be reflecting the starlight.

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El Nido, Philippines

El Nido is the gorgeous gateway to the Philippines’ beautiful Bacuit Archipelago and is located in the pretty province of Palawan under 420 kilometers from Manila. Renowned for its coral reefs, limestone cliffs, lush foliage, turquoise water, and stunning white-sand beaches. Indeed, there are more than 50 different beaches here and El Nido supposedly inspired Alex Garland’s 1996 novel The Beach. Be prepared to be patient though as a trip to this beautiful locale does require a long, seven-hour bus ride.

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Lord Howe Island, Australia

Some travel bloggers claim that the main reason you probably have not heard of this beautiful island found 375 miles off of New South Wales is because there is no cellphone signal on the exceptional isle. Thus, the two main attractions here are the obvious digital detox and the wildlife. Because it is such an isolated spot, you will find species of birds, plants, and insects that do not exist anywhere else on the planet.  

The island itself is close to a coral reef, so this is a great place to go snorkeling and scuba diving too. Don’t worry about crowds either. Only 400 visitors are permitted here at one time.  

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Homebush Bay, Australia 

You might think Sydney is a comparatively unremarkable residential bay, but it slots in on this list for the sea vessel near its coastline. Christened the SS Ayrfield, this ship was constructed during World War I. It carried supplies to US troops in the Pacific Ocean during WWII and in the 1950s was purchased by an oil company and anchored in this bay.  

As the years rolled by, nature made the ship its own. Today it is an artificial island complete with plants and trees and even wildlife. It is oddly both decrepit and beautiful.

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The Chapel of Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe, France

Have you ever wondered if, even with modern-day resources, would man be capable of building something atop a little, pointed rock? If so, then you need to travel to Le Puy-en-Velay in France. Believe it or not, back in 962 workers built this stone cathedral on a basalt needle without the aid of hydraulics, or cranes. They physically hauled the huge stones all the way up 268 stairs. The view of the village below is remarkable!

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The Crystal Cave, Iceland

You will find this beautiful place in Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park. The 22-foot entryway on the shoreline may mislead you. The blue-crystal cave itself actually tapers downward to no more than four feet. It will actually pop and crack as you enter.  

Fret not though, fellow traveler, as it is not an indication of an imminent collapse. It is simply the sound of the glacier moving slightly against the volcanic island. It was created over centuries and has an almost unreal look to it too. Undoubtedly, that’s why it has been used as a shooting location for such TV shows as “Game of Thrones” and such films as Interstellar.

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Picos de Europa, Spain

We admit it. Travel writers and tourists alike give a lot of their attention to the Pyrenees and the Alps. Still, the Pico de Europa is a worthy albeit comparatively small mountain range close to the northern coast of Spain. It stretches through the Asturias, Cantabria, and Leon regions and is arguably just as beautiful as the more popular, well-known ranges.  

While it only spans an area of approximately 26 miles, there are many reasons why one should consider adding it to their bucket list. Its highest peak, known as Macizo Central or Macizo de los Urrieles, is only 8,000 feet high. Still, when one rates it on snowshoeing, and skiing away from tons of tourists, this is the place to be. In the summer it has an abundance of Spanish brown bears and wildflowers too!

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