After plenty of childhood vacations to Florida or family visits in the northeast, it’s time for you to expand your horizons. We’re talking about going into the depths of the world and coming across some seriously beautiful places: caves, beaches, lagoons, and more.
You know those magical, too-good-to-be-true places that you’ve been collecting on your Pinterest boards? They exist. And they’re waiting for you to discover them.
1. Monterosso Beach in Cinque Terre, Italy
Monterosso al Mare is a beautiful village of Cinque Terre and has very few cars in the town, making for a peaceful atmosphere. The beach at Monterosso extends along the coastline and is the only long sand beach in Cinque Terre. The blue waters and bright houses make Monterosso Beach one of the most colorful destinations.
2. Marble Cave at General Carrera Lake in Patagonia, Chile and Argentina
The Marble Caves are located at the center of the General Carrera Lake. Over the past 6,000 years, waves have formed these caves into what is also known as the Marble Chapel and Marble Cathedral. The inside walls of the cave have different swirling marble colors, depending on the content’s impurities.
3. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa located in a lava field in southwestern Iceland. It is a man-made lagoon fed by the water output of a nearby geothermal power plant and is renewed every two days. The water is heated and vented from the ground near a lava flow. It is rich in minerals like silica and sulfur, providing healing properties for many things, including skin diseases like psoriasis.
4. Pig Beach in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas
Pig Beach is an uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays in the Bahamas. Feral pigs swim in the waters of the islands and are fed by locals and tourists. Visitors are taken by boat to Big Major Cay and head to this southernmost beach where they can swim and feed the pigs.
5. Zhangye Danxia landform in Gansu, China
These rainbow mountains of China are located in the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park. For over 24 million years, colored sandstone and mineral deposits have been pressed together and locked in by tectonic plates, creating the colorful patterns. The mountains themselves were formed by years of rain, wind, and other natural elements.
I’ve been to Monterosso and have to say that of all the beaches in the world, I’m not sure this one belongs on a bucket list. It’s overcrowded and the waters are not as blue as the picture suggests. Plus, of all the Cinque Terre villages, this one was the least like a quaint fishing village. Now, the Blue Lagoon, however, is a different story. It’s still crowded but there was something special about being in Iceland, in a geothermal spa with milky blue water, with volcanic mud that you can apply, and with easy access to a BAR (you can get your psoriasis healing on while sipping on beer!).