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Strangest places and abandoned locations on earth

This route leads to unusual locations on earth: a Turkish villa district without residents, a Mexican island with dolls, a colored lake in Canada and a Polish forest with bent trees. The journey shows architectural features like a Prada store in the Texas desert and geological formations like the Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan.

Turkish Villa Complex
Turkish Villa Complex

Mudurnu, Turkey

Complex of 732 identical French-style castles left incomplete after a real estate market collapse.

Doll Island
Doll Island

Xochimilco, Mexico

Island displaying hundreds of dolls hanging from trees and buildings to commemorate a drowned girl.

Mineral Lake
Mineral Lake

Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada

Lake containing circular pools of different colors created by high mineral concentration.

Bent Pine Grove
Bent Pine Grove

Gryfino, Poland

This pine forest contains 400 trees with trunks curved toward the north. The trees were planted during the 1930s.

Prada Marfa
Prada Marfa

Valentine, USA

This permanent art installation displays a closed concrete and glass Prada store in the Chihuahuan desert of Texas.

Cano Cristales
Cano Cristales

Meta, Colombia

The river displays red, yellow, green, blue and black hues between July and November due to different aquatic plants.

Village of Nagoro
Village of Nagoro

Tokushima, Japan

After residents moved away, an artist placed more than 350 life-sized dolls in public spaces.

Darvaza Gas Crater
Darvaza Gas Crater

Turkmenistan

A 70 meter wide crater in the desert where natural gas has burned continuously since 1971.

Great Blue Hole
Great Blue Hole

Belize

A 124-meter deep underwater cavity in the barrier reef seabed with a diameter of 300 meters.

Pripyat
Pripyat

Ukraine

A nuclear city founded in 1970 with 50,000 residents, fully evacuated after the 1986 reactor incident.

Hill of Crosses
Hill of Crosses

Lithuania

A pilgrimage site with over 100,000 religious crosses, visited by believers since the 19th century.

Dog Bark Park Inn
Dog Bark Park Inn

Idaho, USA

A 9-meter tall wooden building shaped as a beagle, functioning as a two-bedroom hotel.

Wisteria Flower Tunnel
Wisteria Flower Tunnel

Japan

An 80-meter tunnel with hanging wisteria flowers growing over metal arches creates a natural corridor.

Hobbiton Movie Set
Hobbiton Movie Set

Matamata, New Zealand

A permanent film location with 44 hobbit houses built into the green hills of a sheep farm.

The Hand in the Desert
The Hand in the Desert

Antofagasta, Chile

An 11-meter tall concrete sculpture of a hand rising from the Atacama desert floor.

Thor's Well
Thor's Well

Oregon, USA

A 6-meter deep crater in basalt rock that fills with seawater during high tide.

Piano Bridge
Piano Bridge

Huainan, China

The star-shaped road bridge generates musical notes through its construction when vehicles pass over it, similar to piano melodies.

Hanging Temple of Hengshan
Hanging Temple of Hengshan

Datong, China

The 12th-century temple complex is attached to a vertical cliff face with wooden beams, 50 meters above the ground.

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

Maranhão, Brazil

Sand desert with thousands of freshwater lagoons between white dunes that fill with water during the rainy season.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant

Rangali Island, Maldives

A restaurant with a transparent dome below sea level, surrounded by coral reefs and tropical fish at 5 meters depth.

Mendenhall Ice Caves
Mendenhall Ice Caves

Juneau, Alaska, USA

These caves form through the melting of Mendenhall Glacier. The frozen water creates blue vaulted tunnels within the ice.

Lake Hillier
Lake Hillier

Middle Island, Western Australia, Australia

The saline lake gets its pink color from microorganisms. The color persists throughout the year, even when water is removed.

Chand Baori
Chand Baori

Abhaneri, Rajasthan, India

This geometric well from the 9th century has 3500 steps on 13 levels. It reaches a depth of 30 meters.

Travertines of Pamukkale
Travertines of Pamukkale

Denizli, Turkey

Mineral thermal water flows over white limestone terraces. The temperatures reach up to 100 degrees Celsius.

Glowworm Caves
Glowworm Caves

Waitomo, New Zealand

Underground cave system with thousands of bioluminescent larvae glowing on the ceiling and reflecting in the water.

Taktsang Monastery
Taktsang Monastery

Paro, Bhutan

Buddhist temple built into a vertical cliff face at 3120 meters elevation in the Paro valley.

Capuchin Catacombs
Capuchin Catacombs

Palermo, Italy

Underground burial chambers containing 8000 preserved bodies in various clothing from 1599 to 1920.

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque
Nasir al-Mulk Mosque

Shiraz, Iran

Mosque with colored glass windows creating patterns on Persian carpets when sunlight enters.

McWay Falls
McWay Falls

Big Sur, California, USA

A 24-meter waterfall drops directly into the Pacific Ocean at an inaccessible beach in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

Zhangye Geopark
Zhangye Geopark

Gansu, China

Red sandstone rock formations with multicolored mineral layers that formed over millions of years.

Ice Hotel
Ice Hotel

Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

Seasonal hotel with walls, furniture and sculptures made from Torne River ice, reconstructed annually.

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AroundUs is a community-driven map of interesting places, built by curious explorers like you. It grows with every review, story, and photo you share.
Connect to save your favorite spots, contribute locations, and create personalized routes.
By continuing, you accept our Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy

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