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Unusual places around the world: abandoned sites, mysterious locations, natural phenomena

This collection brings together locations that challenge the norms of conventional tourism. It offers the chance to discover places where nature, history, and human activities have created astonishing sites: a complex of 732 unfinished villas in Turkey, a Mexican island where hundreds of dolls are hung in trees, a Canadian lake with mineral-formed multicolored basins, and a Polish forest of 400 pines with mysteriously bent trunks facing north. The route also includes unique human-made creations, such as an art installation representing an isolated Prada store in the Texas desert, or the Japanese village of Nagoro where an artist populated the streets with 350 dolls after the residents left. Geological phenomena are also featured, including Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan, which has been burning continuously since 1971, the Great Blue Hole in Belize, a 124-meter-deep underwater cavity, and Colombia’s Caño Cristales river that changes color to red, yellow, and green from July to November. These destinations provide a different perspective on our planet and invite exploration of lesser-known facets of our world.

Turkish Villa Complex
Turkish Villa Complex

Mudurnu, Turkey

This complex comprises 732 identical houses in French style that remained unfinished following the real estate market collapse.

Doll Island
Doll Island

Xochimilco, Mexico

This island displays hundreds of dolls hanging from trees and buildings as a memorial to a drowned girl.

Spotted Lake
Spotted Lake

Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada

Spotted Lake forms numerous round salt pools during summer evaporation, which appear yellow, green or blue due to different minerals.

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

This 70-meter-wide crater formed in the Karakum Desert burns continuously since a drilling accident ignited the natural gas in 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

This city was built in 1970 for workers of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and housed 50,000 residents until its complete evacuation on April 27, 1986.

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

Dog Bark Park Inn is a 9-meter tall wooden building shaped as a beagle, functioning as a two-bedroom hotel.

Wisteria Flower Tunnel
Wisteria Flower Tunnel

Japan

This 80-meter tunnel features wisteria vines growing over metal arches, forming a passageway covered with hanging purple flowers.

Hobbiton Movie Set
Hobbiton Movie Set

Matamata, New Zealand

This permanent film location features 44 hobbit houses built into the green hills of a working sheep farm.

The Hand in the Desert
The Hand in the Desert

Antofagasta, Chile

This concrete sculpture rises 11 meters high from the Atacama desert sand and represents a human hand.

Thor's Well
Thor's Well

Oregon, USA

This basalt rock crater reaches a depth of 6 meters and fills with seawater during high tide.

Piano Bridge
Piano Bridge

Huainan, China

This road bridge features a star-shaped design that produces musical tones through its special construction as vehicles cross over it.

Hanging Temple of Hengshan
Hanging Temple of Hengshan

Datong, China

This temple complex from the 12th century 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

This national park covers 155,000 hectares of white sand dunes, where thousands of turquoise freshwater lagoons form between January and June during the rainy season.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant

Rangali Island, Maldives

This restaurant sits five meters below sea level inside a transparent acrylic dome, offering views of coral reefs and tropical fish.

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

This saline lake derives its pink hue from microorganisms living in the water. The coloration remains constant regardless of season or water extraction.

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

This geological formation results from calcium carbonate-rich thermal springs that have created white limestone deposits on natural terraces over thousands of years. The spring water exhibits temperatures between 35 and 100 degrees Celsius.

Glowworm Caves
Glowworm Caves

Waitomo, New Zealand

These caves host thousands of fungus gnat larvae that produce points of light on the ceilings and reflect in the underground waterways.

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

This 19th-century mosque features colored glass windows that project geometric light patterns onto the floor and carpets when sunlight streams through.

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

This geopark displays sandstone formations with colored mineral layers of iron oxide and other elements created through geological processes.

Ice Hotel
Ice Hotel

Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

This hotel is built each winter from blocks of Torne River ice and features rooms, furniture and artworks created from frozen material.

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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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