Table of Contents Show
Let’s be honest for a sec. Most of those “must see before you die” natural wonders are overrated tourist traps clogged with herds of frantic selfie-snappers. But fear not, intrepid explorers! I’ve uncovered 10 truly astounding natural marvels around the globe that will renew your faith in Mother Nature’s magic.
So pack your bags, charge your camera, and get ready to have your breath stolen by:
Arches National Park, Utah – Nature’s Cathedral of Crimson Rock
Nestled in the rugged Colorado Plateau, this wonderland of over 2,000 sandstone arches frames Utah’s red rock country in graceful swoops and gravity-defying spans. Meander the park trails to be awestruck by namesake arches like the sweeping Landscape Arch (at 306 feet, it’s longer than a football field!) and the gravity-flouting Delicate Arch teetering over a sheer cliffside. But the real magic is found by just parking your car and wandering – discover your own miraculous red rock window into the Southwest sky.
- 2.4M Google searches / 61.7M Tik Tok views / 663.8K Instagram posts
- 87.57% “excellent” reviews / 0.25% “terrible” reviews
- 8.29/10 “wonder” score
Iguazú Falls, Argentina/Brazil – The Niagara on Steroids
Scrap Niagara Falls from your bucket list. Iguazú’s nearly 300 individual falls gushing over jungle-clad cliffs in South America make its northerly cousin look like a leaky faucet. Feel the thunder in your chest as curtains of water crash with a roar, drenching you in a tsunami of spray at viewpoints like Devil’s Throat. Or take in the miles-wide spectacle from above via catwalks and boat rides under the falls for a real “holy sh*t, planet Earth is awesome” moment.
- 2.5M Google searches / 44.8M Tik Tok views / 296.7K Instagram posts
- 90.73% “excellent” reviews / 0.11% “terrible” reviews
- 8.19/10 “wonder” score
Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe – The World’s Widest Torrent
With twice Niagara’s height and width, Victoria Falls is aptly named “The Smoke That Thunders.” Watch in awe as the mile-wide Zambezi River violently plunges 350 feet into the zig-zagging Batoka Gorge, spraying mist high into the air and drenching the wilderness for miles. Rainbows dance in the spray, elephants trumpet in the bush, and you’ll feel humbled by the raw power of nature at work.
- 2.6M Google searches / 63.9M Tik Tok views / 318.5K Instagram posts
- 86.57% “excellent” reviews / 0.22% “terrible” reviews
- 8.14/10 “wonder” score
The Grand Canyon, Arizona – Earth’s Most Spectacular Scar
The Grand Canyon inspires immediate slack-jawed wonder, its immensity almost impossible to process at first glance. Mile-high walls stripe the desert in Art Deco spires, revealing two billion years of geological history. Descend into the canyon on muleback to truly absorb the timelessness of this great crack gouged by the Colorado River. Layers of rock reveal eons, only to disappear into a scale that our minds struggle to grasp.
- 682.0K Google searches / 568.9M Tik Tok views / 4.2M Instagram posts
- 89.99% “excellent” reviews / 0.60% “terrible” reviews
- 7.91/10 “wonder” score
Table Mountain, South Africa – The Mountain That Hovers Above the Clouds
Rising 3,500 feet from the tip of Africa, Table Mountain watches over Cape Town through flat-topped table cloth clouds that drape over the summit like a phantom floating mountain. Ascend via cable car to hike the rim, rappel off the cliffs, or just sit and soak in the panorama of clouds cascading down the sheer mountain face like a ethereal waterfall frozen in the sky.
- 1.4M Google searches / 44.5M Tik Tok views / 1.3M Instagram posts
- 81.83% “excellent” reviews / 0.26% “terrible” reviews
- 7.67/10 “wonder” score
The Mighty Matterhorn, Switzerland – Skyscraping Ice Queen of the Alps
Jutting into the heavens above Zermatt, the Matterhorn stuns with its striking, chiselled peak ringed by 14,000-foot pinnacles. Its iconic pyramid shape is instantly recognizable, having become the symbol of Switzerland. Take the cogwheel railway up to Gornergrat to get an unfettered view of the mighty mountain goddess, then continue upward to breathe the thin, crisp air at the summit after a breathtaking hike.
- 162.6K Google searches / 137.0M Tik Tok views / 969.7K Instagram posts
- 91.39% “excellent” reviews / 0.43% “terrible” reviews
- 7.24/10 “wonder” score
Mount Everest, Nepal/Tibet – Planet Earth’s Pointiest Place
Sure, it’s commercial and crowded now, but don’t let that detract from the singular awesomeness that is Mount Everest. Standing under the towering face of the mightiest mountain on Earth is a humbling and exhilarating experience. Follow in the footsteps of legends on the trek to Base Camp, gaze up at the jet stream whip snow off Everest’s 29,000-foot summit, and you’ll be moved by the raw power of nature’s roof.
- 13.3M Google searches / 638.2M Tik Tok views /222.7K Instagram posts
- 88.68% “excellent” reviews / 1.62% “terrible” reviews
- 7.14/10 “wonder” score
The Great Barrier Reef, Australia – Technicolor Wonder Down Under
The largest living structure on Earth is a haven for rainbow-hued marine life visible from space. Snorkel or scuba dive the 1,400-mile swath of 3000 coral reef off Australia’s tropical coast to discover a bustling underwater metropolis. Sea turtles, reef sharks, giant clams, psychedelic fish and technicolor corals sway in the current, transforming this World Heritage Site into the biggest splash of color on the planet.
- 4.0M Google searches / 164.1M Tik Tok views / 989.0K Instagram posts
- 77.44% “excellent” reviews / 2.44% “terrible” reviews
- 6.62/10 “wonder” score
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland – Windblown Drama on the Irish Coast
Rising a sheer 700 feet over crashing Atlantic surf, the Cliffs of Moher are where Ireland ends and the wild wind begins. Brave the gale force gusts to experience the raw, rugged beauty of these iconic sea cliffs, defending the Emerald Isle from the pounding surf for millennia. Watch your step, hold your hat, and let out a howl into the wind from the Cliff’s edge for full dramatic effect.
- 3.0M Google searches / 61.3M Tik Tok views / 693.8K Instagram posts
- 76.85% “excellent” reviews / 1.29% “terrible” reviews
- 6.53/10 “wonder” score
Angel Falls, Venezuela – World’s Tallest Waterfall Crash Lands from the Sky
In the lush jungles of Canaima National Park, the world’s tallest waterfall thunders over 3,000 foot cliffs in an awe-inspiring aerial cascade. To experience its full majesty, take a river trip to the base of Angel Falls and stare straight up at the water hurtling 807 feet from cliffs into the tropical forest – you’ll appreciate the aptness of its heavenly name.
- 1.6M Google searches / 20.2M Tik Tok views / 34.1K Instagram posts
- 91.03% “excellent” reviews / 0.28% “terrible” reviews
- 6.52/10 “wonder” score
Milford Sound, New Zealand – Moody Fjord Straight Out of Middle Earth
Rudyard Kipling called it the “8th Wonder of the World” and its easy to see why – Milford Sound is a moody fjord where glacier carved cliffs rise thousands of feet straight from the Tasman sea and waterfalls pour down into the misty inlet in every direction. The fantastical landscapes of LOTR seemed lifted straight from this magical corner of Fiordland, where rainforests and soaring crags make you feel like you’re journeying through Middle Earth.
- 1.3M Google searches / 17.0M Tik Tok views / 426.3K Instagram posts
- 79.72% “excellent” reviews / 0.26% “terrible” reviews
- 6.52/10 “wonder” score
So stash that selfie stick, charge those camera batteries, and prepare for the natural wonders that will truly blow your mind, not just your Instagram likes. Mother Nature saves her best magic for those intrepid explorers willing to venture off the beaten track. I’ll see you out there!
