Unearthly places, another planet on Earth

Our world is rich in many unique sights, natural masterpieces and interesting landscapes. Here we will talk about such places, being in which you think that you are on a completely different planet.

Retba, Senegal

The mysterious "pink lake" Retba is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It looks exactly like a picture from a children's book — snow-white shores and pink water. The reason for the unique color of the water is cyanobacteria, the oldest microorganisms that appeared on Earth 3.5 billion years ago, except for them there is no other organic life in this saturated saline solution. The salt concentration in Lake Retba is almost 1.5 times higher than in the Dead Sea - 380 grams per liter. There are several amazing pink lakes, there are similar ones in Australia and Crimea.

Dragon Trees, Yemen

The trees growing here emit bright red juice. After making an incision in the bark, you can see how the Dragon Tree begins to "bleed". It has already become a symbol of the island, and is also depicted on one of the coins of Yemen. The dragon tree is a plant of the genus Dracaena. It resembles a giant cactus in appearance, while having an absolutely fantastic appearance.

Luminous water in the Maldives and Taiwan

In the Maldives, a unique "starry sky" appears from time to time right in the ocean! This is due to the luminescent plankton inhabiting the waters off the island of Vaadhu. The movement of waves and contact with oxygen causes these microorganisms to generate neon blue light, which works as a kind of protective mechanism against larger marine life feeding on plankton.

Noctiluca scintillans are single–celled organisms found in coastal waters around the world. At night, plankton glow bright blue when disturbed by swimmers, waves, or passing boats. The dazzling blue light of the sea, often referred to as "blue tears", can be seen after dark on many coasts of China and has become a major tourist attraction in recent years, especially on Taiwan's Matsu Islands.

Multicolored dunes, Lassen (USA)

The dunes are located near the cone of an ancient dormant volcano in the Lassen National Park in the USA. The coloring of the dunes is so pronounced because volcanic ash during the eruption settled directly on the red-hot lava flows.

Pamukkale, Turkey

This is a number of thermal springs of unearthly beauty included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The water in Cleopatra's pool is carbonated and comes from thermal springs, which makes it feel like you're bathing in a huge tub of champagne. In addition to pleasant sensations, bathing will also give benefits – the water is saturated with radon, minarels and has healing properties. Thanks to this, those who wish go not only to see the miracle of nature, but also for the purpose of recovery.

Pamukkale springs are travertine terraces of bright white color, this is a real geological miracle!

The Colored Rocks of Zhangye Danxia, China

The rainbow Mountains of Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park are known for unusual rock formations of multicolored sandstone rocks and conglomerates belonging mainly to the Cretaceous period. About a hundred million years ago, there was a natural basin on the site of the mountains, which later dried up, and its sediment oxidized, taking on an unusually beautiful mottled coloring. Amazing iridescences of almost all colors of the rainbow can be observed on numerous hills. In general, it is simply unrealistic to describe such a thing in words. You have to see it with your own eyes.

Salar de Juni Salt Marsh, Bolivia

There was once a salt lake at this place. Later it dried up, exposing a layer of salt at the bottom. The thickness of the salt layer ranges from 2 to 8 meters, and in the rainy season, when the surface of this layer is covered with a layer of water, the Yuni salt marsh becomes like a giant mirror: the surface of the lake merges with the blue sky, and the surrounding landscapes acquire truly unearthly beauty.

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA

A real masterpiece of nature. This famous Arizona gorge was carved into sandstones by rain streams. Sunlight penetrating almost to the bottom of the canyon turns the surrounding reality into an absolutely alien landscape.

Meadow Valley, Ladakh, India

This fantastic place in India is starting to gain popularity due to its lush green landscape with dry mountains in the background, and it is now on the list of every explorer heading to Leh Ladakh. The landscape of small green bumps among the hills will surprise everyone with its unusual beauty.

Islands and the Way of Salt, Israel

There is a "salt path" near Ein Bokek beach - a path of salt going into the sea. The place is incredibly beautiful, as if covered with snow and ice, while the water here is very warm. The Dead Sea is very rich in interesting temporary natural structures, thanks to the salt that washes onto the shores. Thus, salt islands appear, which can be reached by water. It is fashionable to observe various incredible salt paintings along the entire coastline, as well as take baths in thermal springs and admire this beauty.

Stone Waves

Arizona stone waves seem to transport their visitors to a fabulous and fantastic world of swirling colors, where time has stopped and turned back. Strong streams of water during the rainy seasons have expertly sanded the soft sandstone of this canyon for thousands of years, and such a sandy sea has turned out. Here, nature has generously added pink, gray, turquoise and green colors, and created a world of optical illusions.

The frozen wave of Arizona is located 40 miles from the city of Page. You can only get here on foot through the sands and mountains. But even this is not possible for everyone – due to the fragility of the landscape, only 20 people a day can visit this amazing place with special passes.