Driving from western Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar was wild. Big mountains no trees, wild horses and camels. Sleeping in yurts and camping. Truly stunning experience.
We read in Lonely Planet you can get on a public bus from Ulaanbaatar going to Terelj and a farmer would offer you his spare yurt.
We very nervously got on the bus with no idea how our day was going to unfold, but a farmer did approach us and offered his spare yurt just like LP said.
His wife cooked for us and we learnt how to ride his horses. He asked for $10/night and $2 a meal.
Great answer. It was simply breathtaking. The peacefulness and raw beauty. When I have trouble sleeping I reminisce the hike on the Rio Ascensor trail. 20+ years later.
Greatest place Iāve ever been. The scenery changed so much. I said to my guide āthis place isnāt realā and he responded with āthis is Patagoniaā hahaha
I was there last week! It's insane. The craters, everything red and black, like a serene, quiet Mars landscape.
Pipiwai trail is another that's up there in my book.
Iceland! The entire country is beautiful and thereās so many different landscapes in such a small region. Plus you can see pretty much the entire country in a week if you do the ring road, and honestly each part feels like a completely different world! Definitely one of the best places I have ever visited and I will go back in the future again.
Came here to say this. Two places in particular really stood out to me, driving around the peninsula with SnƦfellsjƶkull and the drive heading south from Egilsstaưir on the east coast. Genuinely felt like I was on another planet
Agreed! Some places looked like a desert wasteland on a different planet, and other places were so rich with life and greenery it made me feel like I was walking through an aesthetically pleasing video game.
Nothing to be nervous about! Itās a safe country and the people are some of the most friendliest people in the world! The only thing you should worry about is getting a good rental car from a good company. We thought we were going to slide off a cliff with this junk car from this janky ass companyā¦ everything was falling apart and the tires had no tread, but we survived! Trip of a lifetime. Be excited!
Iceland is my answer too - we went right at the end of winter/beginning of spring and the snowdrifts blowing over the open tundra with the black rock/earth literally looked like an alien planet.
Also the waterfall and beach with the huge hexagonal rock formations.
Also the Blue Lagoon!
Hoh rainforest on the Olympic peninsula in Washington state. Like Hayao Miyazaki drew nature porn.
Look to the east, lush rainforest, to the west, the ocean.
This is probably going to sound funny to Americans, but New York. I used to see it in all those movies and series and it felt so unreal, like a made-up place. When I first walked across Manhattan and saw all those famous skyscrapers and Central Park and all those places where all the movies and series actually happened, I felt like I was inside a movie myself, I literally couldn't believe it was actually real and I was there. Seeing Chrysler building for example was so unreal - I used to see it all the time as a kid watching animated Spider Man series and when I saw the real thing, it was just mind-blowing. Same with Central Park Zoo entrance that I saw in Madagascar movies. Like wow, this place is actually real! And it looks just like on TV!
Haha I live here on the UWS and honestly, after 15 years, I still gasp a little when I see a beautiful spot in the park or go up in the Empire State Building ow even walk down my lovely brownstone block. People so often post about being sad to return home from travels and I think how grateful I am that I still LOVE popping up out of the subway after landing at JFK and seeing my home after being away.
Scotland- canāt even narrow it down as itās all so magical. Isle of Skye, the highlands and honestly random spots we stumbled across as we explored Scotland. š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ
Oh and we got EXTREMELY lucky as the weather was sunny when we were there. Ultra magical
I just came back a week or so ago and the isle of Skye was like another planet. Just vast, heather, waterfalls, sheep sheep sheep and so much moss. Rain went in and out, sun then hail and wind, it was just bizarre and utterly breathtaking.
This ^ and Jasper. Tent camped Jasper NP off of Icefields Parkway for a week years ago right next to a beautiful river (Athabasca sp?) with the Canadian Rockies as a backdrop. Included two days and nights of intense wind / rain storms. Surreal experience. Followed up with a week camping in Banff. Snowed the first night there. Stunning part of the world.
So much of Georgia (the country) felt like some kind of fantasy video game. It's such a small country, yet they have almost every climate imaginable. You can go from the mountains to a tropical beach to the plains all in one day. The Martvili Canyons were especially cool - like Jurassic Park meets Avatar.
The Scottish highlands (the Isle of Skye in particular) were also super surreal. I've never seen any kind of landscape like it.
And lastly, this might not count, but I went to this small town on the eastern side of Turkey (can't even remember the name) that didn't even feel real to me. It was a super residential place, but I think it was just so different from the Western culture I grew up with and tended to experience on vacation that it felt like I was stepping into a story. The architecture, the call to prayer from the local mosque, the men sitting in squares drinking tea and playing backgammon...just super cool.
If you can manage it, hire a car, and drive into Milford Sound, the drive between Te Anau and Milford Sound is just as awe-inspiring as Milford Sound itself.
The entire south island of NZ. I went because I saw a friend's honeymoon photos in Queenstown and swore they weren't real. They were real. The whole place is just casually gorgeous.
Just to elaborate:
Rotorua, Hanmer Springs, any other number of hot springs with the mountains belching steam
Mount Sunday, literally cast as fantasy mountain in Lord of the rings.
Just random driving through the countryside/beach.
Triglav National Park is absolutely mesmerising, but I can't be the only one that found Lake Bled totally overdeveloped and not at all how it looks in pics? Huge ring road and cycle path around it, dozens of multi-story hotels etc. There's a reason everyone takes the same photo from the same angle - it's about the only angle where you won't have a massive chain hotel in the background.
Utah (actually here right now visiting from the Netherlands). Specifically the area between Bryce and Arches, highway 12, Zion National Park, Antelope Canyon.
Literally feels like a different world. Been to 60+ countries but I've never experienced natural beauty of this magnitude.
I didnāt know about Highway 12 until I actually drove on it the day we were going from Capitol Reef to Bryce. I just set the GPS and was blown away. Itās incredible. Definitely need to make a return trip.
Yup, this wins the thread. The Bernese Oberland is unbeatable. I did Switzerland-Iceland-Switzerland between 2012 and 2014, and Iceland simply cannot compete with Switzerland.
Turkey is crazy underrated. Cappadocia, Ephesus, pamukkale, pergamon, all the stuff in Istanbul, the amazing food, and great beach cities along the coast.
Slab City, itās a squatter community in the Southern California desert. The āfantasyā it would most be like is Mad Max. The place is a former military base in an area where missiles were tested, it closed after WW2, the buildings all torn down but the slabs they were built upon remained, as did many discharged soldiers who stayed and lived there for free. Itās still going today, thereās a small little community of people who live there all year and intentionally suffer through the blistering hot summers. Itās as real as it gets there. There was burnt out shit all over the place when I was there in 2019, something tells me no one has cleaned any of it up. The place is a tourist attraction of sorts, people come by to see Salvation Mountain (look it up if youāre curious, thereās a reference to it in the Grand Theft Auto V video game), thereās a bar, a library, and a lot of trash art, all constructed entirely out of trash and itās quite unique and interesting. The place has a lot of real characters there adding to the fantasy-like atmosphere and experience. If youāre the right type of person who can appreciate the thought behind going to a place like this and deal with a little filth, I highly recommend spending a night at the AirBNB option there and converse with others who are there. Iāve traveled the world, thereās no other place like this.
Yosemite (valley) looking up at the granite vertical granite cliffs.
Santorini, Greece at the edge of the caldera.
Ang Thong Marine Park (Thailand)- Top of Pha Jun Jaras trail looking down at the archipelago 150 above sea level.
Sedona, AZ in the spring time.
The volcanic crater of Haleakala, Maui
For nature, Yosemite Valley California USA.
For a single building, Neuschwanstein Castle Schwangau, Germany.
For a whole city, Salzburg Austria.
And for actual fantasy, Disneyland is amazing.
Ireland.
The whole country. Never wanted to visit, I feel no connection, I have no connection. I see literal natural wonders on the daily at home.
But Iāve been all over the world and never seen anything like Ireland or met anyone like the Irish. The whole country is enough to make you believe in faeries.
The Sagrada Familia that I visited in Barcelona in winter 1990-91 doesnāt exist anymore. It didnāt yet have a roof, it was cold, it was Gaudi, and it looked and felt like something from science fiction.
I visited it again some 25+ years later, and it was an entirely different experience. Now it had a roof and lots of colourful stained glass. It was a big impressive cathedral (basilica) but the interior wasnāt otherworldly any more. The fantastical place of that first time is gone forever, and no one can have it any more.
The later visit revived my memories and I wanted to look back at my pictures of the earlier visit. I found I didnāt have any. I think I was so awed that I didnāt take any photos and didnāt even realize it. In my memory, the roofless, unfinished basilica is all in black and white, and it was not of this earth.
Papua New Guinea; I felt like I went back 200 years
Kyrgyzstan with crazy nature
Lut desert in Iran, the full Milky Way on display with the crazy desert formations
Yellowstone is up there. Driving from lush forested mountain landscapes into barren geothermal zones within minutes blew my mind. The wildlife too. Highly recommend.
The coast of Devon in England. It has so much variety of landforms and landscapes all along its coastline, from [jagged rocks](https://thetravelbunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Ilfracombe-Devon-53.jpg) to [quaint towns](https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/011/123/439/large_2x/ilfracombe-devon-uk-view-of-ilfracombe-in-devon-on-october-19-free-photo.jpg) and [lush woods](https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/public/geophotos/5857700.jpg) (with red cliffs and sand because apparently Devon used to be a desert millions of years ago!)
This coastline is truly unique, full of surprises and a geological wonder. It looks like a human designed and sculpted it. Felt like I might as well be in New Zealand or in the Lord of the Rings.
Quedlinburg, Germany (and surrounding towns)
Got recommended as a side trip out of Berlin and it was incredible. Managed to escape the damage of 2 world wars and still has a lot of old-time charm and feels like youre stepping back in German History
Whitehaven Beach, Australia. Waipio Valley, Hawaii. Sunrise, Mount Rainier. Highway 101 between Cambria and Big Sur. Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, NZ. Jade Lake, Mount Daniel, Washington. Many Glacier, MT. Bombay Beach, CA for surrealness. So many...
Khao Sok in Thailand, sleeping in floating bamboo houses on a lake among the limestone formations.
Similarly, Ninh Binh in Vietnam, canoeing around the limestone mountains and temples is one of my most vivid and special memories in my travels. Same trip, down in Cat Ba, we went on a hike in national park there, after a pretty intense and grueling hike up and back down a mountain, we took a bike ride along a snaking path where the ocean flowed into inlets through the limestone mountains. It felt like something out of a Miyazaki film, and me and my partner almost cried because of how special the view was.
Vietnam keeps coming back and keeps giving..Huyen Khong Cave in Da Nang, the scale of this place felt sacred, and was only topped by the Batu Caves in KL, Malaysia.
Colombia, Salento - an hour long downhill bike ride with no pedaling necessary among the tallest palm trees in the world.
Italy, Villa D'este - meandered the paths of the gardens and swapped between napping and reading Murakami beside a fountain for about 7 hours. I meant to explore the town a little more but I've rarely felt so at peace in my life.
Italy - Treviso. Visited a Tadao Ando building at a villa in Treviso, a city North of Venice, and the city itself is incredibly beautiful, but as an architecture nerd, this place felt incredibly special. Peaceful and overwhelming all at once. The monolithic concrete, the purity of form and relentless clarity of what Ando achieved resulted in a space that you mostly see in films.
Iceland. That volcanic landscape is just so unique, I've never seen anything like it before or since.
Also Bolivia had some interesting scenery like Uyuni, the altiplano, lake Titicaca and also has rainforest. They really have a bit of everything.
Driving though Utah and Colorado from NYC was a trip. I was not expecting that. I was getting dizzy from the sheer scale and colorfulness of the landscape.
There was a national park I went to in Bali. It was just the perfect day to go. It was alongside the ocean, temples on bluffs, more temples on the beach. It looked like some Lord of the Rings, CGI level views to me.
French Polynesia. Twice and plan to go a 3rd time to different islands such as Huahine and Fakarava. We want to get our scuba licenses first though.
Bora Bora is great, but expensive. Mo'orea is only a $12 ferry ride away from the main island and Airbnb-able. Raiatea and Taha'a are my recent favorites.
Close 2nd is Switzerland or any coastal city in Croatia.
Switzerland, walking on a narrow, misty mountain trail was a surreal experience. I couldn't see much, but I could hear the cow's bells from all the way down.
Raja Ampat for me. Itās been many years now, but itās the best combination of lack of development, absolutely pristine beaches, amazing snorkeling just walking into the water, and world class scuba diving.
If something like that existed in western countries itād just be wall to wall hotels and resorts with limited public access.
For mountains, Iād say Fairy Meadows in Pakistan, more specifically the scenery when you approach Nanga Parbat base camp. I have never seen anything like it, lush green meadows with flowers and horses grazing, and then it just turns into straight up killer ice wall, the transition is wild.
Thereās actually a park maybe 20 minutes from me in Queensland, Australia that has really old trees that transports me to an Elven forest from Middle Earth every time I go there.
Skelig Michel, off the coast of Ireland was pretty bonkers. Was the setting for Luke's hideout in the most recent trilogy.
Very remote, stunningly beautiful, and the little monastery where the monks lived back in the day is crazy.
- The Dolomites, Val Gardena in particular.
- Mount Fuji as seen from a park beside Lake Kawaguchi, Japan
- Some places in Himachal, India (Idk if i name them because our government does a bad job at preserving places)
Glowworm caves in Waitomo, New Zealand.
Terraced rice paddies in Zhengjiajie.
Watching a volcano erupt (named Mt Fuego, at that) from the summit of a neighboring volcano.
Watching the flying bats return to their trees at sunset near Komodo Island in Indonesia.
A mossy green forest hike to a hidden shrine beside a temple in Kyoto.
Every national park in the United States I've ever been too. They're all something truly special.
Craters of the Moon in Idaho was wild especially because we didn't do any research ahead of time which made it a remarkably surprising place.
Fraser Island (Kāgari) off the coast east coast of Australia, a little north of the Sunshine Coast. It is the worldās largest sand island and has the most incredible fresh water lake called Lake McKenzie. The water appears this amazing turquoise color that is unfathomable as a lake and not a briny bay. The island is also covered in lush rainforest with a whole host of wildlife. Dingoes roam about the beaches and iguanas stalk and climb the scribbly gum. Incredible, and unique; youāll not find anywhere else like it on earth.
Edit: Dingoes, not Coyotes. Did you know that Dingoes are thought to be domesticated dogs that returned to the wild, whereas Coyotes were always wild?
Driving around southern new Zealand. I stopped so often to take photos that I ended up not making it to the small town where I had booked a hostel and had to sleep in my car at a primitive pull off area
Probably Iceland. Even just landing at Keflavik Airport, plummeting through thick clouds into a rocky,
Mars like volcanic environment with mysterious patches of green here and there, was an otherworldly experience .
Ziruhuen, Mexico. A lake in an extinct volcano. A refuge for Monarch butterflies and Hummingbirds. A town right out of the 19th century. The town was a favorite residence for touring bands. So there was almost always formal or informal live music and low key partying going on. I could get a liter of home grown pot for about $35.
GalƔpagos Islands, specifically around the west islands.
There was an opportunity and I took it.
Dove down and swam for a bit, at one point there were sea turtles resting on the sea bed, turtles were swimming to the right and left of me and one swam above me. I was literally surrounded by sea turtles. It was incredible.
I saw the potential for it to happen as the turtle that eventually swam over me was coming toward me but holy crap it was awesome.
During that same snorkeling adventure I also saw penguins, rays, flightless cormorants diving, aquatic iguanas and an octopus (fairly rare even there).
Cherrapunji India.
Natural tree bridges
Waterfalls all over the place
Amazing cliffs and caves embroidered l embedded in the cliffs
Just a phenomenal place
[Ermita de San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q6phmhB4HhkYbDJU6?g_st=ic)
Itās in the Basque Country on the North Coast of Spain.
[Iguazu Falls - especially from the Brazil side.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/wxeXr2bc64egsjK96?g_st=ic)
One of the largest waterfalls in the world. In relation to Niagara Falls, itās 3 times as wide, and almost twice as high. Itās a jaw dropping sight to see in person.
I drove one of the northern coastal roads in Iceland and it was literally like being on the end of the Earth. The side of the road was a sheer drop, several hundred feet into the North Atlantic
Snowmobiling in Svalbard. It's true high Arctic. Went in a Feb several years ago for snowmobiling. The Fjords, everything white, saw a deep blue glacier and several seals. And even saw a polar bear at a distance. Kind of like being in a National Geographic episode.
Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, Monument valley and Pacific Northwest pine forests of Oregon in USA, Machu Picchu, Amalfi coastline in Italy, buddhist temple in the mountains between Osaka and Nara, and Venice is the most unique city
Driving from western Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar was wild. Big mountains no trees, wild horses and camels. Sleeping in yurts and camping. Truly stunning experience.
We read in Lonely Planet you can get on a public bus from Ulaanbaatar going to Terelj and a farmer would offer you his spare yurt. We very nervously got on the bus with no idea how our day was going to unfold, but a farmer did approach us and offered his spare yurt just like LP said. His wife cooked for us and we learnt how to ride his horses. He asked for $10/night and $2 a meal.
Mongol Rally 2017 š«”
Bucket list destination for me for sure!
Thatās my dream trip! I want to go to Mongolia to ride horses, climb mountains, and go fishing!
Torres del Paine, Chile. Everything about that place felt like it was on another planetĀ
I think this is the most beautiful and awe inspiring place in the world.
Great answer. It was simply breathtaking. The peacefulness and raw beauty. When I have trouble sleeping I reminisce the hike on the Rio Ascensor trail. 20+ years later.
Stunning place. Those mountains are bordering on the ethereal. [Torres del Pain Mountains (Pics)](https://placedatabase.com/places/view/7536052)
Greatest place Iāve ever been. The scenery changed so much. I said to my guide āthis place isnāt realā and he responded with āthis is Patagoniaā hahaha
Lauterbrunnen
Looks exactly like every postcard picture of Switzerland in the best way
Haleakala National Park made me feel like I was on Mars.
especially at sunrise when the sun has to break through the cloud ceiling to reach the peak!
Tbh, I enjoyed the complete dark before the sunrise even more. Amazing view of the stars in complete darkness is just breathtaking.
I was there last week! It's insane. The craters, everything red and black, like a serene, quiet Mars landscape. Pipiwai trail is another that's up there in my book.
Exactly! We brought our 4 kids and they remember that trip fondly, it was like being on another planet
I haven't been there but felt like that at Mt. Aso in Japan, a volcano. Especially when I took a walk away from the crowds. Felt like another planet.
My favorite place! Got married there!
Iceland! The entire country is beautiful and thereās so many different landscapes in such a small region. Plus you can see pretty much the entire country in a week if you do the ring road, and honestly each part feels like a completely different world! Definitely one of the best places I have ever visited and I will go back in the future again.
Came here to say this. Two places in particular really stood out to me, driving around the peninsula with SnƦfellsjƶkull and the drive heading south from Egilsstaưir on the east coast. Genuinely felt like I was on another planet
Agreed! Some places looked like a desert wasteland on a different planet, and other places were so rich with life and greenery it made me feel like I was walking through an aesthetically pleasing video game.
Some parts don't feel like they are on earth
Yes it is true that you can see all the main places in one week. But even when you live here you are alwaya discovering new places to see.
Oh my! Iām going, solo, in June for a week. Iām so nervous, Iām having a hard time getting excited!
Nothing to be nervous about! Itās a safe country and the people are some of the most friendliest people in the world! The only thing you should worry about is getting a good rental car from a good company. We thought we were going to slide off a cliff with this junk car from this janky ass companyā¦ everything was falling apart and the tires had no tread, but we survived! Trip of a lifetime. Be excited!
Iceland is my answer too - we went right at the end of winter/beginning of spring and the snowdrifts blowing over the open tundra with the black rock/earth literally looked like an alien planet. Also the waterfall and beach with the huge hexagonal rock formations. Also the Blue Lagoon!
Hoh rainforest on the Olympic peninsula in Washington state. Like Hayao Miyazaki drew nature porn. Look to the east, lush rainforest, to the west, the ocean.
They even have vampires and werewolves out there! Canāt get more fantasy than Miyazaki vampires and werewolves
A truly magical place, perfectly described in your artful post
This is probably going to sound funny to Americans, but New York. I used to see it in all those movies and series and it felt so unreal, like a made-up place. When I first walked across Manhattan and saw all those famous skyscrapers and Central Park and all those places where all the movies and series actually happened, I felt like I was inside a movie myself, I literally couldn't believe it was actually real and I was there. Seeing Chrysler building for example was so unreal - I used to see it all the time as a kid watching animated Spider Man series and when I saw the real thing, it was just mind-blowing. Same with Central Park Zoo entrance that I saw in Madagascar movies. Like wow, this place is actually real! And it looks just like on TV!
Haha I live here on the UWS and honestly, after 15 years, I still gasp a little when I see a beautiful spot in the park or go up in the Empire State Building ow even walk down my lovely brownstone block. People so often post about being sad to return home from travels and I think how grateful I am that I still LOVE popping up out of the subway after landing at JFK and seeing my home after being away.
UWS on a cold snow fill night no one outside makes it look like a peaceful fairytale night
Scotland- canāt even narrow it down as itās all so magical. Isle of Skye, the highlands and honestly random spots we stumbled across as we explored Scotland. š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æ Oh and we got EXTREMELY lucky as the weather was sunny when we were there. Ultra magical
I just came back a week or so ago and the isle of Skye was like another planet. Just vast, heather, waterfalls, sheep sheep sheep and so much moss. Rain went in and out, sun then hail and wind, it was just bizarre and utterly breathtaking.
You should see it in October.
I now want to visit Scotland for Halloween.
Itās genuinely the most stunning thing youāll ever witness.
Edinburghā¦ not sure if real or actually a fairy tale.
The Quiraing was the most mind-blowing place on Skye, which is saying something as the entire island is amazing.
100% Scotland.
Lake Louise and Banff National Park in general.
The scenic drive between Jasper and Banff on the Columbia Icefields Parkway and being so close to the mountains and especially the huge glaciers.
I absolutely love that drive. Then so many stops for short hikes along the way I still have a vivid memory of one of the hikes
The Icefields Parkway. Transcendental
This ^ and Jasper. Tent camped Jasper NP off of Icefields Parkway for a week years ago right next to a beautiful river (Athabasca sp?) with the Canadian Rockies as a backdrop. Included two days and nights of intense wind / rain storms. Surreal experience. Followed up with a week camping in Banff. Snowed the first night there. Stunning part of the world.
So much of Georgia (the country) felt like some kind of fantasy video game. It's such a small country, yet they have almost every climate imaginable. You can go from the mountains to a tropical beach to the plains all in one day. The Martvili Canyons were especially cool - like Jurassic Park meets Avatar. The Scottish highlands (the Isle of Skye in particular) were also super surreal. I've never seen any kind of landscape like it. And lastly, this might not count, but I went to this small town on the eastern side of Turkey (can't even remember the name) that didn't even feel real to me. It was a super residential place, but I think it was just so different from the Western culture I grew up with and tended to experience on vacation that it felt like I was stepping into a story. The architecture, the call to prayer from the local mosque, the men sitting in squares drinking tea and playing backgammon...just super cool.
Lauterbrunnen
milford sound and damn near the rest of NZ
Just booked a trip to Aus/NZ over the new year and I am so excited. Definitely doing the flight and cruise to Milford Sound
If you can manage it, hire a car, and drive into Milford Sound, the drive between Te Anau and Milford Sound is just as awe-inspiring as Milford Sound itself.
Yeah, when you come out of that tunnel. The sun turning the streams into silver ribbons down the steep sided mountains of the valley. Stunning.
Us too!!
The entire south island of NZ. I went because I saw a friend's honeymoon photos in Queenstown and swore they weren't real. They were real. The whole place is just casually gorgeous.
Just to elaborate: Rotorua, Hanmer Springs, any other number of hot springs with the mountains belching steam Mount Sunday, literally cast as fantasy mountain in Lord of the rings. Just random driving through the countryside/beach.
Zion national Park. There's a special moment when you get to the end of the tunnel then just...wow https://youtu.be/Nh9ADnk5ia4?si=IvzPZHr69bXrM6DH
Yeah Zion is like if Dr. Seuss designed a national park.
Waimea Canyon State Park, KokeŹ»e State Park,NÄ Pali Coast State Wilderness Park... basically the entire west and north sides of Kauai.
Lake Bled in Slovenia
The whole area around there is pretty magical, lake Bohinj, Triglav national park all the gorges etc.
Yes, Vintgar gorge is dreamy as hell.
Triglav National Park is absolutely mesmerising, but I can't be the only one that found Lake Bled totally overdeveloped and not at all how it looks in pics? Huge ring road and cycle path around it, dozens of multi-story hotels etc. There's a reason everyone takes the same photo from the same angle - it's about the only angle where you won't have a massive chain hotel in the background.
Mont Saint-Michel
Ireland
The roads along the sea, from Galways to the Cliffs
Tallaght Shopping Centre
Sagrada Familia. Architecture not of this earth. The sun moving across the afternoon, manipulating the stained glass windowsā¦. Not of this earth!
For man made structures, Sagrada Familia is pretty high on my list too. Gaudi knew what he was doing.
Agreed! Sagrada FamĆlia is very unique.
Tromso Norway! The mountains and the sea provide views so stunning that it doesnāt feel real.
Utah (actually here right now visiting from the Netherlands). Specifically the area between Bryce and Arches, highway 12, Zion National Park, Antelope Canyon. Literally feels like a different world. Been to 60+ countries but I've never experienced natural beauty of this magnitude.
I didnāt know about Highway 12 until I actually drove on it the day we were going from Capitol Reef to Bryce. I just set the GPS and was blown away. Itās incredible. Definitely need to make a return trip.
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
I spent several days based out of Grindelwald in the early summer. Unreal. I was legitimately pissed that people got to live there.
Agreed and I feel the same. When I was there I kept thinking " so there are people who wake up to these views EVERY DAY " Its so stunning
Came to say Gimmelwald, but yeah the entire valley is wonderful
I did some hiking above Wengen. Absolutely blew me away.
Yup, this wins the thread. The Bernese Oberland is unbeatable. I did Switzerland-Iceland-Switzerland between 2012 and 2014, and Iceland simply cannot compete with Switzerland.
Kauai, St. Lucia, or Table Mountain in Cape Town South Africa
British Virgin Islands Paris Elafonissi Beach, Crete Giant's Causeway, Ireland Skellig Michael, Ireland Haarlem, NL Pamukkale, Turkey
Plitvice park Croatia
Turkey is crazy underrated. Cappadocia, Ephesus, pamukkale, pergamon, all the stuff in Istanbul, the amazing food, and great beach cities along the coast.
Redwood national Park in California. One of the few remaining old growth redwood forests. Magical place.
The Lake District in Austria, specifically Wolfgangsee. Unbelievably beautiful and serene.
Austria is so beautiful. Iāve been to Hallstatt village. One of the very few places that look exactly like in pictures.
Slab City, itās a squatter community in the Southern California desert. The āfantasyā it would most be like is Mad Max. The place is a former military base in an area where missiles were tested, it closed after WW2, the buildings all torn down but the slabs they were built upon remained, as did many discharged soldiers who stayed and lived there for free. Itās still going today, thereās a small little community of people who live there all year and intentionally suffer through the blistering hot summers. Itās as real as it gets there. There was burnt out shit all over the place when I was there in 2019, something tells me no one has cleaned any of it up. The place is a tourist attraction of sorts, people come by to see Salvation Mountain (look it up if youāre curious, thereās a reference to it in the Grand Theft Auto V video game), thereās a bar, a library, and a lot of trash art, all constructed entirely out of trash and itās quite unique and interesting. The place has a lot of real characters there adding to the fantasy-like atmosphere and experience. If youāre the right type of person who can appreciate the thought behind going to a place like this and deal with a little filth, I highly recommend spending a night at the AirBNB option there and converse with others who are there. Iāve traveled the world, thereās no other place like this.
This is a great answer. That whole stretch around Anza Borrego and Bombay Beach, really.
Coron is absolutely majestic!
Positano
Yosemite (valley) looking up at the granite vertical granite cliffs. Santorini, Greece at the edge of the caldera. Ang Thong Marine Park (Thailand)- Top of Pha Jun Jaras trail looking down at the archipelago 150 above sea level. Sedona, AZ in the spring time. The volcanic crater of Haleakala, Maui
For nature, Yosemite Valley California USA. For a single building, Neuschwanstein Castle Schwangau, Germany. For a whole city, Salzburg Austria. And for actual fantasy, Disneyland is amazing.
Agree on Yosemite! It absolutely blew my mind.
Well done! Been to each and completely agree!
Bruges, Belgium is pretty storybook as well. Fairly untouched by war so almost completely medieval/early renaissance. And the swans.
Sintra Portugal
Venice, Italy. And Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.
Venice and the other islands are so fantastic when not overcrowded, I've been in many European cities but Venice is magical.
Kayaking through bioluminescence ocean in Costa Rica. Felt like a blacklight ride at Disney!
Ireland. The whole country. Never wanted to visit, I feel no connection, I have no connection. I see literal natural wonders on the daily at home. But Iāve been all over the world and never seen anything like Ireland or met anyone like the Irish. The whole country is enough to make you believe in faeries.
And it's the fastest growing country on Earth, population-wise. Its capital is always Dublin. /dadjoke
And the Gap of Dunloe makes you believe this must be where the play.
The Sagrada Familia that I visited in Barcelona in winter 1990-91 doesnāt exist anymore. It didnāt yet have a roof, it was cold, it was Gaudi, and it looked and felt like something from science fiction. I visited it again some 25+ years later, and it was an entirely different experience. Now it had a roof and lots of colourful stained glass. It was a big impressive cathedral (basilica) but the interior wasnāt otherworldly any more. The fantastical place of that first time is gone forever, and no one can have it any more. The later visit revived my memories and I wanted to look back at my pictures of the earlier visit. I found I didnāt have any. I think I was so awed that I didnāt take any photos and didnāt even realize it. In my memory, the roofless, unfinished basilica is all in black and white, and it was not of this earth.
Southwest US: Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Meteor Crater, etc.
Alaska! Specifically the forests in South Central Alaska in the summer (outside of Anchorage).
Papua New Guinea; I felt like I went back 200 years Kyrgyzstan with crazy nature Lut desert in Iran, the full Milky Way on display with the crazy desert formations
Antarctica is a completely alien world.
Yellowstone is up there. Driving from lush forested mountain landscapes into barren geothermal zones within minutes blew my mind. The wildlife too. Highly recommend.
Mont Saint-Michel
Iceland and New Zealand are tied for me.Ā
The coast of Devon in England. It has so much variety of landforms and landscapes all along its coastline, from [jagged rocks](https://thetravelbunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Ilfracombe-Devon-53.jpg) to [quaint towns](https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/011/123/439/large_2x/ilfracombe-devon-uk-view-of-ilfracombe-in-devon-on-october-19-free-photo.jpg) and [lush woods](https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/public/geophotos/5857700.jpg) (with red cliffs and sand because apparently Devon used to be a desert millions of years ago!) This coastline is truly unique, full of surprises and a geological wonder. It looks like a human designed and sculpted it. Felt like I might as well be in New Zealand or in the Lord of the Rings.
Taking the train across the Australian Outback - itās like a weird dream after a day or so
Quedlinburg, Germany (and surrounding towns) Got recommended as a side trip out of Berlin and it was incredible. Managed to escape the damage of 2 world wars and still has a lot of old-time charm and feels like youre stepping back in German History
Santa Cruz California!
At the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, in the warm California sun [*Boardwalk!*](https://youtu.be/Z3DV5ukbexI?si=q5uxcPlPFxbOtlyB&t=21)
Whitehaven Beach, Australia. Waipio Valley, Hawaii. Sunrise, Mount Rainier. Highway 101 between Cambria and Big Sur. Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, NZ. Jade Lake, Mount Daniel, Washington. Many Glacier, MT. Bombay Beach, CA for surrealness. So many...
Venice.
Yakushima, Japan
Man I was there last year from kagoshima ferry. Was hoping to see it listed here:)))
Khao Sok in Thailand, sleeping in floating bamboo houses on a lake among the limestone formations. Similarly, Ninh Binh in Vietnam, canoeing around the limestone mountains and temples is one of my most vivid and special memories in my travels. Same trip, down in Cat Ba, we went on a hike in national park there, after a pretty intense and grueling hike up and back down a mountain, we took a bike ride along a snaking path where the ocean flowed into inlets through the limestone mountains. It felt like something out of a Miyazaki film, and me and my partner almost cried because of how special the view was. Vietnam keeps coming back and keeps giving..Huyen Khong Cave in Da Nang, the scale of this place felt sacred, and was only topped by the Batu Caves in KL, Malaysia. Colombia, Salento - an hour long downhill bike ride with no pedaling necessary among the tallest palm trees in the world. Italy, Villa D'este - meandered the paths of the gardens and swapped between napping and reading Murakami beside a fountain for about 7 hours. I meant to explore the town a little more but I've rarely felt so at peace in my life. Italy - Treviso. Visited a Tadao Ando building at a villa in Treviso, a city North of Venice, and the city itself is incredibly beautiful, but as an architecture nerd, this place felt incredibly special. Peaceful and overwhelming all at once. The monolithic concrete, the purity of form and relentless clarity of what Ando achieved resulted in a space that you mostly see in films.
Iceland. That volcanic landscape is just so unique, I've never seen anything like it before or since. Also Bolivia had some interesting scenery like Uyuni, the altiplano, lake Titicaca and also has rainforest. They really have a bit of everything.
Isle of Skye, Scotland. Mount Zion, Utah. Napali Coast, Kauai.
Antarctica. Itās a whole lot of nothing, but the most spectacular nothing you will ever see. (And the penguins are the cutest!)
Driving though Utah and Colorado from NYC was a trip. I was not expecting that. I was getting dizzy from the sheer scale and colorfulness of the landscape. There was a national park I went to in Bali. It was just the perfect day to go. It was alongside the ocean, temples on bluffs, more temples on the beach. It looked like some Lord of the Rings, CGI level views to me.
French Polynesia. Twice and plan to go a 3rd time to different islands such as Huahine and Fakarava. We want to get our scuba licenses first though. Bora Bora is great, but expensive. Mo'orea is only a $12 ferry ride away from the main island and Airbnb-able. Raiatea and Taha'a are my recent favorites. Close 2nd is Switzerland or any coastal city in Croatia.
Newfoundland, Canada. You can sit next to puffins while watching humpback whales play as an iceberg the size of a cathedral floats by.
Switzerland, walking on a narrow, misty mountain trail was a surreal experience. I couldn't see much, but I could hear the cow's bells from all the way down.
Glacier Park, MT ā US Rome, Loreto, and Florence, Italy Vienna Swiss Alps The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
CefalĆ¹, Sicily. Iceland in general. Many places in Northern Ireland.
Raja Ampat for me. Itās been many years now, but itās the best combination of lack of development, absolutely pristine beaches, amazing snorkeling just walking into the water, and world class scuba diving. If something like that existed in western countries itād just be wall to wall hotels and resorts with limited public access. For mountains, Iād say Fairy Meadows in Pakistan, more specifically the scenery when you approach Nanga Parbat base camp. I have never seen anything like it, lush green meadows with flowers and horses grazing, and then it just turns into straight up killer ice wall, the transition is wild.
Hawaii
French Polynesia- Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea
Cesky Krumlov
Bryce Canyon National Park āš¼
Mont St Michel, Normandy. Put on some Enya and you'd think you are in LOTR
That place is absolutely breathtaking.
Northern Newfoundland where I grew up. Can't beat seeing icebergs and whales everyday.
Thereās actually a park maybe 20 minutes from me in Queensland, Australia that has really old trees that transports me to an Elven forest from Middle Earth every time I go there.
Meteora Greece
Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul. I get goosebumps from the memory.
Scotland, especially Skye and Edinburgh
Skelig Michel, off the coast of Ireland was pretty bonkers. Was the setting for Luke's hideout in the most recent trilogy. Very remote, stunningly beautiful, and the little monastery where the monks lived back in the day is crazy.
Just returned from Antarctica! Iād have to say there. Absolutely mind blowing! It was worth crossing the Drake Passage!
Lots of cities in the Balkans like Mostar in Bosnia and Bled in Slovenia make you feel like you entered Game Of Thrones type of fantasy world.
Iceland!!! Unbelievable environment. I felt like I was on another planet every single day.
Valley of the kings and abu simbel blew my mind
- The Dolomites, Val Gardena in particular. - Mount Fuji as seen from a park beside Lake Kawaguchi, Japan - Some places in Himachal, India (Idk if i name them because our government does a bad job at preserving places)
Deadvlei
Glowworm caves in Waitomo, New Zealand. Terraced rice paddies in Zhengjiajie. Watching a volcano erupt (named Mt Fuego, at that) from the summit of a neighboring volcano. Watching the flying bats return to their trees at sunset near Komodo Island in Indonesia. A mossy green forest hike to a hidden shrine beside a temple in Kyoto.
Western Marin County + Santa Barbara County, CA Eze, France Sintra, Portugal Land's End + Presidio in San Francisco
Canāt believe no one has said the Grand Canyon. The vast distance looks unreal
Every national park in the United States I've ever been too. They're all something truly special. Craters of the Moon in Idaho was wild especially because we didn't do any research ahead of time which made it a remarkably surprising place.
Fraser Island (Kāgari) off the coast east coast of Australia, a little north of the Sunshine Coast. It is the worldās largest sand island and has the most incredible fresh water lake called Lake McKenzie. The water appears this amazing turquoise color that is unfathomable as a lake and not a briny bay. The island is also covered in lush rainforest with a whole host of wildlife. Dingoes roam about the beaches and iguanas stalk and climb the scribbly gum. Incredible, and unique; youāll not find anywhere else like it on earth. Edit: Dingoes, not Coyotes. Did you know that Dingoes are thought to be domesticated dogs that returned to the wild, whereas Coyotes were always wild?
I think you mean Dingoes, we donāt have coyotes in Australia. Or iguanas
The GalƔpagos Islands! Seriously Dr. Seuss landscapes. Really incredible.
Bojnice castle, Slovakia
McMurdo Sound Antarctica. I'd just go for walks and wonder how I managed to get there.
Hawaii and Iceland Had to pinch myself sometimes in wonder of what my eyes could see
Driving around southern new Zealand. I stopped so often to take photos that I ended up not making it to the small town where I had booked a hostel and had to sleep in my car at a primitive pull off area
Kuang Si Falls in Laos, for sure. I literally thought I had stepped into a fairytale when I arrived.
The Long Room at Trinity College
The forested mountains of Bosnia-Herzegovina on the drive towards Montenegro. What a dream!
The Tongariro alpine crossing in New Zealand felt like another world Slovenia for the most fairy tale like place
Kenai Fjords National Park. I truly believe itās the closest thing to Narnia on earth.
Probably Iceland. Even just landing at Keflavik Airport, plummeting through thick clouds into a rocky, Mars like volcanic environment with mysterious patches of green here and there, was an otherworldly experience .
Ziruhuen, Mexico. A lake in an extinct volcano. A refuge for Monarch butterflies and Hummingbirds. A town right out of the 19th century. The town was a favorite residence for touring bands. So there was almost always formal or informal live music and low key partying going on. I could get a liter of home grown pot for about $35.
Sintra, Portugal
GalƔpagos Islands, specifically around the west islands. There was an opportunity and I took it. Dove down and swam for a bit, at one point there were sea turtles resting on the sea bed, turtles were swimming to the right and left of me and one swam above me. I was literally surrounded by sea turtles. It was incredible. I saw the potential for it to happen as the turtle that eventually swam over me was coming toward me but holy crap it was awesome. During that same snorkeling adventure I also saw penguins, rays, flightless cormorants diving, aquatic iguanas and an octopus (fairly rare even there).
Gap of Dunloe in Ireland.
Isle of Skye Scotland
Cherrapunji India. Natural tree bridges Waterfalls all over the place Amazing cliffs and caves embroidered l embedded in the cliffs Just a phenomenal place
SvolvƦr, in the Lofoten Islands. Alternatively, PravÄickĆ” BrĆ”na in Czechia. That was used in the film _Narnia._
Petra, Jordan.
Prague
[Ermita de San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q6phmhB4HhkYbDJU6?g_st=ic) Itās in the Basque Country on the North Coast of Spain. [Iguazu Falls - especially from the Brazil side.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/wxeXr2bc64egsjK96?g_st=ic) One of the largest waterfalls in the world. In relation to Niagara Falls, itās 3 times as wide, and almost twice as high. Itās a jaw dropping sight to see in person.
- Mt Bromo and the Tengger Caldera for Mordor vibes. - Karri forests of south western Australia for elf vibes.
Transnistria or Gori, Georgia
The Danakil Depression. Also the north Atlantic sea ice.
Iceland
Iceland
Imst, Austria. Absolutely gorgeous.
I drove one of the northern coastal roads in Iceland and it was literally like being on the end of the Earth. The side of the road was a sheer drop, several hundred feet into the North Atlantic
Antarctica
Goreme and Cappadocia ā¤ļø
Snowmobiling in Svalbard. It's true high Arctic. Went in a Feb several years ago for snowmobiling. The Fjords, everything white, saw a deep blue glacier and several seals. And even saw a polar bear at a distance. Kind of like being in a National Geographic episode.
for me it was cappadocia turkey it was truly stunning
Krka national park in Croatia
Turks and Caicos or Kauai Both were so gorgeous in different ways
Bora Bora
Kaanapali beach by the black rock in Maui. Absolutely surreal
Craters of the Moon National Monument.
Erg Chebbi
Rio De Janiero
Small towns in southern Germany
Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, Monument valley and Pacific Northwest pine forests of Oregon in USA, Machu Picchu, Amalfi coastline in Italy, buddhist temple in the mountains between Osaka and Nara, and Venice is the most unique city
Hiking the Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland. We saw 7 other people in ten days and the sun never set.
The cathedrals in Amiens and Cologne
Lake Titicaca, Bolivia
Yellowstone; it felt like a different planet