One peculiar thing we humans love to do is organise, categorise and make lists – especially when it comes to travel! So here are Matt’s top 7 natural wonders of the world.
The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World was the original must-see list, created by ancient Greek explorers. Though only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains of the original list, there is still a world of wonder to explore. Why not explore our ‘7 Man Made Wonders of the World’ list. Incredible locations that are – almost – out of this world.
No list of natural Wonders would be complete without the Aurora Borealis. This has long been one of the most popular bucket list activities. In the northern hemisphere they are known as ‘The Northern Lights’. In the Southern Hemisphere, they are known as Aurora Australis. So what are they? The famous display occurs when particles from the sun collide with our atmosphere. The reaction forms beautiful arcs of colour in the sky. The colour depends on the gas particles in the collision and the distance from the Earth’s surface.
You can see this mesmerising phenomenon in a growing number of locations. Still, some of the most popular to visit are: Iceland, Alaska, North Canada, Norway, Finland & Sweden.
Where do you plan to see the Aurora this year?
The Grand Canyon is a proper Natural Wonder. It is an astonishing 227 miles long, 18 meters wide and over a mile deep,
The Colorado River has been carving its way through the rock for 17 million years! The river today enables a little perspective on the sheer scale of this magnificent place. The rocks are beautiful, with russet tones. It can be difficult to appreciate the sheer scale of the canyons, however, until you visit.
Due to the odd formation of the rocks, the sun’s position changes the views and the colours of the scene throughout the day. Standing at one of the many lookout points gazing out onto an unsurpassed view is simply magical.
Want to go? Of course you do! Check out this brilliant itinerary for your once in a lifetime visit to the Grand Canyon.
The stunning harbour of Rio de Janeiro is situated on Guanabara Bay in Brazil. Stretching for a huge 19 miles, it makes this the largest harbour in the world and a stunning addition to our list of natural Wonders. Surrounded by majestic, granite mountains such as the famous Sugar Loaf, Corcovado Peak and the Hills of Tijuca, and dotted with over 100 islands. Rio is also home to a myriad of stunning, sugar-white beaches, a wonderfully vibrant city and the best party in the world! Add all this to the fact that you have the watchful gaze of Christ the Redeemer looming over the city (one of the new 7 wonders of the world) it makes for a truly unique part of the globe.
The locals are so proud of their beautiful country that they have a special saying “God made the world in six days and on the seventh, he created Rio”. To get the best view of this otherworldly landscape, climb to the top of one of the mountains or if you can’t face that, there’s always the cable car!
The world’s highest point, lying between Nepal, Tibet and reaching the ridges of China, is the colossal Mount Everest. Reaching the summit is often regarded as one of life’s greatest accomplishments – and standing at 29,029 feet above sea level, it is not for the faint hearted! The first attempted climb was back in the 1920s, with the first person reaching the summit in 1953.
It has now become a popular bucket list activity for anyone looking to push themselves to the limit. Whilst Mount Everest may no longer seen as the unbeatable mountain, you do need to be in top physical condition to even get part of the way up.
But you don’t have to be a mountaineer to visit beautiful and wonder-full Nepal. Check out these amazing Nepal adventures.
Not the largest, tallest or most-visited Volcano in Mexico, but it makes the cut to the list of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World just because of how bizarre its story is. In 1943 in a cornfield in Paricutin, a farmer discovered a crack on his land. Within moments, the ground surrounding the crack had risen 6-feet high with rivers of ash pouring out of the hole. Within an hour, it stood at 50 meters high and by the end of the year, Paricutin Volcano was at a staggering 450 meters high!
Residents in the area were forced to relocate, entire villages having been buried under meters of lava. A popular tourist attraction is the half-buried church poking out of the lava rock, showing the level the lava had reached. What scientists particularly love about Paricutin, is that it’s the first ever time we have ever been able to witness the birth of a new volcano.
One of the most famous natural wonders is the largest waterfall (by volume) in the world! Located on the borders of Zimbabwe and Zambia in South Africa, the most famous waterfall in the world is about 1 mile wide and 360 feet high. The accurate, but rather poetic name the locals have for Victoria Falls is Mosi-oa-Tunga, meaning the smoke that thunders.
If you happen to be travelling to the Victoria Falls during a full moon, make sure you go on a night tour. The light from the moon is refracted by spray from the waterfall which causes the most bizarre phenomenon of a lunar rainbow! And if you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie have you heard about Devil’s Pool? It’s possibly one of the scariest, yet most thrilling water experiences in the world. A natural pool, right on the edge of the plummet to Victoria Falls.
The word ‘great’ does not even begin to describe the sheer magnitude of the Great Barrier Reef. Spanning over 1,400 miles and encapsulating nearly 1,000 islands of which 3,000 reefs live, is the largest coral reef ecosystem in the world. It’s home to billions of fish, coral and living organisms, many of which are only found in this part of the world.
Carving around the Queensland coast in Australia, this enormous reef can even be seen from space! However, with this natural wonder comes a warning. Due to climate change, tourism levels and overfishing, this magnificent wonder is at a severe risk of being ruined. Storms, coral bleaching and ocean acidification are also adding to the threat. Many scientists believe that unless drastic action is taken soon, we will lose the reef completely which will affect both marine life and the human race living closeby.
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