FOR MANY TRAVELERS, once a place gets hit so much it becomes a “tourist attraction,” it loses much of its attraction. Still, there are some places so epic in scale and uniqueness and cultural relevance that even if they’re blown out with other visitors, you still gotta check them out.
Yosemite National Park California
Famed for its wildlife
Famed for its wildlife, granite rock structures, and sequoia trees wider than cars, Yosemite National Park spans over 700,000 acres in Northern California and contains 13 different campgrounds.
Angel falls (Canaima National Park, Venezuela)
The world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall
At a height of 979 meters, Angel Falls inspired a setting for the Disney animated film Up.
Ha long bay (Quang Ninh province, Vietnam)
Ha Long Bay contains hundreds of limestone islands
with thick jungle vegetation, Junks float the bay and offer multi-night accommodation for tourists.
Preikestolen (Forsand Ryfylke, Norway)
Translated as Preacher’s Pulpit or Pulpit Rock in English
Preikestolen is a steep cliff 604 meters above Lysefjordan. The hike to and from it takes 3-4 hours.
Torres Del Paine National Park (Patagonia, Chile)
Torres Del Paine National Park is home to many of the glaciers, lakes, rivers, and mountains of Chilean Patagonia.
The park is visited by 150,000 people a year, 60% of whom are foreigners.
The Alhambra (Granada Andulasia, Spain)
An inspiration to M.C. Escher, the Alhambra was originally a small fortress
until it was converted into a royal palace by the Moors hundreds of years later. The tiles of the Alhambra contain nearly all of the 17 mathematically possible plane symmetry groups.
Everglades National Park (Florida, USA)
Everglades National Park is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States.
The park currently protects only the southern 20% of the original Everglades.
Shwedagon Pagoda (Yangon, Burma)
Considered the most sacred Buddhist pagoda by the Burmese
Shwedagon Pagoda contains relics of the past four Buddhas. The gold on the stupa is made of actual gold plates.
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium (Bangkok, Thailand)
Situated near Lumphini Park
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium hosts muay thai competitions every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. Lumpinee champions are widely considered the best of the sport.
Jellyfish lake (Eil Malk, Palau)
Jellyfish Lake’s tourists are able to snorkel with hundreds of harmless jellyfish
The jelly fish do not have nematocysts strong enough to harm humans. The lake is currently the only marine lake in Palau open to tourists.