Natural Wonders of the World

The Natural Wonders of the World are all incredible sights to behold in many parts of the world. All these places attract many tourists throughout the year. A global poll was made by the Seven Natural Wonders organization in 1997. It contains seven natural wonders: the Northern Lights, the Grand Canyon, Paricutin, Mount Everest, the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Victoria Falls, and the Great Barrier Reef. There are many more, but these are the most famous and the most admired across the globe.

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World:

1. Mount Everest:

It is the highest spot on earth at 8,848 meters above sea level. It is located within the Himalayan mountain range on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. It was given its name by the Royal Geographical Society in 1865 after Sir George Everest. The top of Mount Everest is covered with rock-hard snow surmounted by a layer of softer snow tossed every year by 1.5 to 6 meters. The snow level is highest in September and lowest in May. The shortage of oxygen, high-level wind, and cold temperatures stop plant or animal life development there.

Mount Everest is composed of many layers of folded-back rocks. The lower part consists of metamorphic schists and gneisses, igneous granites above them, and sedimentary rocks of marine origin in the higher part.

We need not mention how much it has become a destination for mountain climbers, but if you don’t wish to climb Mount Everest, you can hire a helicopter to take a tour and see the entire view from the sky. If you are willing to climb there, the trip to the main camp is 12 days long and might be expensive, and it takes a couple of days to apply for a visa and permits to enter Tibet and climb the mountain. After that, you must stay about 3 days in Lhasa and Shigatse to adapt to the altitude before going to the main base.

There are 17 routes to reach the top of Mount Everest, but there are two famous routes that climbers use. They are the Southeast Ridge, the line created by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, from Nepal and Tibet, and the North Ridge, where George Mallory disappeared in 1924 long before a Chinese team finally completed the climb in 1960.

The best time to visit Mount Everest is from October to November, when the dry season starts, and from February to April when the dry season ends. At any other time of the year, Mount Everest is safely locked away by stormy snow. To reach Mount Everest, take a plane to Beijing or Shanghai, then take another flight or train to Lhasa.

The first climber to reach the top of Mount Everest was Edmund Hillary, a mountaineer from New Zealand, and his Tibetan guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Although climbing Everest is an excellent expedition for mountain climbers, it is also dangerous because it requires a lot of experience, good health, and sound equipment, and you have to travel with a trained Nepalese guide. The snow also sometimes can cause deadly risks like avalanches. Most climbers aren’t used to the mountain’s enormous height, so they can develop altitude sickness, and several more issues may arise. However, climbing Mount Everest remains one of the achievements done by few but is admired by many as it’s considered an outstanding achievement of strength, will, and teamwork.

 2. Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights):

Polar Auroras or the Northern Lights is such an exciting and magnificent natural phenomenon consisting of mystifying displays of light across the sky. Many legends have been told about the cause of these lights since the days of Ancient Greece, Norse Mythology, and Medieval times. For thousands of years, the lights have been the source of speculation, superstition, and panic, perhaps because some legends said the lights were predictions of war or destruction. Additionally, cave paintings were discovered in France, illustrating this fantastic natural phenomenon that is thought to date back 30,000 years.

But as science advanced, it was discovered that the lights are caused by charged cosmic particles appearing as different-coloured lights as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. The colours of the lights change based on the elements they interact with. If they appear yellow and green, then they collide with oxygen, while red, violet, and blue colours are produced when they interact with nitrogen.

If you want to see this beautiful natural wonder for yourself, the best time is between August and April in Iceland, but if you are in Norway, the best time is between September and March. It is also known that the lights are more transparent and more visible in the winter due to lower levels of light pollution and the clear, crisp air. Unfortunately, the Northern Lights appear only randomly, so if you are on a short trip there, you might not have the chance to see them. You can see the Northern Lights in other places, like Alaska in the US, Sweden, and Finland. In 1791, the lights were seen by European settlers in New England, they were also seen before that in May 1719, and in England, they were seen twice only three years before this date.

 3. Harbor of Rio de Janeiro:

Located in Brazil, the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is the world’s largest natural bay, containing more water than any other. It is surrounded by granite mountains and peaks like Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the Tijuca Hills formed by the Atlantic Ocean’s corrosion. It is home to over 130 islands and some of the world’s most famous beaches, including the Copacabana Beach. There, you will find the famous stone statue of Christ the Redeemer, facing the sea with his arms outstretched at the top of Corcovado Mountain in Guanabara Bay.

Don’t miss seeing the excellent harbour and surrounding locations from the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, and you can go there by cable car or helicopter. Many islands, like Governor’s Island, Fundao, and Snakes Island, are in the bay. This beautiful harbour and the city of Rio de Janeiro attract tourists from all over the world. The best time to visit the harbour is in September and October when the weather is lovely, and it won’t be as crowded as summertime.

 4. Victoria Falls:

Victoria Falls is located in Africa, between the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe and it all starts from the Zambezi River. It dives about 108 meters down into a beautiful waterfall 1.7km wide. Victoria Falls is also called Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means Smoke that Thunders, according to the Kalolo-Lozi tribe’s dialect.

Victoria Falls wasn’t open to visitors until 1905. It became well-known after a railway was constructed in this location. After Zambia was independent in 1964, most of the geographic names were changed back to African names, except Victoria Falls and Livingstone kept their names. This is due to the Zambian people’s deep respect for Scottish missionary David Livingstone.

Victoria Falls is three times the height of Niagara Falls and twice the width of Horseshoe Falls. If you go there, you will love the place at first sight. You can take a helicopter or boat cruise to see the lovely nature around you. In a helicopter, you can see elephants or other wildlife in the national park. It is better to visit Victoria Falls in June and July.

Victoria Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the crest of the fall, many islands divide the main flow into several branches, and when floods happen, the water flow capacity reaches half a million litres of water per minute. The water level varies throughout the year, reaching the top in April and at its lowest in October and November. The exciting thing is that you can see a rainbow across the falls during any part of the day and the full moon. You can also see the moonbow in the spray instead of the usual daylight rainbow, a pleasant backdrop from which to take some beautiful pictures.

 5. Great Barrier Reef:

The Great Barrier Reef is located in the Coral Sea in northeast Australia, and it is the largest coral reef in the world as it extends over 2,600 km. In 1770, there was a European exploration of the reef, and British explorer Captain James Cook was the first to explore this part of the world. He worked on charting channels and passages through the maze of reefs, which continued until the 19th century.

It includes over nine hundred islands and over 2,900 individual reefs constructed by billions of minuscule coral polyps. You can enjoy exploring the extraordinary nature of the sea by taking a glass-bottomed boat or a helicopter tour, which allows you to see everything from the air when the sun hits the reef. There are more than 300 species of hard coral, as well as anemones, sponges, worms, gastropods, lobsters, crayfish, prawns, crabs, and a great variety of fish and birds.

Environmental pressures to the reef, climate-changing through years accompanied by mass coral bleaching and cyclic outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish. Mass coral bleaching is due to the rising temperature in the ocean in the summers of 1998, 2002, and 2006. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protected a considerable part of the reef from overfishing and tourism, and it was listed as a World Heritage Area. The exciting thing is that the astronauts and satellites have taken photos of the Great Barrier Reef from space. To go to the Great Barrier Reef, you can fly to Cairns, Port Douglas, Airlie Beach, the Whitsunday Islands, or Townsville in Queensland, Australia.

 6. Grand Canyon:

Located in Arizona, United States of America, the Grand Canyon is a majestic and colourful landscape that offers a beautiful view you might not see anywhere in the world. The Canyon is 277 miles long, and its width is about 18 miles. Most of it is located inside the Grand Canyon National Park. The corrosion of the Colorado River created the Grand Canyon. It has become one of the natural wonders of the world due to its overall scale, size, and magnificent colourful landscape. In the 20th century, the area started to develop, and a tourist ranch was established. Then, the first hotel opened on the south shore at Grandview Point, and a railway was constructed to transport visitors to the park.

While there, you can explore it on foot or by overnight camping or hiking. You can go to the South Rim and spend the whole day there looking at the beautiful landscape stretching along the canyon’s top. If you want to explore more places in the Canyon, you can go to one of the numerous hiking trails, but if you want to explore it in another way, there is a helicopter tour for a great experience and lovely views from the top. Also, there is a geological museum where you can learn about the formation and geology of the Canyon.

Visiting the Grand Canyon in the winter is difficult because the North Rim roads are closed, and you won’t be able to see very well. In the summer, temperatures are warmer, allowing for a more pleasant experience. Over 5 million tourists visit the Grand Canyon every year.

When people first started visiting the Grand Canyon, the government decided in 1919 to classify the area as a national park. If you want to go there, fly to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Flagstaff, or Los Angeles and go to Williams. A steam locomotive is also on the Grand Canyon Railway to Grand Canyon Village. In Grand Canyon Park, you will find a diversity of ecosystems. However, fires and deforestation caused the northern forests to shrink; you can see more than 350 species of birds, about 100 mammals, 50 reptiles, 15 kinds of fish, and thousands of species of invertebrates all over the park.

 7. Parícutin Volcano:

Paricutin Volcano is located in Michoacán, Mexico. It is a cinder cone volcano. It is located in the Mexican Volcanic Belt in North America, and the volcano erupted 19 years ago, stopping in 1952. Its first eruption was in 1943; the fire, lava, and ashes destroyed and buried two villages and hundreds of homes as the volcano cone rose 450 meters. You can find the church of San Juan Parangaricutiro, which is buried partly in the village of Paricutín and is a famous tourist attraction there.

If you want to go to the top of the volcano, you can hike by taking one of the 19 km round trips, but it might not be an easy hike, so you should try to go to the top of the volcano on horseback. While you are on your way to the top, you will see sandy banks, lava fields, a buried village, and a church. The best time for you to visit the Paricutin Volcano is from October to April, and to go there, you can arrive in Mexico City and travel to Anguhuan.

Natural Wonders You Cannot Miss

These were the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, which are fantastic to visit, take in their magnificence, and truly see why they are considered so unique. There are some similarly well-known natural wonders as well, and are equally interesting, such as:

 1. Salar de Uyuni:

The largest salt flat on the planet, at 4086 square miles of salt-crusted earth, is located southwest of Bolivia. It was created as a consequence of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. The lovely thing is that when the lakes around it overflow, the surrounding areas transform into stunning reflective pools, making it a famous tourist attraction.

2. Ha Long Bay:

Ha Long Bay includes more than 1,500 islands and islets covered in greenery. They are different in shape and size and are located northeast of Vietnam‘s Gulf of Tonkin. It is an excellent place for hiking and scuba diving, and this is another well-known attraction worth visiting to explore nature’s beauty.

3. Niagara Falls:

The most famous waterfall on earth is located between the district of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. It has three waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and American Falls. Niagara Falls is 27 km in the United States and 121 km southeast of Toronto. If you visit Niagra Falls, you can venture beneath the falls by boat on Maid of the Mist tours.

4. Giant’s Causeway:

It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway was created by volcanic activity about 50 million years ago and consists of tens of thousands of black cylindrical basalt rocks stretching out into the sea. UNESCO announced it as a World Heritage Site in 1986. It has an exciting history and tour, so take the time to visit if you are in Northern Ireland.

5. The Maldives:

It is one of the world’s most famous and best tourist attractions. It consists of 26 atolls and coral-based islands in South Asia. Tourists go there to see its coral reefs and beautiful beaches and especially to go diving because of the lovely and colourful coral reefs and the sea life there.

6. Zhangjiajie:

It is located in northwestern China, including the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It is well-known for its hulking peaks, shaky bridges, and deep caves. Zhangjiajie became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, where the famous movie Avatar was shot. It is an inspiring place to visit, explore, and have a fascinating time there.

7. Lake Hillier:

The lake is 600 meters long, surrounded by a rim of sand and dense woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees. What distinguishes the lake is its pink colour. Lake Hillier gets its pink colour from the red pigments secreted by bacteria that live in the water. It is located on the south coast of Western Australia.

8. Cliffs of Moher:

Another famous tourist attraction is the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are about 14 km long and overlook the Atlantic Ocean. While on the cliffs, you can see other attractions, such as the Aran Islands in Galway Bay and the Twelve Pins mountains.

9. Pamukkale:

It is located in the southwest of Turkey. In the Turkish language, it means the Cotton Castle, which contains waterfalls, mineral forests, and travertine terraces filled with thermal waters.

10. El Yunque National Forest:

The forest is considered one of the ecologically diverse forests. It contains many animals, reptiles, and birds you will see around you while exploring it. The forest is located in the northeast of Puerto Rico.

These are some of the Natural places around the world that we recommend you visit. So, pack your bags, travel around the world, and explore all these magnificent places to experience nature’s beauty and magnificence.