A vast sea of salt: Salar de Uyuni – Bolivia
Near the Chilean border in southwestern Bolivia is Salar de Uyuni. Set on a high plateau with fresh and saltwater lakes, this vast salt flat has a surface of more than 10,000 square kilometers. Loosely translated, the name means “enclosed salt flat;” it was formed around 30,000 years earlier as part of an enormous prehistoric lake. In addition to being one of the world’s most prominent sources of lithium, Salar de Uyuni is also a wildlife habitat and a flamingo breeding area. The salt flat’s level surface and elevation make it an ideal spot for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation satellites.
The area features other natural phenomena. According to a video produced and televised by the United States-based PBS, “Kingdoms of the Sky: Salt Flat Landscape Creates the World’s Largest Mirror”: “Sudden rains leave a layer of dead calm water just an inch deep, turning the salt flat into a natural wonder: the world’s largest mirror, eighty miles across. At night, the landscape is transformed again into a 360-degree starscape. This dazzling show is only possible because the Salar de Uyuni is perfectly flat.”
Last but not least, Salar de Uyuni was among the location sets for The Last Jedi, released in 2017, and for Werner Herzog’s 2016 film, Salt and Fire.
Hard to believe it is real: Lake Hillier – Australia
Set in the Recherche Archipelago of Western Australia, this saline lake looks like a vast sea of pink lemonade. Discovered in 1802, the lake’s color is believed to be derived from the Dunaliella salina microalgae, which produce the carotenoid pigment. While Lake Hillier cannot be visited, tourists can book scenic air flights on the mainland and observe the cotton candy-colored Lake Hillier from the air, along with the surrounding green eucalyptus and melaleuca forests and the blue Pacific Ocean.
A fascinating heritage: Mont Saint Michel – France
While Paris may come first to mind as a leading destination in France, the incredible Mont Saint Michel certainly tops our list. Set in a bay between Brittany and Normandy in northern France, this island monastery, the Abbey of the Mont-Saint-Michel, has been a prominent pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages.
The hilltop neo-gothic style Benedictine Abbey is surrounded by two-story stone houses that now serve as restaurants, museums, hotels, and shops. The island is also home to orchards and some light agricultural activity. At high tide, the island and its structures seem to rise from the bay itself. If you visit, do stop by the famous La Mère Poulard café and sample an omelet and biscuits.
A fairy-tale setting: Popeye Village – Malta
Popeye Village, in Mellieha, Malta, presents a fairy-tale setting. Literally. The village was built as a set for the 1980 movie Popeye, but preserved by Maltese inhabitants after the filming concluded. In the meantime, Popeye Village has become a popular tourist attraction, featuring colorful houses, entertainment and music.
All the colors: Rainbow Mountain – Peru
A visit to Rainbow Mountain is like walking through the entire color spectrum. This multihued mountain in the Andes range sits at an elevation of almost 5,200 meters in Peru’s Cusco region. While it’s a three-hour bus ride from Cusco, a trek on Rainbow Mountain is like no other. The color layers come from an assortment of mineral sediments; formerly covered by snow, the mountain was discovered when the ice began melting!
Spectacular landscapes: The Lake District – England
The Lake District in northwest England is a vast national park carved by glaciers about 15,000 years earlier. As one of the world’s most venerable tourist destinations, the Lake District features stunning landscape that includes four peaks; among them Scafell Pike, which is England’s highest. Naturally, there are lakes as well – fifty of them – in addition to charming villages.
An inspiring route: Ronda – Spain
In Spain’s Malaga province, in the Andalusian region, is an almost unbelievable sight: a town built above the dramatic El Tajo (gorge). The “new” and “old” parts of the city are connected via a striking arched bridge erected in the 18th century. Meanwhile, the older area dates from the Moorish era. The town of Ronda has inspired artists and writers; Ernest Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls here. As well, Ronda is home to one the country’s oldest bullfighting arenas, the Plaza de Toros de Ronda.
May exciting adventures and discoveries delightfully disrupt your everyday routines!
