Once a backpacker’s secret, Thailand’s Phi Phi islands exploded onto the tourist map after the release of The Beach, a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio that was filmed on one of the islands. Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Lee are located between the island of Phuket and mainland Thailand off the West coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Ko Phi Phi Don is the larger of the two islands and is home to permanent residents and a myriad of accommodations for tourists. Ko Phi Phi Lee has spectacular white sand beaches and can be visited by boat only, with trips leaving from the larger island throughout the day. Visitors can enjoy diving, snorkeling and kayaking in the waters off both islands. See more pictures of Phi Phi Islands, Thailand
On the bank of the Yangtze River and the shores of Lake Taihu in China you will find the city of Suzhou, known for its many gardens, stone bridges, and pagodas. Once called “The Eastern Venice” by Marco Polo, Suzhou is historically and currently a center for the silk trade. Suzhou is located West of Shanghai in the province of Jiangsu. Visitors to the city can enjoy a view of the many stone bridges while taking a boat trip on the canals. Some of Suzhou’s gardens are so magnificent they have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. With a population of just over 6 million, Suzhou has every kind of accommodation a traveler might want. See more pictures of Suzhou, China
The towering red sand dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert are one of the most spectacular sights to be seen in Namibia. Sossusvlei itself is a clay pan fed by the Tsauchab River. In addition to the sea of red sand dunes, Sossusvlei is also home to the Dead Vlei, meaning “dead marsh”, an eerie white clay pan filled with dead Camelthorn trees. This area is contained within the Namib-Naukluft Park which is in turn a part of the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world. The best time to visit Sossusvlei is at sunrise or sunset when the colors are the most vivid and the sun is not too hot. Accommodation near the area ranges from luxury resorts, to mid-range lodges, to numerous campgrounds. See more pictures of Sossusvlei, Namib Desert, Namibia
One of the most famous tourist attractions in Norway, this massive 604 meter (1982 feet) tall cliff in Forsand, Norway is known by any of these five names: Preikestolen, Prekestolen, Preacher’s Pulpit, Pulpit Rock or Hyvlatonnå. Those who make the steep 3.8 km (2.4 mile) trek are treated to an amazing view over the Lysefjord. There is a lodge and a youth hostel nearby, and more accommodation can be found an hour away in the city of Stavanger. See more pictures of Preikestolen, Norway
Southwest of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea lies a paradise like no other, the island country of the Maldives. The Republic of the Maldives consists of twenty-six atolls in an area spanning 90,000 square kilometers (34,749 square miles). The Maldives are popular for their picture-perfect lush islands ringed by gorgeous white sand beaches. The tiny country is the smallest in Asia both in land mass and population (309,000 people). It also has the lowest high point of any country in the world at 2.3 meters (7 feet 7 inches) and because of this the rising sea level threatens its very existence. All total, the Maldives consists of roughly 1,190 coral islands, only 185 of which are inhabited. The islands were discovered as a tourist destination in the 1970s and today tourism accounts for just under 30% of the country’s GDP. A range of accommodation for any budget can be found on the Maldives, and the country’s capital city of Male is home to an international airport. See more pictures of Maldives
Angel Falls is the world’s highest waterfall at 979 meters (3,212 feet). Because the water falls so far it becomes a fine mist which can be felt a mile away before it reaches the ground below. The falls spill from a cliff near the summit of Mount Auyantepui into the Kerep River (also called the Rio Gauya). Named after the American aviator Jimmie Angel, Angel Falls is located in the state of Bolívar in Venezuela and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The falls is becoming a popular tourist destination, but it is still difficult to visit. To get to the base of the falls one must fly to Canaima camp and embark on a river trip from there. River trips can be taken only from June to December, as the river to too low in the dryer months. Alternatively, one can book an aerial flyby of the falls, but a view of the falls is not guaranteed as they are usually surrounded by clouds. See more pictures of Angel Falls, Venezuela
The ancient Mayan city of Tikal, located in present-day Guatemala, has structures that date as far back as 400 BCE, though most of the structures were built in the Late Classic Period (600 – 900 CE). One of the largest urban centers of the pre-Colombian Mayan civilization, the city was at its peak at around 700 CE. Tikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ruins include five large pyramid temples, a large palace, small pyramids, tombs, and numerous other buildings with a grand total of 3,000 structures. The University of Pennsylvania and the government of Guatemala have contributed to the restorations done on the site in recent years. Travelers can find a variety of accommodations in the nearby cities of Flores and Guatemala City. Fans of the original Star Wars films may know Tikal as the “Massassi Outpost on the fourth moon of Yavin” from Episode IV: A New Hope. See more pictures of Tikal, Guatemala
The North Pole, once an almost mythical place visited only by the heartiest of explorers (and Santa Claus) is now a tourist destination. Though certainly not for everyone, those arctic lovers who are inclined can visit the North Pole by ship, helicopter, or submarine. The textbook definition of the North Pole is the point in the middle of the Arctic Ocean where the Earth’s axis of rotation meets the Earth’s surface. The North Pole is, of course, incredibly cold, though it is significantly warmer than the South Pole. Winter temperatures range from −43 °C (−45 °F) to −26 °C (−15 °F), and Summer temperatures average around the freezing point (0 °C, 32 °F). Tours to the North Pole can be found on a variety of specialty tour company websites. See more pictures of The North Pole
