Isolated atop this Balinese sea crag is a lovely Hindu temple that is said to be guarded by sea snakes.

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.

A mecca for India's Jains.

The embalmed remains of the communist leader lie within a custom crystal coffin.

Hundreds of caves filled with thousands of centuries-old statues and murals.

Walled family complexes in Southern China.

The once highest point in China blends symbolic design with a kick of adrenaline.

Rock-cut caves and 7,000 Buddhist sculptures carved into the nearly sheer face of a sandstone mountain.

A natural arch offers panoramic views of Yangshuo's karst hills.

This Tang Dynasty behemoth is the biggest Buddha in the world.

Intensely colorful calcite pools in Southern China.

A total of 999 stairs lead visitors through a massive hole in a mountain known as the Gateway to Heaven.

This impressive clifftop temple was once at the center of an international custody dispute.

The small cliffside monastery known as the Tiger's Nest is said to be the meditation site of an 8th-century Buddhist master.

The untimely death of a dignitary's daughter led to this fort being abandoned before it was ever finished.

Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, Bo Kaap is a colorfully-painted suburb located in the “Mother City” of South Africa.

The largest prehistoric ruins south of the Sahara, once a powerful center of international trade.

Where the White Nile River dramatically cascades between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert in Uganda.

The home of half the world's population of critically endangered mountain gorillas.

Made famous by 'Star Wars,' these troglodyte homes face an uncertain future.

An ancient burial ground believed to have been used for ritual sacrifice.

A seemingly simple canyon that was the backdrop to a number of famous movies.

A 15th-century granary that played the role of futuristic slave quarters in the world of 'Star Wars.'

Sitting atop a rock on Michamvi Pingwe beach, this restaurant becomes its own island at high tide.