These lush groves of fan palms rise up like oases out of southern California's Colorado Desert.

This small town in the Netherlands has no roads but instead, miles of canals and over 100 bridges.

The world's only museum devoted to the wonders of fluorescence.

The maze-like transportation hub contains abandoned areas, derelict stores, and a resident bat colony.

This circular Iranian jail was once a political prison run by the country's secret police.

A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.

17th century mosque for Shah Abbas' harem.

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

A beautiful deserted greenhouse in the middle of a park.

This Japanese-inspired labyrinth of hot springs is hidden in a Chilean forest.

High plateaus and beautiful waterfalls frame this ecologically significant nature preserve.

The largest library in Latin America owes its existence to an Old World earthquake and a Napoleonic invasion.

This massive Brazilian church is built like an angular, technicolor pyramid left by Mayans from the future.

The highest tropical mountain range in the world is in Central Peru, home to a vast array of exotic and quirky plants and animals.

Pilgrims each carried a brick to the top of Mount Monserrate to help build this historic sanctuary in Colombia.

Hidden amid the tropical forest in the Caribbean Sea are the decaying ruins of the Cocaine King's luxurious island party home.

This colonial town in Colombia sits around the largest stone paved square in South America.

Perched atop the highest hill in Cartagena, this 17th-century convent offers spectacular views of the city.

The colonial city's social history is reflected in its fanciful door knockers.

Storied crypts fill the most famous cemetery in Colombia.

An inspired museum dedicated to the patron saint of enslaved people, inside the cloisters where he lived and died.

A cozy bookstore and coffee shop in the heart of Cartagena's Old City.