essern's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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West Liberty, Ohio

Ohio Caverns

These sub-farmland caves are home to a majestic stalactite known as the "Crystal King."
Belize

The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

Sparkling, calcite-covered skeletons of children who may have been sacrificed to appease an angry god.
Marianna, Florida

Florida Caverns State Park

The only Florida state park with publicly accessible caves.
Turda, Romania

Salina Turda

This massive underground salt mine now holds a sci-fi theme park in its depths.
Matavun, Slovenia

Skocjan Caves

This massive subterranean fissure is known as the "underground Grand Canyon."
Jincheng, Taiwan

Jhaishan Tunnel

The wartime boat shelter now doubles as an underground concert hall where musicians play on rafts along the waterway.
Taza Province, Morocco

Friouato Caves

The true depths of these stunning Moroccan caves are unknown.
Puerto Río Tranquilo, Chile

Marble Caves of Chile Chico

Mother Nature outdoes herself with this stunningly beautiful set of caves carved into marble.
Zhangye Shi, China

Zhangye National Geopark

These layered sandstone mountains in China look like they are made of pressed crayons.
Zhangjiajie, China

Avatar Hallelujah Mountain

This vertical pinnacle in China was the inspiration for the floating mountains in the movie “Avatar.”
Qurayyat, Oman

Bimmah Sinkhole

A sinkhole and now a swimming hole, too, full of dazzling turquoise water.
Municipiul Sebeș, Romania

Râpa Roșie

Romania's "Red Ravine" is a little-known natural wonder that bears a resemblance to the Grand Canyon.
Qatar

Musfur Sinkhole

Climb down into the largest sinkhole in Qatar.
Ehlanzeni, South Africa

Bourke's Luck Potholes

Raging waters have created a strange geological site that looks like something off of a progressive rock album cover.
Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Brazil

Vale da Lua

After millennia of erosion by sand and churning water this Brazilian valley now looks like a lunar fantasy.
Stazzema, Italy

Monte Forato

A massive natural rock arch gives the Tuscan mountain its own window to the sky.
North Yorkshire, England

Gordale Scar

A long, winding trek rewards you with a gorge so captivating it inspired a painting in the Tate.
Bloomfield, New Mexico

Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area

The land is full of geologic eye candy, such as otherworldly spires, mushroom-shaped hoodoos, and prehistoric fossils.
Iceland

Fjaðrárgljúfur

Strange rock formations tower above the river that snakes through this enchanting Icelandic canyon.
Palmanova, Italy

Palmanova Star Fort

A star-shaped fortress town fort built in the geometric model of the Renaissance utopian city.
Madrid, Spain

Atocha Station Tropical Garden

A lush indoor jungle fills this bustling Madrid transportation hub.
Liberec, Czechia

Hotel Ještěd

This unusually shaped mountaintop tower looks like a UFO floating over the city.
Padua, Italy

Pietra del Vituperio (Stone of Shame)

In medieval times this small stone seat was used as a bizarre way to punish insolvent debtors.
Constantine, Algeria

Sidi M'Cid Bridge

This dizzying span over the ancient Algerian city was once the highest suspension bridge in the world.