Though its celestial ceiling is impressive, the true star is the vast collection of French books.

An ancient Egyptian temple in the middle of Madrid, Spain.

Concentrated around the Dead Sea, these surprising canyons are filled with coursing water, fish, and even crabs.

An ancient capital city that dates back 3,000 years old and harbors many surprises.

An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in Antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of industry.

The world's largest neutrino telescope searches for secrets of the universe at the South Pole.

Malaysian fireflies create a dazzling display as thousands light up in unison.

This magnificent blue mosque in Afghanistan is surrounded by thousands of white doves.

A patch of Philippines forest devoted to saving the lives of an emotionally sensitive species of googly-eyed primates.

A once great mansion stands in stately ruin.

An eatery in a shallow river where diners can enjoy their meal mere feet from the base of an artificial waterfall.

A magically clear, blue river that seems to spring from nowhere.

Founded as a refugee camp, now a popular tourist spot.

Morocco's Argania trees are infested with nut-hungry goats.

The world's largest impact crater is mainly eroded but still remembers the planet's violent history.

An odd little fishing town that is inundated by tourists looking to be locked up in a cage and surrounded by great white sharks, because why not?

This historic observatory was established to keep shipwrecks from littering the Cape of Good Hope.

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

This African beach is home to thousands of rare mainland penguins that are known for their annoying voice.

Natural time capsule containing an alien ecosystem.

Life and death are on parade at the most reliably perilous site of “the Great Migration.”

A shrine of fire worship built on top of a natural flame.

Mysterious hillside with a continuously burning natural fire.

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.