Humans have always used myths and legends to explain everything from the weather to the afterlife. For centuries, these stories helped humanity have a better understanding of the world around us.
Though many of the great tales of the past are no longer accepted as fact like they once were, their impact still resonates in the places they originated from today. For those seeking to unlock the mysteries of our past, these 20 legendary locales hold the key – and boy, there’s much more to the story than you think!
1. The Kingsroad (Gracehill House, Ballymoney): The Gracehill House has wowed visitors to Northern Ireland since 1775. Rumored to be haunted by several ghosts, the Dark Hedges are most well-known for appearing as the Kingsroad in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
2. The Goddess Pele (Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai’i): The first ancient Hawaiians to settle on the island believed that Kilauea was the body of Pele, goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes. According to legend, anyone that removes one of the rocks from this area will be cursed with bad luck until it’s returned.
3. The Loch Ness Monster (Loch Ness, Scotland): Cited as far back as the 6th century, “Nessie” has supposedly been spotted over 1,000 times in the waters of Loch Ness. While many “sightings” have been ruled hoaxes, there is no definitive proof that the monster does not exist.
4. Malta (Gozo)
A small piece of land which is a small Heaven. This cute island belongs to the archipelago of Malta located in the Mediterranean Sea. By size, this is number 2 by size in this archipelago.
This small and gorgeous place of Gozo has a rural charm to it, beautiful hills and pristine beaches. Some myths, legends, and scripts even say that Homer’s Odyssey was started right here. This place might lack mountains or forests and rivers, but the royal blue water, sandy beaches, and views are compensating for it.
The cliffs are breathtaking with layers of sedimentary rocks on the west. The shape of the cliffs is breathtaking and the place is popular for tourism. The rock formations are artistic-looking and the place is literally as we said, a small Heaven. Malta is one of our favorite places to visit.
5. Madagascar (The Forest of Knives)
Why is this place called like this? No, there are no real knives here of course, but the vertical rocks are so sharp that they even resemble huge natural knives. And it is even more interesting that wildlife thrives here and in good conditions too, so there is a lot to see.
Who would’ve thought that such rocks would even have lush forests on top and in between? That is real too. Rare kinds of birds and some lemurs (even 11 different types!) are seen on these sharp rocks. Imagine knife-sharp rocks of grey color and a cute little white lemur standing on one of the rock tops – this is normal.
This place Tsingy is also called ‘stone forest’ and such rocks can even reach a height of 300 feet. Isolated and mystical in every way, such eroded limestone layers create a rather scary, but gorgeous view. The name is ‘Grand Tsingy’ and ‘tsingy’ when translated it means a place ‘where it cannot be walked’. The hazardous beauty of our Planet that stuns with the unusual beauty it has – both vegetation and scary-looking rocks all at once!
6.Bonus Location! Hunan, China (Avatar Hallelujah Mountain)
China has a vertical pinnacle that was the original inspiration for so-called mountains that are floating, as in the movie Avatar. This sounds pretty much amazing we can all agree. Avatar Hallelujah Mountain is a truly stunning place and surely one of the 10 most beautiful places in the world that actually exist.
The ‘floating’ part makes this location number 11 of course since it couldn’t be left out in any way. This is located right in the National Forest Park ‘Zhangjiajie’ and the location is just perfect for it. Awe-inspiring, with more than 3000 vertical pillars or also greenery that extends over hundreds feet height – this is fairytale, ancient, ‘fantasy’ magic!
One of those pillars, as an original name had the ‘Southern Sky Column, which stretched across 3,544 feet up in the air. But, after the famous movie ‘Avatar’, as you suppose, this location changed its name. This is a fantasy land at its finest. Imagine ‘floating’ mountains, or at least mountain sections erected, and already there are goosebumps.
7.NAKAGIN CAPSULE TOWER — ARCHITECTURE FROM THE FUTURE
This strange, multi-use tower was designed and built in the early 1970s in Japan’s brief Metabolism period. This is one of the few buildings that was actually designed and built during this time in this style that has survived until today. The tower was built in a mere 30 days and the 13 floors hold office spaces and about thirty full apartments.
If you’re interested, you can still rent out an apartment in this strange-looking tower from a 1940s sci-fi writer’s vision of 2000.
8.FUSHIMI-INARI — THOUSANDS OF ORANGE SHRINES
The Fushimi-Inari shrine is one of the most easily recognizable places in Japan. The 10,000+ Torii gates are easily recognizable thanks to their bright orange hue. These gates will lead you up the three-kilometer path to the top of the shrine, which is one of the most important and heavily visited in the whole country.
There are also a variety of street vendors at the bottom of the shrine that sell some of the best food you will ever have for $3-4.
9. Kuang Si Falls, Luang Prabang, Laos
Already a top holiday destination for backpackers, the Laotian city of Luang Prabang is temptingly close to Kuang Si Falls, a three tier splash spectacular with waters so clear and blue it’ll be hard to resist jumping straight in. Hike the trails around the area to escape the tour groups and find your own secret slice of paradise
10. Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming, USA
More wet stuff to blow your socks off, this time in North America. This natural pool, with its rainbow coloured waters, is found in Yellowstone National Park and is the third largest hot spring in the world. Get further off the beaten track in the US with our look at 5 secret states in America.
11. The Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
Ok, so it’s actually a geyser, but ‘Door to Hell’ sounds much catchier doesn’t it? Plus, this burning pool of lava in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert looks just how you’d expect a gateway to the underworld to look: red and hot and steamy. We’ve got more bucket-list sights in our round-up of the best natural wonders of the world.
