Otherworldly Wonders: The Strangest Places You Must See

The Earth is home to many strange and fascinating places, each with its unique characteristics. Some people might consider the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia to be one of the strangest places on Earth due to its extreme heat, colorful mineral deposits, and otherworldly landscape. Other contenders for the title of “strangest place” might include the Door to Hell in Turkmenistan, the Stone Forest in China, or the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. Ultimately, the designation of “strangest place” is subjective and can vary depending on individual perspectives and interests.

Isla Madre de Dios (or God’s Mother Island)

Let’s get the first thing out of the way: the island is almost completely made of white marble.

That alone is weird enough. But it gets even better.

Isla Madre de Dios is located in the south of Chile (Madre de Dios Island), and it is very hard to access. The fjords in the area are treacherous and famous for being difficult to navigate. Furthermore, most of the coast of the island is cliffs, with very few places to access the island:

The island is also constantly “bathed” with winds up to 130 km/h.

It has been estimated that the conditions currently existing on Isla Madre de Dios are equivalent to what was around the world some 12,000 years ago, you know, when the last ice age was still around.

Isla Madre de Dios Crave

Now, to make things even more interesting, Isla Madre de Dios has HUGE caves underneath it:

Now, these caves go deep, very deep. Some expeditions have descended some 350 meters under the earth, with chasms of 60 meters deep.

Okay, you may be asking “What’s the big deal; there are other places with caves like this, and even deeper”. And here is where it gets REALLY interesting: the island was inhabited.

There is evidence, dating up to 4,500 years ago, revealing that Isla Madre de Dios was inhabited by the kawésqar, which was an indigenous tribe that lived in the south part of Chile.

(Keep in mind that these cave paintings were found AT THE BOTTOM of the caves, so the kawésqar had to go down the 60 m chasms… with Stone Age technology.)

So, to wrap it up:

• we’re talking about an island made of white marble,
• almost inaccessible with TODAY’S technology,
• constantly hit with winds of up to 130 km/h,
• riddled with deep, deep caves,
• which was inhabited, several THOUSAND years ago, by people with stone age technology.

Now that is what I call weird… and fascinating!

Eternal Flame Falls in New York, US

The flame is fueled by natural gas and burns behind the waterfall, thus it will not extinguish.

Caño Cristales in Colombia

During summer, this Colombian river turns red. The red comes from the color of a unique species of plant that sprouts during summer.

Blood Falls, Antarctica

The red color comes from the high concentration of iron in the water. Creepy and certainly strange.

Confluence of Rhone and Arve rivers, Switzerland

“This looks like something out of Photoshop” was my reaction when I first saw it. This natural phenomenon happens due to the difference in density of the two rivers, thus they will never mix.

Sea of Stars on Vaadhoo Island

The colorful light blue liquid-like thing is made of millions of microscopic planktons that shine bright blue during the night. Very cool.

Giant Crystal Cave at Naica Mine, Mexico

These giant shiny crystal pillars were formed over millions of years.

Mount Roraima, Venezuela

An enormous flat-top mountain located in Venezuela. It is filled with undiscovered mysteries and contains many plant and animal species not yet discovered by scientists. I had plans to visit Venezuela, but not anymore due to the country’s instability.

Danakil Depression, Ethiopia

What you are witnessing are pockets of acid pools. Even the brown land is made from crusts of sulfur and salt.

Red Beach in Tianjin, China

During Autumn, this beach in Tianjin, China becomes filled with a red coloured plant called Suaeda salsa which thrives in salt water, leaving only thin strips of the visible sea.

Aokigarhara Forest, Japan

Internationally known as the “Suicide Forest”, it is located along Mount Fuji in Japan, and some consider it the most terrifying and infested place in the world. Since 1950, nearly 150 people have disappeared in the forest without explanation, and according to National Geographic, local authorities found about 36 bodies from the previous number at one time in one of the search periods..

Overton Bridge, Scotland

Overton Bridge in Dumbarton, Scotland, is one of the places where strange things happen. Most people know it as the “Bridge of Suicide Dogs” because over 50 years ago, many dogs were released there and ended up at the bottom of the valley. So far, science has failed to explain why this phenomenon occurs, as dogs reach the bridge and suddenly it looks like something is causing them to jump off the bridge.

Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan

The strange city of Mohenjo Daro, located in the Hindu Valley in the Republic of Pakistan, is one of the most mysterious places on earth.

The city is located under the desert and is about 4,600 years old. Everything indicates that its inhabitants disappeared overnight. Radiation poisoning afflicted many bodies discovered locked in each other’s embrace.  What happened in this place? Scientifically, no one knows anything yet.

Lake Natron, Tanzania

Lake Natron in Tanzania can turn the birds that approach it into stone, as the water temperature in it reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit, with a pH of 10, it can burn the skin and eyes of animals that approach it, but it is safe for flamingos.

Socotra Island

Located 150 miles off the coast of Yemen, Socotra Island has organisms that have evolved like nowhere else on Earth. Up to a third of the plant life on the island is endemic. The uniquely shaped dragon tree is what attracts most ecotourism. 🌳🌿

The dragon tree is unique to the island and isn’t found anywhere else. It is called the dragon tree because of the red sap it produces. However, it’s the upright umbrella shape that makes this tree unusual. As an island itself, Socotra is pretty beautiful, even without the dragon trees. It looks like this from an aerial perspective. Look at how blue the water is!

Sea of Stars, Vaadhoo Island, Maldives: