From an alien-like structure in Nevada to rainbow mountains in China: Unbelievable travel destinations you never knew existed


Multi-coloured farmers' fields, a row of rocks that resemble giant fingers and a cave that looks like bubble-wrap - these are some of the most beautiful, and awesome, sights captured from around the world.

Some of these photographs will leave you amazed, some will leave you perplexed, and others will leave you questioning whether they are indeed from this planet.

Take for instance the Fly Geyser on a private ranch in Nevada. Looking like it belongs to a fairytale alien landscape, this is part man-made part-natural.

In 1964 it was accidentally created when exploratory drilling for sources of geothermal energy tapped in to the natural hot springs. But it was never capped properly and over the years, the minerals have built up the amazing structure that still spouts water today.

The picture was taken by US based British photographer Andy Waddington, 42, originally from Southport. He said: It's a very difficult place to photograph.The water is very hot and gives off a lot of steam so the wind has to blow from the north or you can't see anything.'

Then there is the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, at 10,500sqkm, the world's largest salt plain. Here, at 12,000ft, a couple of centimetres of water covers the plain but sits perfectly still because there is no wind. It allows the stunning skies to be mirrored perfectly in the water.

And the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska isn't one for the claustrophobic, as it gives the feeling of being trapped in bubble-wrap...

Fly Geyser: The only access is a dirt road, but it is large enough to be seen from the highway. Water is constantly released, reaching 5 feet (1.5 m) in the air. The geyser, in Washoe County, Nevada, contains several terraces discharging water into 30 to 40 pools over an area of 74 acres

Colourful: With its rolling hills, rocky peaks and multitude of colours, this otherwordly visage looks like no place on Earth. However, the spectacular lunar landscape can actually be found at the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in Gansu Province, China

That shrinking feeling: Rock enthusiasts will feel the world is closing in on them when they visit the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska, Juneau. The roof and walls of the spectacular site resemble bubble-wrap, yet retain a real beauty The Red beach scenic area in Panjin, northeast China's Liaoning province. The beach gets its name from its appearance, which is caused by a type of seaweed that flourishes in the saline-alkali soil

Twin use: A train runs through the 'Tunnel Of Love' private railway line in Klevan, Ukraine; the tunnel is actually a 3km section of private railway that serves a nearby fibreboard factory. A train runs around thrice daily through the ethereal 'tunnel' - delivering wood to the factory. At other times the beautiful avenue of trees is witness

to a very different journey - into love. For it is a favoured spot for young romantics to stroll with that special someone



Blooming marvellous: The flower and tulip fields of The Netherlands. The bright red, pink and yellow coloUrs are overwhelmingly beautiful and are a must see, or more fittingly, a must experience

High in the sky: The Tianzi Mountains are located in Zhangjiajie in the Hunan Province of China, close to the Suoxi Valley. They are named after the farmer Xiang Dakun of the Tujia ethnic group, who led a successful local farmers' revolt and called himself 'tianzi'. Pictured right is the magnificent Mount Roraima, towering above the forest landscape of the Gran Sabana in Venezuela

Breathtaking: The El Salar de Uyuni salt flat, Bolivia; these stunning photographs reflect a perfectly still landscape are like an image captured in a dream Amazing view: The magnificent Mount Roraima towers above the clouds hanging over the Gran Sabana in Venezuela Mustard fields at Niujie, in Yunnan, Luoping, known as the snail farms due to the unique snail shell like terracing Pretty in pink: Takinoue Park, in Hokkaido, Japan, is famous for Shibazakura or pink moss, attracting thousands of visitors every year between May and June when the flowers are in full bloom

Dreamworld: The Bolivian salt flat shots were taken by photographer and lawyer Michael Kittell, who believes the world's largest salt plain is one of the most beautiful places on Earth

Chew on that: From above, Pink Lake Hillier of Middle Island 150km east of Esperance, Western Australia looks like a solid bubble gum pink. The lake is about 600 metres long, and is surrounded by a rim of sand and dense woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees Stunning: The Sagano Bamboo Grove, located in the Sagano Arashiyama area of Kyoto, is a beautiful forest with a path through its heart

A caver explores the Hang En and Hang Son Doong caves at the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. The limestone caves - the biggest in the world - almost swallow up the adventurers daring to step inside

Colour explosion: Hitachi Seaside Park in Japan boasts its a wide variety of seasonal flower gardens such as narcissus and tulip in spring , nemophila and rose in early summer , zinnia in summer and kochia and cosmos in autumn