At psychedelic festivals and events we love the decor and art exhibitions. However, some of the most thrilling spectacles of all can be found in nature, and here’s 12 places that are naturally psychedelic.

Door to Hell in Derweze, Turkmenistan

While drilling in 1971, Soviet geologists tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole. To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided the best solution was to burn it off. The ‘Door To Hell’ has been burning ever since.

Zhangye National Geopark in Gansu, China

The 322 square kilometer geopark features painting like mountain ranges in different colours. Known for its vibrant rock formations, local reporters have voted it as one of the most beautiful landforms in China.

The Tulip Fields in Lisse, Netherlands

The area between Haarlem and Leiden is regarded as the bulb district, where more than three billion tulips are grown each year. Like a rainbow, vibrant blues, reds, pinks and yellows sprawl as far as the eye can see. The tulip season begins in March and lasts until August, when the Dutch countryside becomes a sea of tulips.

The Red Beach in Panjin, China

China’s “Red Beach” gets its vibrant hue from a particular kind of seaweed that transforms from green to crimson in the fall. The Sueda is one of the few species of grass that can live in highly alkaline soil. Its growth cycle starts in April when it is coloured light red, while the colour of the mature species is deep red.

Rainbow Gum In Wailua, Hawaii

The tree in the photo is called the Eucalyptus Deglupta, or Rainbow Gum/ Rainbow Eucalyptus. This tree ‘bleeds’ psychedelic colors that are a natural phenomenon. The trees boast awe-inspiring colors and patterns that must be seen to be believed, as if going to Hawaii for a holiday wasn’t good enough!

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone Park, Wyoming

This large hot spring in the United States was noticed by geologists in the late 1800’s. Its colours match the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. A combination of pigmented bacteria and light refraction make for quite the scene and change depending on season, air temperature and the sun’s visibility. Pretty cool!

Canola Flower Fields in Yunnan, China

It is no wonder China’s canola flower fields are often referred to as a ‘golden sea.’ And while Luoping, a small county in eastern Yunnan, China, is relatively quiet throughout the year, when canola flowers are blooming, the area becomes vibrant with tons of tourists visiting the area. The yellow flowers can literally be seen everywhere.

Yuanyang County in Yunnan, China

Featured above is an aerial photograph of terraced rice paddies in Yuanyang county. The landscape gets it textured shape from the varying mountain ranges and slope degrees. It is well known for its spectacular rice-paddy terracing. Part of the area now forms the 45th World Heritage Site in China.

Lake Retba in Senegal

Just a 45 minute drive from the capital of Senagal is a massive pink lake that attracts visitors during the dry season from November to June. Lake Retba (or Lac Rose as it is known by locals) is separated only by some narrow dunes from the Atlantic Ocean and, as expected its salt content is very high. Its salinity content compares to that of the Dead Sea and during the dry season it exceeds it. Its distinct pink colour is caused by the Dunaliella salina bacteria, which is attracted by the lake’s salt content. The bacteria produces a red pigment in order to absorb the sunlight, thus giving the lake its unique colour.

Pamukkale Hot Springs in Denizli, Turkey

The incredible pools of Pamukkale hang with rugged edges like a great waterfall. This geological phenomenon, literally translated as “Cotton Castle” in Turkish, is also the site of the remarkably well-preserved ruins of the Greek-Roman city of Hierapolis. With such a unique combination of natural and man-made wonders it’s little wonder that Pamukkale-Hierapolis has been made a Unesco World Heritage site. With over two million visitors annually, it is also Turkey’s single most visited attraction.

Lake Hillier in Western Australia

Lake Hillier is a saline lake on the edge of Middle Island, the largest of the islands and islets that make up the Recherche Archipelago in the Goldfields-Esperance region, off the south coast of Western Australia. It is particularly notable for its pink colour. A long and thin shore divides the Southern Ocean from the lake.

Caño Cristales River in Meta, Colombia

Caño Cristales translated as Crystal Channel, is a Colombian river located in the Serrania de la Macarena province of Meta. It’s a tributary of the Guayabero River. The river is commonly called the “River of Five Colors” or the “Liquid Rainbow”, and is even referred to as the most beautiful river in the world due to its striking colors. The bed of river in the end of July through November is variously colored yellow, green, blue, black, and especially red, the last caused by the Macarenia clavigera (Podostemaceae) on the bottom of the river.