The Eye of Earth is a karst spring located in Croatia’s Mount Dinara Nature Park. Its unique blend of blue and emerald green color makes it look like a dragon’s eye from above.
The small body of water is the primary source of the Cetina River, which flows from the northwestern slopes of Dinara — 6,000 feet above sea level — down through southern Croatia.
No one knows the precise depth of the cave containing the crystal clear water, but it is suspected to be more than 300 feet deep.
However, this hidden gem is no easy dive or swim, as the water is frigid. Temperatures can go as low as 46.4F, even during 95F summers — quite the opposite of a hot spring!
The tallest single drop waterfall in the world is tucked away deep in the Amazon rainforests.
Kaieteur Falls in Guyana is four and half times the height of Niagara Falls and double the height of Victoria Falls. But what makes this 741-foot cliff-face unique is the massive volume of water that pours over the edge.
At an average flow rate of 23,400 cubic feet per second — a rush of 30,000 gallons of water — Kaieteur Falls takes the cake as the tallest single drop waterfall in the world.
The steep drop and ferocious waterfall are something to marvel at for a primarily flat country with nearly 100% of its rainforest intact.
Tourists who want to feel like they’re living on the edge of the world can visit the waterfall in a day’s trip by booking a flight from one of the two Georgetown airports and then taking a guided hike. There’s also a more intensive hiking and Potaro River route.
The quokka is a marsupial from the smaller islands (Rottnest and Bald Island) off the coast of Western Australia.
The animal looks like a baby kangaroo — they even have pouches — and appear to be smiling at all times. After all, they possess a natural and cheerful grin and teddy bear eyes.
There’s even a book dedicated to the so-called “world’s happiest animal” called The Quokka’s Guide to Happiness by wildlife photographer Alex Cearns. Visitors swear they’re friendly and highly approachable.
The quokka is nocturnal, spending most of the day sleeping and resting since it has no natural predators. It eats berries and other succulents as part of living in swamp habitats.
Just take a closer look at these photogenic cuties. So if you’re having a bad day, feel free to come back to this post to bring some happiness to your life.
The Blue Lake in Nelson, New Zealand, or Rotomairewhenua (“land of peaceful waters” in Māori name), contains the clearest natural body of fresh water on Earth. The water is so lucid, as visually transparent as distilled water, that one can see down up to 262 feet down into the lake.
The beautiful Southern Alps surrounding the remote lake amplify its distinct natural colors of blue and green as given by the algae and plant life.
To maintain the lake’s purity, the Nelson Lakes National Park prohibits visitors from swimming or bathing items in the lake to avoid contamination. After all, the lake is considered sacred to the Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō people.
The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is the only known animal that lives on an 80-90% diet of bones. That’s right — this intimidating-looking bird specializes in feeding on bone marrow.
The Bearded Vulture is a bone eater and bone crusher
This bird of prey is so desperate for bone that it’ll fly a dead carcass as high as 500 feet into the sky and release it over rocks to break the bones into more edible pieces. The vulture eats the smaller bones by simply swallowing them hole.
The rock sites where the bearded vulture devours the larger broken bones are called ossuaries. This great scavenger ensures nothing in nature goes to waste; it even snacks on lizards and turtles.
The bearded vulture can grow up to four feet tall with a nine-foot wingspan. When soaring in the high mountains of southern Europe, Africa, or Tibet, it looks like a flying dragon.
Draco Volans are real-life flying lizards from Southeast Asia.
These mini-flying creatures, not to be confused with the Spider-Man agama, have developed the ability to glide up to 26 feet, often from one tree to another, over thousands of years.
Draco Volans’ wings are made of its ribs, not true limbs
Draco Volans use skin flaps on their elongated ribs to open and retract on demand, giving them the impression of small dragons with colorful wings.
But they don’t actually “fly” and breathe fire like the fingered-winged dragons in a science fiction movie; the rib expansion doesn’t even help the lizards’ breathing. In reality, the modified ribs help the Draco Volans float off trees and parachute to other branches to avoid predators.
Don’t get your hopes up about finding one as a pet. Draco Volans are nearly impossible to catch, as are most lizards.
There’s a beautiful 165-foot waterfall outside the city of Cajamarca, Peru, that forms the shape of a bride in her wedding dress.
Ghost in the water
The water source for the cascade is a cave that starts 650 feet above the falls. The hidden cave and sudden barrage of whiteness create a phenomenon known as pareidolia, where people see shapes in objects. In this case, the waterfall gives the ghostly impression of a lady wearing a white veil.
Known as “Cascada La Novia” by locals, Bride’s Waterfall takes its name from settlers who believed that the waterfall was formed to commemorate the tragic loss of a woman’s soon-to-be husband. The bride wished the waterfall into creation after her father killed her finance.
Below is the tragic story according to the legend.
“In times of yore, a couple of lovers who loved each other deeply despite the rivalry of their families, decided to get married, but on the big day so special for both, the father of the bride took a rifle and shoots the groom propitiating him the death instantaneously, this act caused the bride wrapped in tears and with a huge grief to run out with her beautiful dress towards the mountains, and being there when she could not bear the sadness of losing her beloved, she made a pact with the Apu and the Pachamama, which turned it into a beautiful waterfall, so that everyone could appreciate its beauty for all eternity.”
For those looking to travel to the destination, consider giving some of these tourist videos a view.
The Hopewell Rocks is a series of sandstone pillars along the coast of the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada.
The unique-looking rock formations, cliffs, and coves result from centuries of tidal erosion, yet another reminder of how nature crafts its own beauty.
Home to the highest tides in the world
The tides at the Hopewell Rocks are actually the highest globally, reaching nearly 50 feet tall and washing ashore 100 billion tons of water twice a day. The inlet’s ebb and flow of waves create a ‘bathtub effect.’
Amazingly, the inlet is still walkable at low tide. During the summer season, tourists can walk the ocean floor in the morning and even kayak on the same day.
Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick. 45 foot swing between low and high tides. Cool place. pic.twitter.com/624ADao7e4
Mount Roraima is a tabletop mountain located in the deep rainforest of Venezuela’s Canaima National Park. It serves as the tripoint of Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil.
Mount Roraima forms the highest peak of the Pakaraima chain of Tepuis plateaus in South America, standing 9,200 feet with a 12-square-mile summit area and 1,300-foot tall cliffs. It’s no wonder that Roraima and the surrounding highlands look like islands floating in the sky on a cloudy day.
Mount Roraima is one of the oldest geological formations on Earth
A roaring beauty that dates back two billion years to the Precambrian era, Mount Roraima is often referred to as the lost world. Dinosaurs likely roamed this high and flat land, which remains rich in unusual species of plants and animals.
At the top of the mountain are rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and caves, looking like a picturesque scene out of Jurassic Park.
Certain tree species in the forest resist touching each other as they grow, a natural event known as crown shyness.
Here’s an aerial view of the jigsaw-like spacing.
What explains the puzzle piece-shaped canopy?
More than one theory explains why social distancing amongst the trees occurs.
Scientists suggest that the channel-like gaps between the treetops emerge because of mutual light-sensing among the crowns of the trees. The intercrown spacing increases light reception for the leaves, resulting in beautiful patterns in the canopy.
Preventing encroachment also reduces the spread of disease and wards off leaf-eating harmful insects.
The collaborative effort to avoid touching its neighbor’s foliage ensures the safety and survival of all nearby trees. Talk about respecting one’s personal space!
Are you searching for your next getaway? There’s a lighthouse off the coast of southern Iceland that sits 120 feet upward on the highest of three steep rocks. It is one of the most remote lighthouses in the world.
Constructed in 1939, the Thridrangar (Þrídrangar) Lighthouse, Þrídrangar means “three rock pillars,” is undoubtedly one of the most challenging lighthouses ever built.
Given the swirling winds and crashing waves, climbing the precarious pillar to build the lighthouse must have been one Herculean task. The mountaineers climbed on top of each other’s backs to reach the cliff’s perch. There were no helicopters at the time.
Today, Thridrangar lighthouse is only accessible by helicopter for service needs. The helipad sits on top of a jagged rock that sticks out to the North Atlantic ocean.
The Grandidier’s Baobabs (Palmate adansonia) are giant trees indigenous to Africa. Nicknamed the “mother of the forest,” this species of Baobab trees is predominantly found off Africa’s mainland in the island country of Madagascar.
Baobabs can live up to 800 to 1000 years with their unique ability to act as water storage tanks. The trees can store up to 32 gallons of water in their thick trunks.
The heart of many African remedies and folklore, the iconic Baobab is often referred to as the “Tree of Life.” Both the animals and locals tap the trees for H20 during the dry season. The resilient trees are also resistant to termites and fire.
19th-century photo of Baobab Tree, Madagascar
The 80-plus foot trees average a circumference of 108 feet and appear “upside down” since the tops of the trees look like roots. They also feature on a 250-meter path called the Avenue of the Baobabs in Madagascar’s Menabe region. The tree is famous for producing surreal white, bat-pollinated flowers as well.
“A Caliban of a tree, grizzled, distorted old goblin with the girth of a giant, the hide of a rhinoceros, twiggy fingers clutching at empty air and the disposition of a guardian angel,” once wrote the Australian novelist Ernestine Hill about the Baobab’s immensity.
Unfortunately, baobab trees are at risk of extinction due to climate change, with more than ten thousand disappearing yearly.
