Petra | | For a unique location one might look to the small country of Jordan and find Petra, a city carved within the face of Mount Hor. The Lost City was established as the capital of Nabataens in the sixth century. The site was as strategic as it was beautiful, as it was chosen for its placement for main travel routes, and thus was a hub of trade. Petra is still marveled at today by tourists because of the fact that the impressive city is literally carved out of the wall of the mountain and its formations are not simple boxed houses. Instead, there are elegant designs and intricate models engraved within the stone. One can only imagine the painstaking efforts it must have taken to chip away, knowing one only had a single chance to get the model right.

10. |

The Grand Canyon

 

The Grand Canyon is not “just a hole in the ground,” but instead is a whole new way to appreciate the time and effort Mother Nature can enact over a long timelines. Spanning two-hundred and seventy seven miles in length and eighteen miles in width, the Canyon is a splendid location for the appreciation of the earth’s age. At its floor, the Colorado River crawls along, ever etching its presence into the canyon. The river first established its path over 17 million years ago. With each passing second, the river carves away just a bit more at the impressive tourist attraction. Tourists flock to the site for general site-seeing, river rafting, and intense rock climbing.

 

 

9. |

Mount Kilimanjaro

 

Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa, reaching well over five-thousand meters in height (almost twenty-thousand feet), and is comprised of seven summits. The three major volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, have been quiet for the past two centuries with the former two peaks being extinct. Shira, while still technically active, lays dormant for the time being, leaving visitors to the mountain free to marvel in its splendor. If one wishes to get a taste of just how small they are in the grand scheme of the world, Kilimanjaro is a good indicator of scope.

 

 

8. |

Forbidden City

 

The imperial palace was completed in 1420 and held emperors of the Ming Dynasty all the way to the Quing Dynasty. It can be found in what is now the center of Beijing, and took approximately a million workers to build it in that location. The site was utilized as the home of emperors and their families and the cite for Chinese Governmental ceremonies that occurred over the years. The Forbidden City is now a popular tourist attraction and has been turned into a museum house.

 

 

7. |

Machu Picchu

 

Built as an estate for Peruvian emperor Pachucuti in the fifteenth century, this sprawling creation lays atop a mountain ridge, overseeing the Urubamba valley. The estate was broken into three sectors: the Sacred District, the Popular District, and the District of Priests and Nobility. The site remained hidden from the Spanish during their famous conquest of South America as its use predated the arrival of the Europeans. Machu Picchu is an important tourist attraction and is thus restored frequently to attract continual visits.

 

 

6. |

The Roman Colesseum

 

Today’s colesseums and stadiums may impressive works; however, the size and intricacies of the Roman Empires Colesseum are a true wonder. Built under the rule of Vespavian and completed under Titus, the marvel is a monument to the great need of entertainment sought by all as we lay upon this mortal coil. Within the walls there were extravagant plays, chariot races, and of course the infamous gladiator battles which dazzled hundreds of thousands throughout the years of use. Today, the site still stands proudly in Rome and is constantly visited by many tourists.

 

 

5. |

The Egyptian Pyramids

 

Another grand model of human ingenuity and effort, the Pyramids were built by slaves of the Egyptian Pharos. The monuments are not only impressive visually, but also are some of the most precisely built structures of all time. Modern engineers still marvel at how well the temples are constructed, as some of the design details are so specific that they defy the early era technological know-how. It is said that up to 100,000 workers contributed their efforts towards building these 138 masterpieces as early as 2630 BCE.

 

 

4. |

The Great Wall of China

 

This amazing piece of architecture was built by the Chinese to keep the Mongolian hoards out of the country in 221-204 B.C. and is a standing monument to human ingenuity and tenacity. The wall has been maintained since, even though some major surgery has had to be done to some sections of it. This 8,852 kilometer-long structure is a must-visit, and the majority of it is surrounded by magnificent mountains making it even that much better than what it already was in the first place.

 

 

3. |

Plitvice Lakes National Park

 

Croatia is the home to this jaw-dropping combination of healthy forest, beautiful waterfalls, immaculate lakes, and impeccable flora. This is also a great place to take a significant other, as it is one of the most romantic places on Earth. The cost of the flight to get to this small country is worth every cent after taking a peek at what it has to offer.

 

 

2. |

Alaska’s Northern Lights

 

The elegant look of the sky when viewing the Northern Lights will make any tourist rethink the definition of “gorgeous.” Not only does the rare color scheme of the sky make this a must-see, but the fact that you can only see the Northern Lights in a limited amount of places makes it that much more thrilling. The shades of various colors such as green, purple, red, and orange give any viewer an euphoric feeling just from taking a glance.