There are incredible Earth landscapes that seem to belong to another planet. Yet they are found in our own, the Earth offers amazing spectacles of nature. Authentic wonders that fill the heart with emotion just by looking at them. Valleys, canyons, deserts, salt flats, mountains, volcanic lakes of our planet create suggestive and almost extraterrestrial scenarios.
Below we offer you a list of the 10 most amazing terrestrial landscapes that seem lunar or come from other planets.
The 10 terrestrial landscapes that seem from another planet
The Earth offers a variety of amazing natural landscapes, from the sea to the hills, lakes, forests, deserts, volcanoes and mountains. Real miracles of nature that give us a beauty that sometimes seems to come from another world or from a science fiction movie. Yet they belong to our planet. Below you will find a quick guide to the 10 terrestrial landscapes that seem from another planet.
Valle della Luna, Cile
Valley of the Moon, Chile
The Valley of the Moon is located in Chile, in the Atacama Desert. Here you will find very unique sand and stone formations, forged by wind and water. As the name implies, it looks like a lunar landscape, but at sunset, the reddish color of the rocks makes this area look like Mars.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
terrestrial landscapes another planet
The Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, is a huge salt desert with an area of 10,582 km². It is one of the largest deserts in the world and is the largest expanse of salt on Earth. It is located near the city of Uyuni, on the southern Andean plateau of Bolivia, at an altitude of 3,650 meters. Its landscape, with its blinding whiteness, is of indescribable beauty.
Lake Myvatn, Iceland
Iceland is famous for its striking moonscapes, including geysers, volcanoes, glaciers and wastelands. Lake Mývatn, however, offers an incredibly spectacular backdrop. Here, in addition to the large water basin, over 37 km wide, there are small craters in the vicinity communicating with the subsoil from which white smoke comes out of the volcano Krafla. This is the geothermal area of Hverir, very particular for its active fumaroles.
Iceland is famous for its striking moonscapes, including geysers, volcanoes, glaciers and wastelands. Lake Mývatn, however, offers incredibly spectacular scenery. Here, in addition to the large water basin, over 37 km wide, there are small craters in the vicinity communicating with the subsoil from which white smoke comes out of the volcano Krafla. This is the geothermal area of Hverir, very particular for its active fumaroles.
Read also -> Guide to Bohol: discovering the island of chocolate hills
Cappadocia, Turkey
Cappadocia is a region of Turkey very famous for its curiously shaped tuff rocks. It is a unique geological formation in the world, which in 1985 was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, both naturalistic and cultural and architectural. Here in fact, in the particular natural conformation of the rocks have been obtained rocky settlements, dating back to antiquity. The region has always been inhabited by man and crossed by the most important trade routes between Asia and Europe. Cappadocia’s lunar landscapes are full of caves and grottoes, both natural and man-made, many of which are still inhabited today.
Erongo, Namibia
Another incredible moonscape is the Erongo region of Namibia, named after the Erongo Mountains. The granite mountains, which cover the area evenly, give it the extraterrestrial look. To the west, the region faces the Atlantic Ocean.
Lake Natron, Tanzania
Also in Africa, this time in Tanzania, is the incredible landscape of Lake Natron. A lake composed of sodium carbonate hydrate, Natron, as its name implies, during the evaporation cycle of the water, in the dry season, takes on a dark red color with white streaks, due to the accumulation of sodium. The red color of the lake is due to the pummeling of bacteria that proliferate during the dry season.
Dancalia Depression, Ethiopia
The Dancalia Depression or Afar Triangle is a region located in the Horn of Africa and includes the state of Djibouti, part of Eritrea and Ethiopia. In this region there is the lowest point in Africa, Lake Assal, at an altitude of -155m above sea level. Temperatures here reach up to 48°C during the dry season (March-September). The Awash River is the only river that flows through the Afar region, where it ends its course in a sequence of salt lakes.
In northeastern Ethiopia, in the Dancalia depression, is the Dallol volcano, whose crater was formed by the explosion of a magma chamber in the Rift Valley, located beneath a major salt deposit. The volcano area is a vast salt and desert heath where temperatures can reach up to sixty degrees. It is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. The Dallol volcano region is home to very unusual geological formations, with acid pools isolated by frames of salt crystals and concretions, acid hot springs, sulfur mountains, salt cones, and small gaseous geysers.
Bardenas Reales, Spain
The Bardenas Reales is a natural site in Navarre, northern Spain. It is a semi-desert region, whose territory is composed of clays, sandstones and chalks that weathering has shaped, creating curious and surprising shapes. Here there are canyons, pinnacles and solitary heights, called cabezos, which give the landscape a very original and almost extra-terrestrial aspect. In this area, where the water courses are irregular and often dry, there are no urban settlements. The Bardenas are located at an altitude between 280 and 659 meters above sea level.
Pinnacles Desert, Australia
Another very impressive place that seems to belong to another planet is the Pinnacles Desert in Australia. It is located in Western Australia and is a sandy desert, characterized by the presence of numerous limestone rock formations, similar to pinnacles and the most varied shapes, whose height can reach up to four meters. In Australia it is also known with the name of The Pinnacles.
Crystal Cave, Iceland
Iceland again with its incredible landscapes of volcanoes and ice.
After the fumaroles of Lake Myvatn, we take you to the magnificent ice caves Crystal Cave. Entering here, between the black basaltic rock at the bottom and the blue ice vaults, will be like visiting another world. Yet another reason to visit magical Iceland. The caves are located in the area of the Vatnajökull glacier.