Buckle up, wanderlusters, because Mother Nature is about to flex her most spectacular creations! From the mind-bending depths of the Grand Canyon to the depth of the Great Barrier Reef, these natural wonders make your Instagram filters look like child’s play. While the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” might get all the social media glory, we’re diving deep into ALL the incredible finalists that deserve your bucket list attention.
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Gobustan National Park, or Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, is located in the southeast part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range in Azerbaijan. It lies near the Jeyrankechmaz River, between the Pirsagat and Sumgait rivers, and about 40 miles southwest of Baku, on the west bank of the Caspian Sea. This unique area features deep ravines and is home to ancient carvings, mud volcanoes, and gas-stones. Designated a national historical landmark in 1966, Gobustan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 due to its remarkable rock art, which offers insight into prehistoric life and cultural evolution.
Iguazu Falls is an impressive waterfall system located on the border between Argentina’s Misiones province and Brazil’s Paraná state. It’s the largest waterfall system in the world, splitting the Iguazu River into upper and lower sections. The river rises near Curitiba, Brazil, but most of the falls are on the Argentine side. The name “Iguazu” translates from Guarani or Tupi as “big water.” According to legend, a deity created the falls in anger after a woman named Naipí fled with her lover, Tarobá. The first European to document the falls was Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.
The Galápagos Islands, also known as Archipiélago de Colón, are a group of volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean, 906 km (563 miles) west of continental Ecuador. They straddle the Equator and make up part of Ecuador’s Galápagos Province, including the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve. This unique archipelago is home to over 25,000 residents, with Spanish as the primary language. The islands are famous for their wide variety of endemic species and played a crucial role in Charles Darwin’s studies during the voyage of the Beagle, which helped shape his theory of evolution through natural selection.
Jeju-do, or Jeju Island, is a volcanic island spanning 1,846 square kilometers, making it the largest island off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. Located in the Korea Strait, southwest of South Jeolla Province, it is the main island of Jeju Province in South Korea. Jeju is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, and features Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, standing at 1,950 meters above sea level. The island was formed about 2 million years ago from volcanic eruptions during the Cenozoic era and features basalt and lava. Jeju has a humid subtropical climate, with cooler, dry winters and hot, humid summers.
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El Yunque National Forest, located in northeastern Puerto Rico, is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System. The forest, formerly known as Luquillo National Forest, encompasses 28,000 acres (113.32 km²) and is situated on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains. The highest peak, El Toro, reaches 1,065 meters (3,494 feet). El Yunque, named after a possible Taíno word meaning “white lands” or the Spanish word for “anvil,” features lush foliage, waterfalls, and rivers due to its high rainfall (over 200 inches per year). Numerous trails allow visitors to explore its diverse flora and fauna and view unique Taíno petroglyphs.
Kerepakupai Meru, also known as Salto Ángel or Angel Falls, is located in Venezuela and is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall, with a height of 979 meters (3,212 feet) and a plunge of 807 meters (2,648 feet). It cascades over Auyantepui mountain within Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State. The total height of 979 meters includes the main plunge, approximately 400 meters of sloped cascade and rapids below the drop, and a 30-meter (98 feet) plunge downstream. The falls are situated along a fork of the Rio Kerepacupai Meru, which feeds into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River and ultimately the Orinoco River.
Komodo is one of Indonesia’s 17,508 islands and is famous for being the habitat of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth. The island covers an area of 390 square kilometers and has a population of over 2,000 residents, primarily descendants of former convicts and Bugis from Sulawesi. The inhabitants mostly practice Islam, with some Christian and Hindu communities. Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands and includes the Komodo National Park. It is also a popular diving destination and falls under the East Nusa Tenggara province.
Yushan (Chinese: 玉山; pinyin: Yù Shān), or Jade Mountain, is the highest peak in Chinese Taipei at 3,952 meters (12,966 feet) and the fourth highest on an island. Previously known as Mount Morrison, it earned its name due to its snow-capped peak resembling jade. Yushan was a finalist in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign in 2009. Located in Yushan National Park, Taiwan’s largest and least accessible national park, it boasts diverse endemic species. Yushan’s formation resulted from the Eurasian Plate sliding over the Philippine Sea Plate, with ocean depths exceeding 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) off the east coast.
The Sundarbans (Bengali: সুন্দরবন, Shundôrbôn) is a natural region spanning southern Bangladesh and part of West Bengal, India. It is the world’s largest tidal halophytic mangrove forest, covering approximately 10,000 square kilometers (3,900 sq mi), primarily in Bangladesh. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and includes three protected forests in Bangladesh: Sundarbans South, East, and West. This area is known for its dense mangrove ecosystems and serves as the largest reserve for the Bengal tiger. Additionally, the Sundarbans National Park is a Tiger Reserve and Biosphere Reserve located in the Indian delta.
Bu Tinah (Arabic: بوطينة, Būṭīnah) is a small archipelago in the United Arab Emirates, located 25 km south of Zirku and 35 km north of Marawah. It is part of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, the region’s first UNESCO-designated marine biosphere site. Closed to visitors, Bu Tinah is rich in biodiversity and supports mangroves, coral reefs, and endangered species like the hawksbill turtle and dugongs. The island’s thriving marine habitat is important for climate change research, demonstrating resilience in high temperatures and salinity, and it is a designated protected area in Abu Dhabi.
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