1. Temples of Angkor (Cambodia)
Unanimously, the Angkor temples surpassed all destinations in the world on this list. Angkor Wat is the world’s largest temple dedicated to the god Vishnu and may seem out of place in Buddhist Cambodia, but this magnificent monument is the main treasure of the Hindu kingdom that once stretched as far as Burma. It is an extraordinary place: an allegory of heaven on earth, carved out of thousands of blocks of sandstone and sculpted from top to bottom with representations of the legends of the Tamayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. Angkor Wat is the main attraction of a complex with more than 1000 temples, shrines and tombs in the middle of the jungle of northern Cambodia. One of the essential destinations that every traveler should add to his wish list.
2. Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
This natural wonder of more than 3,000 km off the northeast coast of Australia is the world’s largest network of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral and 1,500 species of fish. Nearly 30 kinds of whales, dolphins and porpoises, 6 species of sea turtles and 17 kinds of sea snakes have been seen in its waters. If with that information you don’t want to get on a plane to the Australian coast, you don’t have a traveling spirit. It is the absolute paradise for scuba divers and snorkelers and an ecosystem that captivates all who visit it with lots of islands and tropical beaches . The main access points are Cairns, Port Douglas and Airlie Beach, in Queensland.
3. Machu Picchu (Peru)
What makes Machu Picchu unique is not the spectacular Andean landscape or the way the city clings to the steep slopes, what is truly amazing is that no one knows what happened. It’s a complete puzzle . Cuzco is the gateway to Machu Picchu from where you can take the train to kilometer 88 and then walk the 42 km of the Inca Trail.
4. Great Wall (China)
It is much more than a wall; it’s an impressive network of walls and fortifications that span an incredible 8,850 kilometers of the rugged landscape of the north of the state. You have to choose a section, which will depend on whether you want to discover imperial magnificence (near Beijing), military precision (in Gansu) or eternal desolation (in Inner Mongolia). The most accessible sections are near Beijing: Badaling is the reconstructed tourist version and Jiankou and Huanghuacheng is unrestored.
5. Taj Mahal (India)
This mausoleum is considered architectural perfection , a true gem that has been attracting travelers to India for centuries. No other building in India has so perfectly encapsulated the attitude and atmosphere of the Mughal court . Dusty and noisy Agra is the hub of Taj Mahal tours, as well as tourist hunters and souvenir sellers. To avoid them you have to arrive at dawn, just when the doors open.
6. Grand Canyon National Park (USA)
2 billion years of geologic time can be seen in this vast cleft in the earth’s crust . This data seems to displace the human brain. With fiery sunsets, billows of mist and dusting of snow, the Grand Canyon, more than 1 km deep and nearly 360 km long, is the cathedral of nature . Visitors usually enter the canyon from the southern end, about 120 km north of Flagstaff, Arizona. The northern end is more isolated and has less infrastructure.
7. Colosseum of Rome (Italy)
It is Rome’s most passionate monument and a commemoration of raw and ruthless power: a gigantic amphitheater for 50,000 spectators where gladiators met in mortal combat and the damned fought wild beasts before bloodthirsty spectators watched. Two millennia later, it continues to subdue all who enter it.
8. Iguazu Falls (Argentina and Brazil)
In Guarani , Iguazú means “big water”. But really, these falls are much more: they are huge and out of the ordinary! The tour boats plying the choppy waters look like matchsticks from above. They can be seen across a stretch of magnificent subtropical jungle teeming with wild animals, including jaguars.
9. Alhambra of Granada (Spain)
It is the most enduring symbol of al-Andalus and arguably the world’s finest display of Islamic art . Inside there is a network of luxuriously decorated palaces and gardens, sources of legend and fantasies. From afar, the towers of its fortress dominate the Granada skyline, with the sheer red walls rising from forests of cypress and elm trees, and the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. A monument of indisputable beauty that attracts millions of people every year.
10. Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Turkey)
Church, mosque and museum, Hagia Sophia is a building like no other in the world, defying classification just as it defied the laws of architecture when it was built almost 1,500 years ago, commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. In 1935 it was deconsecrated and turned into a museum , although visiting it is still a spiritual experience.
