There are many incredibly beautiful places in the world that are difficult to get to. Sometimes the hardships of the road can even discourage the desire to see them with your own eyes, but not in the case of our selection, because the road to these attractions is also a pleasure.
Philippines: Sohoton Caves
Photo: @archieoffduty/Instagram.com
The natural labyrinth of islands, caves and grottoes could be reached by land, but it is cut off from the main part of Socorro Island by impenetrable jungle. But the approach from the ocean is simple and very picturesque: by boat you pass along wild beaches and slowly enter the bay, where island-hills covered with lush greenery rise from the bright blue water. There are more and more of these hills, and since they are as similar to each other as two peas in a pod, without an experienced captain you can instantly get lost. A small fee goes towards preserving the natural ecosystem of these places, and for it visitors receive a tour of the labyrinth, during which they can swim in caves, climb through stalactites onto a small balcony and jump into the water from a natural five-meter tower. For the second part of the excursion, you need to transfer to small boats for two, as you will have to carry them by hand for several meters to get into an isolated lagoon infested with jellyfish. They don’t sting, so you can swim with them if you want.
Indonesia: Komodo
Photo: @stech84/Instagram.com
It’s unlikely you’d want to spend a holiday, or even a few nights, on an island infested with giant monitor lizards, aggressive and potentially dangerous predators to humans. But looking at Komodo dragons can be very interesting, because representatives of this ancient species look like real dinosaurs. Usually tourists are brought to Komodo early in the morning, the boat stops not far from the shore so that you can see the monsters basking in the sun right from the board. And the bravest ones can land on the beach and take a walk among the giant lizards, naturally, under the supervision of a guide who, for greater thrill, feeds them with pieces of raw chicken. Similar tours depart daily from the island of Flores, where tourism is quite developed, this place is especially popular among divers, as the diverse living reef is inhabited by hundreds of species of fish, including quite rare ones.
Chile: Marble Caves
Photo: @westernunion/@christopherandersen/Instagram.com
From the shore, Lake General Carrera, which is shared by Chile and Argentina, looks completely ordinary: a surface of water with small rocky islands. But as soon as you get into the boat and swim closer to them, your eyes will begin to open wider and wider. About 6,000 years ago, the water level in the ancient lake was much higher, and it quietly undermined the foundations of these rocks. After the water partially receded, it turned out that gray inconspicuous islands stood on the incredibly beautiful arches of a cave system. Thanks to the mountain rivers flowing into the lake, the water is saturated with minerals and has a bright milky blue color, and the vaults of the cave, in turn, reflect this blue and are illuminated by sunlight. Add to this the sweet aroma of pine needles that permeates the air, and you will understand why you can’t go to Chile and bypass it.
Greece: Navajo Beach
Photo: @mercedesnavil/Instagram.com
From Greek, the word Navaio translates as “shipwreck”, and this is the name of the beach since the early 1980s, when smugglers, fleeing from coastal police, sank their ship “Panagiotis” with a cargo of wine and cigarettes on the shallows near the bay, and they themselves disappeared on small boats. A few years later, a strong storm washed the sunken ship ashore, and now this pile of rusty metal is the only inhabitant of the beach. The fact is that the sandbank is surrounded on three sides by high inaccessible cliffs, that is, in principle, it is impossible to get to it except by sea. Many tourists come to Smugglers Bay, as Navajo Beach is sometimes called, every day, and tour agencies have a well-established schedule. To look at it in all its glory and without crowds of people, you should try to negotiate with private owners and go there, for example, early in the morning.
USA: Virgin Islands National Park
Photo: @reneeroaming/@virginislandsnps/Instagram.com
The Virgin Islands in the Caribbean are partly American, one of them, St. John, is the smallest and at the same time the most beautiful. In 1952, Lawrence Rockefeller, the grandson of that same Rockefeller, landed on this island and was so delighted with it that he bought three-quarters of the territory and made it a national park on which commercial construction is prohibited. That is why there is no airport on Saint John; it can only be reached by boat or ferry from neighboring islands. The natural beauty is preserved here in an untouched form, and for tourists there are hiking routes around the island and the archaeological excavations in Cinnamon Bay are open to the public.
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Text author: Irina Krokhaleva
Preview photo: @bobbburch
