Top 10 Most Beautiful Places On Earth | Travel Video

10 Most Beautiful Places on Earth. Massive glaciers, staggering mountains, plains dotted with wild animals, our planet sure is incredible. In fact, when looking at the most beautiful places in the world, it can feel impossible to decide where to visit next. The islands of Southeast Asia, the deserts of the Middle East, how about the countless travel-worthy sites right here in the United States? While pinpointing all of Mother Nature's greatest hits could take a lifetime, we think these 51 staggering landscapes and awe-inspiring wonders, from Antarctica to Zimbabwe, need to move to the very top of your travel list. Whether you're looking for beaches, forests, or national park, you're sure to find you new favorite destination below. Number 10 Milford Sound, New Zealand. The South Island of New Zealand boasts one of the world's most picturesque fjords. Known as Milford Sound, it is located along the island's southwest coast, about 60 miles, 96 kilometers, northwest of Queenstown, which is a resort center famous for its skiing and outdoor activities. Milford Sound is the crown jewel of New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, which is the largest of the island nation's 14 national parks, according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Beginning at a small village, also called Milford Sound, the fjord zigzags through a lush, green environment for nearly 10 miles, 16 kilometers, before opening into the Tasman Sea, situated between Australia and New Zealand. Buttressed by towering sheer cliffs and high mountain peaks, several of which soar to heights of 3,940 feet, 1,200 meters, Milford Sound is a unique ecosystem. It is one of the wettest places on Earth, receiving an estimated average yearly rainfall of 22 feet, 7 meters. Number 9 Santorini, Greece. The whitewashed, blue-capped houses of the Greek village of Phira are typical of the many picturesque villages of modern-day Greece. But these particular houses, along with those of Phira's sister city Oia, are perched impossibly on the ridge of a caldera and command a bold, panoramic view of the surrounding Aegean Sea. The caldera is the remnant of the ancient island of Thera, now called Santorini. Situated in the southern Aegean Sea and forming the southernmost of the Santorini is a volcanic island located 120 miles 200 kilometers southeast of the Greek mainland. It is famous for its rugged landscape, towering cliffs displaying distinct and colorful geologic layers, volcanic beaches, romantic sunsets, and 360-degree view of the deep blue Aegean Sea. Number 8 Isle of Skye, Scotland. The Isle of Skye has a long history of appearances in songs, stories, novels, and poetry. Novelist and poet Walter Scott used the picturesque location as the setting of his epic poem, The Lord of the Isles, and Sir Harold Bolton's romantic ballad, The Skye Boat Song, tells the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie's flight from the Scottish mainland to Skye after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. It is unclear where the name Skye comes from, but some sources, such as the Gazetteer of Scotland, claim it comes from the Old Norse word skye, meaning cloud island, likely in reference to the fog that often enshrouds the island. Number 7 Hua Shan, China. Shan is Mandarin for mountain, and Hua means splendid or magnificent. Hua Shan, a towering mountain located near the city of Hua'in in China's Shaanxi province, about 74 miles 120 kilometers east of Xi'an, lives up to its moniker. It consists of five separate peaks, the tallest of which, South Peak, rises to 7,070 feet 2,155 meters. The mountain is composed primarily of Mesozoic era granite upthrust as the result of geologic faulting over millions of years, according to UNESCO. Number 6 Prague, Czech Republic. The capital of the Czech Republic, Prague is known as the, City of a Hundred Spires, a name that references its famous castles, cathedrals, Gothic and Baroque architecture, and medieval squares and bridges. It is home to 1.3 million people. The area around Prague is a region known as Bohemia, which has been settled for many millennia, first by Paleolithic peoples and much later by the Celts. But Prague did not acquire the rudiments of a city until the 9th century AD, according to Encyclopædia Britannica. Perhaps the most picturesque of Prague's buildings, however, is Prague Castle, which sits atop a hill and dominates the city's skyline. It was built in the 9th century and was expanded upon over subsequent centuries. Today, it is the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. In 1992, Prague's historic city center was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. Number 5 Jokulsárlón, Iceland. The first thing you notice about Iceland's largest glacial lagoon is the dazzling blueness of the water. It has a crystalline quality that is mesmerizing and otherworldly. Brilliant white icebergs, broken off of the nearby glacier, float about, resembling clouds drifting in the sky. Jokulsárlón, translated as, Glacial River Lagoon, is Iceland's deepest lake, plunging 813 feet, 248 meters, below the surface. It covers a surface area of 7 square miles, 18 square kilometers, and borders the coast, so at high tide, Atlantic Ocean water spills into the lagoon. Jokulsárlón is part of Vatnajökull National Park, located near the town of Hafn in the southeast part of the country. Jokulsárlón and the surrounding area became part of Vatnajökull National Park in 2008. The park is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Number 4. Great Ocean Road, Australia. Flanked on the south by the tempestuous Southern Ocean, the Great Ocean Road is Australia's most scenic highway. It passes by some of the country's most amazing vistas and natural landmarks, and is on Australia's National Heritage List, a list of places deemed to be of outstanding historical, natural and cultural significance to Australia. The Great Ocean Road runs along the southeast coast, from Torquay in the east to Allensford in the west. It covers a length of 151 miles, 243 kilometers, and parallels the southern edge of the continent for most of the way, though it occasionally deviates to cut inland and zigzag around a landform or natural formation. The entire route takes about 9.5 hours, and tourists typically spend three days doing the drive. Number 3. Seychelles. In 1881, the famous British General Charles, Chinese, Gordon thought he had stumbled across the biblical Garden of Eden, literally. He claimed it was on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, now known as Praslin in the Republic of Seychelles. Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands nearly 1,000 miles off Africa's east coast. The islands are the epitome of postcard perfect. Stately palm trees sway above pristine white beaches and brilliant turquoise water. Number 2. Aleutian Islands. A cold, windswept island chain in the North Pacific Ocean is hardly the first location that springs to mind when contemplating the world's most beautiful places. But the Aleutian Islands, located between 51 degrees and 55 degrees north latitude, is a special place that defies all expectations and assumptions. Though beset by fierce winds, thick fog and heavy rainfall, the islands have mystical charm. A haven for seabirds and marine life, the islands are a wonderland of rugged volcanoes and snow-capped peaks surrounded by a vast expanse of deep blue ocean. Unalaska is the best-known island in the chain and the only one with a permanent population. Attu Island, the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands, is a premier destination for bird watchers, containing countless resident and migrant seabirds and numerous nesting sites and colonies. Attu Island is also famous for its role in World War II. In May 1943, American and Japanese forces clashed in a bloody month-long battle that culminated in an Allied victory and the withdrawal of Japanese forces from the island chain. Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is an ancient city that sits high up in the mountains, surrounded by gauzy wisps of cloud. The extreme altitude and surrounding backdrop of the vegetation-clad slopes of the Andean foothills lend the air an ethereal quality. After its abandonment, the citadel fell into disuse, and as thick vegetation closed in around the site over the centuries, it was reclaimed by the jungle. Although it was well known by the local populace, American explorer Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911, according to Encyclopædia Britannica. Today, Machu Picchu is not only one of the most important archaeological sites in South America, but also a major tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.