But while these natural wonders may seem too extraordinary to be believed, their colors and shapes are indeed real — no photo editing or artificial-intelligence software necessary.
This Earth Day, here are 15 places around the world that stand out for their beautiful, natural colors.
Morning Glory Pool in Yellowstone National Park glows in vibrant yellow, blue, and green.The hot spring was originally just a deep blue, but tourists throwing coins and rocks into the pool caused it to cool down, sprout new microorganisms, and change colors, Smithsonian magazine reported.
That’s not a highlighted section of Australia’s Middle Island — it’s the actual color of Lake Hillier.The saline lake’s bubblegum-pink color likely comes from microorganisms living inside of it.
The Wave in Coyote Buttes North, Arizona, was formed by water drainage and wind erosion in the sandstone.The rock formation became famous when Microsoft included it in its desktop wallpaper options in 2009, skyrocketing what was once a little-known local gem into a worldwide phenomenon. The site now requires a permit to visit, according to The Wave’s official website.
Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US.Colorful bacteria and microbes flourish inside the pool, giving it its rainbow rings, Atlas Obscura reported.
The Northern Lights require no filter.Also known as aurora borealis, the Northern Lights can most often be seen near the Arctic Circle in Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
Nothing has been Photoshopped out of this image — Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia really is that empty.The world’s largest salt flat offers an expansive surface perfect for creating optical illusions that play with perspective. It also contains about 15% of the world’s lithium, according to the US Geological Survey.
Devil’s Bath in New Zealand really glows bright green.The geothermal pool gets its color from sulfur deposits.
The Serrania de Hornocal mountain range in Argentina’s Quebrada de Humahuaca valley boasts colorful layers of limestone.The Quebrada de Humahuaca valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca or Montaa de Siete Colores (Mountain of Seven Colors), is also covered in naturally occurring colorful stripes.The stripes are a product of weathering, mineralogy, and environmental conditions.
The Cano Cristales river in Colombia is sometimes referred to as the “Liquid Rainbow” and “River of Five Colors.”The river’s red color comes from a plant called Macarenia clavigera that blooms from September through November, Atlas Obscura reported. Yellow and green sands also give the Cano Cristales its rainbow color scheme.
Deadvlei in Namibia looks like a painting, but is an actual barren landscape inside Namib-Naukluft National Park.Deadvlei is a white clay pan in Namibia. When the sun hits sand dunes, the dried remains of camel thorn trees look like they’re up against a painted backdrop.
At Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in Zhangye, China, precipitated groundwater leaves colorful mineral deposits in the mountains.It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.
The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia is full of sea life in vivid colors.The 133,000-square-mile reef is home to over 1,500 kinds of fish, 400 types of coral, and 4,000 species of mollusk. While increasing temperatures have led to mass coral bleaching — making the reef’s bright hues turn white — some areas remain unaffected.The delicate ecosystem is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Grand Canyon is almost too gorgeous and expansive to be real.The canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, dates back 70 million years and stretches for 277 miles.
Keukenhof’s flower fields are human-made, but the lines of colorful blooms don’t require any editing software to stand out.Every spring, Keukenhof Park in the Netherlands blooms with millions of tulips, as well as hyacinths, daffodils, and other flowers.