7 environmental 'wonders of the world' to visit this summer
From Puerto Rico’s glowing bioluminescent bays to Scotland’s Fingal’s Cave, these 7 environmental wonders offer unforgettable summer travel ideas.
Explore the world’s seven natural wonders, including bioluminescent bays, pink beaches, rainbow rivers and white dunes.
As travelers decide where to go this summer, some of the most unforgettable trips do not revolve around cities or monuments, but around natural spectacles found in only a few places on Earth.
When it comes to the top travel spots, almost everyone has heard of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”: the Great Wall of China, Chichén Itzá, Petra, Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum and the Taj Mahal. While these famous bucket list sites are worth a visit, the natural world offers its own must-see wonders.
Each of these seven environmental wonders are worth their own trip to see.
1. Bioluminescent bays: Puerto Rico
Bioluminescence happens when an organism creates and emits visible light. What is it though?
Puerto Rico is home to three bioluminescent bays: Laguna Grande in Fajardo, Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques and La Parguera in Lajas. At night, visitors can kayak or take boat tours through waters that appear to shimmer bright blue with every movement.
These bays are filled with microscopic life called dinoflagellates, explained National Geographic. Some species of these one-celled organisms light up using a naturally occurring molecule called luciferin, the same molecule fireflies use to glow.
Movement stimulates the millions of dinoflagellates in the water, creating the brilliant sparkling effect that has made these bioluminescent bays a bucket list attraction for nature lovers.
According to Discover Puerto Rico, the bioluminescence is visible year round, but peak glow is seen on new moon nights.
The best time to visit Puerto Rico is from mid-April to June, since peak visitation occurs during the winter, per Travel U.S. News. August has the most rain, while the spring weather remains in the 80s.
2. Pink Beach: Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Located on Komodo Island within Komodo National Park, Pink Beach is one of a few naturally rose-colored sand beaches in the world, according to Forbes. The dusty pink sand is formed by red coral fragments and shells of microscopic marine animals called Foraminifera.
Pink Beach, also known as Pantai Merah, is accessible by speedboat for tourists, explained Indonesia Travel. There are no hotels on the island, so most visitors stay in Labuan Bajo, a fishing town on the nearby island of Flores, before taking a day trip to the national park. Like its name suggests, the national park is also home to the Komodo Dragon, the largest living lizard, which can be seen roaming the coast or swimming in the water.
Aerial forward of Pink beach in Komodo national park, Indonesia (Credit: Getty/Rat0007)
Other pink beaches are located in Greece, Bermuda, Barbados and the Bahamas.
3. Caño Cristales: Meta Department, Colombia
Caño Cristales river, located in Meta Department, Colombia. (Courtesy of @reisingruta on Instagram)
Caño Cristales, a river located in Serranía de la Macarena national park in central Colombia, has been referred to as both a “liquid rainbow” and the “River of Five Colors,” according to National Geographic. During sunny days from July to November, the river exhibits vivid red, green, blue, yellow and black colors, per Colombia Travel. This colorful phenomenon is produced from the combination of sunlight, the Macarenia clavigera plant and sunlight.
The Serranía de la Macarena national park's isolated mountainous conditions facilitates the presence of unique species and diverse flora and fauna, noted the National Natural Parks of Colombia. In addition to visiting the stunning river, tourists can explore hiking trails and admire the area's wildlife.
4. White Sands National Park: New Mexico, U.S.
White Sands National Park is located in the heart of the Tularosa Basin and is “one of the world’s great natural wonders,” according to the National Park Service (NPS). This spot is the world’s largest gypsum dune field, with 275 square miles of desert covered by dunes of gypsum sand.
Gypsum sand is unique because it is an evaporate mineral, meaning it dissolves in water and recrystallizes during evaporation, explains the NPS. This property is essential to the formation of these famous sand dunes.
White Sands National Park, New Mexico, Gypsum crystal sand and dune fields, White Sands National Park at sunset. (Photo by: David Underwood/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The National Park Foundation (NPF) explained visitors with different levels of experience can hike trails of varying difficulty, and they can even sled down the dunes in certain designated areas.
“The stark beauty and sharp relief of the dunes will take your breath away,” noted the NPF website.
5. Cenote Ik Kil: Yucatán, Mexico
About a 10-minute drive from Chichén Itzá, Cenote Ik Kil in Mexico is a breathtaking body of blue-green water surrounded by a landscape of ferns and vines, according to Chichén Itzá Ruins. The cenote is an underground cave that contains 40-meter-deep waters, created where the cave ceiling collapsed. The site also holds cultural significance, dating back to the Mayan era.
Some believe the Mayans may have used the swimming hole as a spot to hold sacred ceremonies or possibly even perform human sacrifice, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Now, the cenote is both open to tours and a scenic spot to swim.
To avoid crowds and maximize the breathtaking experience, Chichén Itzá Ruins recommends visiting the cenote early in the morning or late in the afternoon. During these times, the sun creates an aesthetic and tranquil scene that highlights the area's natural beauty.
Tourists swim in the Ik-Kil cenote, one of the most visited due to its proximity to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza on July 16, 2022, in Piste, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
6. The northern lights: Alaska, Sweden, Iceland and Norway
The northern lights over Fairbanks, Alaska, on Feb. 11, 2025. (Vincent Ledvian via Storyful)
The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a natural spectacle that can be seen only under the right conditions mostly in the Arctic Circle. Auroras, the colorful and dynamic displays, form when energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, according to NASA. When solar wind from the sun interacts with Earth’s magnetic shield, it can release energy down on the atmosphere, which causes colorful auroras.
The best places to see the northern lights this year are Alaska, Sweden, Iceland, northern Norway, Finland and northern Canada. This year’s aurora season is late September to late March, when nights are the longest. The lights are often seen between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. when geomagnetic activity peaks, and dark, clear skies provide the best views.
7. Fingal's Cave: Staffa, Scotland
Fingal’s Cave is made of hexagonal rock columns formed millions of years ago by volcanic eruptions and a blanket of lava that spread into the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). Years of waves crashing against the columns formed this unique cave, which is part of the Staffa National Nature Reserve. In addition to Fingal’s Cave, the Isle of Staffa is also home to a variety of bird species such as puffins, black guillemots, shags and eider ducks.
Fingal's Cave is seen on the Isle of Staffa on July 2, 2018, off the west coast of Scotland. (Photo by Yuriko Nakao/Getty Images)
According to the NTS, the cave’s arched roof creates remarkable acoustics, which inspired German composer Felix Mendelssohn to create his "Hebrides Overture." The island's natural beauty was also highlighted by botanist Joseph Banks in 1772, which sparked a wave of famous tourists such as Queen Victoria and Lord Tennyson. Today, visitors can admire the cave, enjoy panoramic views from the highest point of the island and watch for whales and dolphins.
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