01_bonn_flowers
Flowering cherry trees bloom in spring along Heerstrasse, a street also
known as 'Cherry Blossom Avenue' in Bonn, western Germany.
(ROLF VENNENBERND/AFP/Getty Images)
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02_marocco_streets
Situated beneath the peaks of the Rif, Chefchaouen is an artsy,
blue-washed mountain village. In the 1930s, Jewish refugees painted the
building of Chefchaouen blue to symbolize Heaven. Today, the city offers
many native handicrafts to tourists, such as wool garments and woven
blankets. (Flickr/Steffan Jensen)
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03_china_lake
Jiuzhaigou Valley is a nature reserve and national park known for its many
multi-level waterfalls, snow-capped peaks and colorful lakes, including
the famous Five Flower Lake (pictured). This lake is shallow and
multi-colored, with water so clear that you can see the ancient fallen
tree trunks that criss-cross the bottom. (Wikimedia/Chensiyuan)
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04_india_festival
The Indian Holi Festival is a spring Hindu festival of colors that
involves dousing participants in powdered paint .The Lathmar Holi festival
at the Nandji Temple (pictured) is a local celebration that takes place
before the national Holi day. The festival has gained popularity
worldwide. (Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)
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05_bolivia_lagoon
Laguna Colorada is a white-speckled, red lake, located in the Eduardo
Abaroa Andean National Fauna Reserve in the Uyuni salt flats, Bolivia. It
is home to a population of nearly-extinct breed of flamingo, called James
Flamingo. (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images)
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06_italy_burano_islands
Burano is a small, old fishing village located about a 40-minute boat ride
from Venice, known for its small, rainbow-colored houses. Fishermen from
the island first started painting the houses in vibrant hues to see them
in fog or from a long distance when returning from the seas. (GABRIEL
BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)
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07_columbia_river
Located east of the Andes in Colombia, the Caño Cristales river
(sometimes called the 'Liquid Rainbow') bursts into vibrant colors for a
few weeks between September and November. This is caused by an aquatic
plant, called 'Macarenia clavigera,' which turns the river red, pink,
yellow, orange, green and blue. (Wikimedia Commons/Mario Carvajal)
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08_japan_gardens
Located in the Kawachi Fuji Gardens, the Wisteria Tunnel is a passage-way
made up entirely of pastel-colored flowers than hang from the ornamental
wisteria vine. The tunnel blooms in late April or early May every year.
(Flickr/Shifath Nafis)
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09_argentina_houses
La Boca is a small neighborhood (bario) in Buenos Aires known for its
colorful houses, outdoor cafes and tango dancers. The colorful pedestrian
street is called the 'Caminito,' and was painted in 1960 by local artist,
Benito Quinquela MartÃn. (Flickr/Marissa Strniste)
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10_australia_reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world, so large
that it can be seen from space. It is considered one of the world's seven
wonders of the natural world, home to 400 types of coral and 1,500 species
of colorful tropical fish. Snorkelers and divers can visit the reef.
(Flickr/Paul Arps)
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11_nevada_geyser
Nevada's Fly Geyser formed when a poorly-capped well continued to spew for
over a hundred years. This created layers of minerals which have piled up,
along with thermophilic algae, to create the multi-hued, strangely-shaped
mound that exists today. (Courtesy Warren Willis)
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12_french_fields
ocated in the south of France, Provence is known for its coastlines,
cobbled streets and quaint little villages. In addition, from June to
August every year, the famous Provence lavender fields bloom, making it a
great time to visit. (Wikimedia Commons/iamhao.com)
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13_thailand_laterns
Celebrated all over Thailand, Yi Peng (The Festival of Lights) is most
impressively celebrated in Chiang Mai, where people release thousands of
lighted lanterns into the sky as they make wishes. Yi Peng is a surreal
and mesmerizing spectacle of floating lanterns in the sky.
(Wikimedia Commons/Takeaway)
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14_argentina_mountains
The Hornocal mountains are part of the Quebrada de Humahuaca valley. The
vibrant colors are part of the limestone formation called Yacoraite, which
extend from Peru to Salta. Not many tourists visit these mountains because
they are accessible only by a narrow, gravel road too small for buses.
(Kevin Zaouali/Caters News)
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15_south_africa_cape_town
Cape Town's historic Muslim quarter is full of bright colored houses,
including aquamarine, pink, and lime green. The houses were painted to
celebrate the end of Apartheid. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
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16_alaska_ice_caves
Located only 12 miles from downtown Juneau, the vividly colored ice caves
of the Mendenhall Glacier are among the most spectacular sites on Earth.
They are accessible to visitors willing to make a kayak journey, then a
long hike and ice climb. (Flickr/AER Wilmington DE)
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17_arizona_rock_formation
The Wave is a sandstone rock formation located near the Arizona-Utah
border, in the Coyote Buttes. It requires a permit to visit.
(Flickr/Frank Kovalchek)
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18_brazil_carnival
Surrounded by mountains, beaches and rainforest, Rio de Janeiro is best
known for its dazzling annual carnival, full colorful costumes, parade
floats and dancing. The festival is held before lent.
(TASSO MARCELO LEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
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19_japan_flowers
The public Hitachi Seaside park features blooming flowers year-round, but
it is known for its blue nemophilas. During spring, more than 4.5 million
of these blue flowers bloom all over the park. The blooming period is
called the 'Nemophilia Harmony.' (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)
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20_columbia_cartagena
Cartagena is known for its colorful Spanish style buildings, cobbled
streets, open-air cafes and leafy plazas. The city is a UNESCO World
Heritage site. Its city walls are the best preserved in all of the
Americas. (Flickr/Pedro Szekely)
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21_morocco_spice_market
Known for its maze of covered market streets and beautiful city walls,
Marrakesh is full of snake charmers, donkey carts, spice sellers, ancient
Berber cures, carpets and pottery. Its medina markets are full of colorful
items for sale, including rugs, spices, scarves, pottery and jewelry.
(Flickr/Valdiney Pimenta)
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22_norway_northern_lights
Tromso¸ is a great place for visitors to see the aurora borealis (northern
lights). The colorful northern lights are made by collisions between
electrically charged particles from the sun entering the atmosphere of the
Earth. (Flickr/Andi Gentsch)
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23_caribbean_bird
The French island of the Martinique is located in the Caribbean and is
often called the 'Isle of Flowers' because it covered in tropical forests
and savannas home to a wide variety of colorful flora. The island is also
known for its turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and exotic animals.
(Flickr/Luc Viatour)
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24_france_glacier
France's largest glacier, Mer de Glace ('Sea of Ice') is home to man-made
ice cave which is dug out every summer and filled with crystal samples
from the Mont Blanc massif. The ice grotto is also illuminated with
colorful lights for hikers. (Flickr/Denise Mayumi)
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25_netherlands_park
The Netherlands' De Hoge Veluwe National Park is full of magnificent
landscapes: expanses of heathland and grassland alternate with drift sands
and deciduous and coniferous forests. In the fall, these landscapes turn
vibrant colors.(Flickr/mendhak)
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26_norway_village
Longyearbyen was founded in 1906 and is the northernmost town in the
world. For four months a year, there is no sunlight. Its houses are
cheerily painted bright colors. It only opened to visitors in 1990, but
today is an eco-tourism destination popular for its abundant polar bears,
seals, whales and reindeer. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
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27_netherlands_tulips
Every spring, the fields of tulips burst into bloom. The flowers were
first introduced to the country in the 16th century and became very
popular during the Dutch Golden Age. Today, more than three billion tulips
are grown each year across the country. (KOEN SUYK/AFP/Getty Images)
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28_japan_flowers
Approximately 400,000 moss phloxes bloom from early April to early May
every year in Hitsujiyama Park. Aside from these stunning pink flowers,
the park is also home to about 1,000 cherry trees which also blossom in
April. (Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)
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29_mexico_pueblo
Designated a 'pueblo mágico' (magical city) by Mexico's tourism secretary,
Izamal is full of vivid yellow colonial buildings, which give the city a
perpetual 'sunny' look. (Flickr/Christopher William Adach)
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30_china_cave
The Reed Flute Cave is a natural limestone cave in Guilin, dazzles
tourists and visitors with its unique rock formations illuminated in
multicolored lights. The artificial, ambient lighting creates a
kaleidoscope of colors, and spotlights the stalagmites, stalactites and
stone pillars of the 180 million-year-old cave. (Flickr/Bernt Rostad)
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31_italy_village
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Cinque Terre is a series of five fishing
villages built along the coast of the Italian Riviera. The villages, fully
of classic pastel-colored buildings, date back to the early medieval time.
(Flickr/Daniel Stockman)
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32_china_mountains
Commonly known as the 'Rainbow Mountains,' the dramatically-colored,
striped mountains of Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park were created
by layers of mineral and rock being buckled by shifting tectonic plates
over millions of years.(Flickr/Mohsin Ali Soomro)
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33_china_fields
In early spring, the small county of Luoping turns yellow as the rapeseed
flowers (also known as canola) burst into bloom. The best time to visit
this 'sea of yellow' is from February through March.
(STR/AFP/Getty Images)
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34_india_temple
Madurai is one of the oldest cities in India, a city that traded with
ancient Rome. Most tourist come to see the historic Meenakshi Amman Temple
(pictured), located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River. This
colorful Hindu temple is encrusted with an array of gods, goddesses,
demons and heroes. (Flickr/Natesh Ramasamy)
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35_yellowstone_lake
Located in Yellowstone National Park, 'Sunset Lake' hot spring is famous
for its unique colors. These stunning colors are caused by brown, orange
and yellow algae-like bacteria called Thermophiles that thrive in the
cooling water. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
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36_kashmir_lake
The Kashmiri gandolas, called Shikaras, are usually brightly painted and
extremely popular with tourists at the Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer
capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The lake is also home to floating flower and
vegetable markets, as well as floating gardens making it a very colorful
spectacle. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
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37_italy_carnival
The annual festival of Carnival marks the end of the Christian celebration
of Lent. Venice is known for the elaborate masks that people wear during
the celebration. Party goers also wear bright costumes and attend events
throughout the city. (VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images)
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38_india_palace
Hawa Mahal ('Palace of Winds') is located in the old walled city of Jaipur
and was built in 1799 by the Rajasthany royalty. It was designed to allow
veiled ladies to see the street below without being seen themselves.
Jaipur is known as the 'Pink City' because its buildings are washed in
hues of pink. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)
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39_mexico_butterflies
The El Rosaria Sanctuary in Angangueo, Mexico is the wintering habitat for
more than 20 million Monarch butterflies, which migrate there to breed
from the United States and Canada. (LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images)
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40_india_tulips
The Tulip Garden is claimed to be Asia's largest and is located in
Srinagar. The garden stretches over about 12 hectares and is filled with
beautiful, colorful tulips. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
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41_hong_kong_street
Teeming with tightly packed sidewalks and colorful neon signage, the
bustling city of Hong Kong is an exciting and very popular tourist
destination. (Flickr/Joop)
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42_tuscany_field
Tuscany is known for its wines, excellent cuisine and stunning landscape.
Throughout the year, its rolling hills are known to change colors with its
crops and seasons, from green to purple, yellow to red.
(FABIO MUZZI/AFP/Getty Images)
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43_greek_city
With classically whitewashed buildings, 'Santorini blue' roofs and a
stunningly colorful landscape overlooking the Aegean Sea, Santorini is one
of the most popular tourist destinations. The island features black, white
and red pebble beaches, red and green volcanic cliffs and blue-green
waters. (Flickr/Pedro Szekely)
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44_alaska_flowers
ering Land Bridge National Preserve is one of the most remote national
parks, known for its hot springs, ancient lava flows and large maar lakes.
In the fall, its wilderness areas turn stunning bright colors.
(NPS/Katie Cullen)
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45_moscow_cathedral
Saint Basil's Cathedral was originally built in 1555, commissioned by Ivan
the Terrible. Today it is a popular museum in Moscow, Russia.
(Flickr/Bernt Rostad)
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46_china_rice_terraces
Located in the mountains above Yuanyang in southwest China, the Hani rice
terraces have been cultivated for at least 1,300 and span 82 villages.
They are designed so that a complex system of channels brings water from
the mountaintops to the narrow terraces below. (Wikimedia/Jialiang Gao)
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47_sikkim_valley
The Valley of Flowers National Park is known for its meadows of endemic
alpine flowers. It is also home to some endangered species, including the
snow leopard, red fox and Asiatic black bear.
(Wikimedia Commons/Alosh Bennett)
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48_china_beach
Northeast of China's Liaoning province, the Red beach gets its name from
its appearance, which is caused by a type of sea weed that flourishes in
the saline-alkali soil. (AFP/AFP/GettyImages)
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49_canada_newfoundland
Considered to be one of the oldest settlements in North America, the
colorful port city of St. John's is the capital and biggest city in
Newfoundland and Labrador. Its brightly-colored Victorian row houses are
affectionately called 'Jellybean Row.' (Flickr/Kenny Louie)
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50_california_salt_flats
These colorful salt flats near San Francisco Bay get their bright hues
from a combination of salt, water, algae, shrimp and bacteria. The green
and yellow hues are produced by algae and the red comes from a tannin that
comes off of brine shrimp that are native to those waters.
(Flickr/Doc Searls)
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