BestWonders of the World

A vast system of waterfalls straddling the Iguazu River, forming one of the world's largest waterfall complexes — a New Seven Wonders of Nature.

The world's largest coral reef system, stretching 2,300 kilometres along Australia's northeast coast and comprising over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. Visible from space, it supports an extraordinary marine ecosystem including 1,500 fish species, 4,000 mollusc species, and 30 whale and dolphin species. Snorkelling and diving from Cairns and the Whitsundays are the principal visitor entry points.

An Art Deco statue of Jesus crowning Corcovado mountain, an icon of Rio and Brazil and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The largest tropical rainforest on Earth, spanning much of the Amazon basin and holding a substantial share of the planet's biodiversity — a New Seven Wonders of Nature.

The largest religious monument ever built, constructed in the first half of the 12th century as a Hindu temple for the Khmer Empire and gradually converted to Buddhism by the late 12th century. The complex covers roughly 400 acres and is surrounded by a moat 190 meters wide. The five central towers represent Mount Meru, home of the gods; the bas-relief galleries running the full perimeter of the outer walls depict scenes from Hindu mythology and Khmer history at a scale and precision not matched in the ancient world. The site is reached from Siem Reap, about six kilometers away.

A remote volcanic island in the southeastern Pacific, famous for nearly 1,000 monolithic stone statues called moai carved by the Rapa Nui people between roughly 1250 and 1500. The moai — the largest weighing 82 tonnes — were quarried at Rano Raraku and transported across the island using methods still debated. The island is 3,700 kilometres west of continental Chile and reached by regular flights from Santiago.

A series of fortifications built across northern China over many dynasties to guard against invasions — one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The oldest and largest of the Giza pyramids, built as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu and the only one of the ancient Seven Wonders still standing.

One of the ancient Seven Wonders, a towering lighthouse that guided ships into the harbor for centuries before earthquakes brought it down.

A giant bronze statue of the sun god Helios that stood at the harbor of Rhodes, one of the ancient Seven Wonders, toppled by an earthquake.

A colossal gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus by the sculptor Phidias, housed in the temple at Olympia and counted among the ancient Seven Wonders.

A white marble mausoleum commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, celebrated as a pinnacle of Indo-Islamic architecture and one of the New Seven Wonders.

The main habitat of the Komodo dragon, the world's largest living lizard, protected within a national park spanning several rugged Indonesian islands — a New Seven Wonders of Nature.

A legendary terraced garden described by ancient writers as one of the Seven Wonders, though no archaeological trace has been confirmed and its existence is debated.

The largest amphitheater ever built, host to gladiatorial contests and public spectacles in ancient Rome and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

An ancient Nabataean city carved into rose-colored sandstone cliffs, reached through a narrow gorge and famed for its rock-cut temples and tombs — one of the New Seven Wonders.

A major Maya city centered on the stepped pyramid of El Castillo, whose design encodes the solar calendar — one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

At 8,849 metres, the highest point on Earth, straddling the Nepal–Tibet border in the Himalaya. The summit was first reached by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Most expeditions approach from the Nepal side via Everest Base Camp (5,364 m), reached by a 12-day trek from Lukla. Trekking to Base Camp requires no technical climbing; summiting requires extreme mountaineering experience, months of acclimatisation, and a Nepal government permit.

A 15th-century Inca citadel set high on an Andean ridge, abandoned and unknown to the outside world until 1911 — one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

A navigable subterranean river winding through a limestone cave system to the sea, one of the longest of its kind and a New Seven Wonders of Nature.

A flat-topped mountain overlooking Cape Town, cloaked in exceptionally rich fynbos flora and named a New Seven Wonders of Nature.

A volcanic island off South Korea crowned by Hallasan, the country's highest peak, with lava tubes and craters and status as a New Seven Wonders of Nature.

An elaborate tomb built for the Persian satrap Mausolus, one of the ancient Seven Wonders and the origin of the word "mausoleum."

A vast Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, rebuilt several times and counted among the ancient Seven Wonders; only fragments survive today.

A prehistoric stone circle on Salisbury Plain, constructed and modified over roughly 1,500 years beginning around 3000 BC. The massive sarsen stones — some weighing 25 tonnes — were transported from Marlborough Downs 25 kilometres away; the smaller bluestones came from Wales, 250 kilometres distant. The site is aligned with the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. English Heritage manages the monument; timed tickets are required and inner access at ground level is restricted to solstice openings.

A gorge carved by the Colorado River over five to six million years, 446 kilometers long, up to 29 kilometers wide, and over 1,800 meters deep. The exposed rock layers read back 1.6 billion years of Earth's geological history in striped bands of red, orange, and cream. The South Rim — open year-round — sits at roughly 2,100 meters elevation and holds the main visitor facilities. The North Rim, 350 meters higher, is open only mid-May through mid-October and reached by a 340-kilometer road from the South Rim. The inner canyon floor, accessible by trail or mule, is a different climate and ecosystem from the rim above it.

A bay in northern Vietnam studded with thousands of limestone karst islands and caves rising from emerald water — a New Seven Wonders of Nature.

At 1,708 metres wide and 108 metres high, the largest waterfall in the world by combined width and flow, formed where the Zambezi River plunges into a narrow basalt gorge. Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya — "The Smoke That Thunders" — the spray rises 400 metres and is visible 50 kilometres away. The falls are accessible from Victoria Falls town (Zimbabwe) and Livingstone (Zambia), both within walking distance of the main viewpoints and connected by a historic iron bridge over the gorge.