The Twenty Five Wonders of the World

I know what you are thinking. There are twenty-five wonders in the world?  Well, who knows for sure? Who gets to decide? The truth is that NO official list exists. What does exist are many unofficial lists, all using the magic number 7. Most of these lists are arbitrary, having been voted on by a small minority of the world’s population. Did you vote? I didn’t. After all my travels over several decades,  I happen to think there are many places that deserve “wonder” status that haven’t made any lists.

Updated in June 2023. Added one more natural wonder and one more man-made wonder. The list is now 27 wonders and will continue to grow!

[bctt tweet=”When it comes to the Wonders of the World, there are many arbitrary list that a small minority of the population voted on. Did you vote? I sure didn’t!” username=”redheadcher”]

What qualifies as a World Wonder?

Let’s figure that out together, shall we?  There are several definitions of the word “wonder”

• a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable
• a strange or remarkable person, thing, or event
• having remarkable properties or abilities.

Using these definitions as my guide, I know there are many places out there that have caused a feeling of wonder somewhere inside us. I’m not sure why everybody is obsessed with there only being 7 wonders but I suspect it’s because the original list had seven. This list I speak of, consider it the “OG” of world wonder lists, was made by Philo of Byzantium in 225 BCE, in his work On The Seven Wonders. It was sort of the first travel brochure.

Apparently, the number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it represented perfection and plenty, and because it was the number of the five planets known anciently, plus the sun and moon.  Of these original 7 wonders, only the Pyramids of Giza still exist. Since people love checking things off of a list, modern peoples decided to make a new list of places that DO exist (and then another one, and another one).

There are so many lists!

I thought it would be fun to make my own all-inclusive list that I will continue to add to throughout my life and based on feedback. I’m hoping it will have some surprises and places you may not have heard of.  Let’s just call this new list the “Cher’s Ultimate World Wonders List”.  (Yes, I’m being so humble). I’m opting to exclude anything built after the industrial revolution, therefore, anything built after 1800 will not be on this list. Places like the Eiffel Tower and the Burj Khalifa, which are incredible, just won’t be here. (Because this will be too long and you will get bored!)

I will divide it into Natural Wonders and Man-Made Wonders. My magic number will be 25. Just because 7 is so last year. Pshaw 7 (she says, dripping with disdain).

Natural Wonders of the World

1. Antarctica

This is the world’s largest wilderness, mostly untouched and one of the most remote places in the world, full of pristine wildlife such as penguins, seals, whales and seabirds.  I was here earlier this year and I can honestly say I have never felt more full of wonder. This is definitely number one for me. The rest are in no particular order.

Read More:  How to Plan a Trip to Antarctica

 

2.  Victoria Falls

Called Mosi-oa-Tunya in the Kololo or Luzi language which means “The Smoke which Thunders”. It’s the largest waterfall in the world. It has a width of 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) and height of 108 meters (360 ft) and is situated on the Zambezi river between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

I literally cried like a baby when I saw these falls from above in a helicopter.

3.  Padar Island, Indonesia

There very few views on this earth that rival this one, where you can see black sand, white sand and pink sand beaches all at the same time. It’s located in the beautiful Komodo National Park near the island of Flores.

Read More: Things to Do in Komodo National Park

 

4. Deadvlei, Namibia

Imagine you hike one of the largest sand dunes at sunrise (otherwise, your shoes would melt) and you look down to see this random circle of white salt and strange looking trees, particularly striking against the red sand and cobalt sky. This surreal spot in the Namib desert is a dead lake with petrified trees.

“What is dead may never die”. (Game of Thrones quote for you non-watchers…infidels!)

5. The Great Barrier Reef

Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. It is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometers. That’s bigger than the UK, The Netherlands and Switzerland combined, and can be seen from outer space! This is one of the world’s richest ocean habitats with 1,500 species of fish, 411 types of hard coral, one-third of the world’s soft corals, 134 species of sharks and rays, six of the world’s seven species of threatened marine turtles, and more than 30 species of marine mammals, including the vulnerable dugong (which is similar to a manatee). Impressed yet?

6. The Galapagos Islands

My hero, Charles Darwin developed his entire theory of Evolution after coming here and seeing the diversity of wildlife. NBD. Visitors now can still admire the same wildlife the British naturalist saw, including nine animals you won’t find anywhere else in the world including the Galapagos giant tortoise, the blue-footed booby and the colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs (I love these names). I literally salivate just thinking about visiting.

 

7.  The Okavango Delta

Botswana’s Okavango Delta has unique terrain and a premier safari destination. The delta is basically a swampland produced by seasonal flooding. The Okavango River drains the summer rainfall from the Angola highlands. The flood peaks between June and August, (Botswana’s dry winter months) when the delta swells to three times its permanent size, attracting animals from very far and creating one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife.  Botswana is the elephant capital of Africa and the Moremi Game Reserve, in the eastern part of the Delta is the predator capital of Africa.

Read More:  Luxury Botswana Safari 

8.  Iguazu Falls

Nobody said only one waterfall could be on this list! Waterfalls are so wondrous, everybody is chasing them even though they can’t run. This one on the border of Brazil and Argentina is comparable to size (width and height) of Victoria Falls although it is less continuous. It is a delightful series of cascades set in a lush national park.

9.  The Grand Canyon

Hello, it’s Grand! It’s the biggest canyon in the world. That’s pretty darn wondrous. This is also a place that made me cry. I finally saw it the year of my 40th birthday with my mother, who also cried.

Also wondrous are the many other divine natural areas in this region including Sedona, Arizona’s Devil’s Bridge, Antelope Canyon, The Wave, Southern Utah’s Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Monument Valley and Arches National Park, to name a few.

[bctt tweet=”Let’s just go ahead and classify the entire Southwest of the United States as a World Wonder. Tell me I’m wrong!” username=”redheadcher”]

10.  Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Multi-leveled sparkling turquoise lakes AND waterfalls in a beautiful forest? Yes, please!

11.  The Fjords of Norway

What is a fjord? Well, I happen to know. It’s a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs. Norway isn’t the only place that has them. Iceland and New Zealand do as well. Norway’s just happen to have cruises devoted to them. The fjords are a THING! I’m pretty sure this is where fairies live but don’t quote me on that.

12.  Table Mountain, Cape Town

The indigenous name, Huri ‡oaxa, in the Khoekhoe language, means “mountain rising from the sea.“  Surely this incredible sight stunned the Portuguese explorers who landed in Cape Town and gave them a few minutes of awe.  I would just go ahead and call all of Cape Town as a wonder since the city has more natural beauty than almost any in the world.

13  Zhangjiajie National Forest, China

Does this look familiar? This is where Avatar was filmed. Sometimes the magic in the movies is based on the real magic of the natural world. I am DYING to visit this place.

14.  Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

I don’t think I need to say much about this except that it’s the largest salt flat in the world, sits at almost 12,000 feet of elevation and is over 4,086 square miles in size. And it’s PHO. NOM. EN. AL!

[bctt tweet=”This is the place where you can’t tell where earth stops and heaven begins.” username=”redheadcher”]

#15 Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat, meaning “Five Kings”, is an archipelago in the eastern Indonesian region of West Papua and is delightfully remote and hard to reach, keeping it thus far one of the most pristine natural places left on the planet. This is a nature lovers’ paradise, for bird watchers but especially scuba divers. The underwater coral gardens here may be the most beautiful and wonderous in the world.

Man-Made Wonders of the World

#16  Samarkand, Uzbekistan

The fabled city of Samarkand is a place many children in the middle east and central Asia grow up hearing about but many of us in the West don’t know of. Few man-made things on this earth have impressed me as much as the history and ornate beauty of Registan Square. This isn’t an ancient wonder nor a modern wonder. Built in the 1400’s by Amir Timur, this was the heart of his dynasty. A dynasty whose descendants became the Mughal empire in India and were responsible for the next wonder on the list. Isn’t history cool?

#17  The Taj Mahal

This oft photographed mausoleum is so staggeringly special that most people stop for a second, dumbfounded that they are actually in front of such architectural splendor.

The story behind it is part of what makes it so beautiful. Shah Jahan, the great Mughal Emperor with a million wives  (I may be exaggerating) built this for his favorite wife, Mumtaz who he called “Taj”. She was his best friend, political advisor and often rode with him on military campaigns. When he was imprisoned by his son, he begged to have a view of the Taj Mahal, so he could always see his love. Do you need a tissue?

I heard the story, then walked through the gates and stopped, numb as I described above and then started crying. So that’s 4 places on this list that made me cry.

[bctt tweet=”No matter how many times you’ve seen this place in photos, seeing it in person still is an astounding experience.” username=”redheadcher”]

#18  Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is the world’s longest wall and biggest ancient architecture and is over 2,300 years old. The official length is 21,196.18 km (13,170.7 mi). It took 6 dynasties to complete the wall but the largest part was built but the Ming Dynasty. Enough said. It’s a damn wonder for sure!

#19  Machu Picchu

This ancient Incan capital in the clouds was constructed at an extreme elevation from heavy stone carried for days up mountains and then put together without the use of mortar or modern tools. Not to mention that the location was so cleverly chosen, that the Spanish conquistadors never found it. And the LOOKED!  The most wondrous part to me is hiking the Inka Trail for 3 days prior. You feel connected to the past, to Pacha Mama and when you finally arrive at Machu Picchu, you know that you earned it.

Read More:  Hiking to Machu Picchu

 

#20  Angkor Wat, Cambodia

One of the coolest things about this lost city is that although it was built in the 12th century, it was abandoned, swallowed up by the jungle and then “discovered” or should I say “found” in the late 1800’s. Since then it was restored to its former glory.

#21  The Alhambra in Granada, Spain

The Moors ruled Spain (and other places) for centuries and built some seriously spectacular stuff. One of the most spectacular is this, the Alhambra palace and fortress in Granada, a city in the Andalucia region of southern Spain. In 1492 the Christians conquered the city and ended Moorish rule but even they couldn’t bear to tear down most of the things their enemy had built because it was that badass.

#22  The Great Pyramids of Giza

Duh, obvy. This is the OG of this list. Basically, all of Egypt is a museum. An ancient wondrous ass museum that has some of the oldest man-made marvels in the world. These were built in 1200 BC. Let that sink in.  That’s almost one thousand years earlier than the oldest one on this list (and the only other “B.C” one, Petra) Seeing these giant tombs up close leaves you dumbfounded and wondering how the hell these things were built. Scientists are still trying to solve that puzzle.

#23 Petra, Jordan

This archaeological site in Jordan’s southwestern desert dates to around 300 B.C. It was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom and contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs. Simply mind-blowing!

#24  Meteora, Greece

The beauty of this landscape is wondrous enough but add to that the fact that hermit monks escaping the threat of the Ottoman Empire in the late 14th century decided to build some monasteries here, in the most inaccessible location ever!  There are currently 6 Eastern Orthodox monasteries (out of an original 24) all precariously positioned at the tops of these immense natural pillars of rock. I ask again, how the hell did they manage to build these only using ropes and baskets to transport materials (and people) up and down (she says, shaking her head in wonder).

 

Read More:  2 Week Itinerary for Greece

 

#25  Easter Island

Mysterious giant head statues on the most remote island in the world and culture and history steeped in mystery…yes I think it qualifies as a world wonder!

 

#26  Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines

Located in the north of Luzon island, these stunning terraces were carved into the mountains of the lfugao province by the ancestors of the indigenous people, the Igorot. They were built mostly by hand. The rice crop is fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps were put end to end, it would encircle half of the globe! Whatttt????

#27 Matera, Italy

This ancient city of cave dwellings has archaeological evidence of continued occupation dating back to Paleolithic times, making one of the oldest cities in the world. Its more recent history of being the poorest and most shameful part of Italy in the 1950s but turned into a UNESCO world heritage site in 1993, a European Capital of Culture in 2019 and used in a James Bond movie in 2021 is utterly fascinating. Talk about a glow-up!

*Disclaimer, this is a list of places either I’ve been to or I’ve heard of. This is just an example of the inherent bias in any list! Let’s make this list as great as it can. Add your comments below as to what should be added and I will continually update this yearly!

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