For such a small country--and one with a less than enticing name--Iceland sure has its fair share of must-see natural phenomena. If you've already soaked up the steamy minerals of the Blue Lagoon, head southeast to Skaftafell, a preservation area that has been incorporated more...

Stilted bungalows ascending from the crystalline topaz waters of a secluded lagoon. Technicolored fishes darting underneath the front porch as white linen curtains and king bed canopies sway lazily in the breeze. A villa in the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa embodies the more...

Perhaps the most tropical and alluring island of the Philippines, Boracay rests approximately 200 miles south of Manila in the Western Visayas region. At just over 4 miles long, it is packed with beaches, resort accommodations, and several months of hot, sunny, idyllic weather more...

For a while, Tianmen Mountain has claimed to run the longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world. (Note: We haven't checked, but it may also be the only passenger cableway of high mountains in the world). Now its overlords have added a second adrenaline spiker more...

China. It's kind of like one big double-edged Jian. On the one hand, the country is somewhat of a political and economic threat to the United States and our international prosperity. But on the other, it has the Getu Valley, a dramatic stomping ground of limestone cliffs more...

About 150 miles east of the Horn of Africa, Socotra--the largest of an archipelago of four islands--sits grazing in the Indian Ocean. An exotic "lost world" of sorts ever since its separation six million years ago from the adjacent African continent, the island is often described more...

The Krzywy Domek calls Sopot, Poland--specifically, 53 Bohaterów Monte Cassino St. in lower Sopot--home, and all who visit the Krzywy Domek call it the world's most crooked house. Perhaps fitting, then, that it is predominantly used to conduct business, with most of its rental more...

The Keystone of the Sorrentine Peninsula, Sorrento overlooks the Bay of Naples and out beyond to Mt. Vesuvius from high along whitewashed cliffs in southern Italy's Campania region. The city dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, with abundant architecture, ruins, and more...

The Victoria Falls, also called Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders") by those who live near the southern African phenomenon, are a waterfall span of 5,604 feet along the Zambezie river between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Though neither the highest nor the widest on earth, Victoria's more...

Year after year, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise intertwines the enticing vastness and serenity of a luxurious mountain escape with progressive environmental stewardship and responsible tourism. Set along the shores of Alberta's premiere Rocky Mountain oasis, the 5-star more...

Just under 90 miles from Zagreb (and the Zagreb airport) the Plitvice Lakes await teeming with myriad waterfalls, lush green mosses and foliage, boardwalks weaving through the splendor, and small tour boats navigating visitors among the crystal-clear, yet spectrally-hued more...

Though a large and unfortunate percentage of the American population probably does not know what or where Cambodia is, at least 85% of females and 100% of males can identify Angelina Jolie. And a disturbingly high percentage could likely tell you where she is right now. The more...

Giraffe Manor. It could be named for its kitschy décor or tacky lawn art, but thankfully the elegant brick and ivy-laced abode is so named for its resident herd of Rothschild Giraffes. The regal creatures arrived at the manor--located about 6 miles southwest of Nairobi in more...

Fifteen miles of oceanic border approximately 175 miles southeast of Rome calls itself the Amalfi Coast. Within that pocket of Italian paradiso, just 10 minutes from the town of Amalfi, lies a step beyond paradiso: the Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa. Secluded but not insular, more...

High in the Alpine Mountains of Bern, Switzerland, nestled amidst the natural wonders of the Grimselwelt, awaits the Gelmerbahn, a funicular railway that doubles as nature's most extreme roller coaster. With a gradient of 106%, the Gelmerbahn's single, open car will tote more...

At 1,353 feet and 110 stories above the streets of downtown Chicago, The Ledge at Willis Tower's Skydeck will transform any visitor's--or local's for that matter--experience with the Windy City. In January 2009, Willis Tower owners began a major renovation of the beloved more...

The original Stari Most ("Old Bridge") in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina dated back to 1557, when it was built by Mimar Hayruddin at the behest of Suleiman the Magnificent. Under penalty of death, Hayruddin was ordered to erect the widest man-made arch in the world, an eventual more...

The Alexander family farm--now better known as The Hobbiton--could be called a gift from below. Both because of its terrifically quaint burrowed Hobbit Holes covered in sine waves of emerald green, and because of The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's aerial discovery more...

In 2007 Gásadalur, a village on the west side of Vágar in the Faroe Islands, had a population of 17. Vágar's mountainous terrain includes peaks to the north and east of Gásadalur that reach 2,400 and 2,345 feet respectively, so accessing the village was always somewhat laborious more...