10 Places With Kaleidoscope Nature

There are some places in the world where you expect to see multiple colors together. Fields of wildflowers, for example, or the early stages of autumn. Otherwise, many of us expect nature to play by certain rules, where water is blue and dirt is brown. But Mother Nature doesn’t care for human rules; sometimes she puts pinks and greens where you least expect them. While many are familiar with the Rainbow Mountains in Peru or the prismatic springs of Yellowstone National Park, here are some less-traversed parts of Earth that defy expectation and dazzle with unique color combos.

New Zealand’s Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland is home to numerous astonishing natural spectacles, from the Lady Knox Geyser, which spouts 30–60 feet in the air, to the Devil’s Bath. The Devil’s Bath is a pool of stagnant water that gets its electric green color from volcanic sulfur deposits floating near the surface, which refract the sunlight and produce a rotten egg smell. Swimming is prohibited, as the water is extremely acidic, but a peek at the fluorescent color is certainly worth the stench.

Although southeast Kazakhstan’s Aktau Mountains in Altyn Emel National Park translate to “White Mountains,” these parfait peaks are composed of many more colors than just white: bluish-gray sandstone, red clay, yellow and pink carnelian, jasper, and white quartz form its sedimentary layers. Created by volcanic activity 400 million years ago, these mountains are widely known for their paleontological deposits, including remains of crocodiles, turtles, and giant rhinos. The 19-mile span of mountains that visitors can scale today are in fact the bottom of an ancient ocean.

While red tide is usually a deterrent to beachgoers, visitors flock to China’s Red Beach in Panjin Shi specifically to observe its crimson shores every autumn. Along the northern coast of the Liaodong Bay, where the soil is very salty and alkaline-heavy, coastal green seepweed plants turn bright red every September through October. Over 200 species of migratory birds call this habitat home, including the extremely rare red-crowned heron. The topography and salinity of the Liao River Delta make this a unique place on Earth, and miles of boardwalks allow visitors to immerse themselves in the carmine wetlands.

Lake Atanasovsko, located just off the coast of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, derives its hot-pink color from its high salt content. Locals believe the lake has therapeutic properties, and swimmers can be found floating in it or covering themselves in its mud before taking a dip in the Black Sea. The lake is Bulgaria’s foremost producer of salt, with 40,000 tons of sea salt extracted annually. Among the hundreds of species of plants and animals that call the lake home, as of 2019, visitors can now spot pink flamingos in the pink lake, who migrate there from as far away as France and Spain.

Spain’s Green Lagoon sits on the lip of Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, and its colors provide a striking contrast that have caught the eye of some film directors, including Pedro Almodóvar (Broken Embraces, 2009) and Don Chaffey (One Million Years B.C., 1966). Formed by a volcanic crater, the lagoon’s acid-green hue comes from a combination of algae and sulfur. The yellowish-green water appears all the more otherworldly alongside the black volcanic rock beaches, while nearby red cliffs and the blue ocean complete the colorful palette. Given the barren, rocky landscape’s resemblance to the surface of the moon, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) frequently use the surrounding area to train astronauts.

White Sands National Park in New Mexico is home to the largest pure gypsum dune field in the world, which is ever-shifting and constantly evolving. As lake water evaporates in the western part of the park, it leaves behind minerals that form gypsum deposits. These deposits accumulate to create the white sand dunes, which can migrate up to 30 feet per year on the blowing winds, adding to the park’s ethereal nature. Visitors to White Sands National Park enjoy hiking up the dunes, sledding down them, and attempting to capture their majesty in photographs at all hours of the day.

Starting in September, as autumn sweeps across Korea, vibrant fields of pastel pink muhly grass make traditional fall foliage pale in comparison. Originally native to the central and eastern United States, where it grows in small tufts, pink muhly grass was introduced to Korea in 2014 and became a sensation after Jeju Island’s Hueree Natural Park planted an entire field of it. The vibrant plant is not only eminently Instagrammable, it is also drought-resistant and helps ward off soil erosion. There are now a few places in South Korea to spot pink muhly grass in over-the-top quantities, and Cheomseongdae is a particularly distinct spot, next to the oldest astronomical observatory in East Asia.

Northern Ethiopia is home to one of the hottest places in the world: Dallol, in the Danakil Depression. Average annual temperatures hover around 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and highs reach near 120 degrees. Dallol lies over 400 feet below sea level and maintains an extremely arid climate. Unsurprisingly, this remote place has remained largely uninhabited over the course of human history, with the exception of several 20th-century mining projects. Within the harsh terrain, Dallol’s salt formations create a surreal landscape in varying hues, from rust orange to neon yellow and ghastly green.

While pure white, pink, and black sand beaches make for dramatic coastlines around the world, Padar Island in Indonesia boasts shores with all three colors in the same spot. The pink sands are formed by a combination of crushed red coral, shells, and microscopic marine creatures, while the black sands are a result of volcanic rock. Padar is the third-largest island in Komodo National Park, and visitors who scale its peaks for a panoramic view can behold the tricolored beaches, looking like Neapolitan ice cream. They might also catch sight of the abundant marine life in its surrounding waters, including manta rays, sharks, dolphins, and the occasional whale.

Formed by a collapsed volcano, stunning Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador is a large crater lake that inexplicably changes color from icy blue to turquoise green. This cyclical color change has happened seven times over the past 26 years, and although scientists suspect it’s related to the lake’s volcanic material, its pattern remains a mystery. Teopán Island, a site of importance for the Maya, is located within the lake, and is now accessible only with an invitation from one of the island’s wealthy homeowners.