See the world's most stunning vistas

01. Best Vistas of the World: Milford Sound

The Maori attribute the creation of the New Zealand fjords, such as Milford Sound, to Tute Rakiwhanoa, who cut the steep-sided valleys with his adze. What other explanation could there be for these spectacularly steep, sheer cliffs that rise nearly vertically from the ocean? In 1883, explorer James Hingston wrote, "For thousands of feet upwards the eye looks upon straight cut rocky frontages, not worn smooth by time, or by wind or water, but as sharply defined and as fresh looking in all respects as if riven asunder but yesterday by the stupendous wedges of Titanic Masons.” Milford Sound is the best known of the fjords, running nearly 10 miles from its head to the open sea. But being here is just half the fun. The steep and sinuous Milford Road makes the 74-mile drive from Te Anau a stunning immersion in numerous viewpoints of alpine scenery and massive scale, all of which build to the joyous, breathtaking sight of Milford Sound.

 

The best way to see it: Fly in on a beautiful day.

 

 

02. Best Vistas of the World: Sahara Desert

 

 

 

 

 

Think of the size of the United States: that is the size of the Sahara Desert, which comprises 3.5 million square miles. No wonder Westerners often say “Timbuktu” when they mean “the middle of nowhere.” Eleven nations lie at least partly in the desert. Large swaths are utterly desolate, though the Sahara supports 2 million people, not counting those who live along the Nile and Niger rivers. And the extremes! As hot as 136 degrees Fahrenheit and as cold as 22 degrees; supporting sand gazelles and ants, palm trees and grasses; fairly flat, rocky terrain and the wind-sculpted dunes that loom over it; the vast, shimmering sky and the way it makes a person look inconsequential.

 

 

03. Best Vistas of the World: Olga Mountains

 

 

 

Once they see Uluru, many visitors are satisfied with their time in Australia's Outback, ignoring the Olga Mountains. But those who can stand the sometimes wretchedly harsh conditions are rewarded with the sight of the Olgas, just 15.5 miles west of Uluru. These 36 stunning peaks in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park were formed by rain and wind erosion. The light jabs and jukes at the rocks at sunrise, and you can see Uluru in the distance.

 

The best way to see it: Take a walking tour guided by an aboriginal leader.

 

 

04. Best Vistas of the World: Iguazu Falls

 

 

 

Shared by Brazil and Argentina, Iguazu Falls is one of the most imposing natural wonders in South America. The indigenous Guarani people called this “great waters” long before Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca stumbled across it in 1541. The Iguazu River runs 745 miles along a smooth plateau, then reaches a series of faults that turn it into a semicircular thundering mass of mist. The falls are actually a group of 270 waterfalls with cliffs and islets. You can take a boat to the base of the falls and really feel the mist, or walk along two footbridges to revel in the panoramic view.

 

The best way to see it: Take a boat ride to the base of the falls.

 

 

05. Best Vistas of the World: Oregon Coast

 

 

 

 

The Oregon coast is the People’s Coast, thanks to the 1967 Oregon Beach Bill, which granted free beach access to everyone. And the people make the most of their coastline, which stretches 363 miles from the Columbia River to California; there are almost too many activities, including hiking, sport fishing, cycling, kite flying, scuba diving, surfing, sand boarding, boating, camping, clam digging, surf fishing, horseback riding and body boarding. Many people are drawn by the scenery, the ghostly sea stacks emerging from the fog, the views from the many headlands of the rock and sand beaches and the sea cliffs; the historic lighthouses, most of which were built before 1900, commissioned to aid in navigating the Graveyard of the Pacific; and the marine life of seals, sea lions and migrating gray and humpback whales.

 

The best way to see it: Get an oceanfront room.

 

 

 

06. Best Vistas of the World: The Dolomites

 

 

Swiss architect Le Corbusier called Italy's Dolomites “les plus belle architectures du monde” (the most beautiful architectures on Earth); indeed, the Italian mountain range speaks to the power of nature. The Dolomites comprise many types of rock, some of which eroded spectacularly, leaving seemingly delicate pinnacles, some of which formed tightly compact peaks and some of which formed from cooling lava. The mountains’ faces are dominated by vertical gouges, big ledges and large, high plateaus; scree slopes make up the base of the mountains. The highest spot in the range is 10,968 feet, and the peaks average around 9,800 feet in elevation. But the valleys plunge to such depths as to produce dizzying changes in elevation. The sum: light and shadow in intricate and ever-changing proportions.

 

The best way to see it: Take a mountain bike trip.

 

 

07. Best Vistas of the World: Grand Canyon

 

 

 

The Grand Canyon can easily overwhelm our imaginations with its daunting size: A mile deep, 277 river miles long and 18 miles across at its widest. But it can immediately deliver serenity with its solid magnificence; it is a powerful landscape at any time of the day, but most inspiring at sunset and sunrise when the canyon walls color and fade. It isn’t any wonder why nearly 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year: Its grandeur is unparalleled.

 

The best way to see it: Ride in a mule train.

 

 

08. Best Vistas of the World: Serengeti

 

 

 

The Maasai name for the Serengeti is "Serengit" — it translates to “endless plains” — and this section of Africa is so vast that it seems to dwarf the herds of 2 million wildebeest, gazelles and zebra that migrate twice annually in a giant circle, the largest mammal migration in the world. Covering 12,000 square miles, the Serengeti stretches from southwestern Kenya to northern Tanzania. Through the years, ash from nearby volcanic activity turned as hard as concrete when it rained, and plant roots cannot penetrate the hardpan; thus the occasional sight of a lone tree standing sentinel over the plains. Granite outcroppings, known as kopjes, punctuate the plains. One of the most visited is Simba Kopje, which made the Serengeti the inspiration for “The Lion King.”

 

The best way to see it: Join a safari.

 

 

 

09. Best Vistas of the World: Norwegian Fjords

 

 

 

 

Western Norway’s fjords are among the longest, deepest, narrowest and most dramatic in the world — their importance was recognized when two, Geirangerfjord and Næøyfjord, were added in 2005 to the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are various ways to approach the fjords. Driving the Fjord Coast Route involves 13 ferries; you also can take a train, a cruise and an overflight. You also can climb to Pulpit Rock, which overlooks the Lysefjord near Stavanger; you’ll gain 2,000 feet in elevation during a two-hour hike, and the view will make you completely forget your toils.

The best way to see it: Relax on a cruise.

 

 

 

10. Best Vistas of the World: Amazon Rainforest

 

 

 

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rain forest on Earth. Often called Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, the rain forest covers 1.4 billion acres. Its sheer size means biodiversity like nowhere else; indeed, the Amazon Jungle represents more than half of the planet’s remaining rain forest. A beautiful effort: Deep in Amazonia live isolated tribes of people that Brazil's government chooses not to contact, but it does monitor them and tries to protect them.

 

The best way to see it: Travel through the jungle by boat.

 

 

 

11. Best Vistas of the World: Verdon Canyon

 

 

 

 

The Verdon River, which takes its name from its emerald-colored waters, is the reason for the 18-mile gorge referred to as the Verdon Grand Canyon, having eroded the chalky plateau of Provence. The rugged, steep sides of this gorge plunge vertiginously between 820 and 2,460 feet. Jean Giono, a French writer who set his fiction in Provence, said, "There is nothing more extraordinary than this combination of rocks and chasms, green waters and purple shadows, this sky redolent of a Homeric sea and this wind which speaks with the voices of dead gods."

 

The best way to see it: Use your rock-climbing skills.

 

 

12. Best Vistas of the World: Mount Kenya

 

 

Mount Kenya is held sacred by the Maasai, who believe this is where the first Maasai couple descended with their cattle, and by the Kikuyu, who call it "Kirinyaga" — "bright big hill"— and believe their god, Ngai, lived on the mountain and created the Earth and the first humans. No wonder. Mount Kenya sits imposingly at 17,058 feet, with impressively eroded slopes and numerous valleys squiggling down its flanks. The second-tallest mountain in Africa, after Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya rises just south of the equator, yet it shoulders 11 glaciers and its year-round snows engorge the Tana River, the source of much of Kenya’s electricity. The mountain’s immense mass radiates peace and tranquility, making it a fantastic platform for glorious views.

 

The best way to see it: Explore the region on a trek.

 

 

13. Best Vistas of the World: Cliffs of Moher

 

 

 

As if shot from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, the massive Cliffs of Moher make the edge of Ireland appear to have been sheared off by giants a long time ago. One of the country's most popular attractions, the Cliffs of Moher attract a million visitors each year and provide a home for millions of nesting sea birds. "Aillte an Mhothair" translates from Irish as "cliffs of the ruin"; they compose five miles of the western seaboard of County Clare. They reach their maximum height of 702 feet just north of O’Brien’s Tower, a round stone tower built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O’Brien. You can climb to the top of the watchtower to see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay and the hills and valleys of Connemara to the north and Loop Head to the south — on a clear day, of course.

 

The best way to see it: Take a day trip from Galway.

 

14. Best Vistas of the World: Lake Baikal

 

 

 

Lake Baikal's statistics seem as big as all of Russia: The “Pearl of Siberia” is the deepest lake on Earth, containing one-fifth of the fresh water on the Earth’s surface. Baikal is 395 miles long, 50 miles wide, and 5,371 feet deep, draining a watershed of 212 square miles, fed by more than 330 rivers. And it has thermal vents in its depths. At least 1,500 species of plant and animal life are unique to the lake. Humans have inhabited the area since the Mesolithic period, 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Many native peoples consider Baikal sacred; some believe Genghis Khan was born on Oklhon Island, the largest on the lake. It might be time to plan a visit: Environmentalists are trying to protect the lake from the ravages of industrialization.

 

The best way to see it: Make it part of a Siberian tour.

 

15. Best Vistas of the World: Three Gorges

 

 

 

The scenic Three Gorges span 75 miles of the Yangtze River. The region is primarily known for its awe-inspiring beauty— a representation of the westernmost gorge is on the back on the 10-yuan note — but it is also historically and culturally important to China. It isn’t just the scenery that captures the imagination now, though. More than a million tourists have flocked to the surreally huge Three Gorges Dam in the first seven months of this year. The dam, the world’s largest hydropower project, has dramatically changed the scenery and life in the gorges.

 

The best way to see it: From the deck on a river cruise. 

 

Story by Joanne Garrett, Bing Travel; photo editing by Connie Ricca.