10 Real Places on Earth That Look Like a Sci-Fi Movie Set
Most of us think we know what Earth looks like. Then you stumble on a place that doesn’t fit the script—salt that turns the ground into a perfect mirror, rock formations that look sculpted by something other than wind and rain, deserts holding shapes and colors you’d expect in a movie, not real life. Here are ten spots where reality starts to look like pure science fiction.
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
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After a rainstorm, Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni turns into an endless mirror. This giant salt flat reflects the sky so perfectly that it erases the horizon and makes it look as if you’re walking on a cloud. The vastness and the optical illusion make it feel like you’re not on Earth at all.
Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand
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New Zealand’s Waitomo Caves are famous for their population of glowworms, which emit a natural bluish-green light through bioluminescence. This phenomenon is caused by the glowworms’ ability to produce light to attract prey.
Zhangye Danxia Landform, China
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The Zhangye Danxia geological park is often called a “painted miracle” for its rainbow-colored mountains. Layers of red, orange, and green colors formed over millions of years give the landscape an almost artificial feel. This is the result of millions of years of sedimentary deposits and mineral erosion.
Deadvlei, Namibia
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Ancient camel thorn trees, some over 900 years old, stand against a backdrop of towering red sand dunes. The dry, cracked earth and the contrast between the trees and the sky create a landscape that feels like it could belong on Mars. This area, with its lack of water and extreme heat, has preserved the trees in their current state, making it a unique natural wonder.
Socotra Island, Yemen
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Isolated for over 30 million years, Socotra Island off the coast of Yemen has allowed unique species to thrive in its harsh environment. The island is home to a number of unusual plants, including the Dragon’s Blood Tree, known for its umbrella-like canopy and red sap, which is used in traditional medicine.
Mount Roraima, Venezuela
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Mount Roraima is a massive plateau that rises sharply from the surrounding rainforest. Its flat summit, often shrouded in mist, creates an otherworldly atmosphere, inspiring Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. The isolated peak, with its sheer cliffs and unique ecosystem, has remained largely untouched by time.
Pamukkale, Turkey
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It is also known as the “Cotton Castle”. The place is a striking landscape of white travertine terraces filled with turquoise thermal pools. The calcium-rich waters have created natural formations that resemble a futuristic spa, with the soft white terraces cascading down the hillsides. These terraces, formed over thousands of years, are part of a geothermal spring system, which has been attracting visitors for centuries due to their therapeutic properties and stunning beauty.
Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
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This is made up of thousands of interlocking basalt columns formed by a volcanic eruption over 60 million years ago. The striking symmetry of these columns, with their almost perfect geometric shapes, gives the site a surreal, otherworldly feel.
Kawah Ijen Volcano, Indonesia
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At night, the Kawah Ijen volcano in East Java comes alive with a blue glow. This unusual phenomenon is caused by sulfur gases igniting as they reach the atmosphere. The sight of blue flames shooting out from the ground looks more like a scene from a distant, active planet than a volcano on Earth.
Wadi Rum, Jordan
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The desert landscape of Wadi Rum in southern Jordan is so visually striking that it has served as the backdrop for films like The Martian. With its sweeping red sand dunes, towering sandstone mountains, and vast valleys, Wadi Rum feels more like the surface of Mars than Earth.
Mono Lake, California, USA
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Mono Lake in California is home to striking tufa towers, tall mineral formations made from calcium carbonate that rise dramatically from the lake’s surface. These spires form when freshwater springs mix with the lake’s alkaline waters, thereby creating the unique structures over thousands of years.
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
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Brazil’s Lençóis Maranhenses National Park looks like a planet in the process of formation, untouched by civilization. It is a massive stretch of white sand dunes, broken up by pools of turquoise water.
Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
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The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on Earth. It has volcanic craters, acid springs, and salt flats that create a surreal landscape of extreme conditions. The terrain’s vivid colors, ranging from bright yellows to deep reds, are a result of the sulfur and mineral deposits in the environment, giving it an almost apocalyptic appearance.
Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland
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Iceland’s Vatnajokull Glacier isn’t just massive; it’s also home to stunning ice caves that glow with an eerie blue light. The immense size and unusual, light-filled ice formations give the glacier a sci-fi vibe, as though it’s a frozen, extraterrestrial landscape. It’s one of those places that looks both ancient and futuristic at the same time.