This is part three of a five-part feature showcasing 50 of the most beautiful places in the world. Experience the most remarkable locations of natural beauty and wonder. These are unmissable destinations to enjoy and photograph while exploring our marvelous planet.
Travel to awe-inspiring cliff tops, secluded coves and remote coastal towns to witness an impeccable selection of natural beauty and splendor. This feature has been updated for 2016, please use the slides below to navigate.
30. Beachy Head, United Kingdom
Beachy Head in Eastbourne, United Kingdom is one of the most beautiful places and has been a very popular location for numerous movies and TV shows.
The cliff is the highest in Britain, which is 530 ft above the sea level. Beachy Head is one of the landmark cliffs found along Englandâs rugged English Channel facing southern coast.
Photo by HerryLawford
Beachy Head is particularly well known for its white cliffs and the dramatic, wild and undulating English coastline. There is much more to explore when visiting Beachy Head. It is easy to appreciate Beachy Head as one of the 50 most beautiful places in the world. A short walk inland from the cliff tops brings visitors to the secluded village of East Dean.
It is here in the village of East Dean near Beachy Head where the Tiger Inn, Hikerâs Rest, Thai Terre and a world-class deli can be found surrounding a quaint English village green. Beachy Head beer is brewed a short walk down the road for those visitors wishing to sample local brew.
29. Split Pinnacles, China
These stunning split pinnacles are found in the Southcentral China close to the Yangtze River. These two pinnacles look incredibly beautiful and offer astonishing vistas that would not look out of place in James Cameronâs Avatar.
The Hunan province in China is home to the unreal split-pinnacle stunners and some other natural wonders of the Earth. These awe-inspiring tall cliffs rise out of the mist and the landscape is transformed in a magical surreal way. Thousands of tourists are heading to Hunan in China to see these natural and beautiful wonders. With so many ways to see the Split Pinnacles, finding local guides are essential to discover the best places to view the Split Pinnacles in all their majestic glory.
Hunan, where the Split Pinnacles are to be found, is actually a province in the southern part of central China. It is a forested province that reaches the shores of the Yangtze River and Lake Dongting. The area is famous with its large forests and has a vast history stretching back thousands of years.
Hunan Province became an important part of China around 2500 years ago. At this point in history, it was ruled by the âZhou Dynastyâ. Since this time long ago Hunan has started to attract many people from other Chinese regions and provinces. These were generally migrants traveling from the north to south of the country. They farmed the land to grow rice and formed many small villages which started to grow into large population centers over time.
28. Sea Cave, Malta
Sea caves or the Blue Grotto are located on the island of Filfla in Malta. These amazing caves are popular for their beauty and their location when combined with the sunrise, leads to beautiful shades of blue in the sea water.
Photo by Vicburton
The Blue Grotto Malta Sea Caves are easily placed among the 50 most beautiful places in the world. The Blue Grotto Sea Caves in Malta are simply one of the most absorbing natural wonders which you should not miss whilst on vacation.
The Blue Grotto Sea Caves are found on the outskirts south of the Maltese village of Zurrieq. This village is located near Wied iz-Zurrieq which is situated on the southern part of the island of Malta.
Before commencing your walk down to the waterâs edge, visitors should stop to appreciate the rugged cliffs and secluded caves that adorn this part of the Maltese coast. There is a pathway located just beside the road which offers the visitor to the Blue Grotto Sea Caves a panoramic view of the huge majestic shaped limestone arch.
27. Cathedral Cove, New Zealand
Cathedral cove in New Zealand is a naturally formed cathedral shaped cove at the Hahei beach. The cove has been photographerâs favourite during the Sunsets and Sunrises.
26. Aogashima Volcano, Japan
Aogashima Volcano is a subtropical paradise and one of the most uniquely located volcanoes in the world.
Aogashima is a small, tropical volcanic island that is found in the Philippine Sea. In fact Aogashima island comes under the administrative jurisdiction of Tokyo in Japan despite being situated in the ocean some 360 kilometers away from Tokyo. Aogashima island is the most far south and the most isolated yet inhabited island of the Izu archipelago island chain.
Aogashima island itself is essentially a giant volcanic crater that covers the bulk of the land mass. Deep within that main crater, thereâs to be found another, smaller volcano. Aogashima is still capable of volcanic eruption. The volcano is considered an active Class-C volcano even though it last erupted way back in the 1780â˛s.
When Aogashima last erupted on the island it killed nearly half of the settled population forcing the remaining inhabitants to flee for their lives. In spite of this it took just fifty years for the inhabitants to return to Aogashima. Today, some 200 or so brave villagers have made their home on the island despite the possibility of future eruption.
The Kuroshio warm sea current in the surrounding coastal waters influences the mild humid sub tropical climate on the island and makes it the preferred home of many species of wild nature birds. Aogashima island is certainly among the 50 most beautiful places in the world.
25. Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre is a treasure of Italy that stretches along 18km between La Spezia and Levanto.
Consisting of five villages separated by mountains full of olive groves and vineyards, Cinque Terre is named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Photo by psaudi
Cinque Terre is a coastal region in Italy. Cinque Terre is essentially a connected set of five ancient seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. The villages of Cinque Terre are centuries old.
The coastal Italian Riviera is not exactly low on rugged coastline or romantic Italian towns and villages. Yet the five fishing communities of the Cinque Terre are its most iconic feature by some way. The five villages are no longer the secluded gentle places that they once were long ago during centuries past.
Cinque Terre still delivers a feeling of remote historical authenticity. In and around Cinque Terre visitors will find that there are few roads, perfectly preserved Italian architecture and a network of wonderful coastal and mountain trails to explore when hiking in the surrounding countryside.
In each of the five Cinque Terre villages, vibrant and colorful houses along with ancient wine vineyards cling tightly to steep winding terraces. In the tranquil harbors and ports fishing boats bob on the gentle rolling waves.
By the shoreline in Cinque Terre trattorias turn out seafood specialties along with the Liguria area of Italyâs famous tasty sauce, this being pesto.
24. Fingalâs Cave, Scotland
Fingalâs Cave is one-of-a-kind cave with its neat hexagonal columns that form its interior walls. These six-sided pillars make the cave visually astounding easily earning a place on the list of the most beautiful places in the world.
Photo by dun_deagh
Fingalâs Cave is a sea cave on the remote and uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Fingalâs cave is well known for its natural acoustics. The National Trust for Scotland owns this amazing cave and preserves it as best as it can as part of a National Nature Reserve.
Fingalâs Cave is a high ceilinged cave which is seventy-two feet tall and over two-hundred and seventy feet deep. This ancient cave on an isolated Scottish isle has history and geology that are most distinct in the world.
23. Glass Beach, California
Situated just outside Fort Bragg; glass beach in one of the most unusual beaches of the world and certain numbers among the most beautiful places in the world. The shore of this beach consists of millions of round shaped glass bits and fragments.
Photo by naotakem
Glass Beach is a beach area in MacKerricher State Park which is situated near Fort Bragg, California.
The beach is abundant in naturally formed sea glass which has been created from years of dumping garbage into an area of coastline found near the northern part of the town. Critics of Glass Beach in California might call it a big pile of rubbish, however, it is far more remarkable and imaginative than that.
Glass beach is an example of how man and nature have combined to create a unique spectacle worth of preserving and bring the attention of visitors and tourists to Glass Beach.
22. Big Island, Hawaii
Big Island, as the name suggests is the largest island in United States and is still growing. Big island is the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain and is home of five volcanoes, two out of which are the most active volcanoes in the world.
Photo by flequi
The U.S state of Hawaii, more commonly referred to as the Big Island, is the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago of islands situated in the Central Pacific Ocean. Big Island has a diverse terrain with colored sand beaches at Papakolea (green) and Punaluâu (black).
Another feature of Big Island is the lush rainforest areas of the island. Additionally, the island is home to a number of volcanoes, within the Volcanoes National Park. Presently there are two active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa.
The regions of Hapuna Beach and Kahaluu Beach Park to the west of Big Island are well known by visitors and locals for scuba, snorkeling and water sports activities. Big Island has easily earned its place among the most beautiful places in the world.
21. Santorini, Greece
Located in the Cyclades islands group of Greece, Santorini is an island with the most active volcano in the Southern Aegean Volcanic Arc.
Photo by Didiwo
The island of Santorini is the home stunning sunsets, dramatic views and has naturally colored beaches as well. Many tourists and photographers from around the world travel to the island of Santorini purely to experience the amazing sunsets.
It is easy to see why the Greek island of Santorini numbers among the most beautiful places in the world. Find out more about Santorini in our Med feature.
While it might not be possible to visit all of the 50 of the most beautiful places in the world across a lifetime. Certainly, any serious traveler should aim to experience a selection of these magnificent destinations. All you have to do is decide where to travel first of all.
Now that we have reached the end of part three of the feature. What becomes more apparent with each slide showcasing the natural beauty of our world is simply how diverse our little blue planet really is.
More of the Most Beautiful Places in the World
In part four seek out even more remarkable and varied landscapes and places of real-world wonder. All this and more in our guide to the most beautiful places in the world part four.