Have you ever encountered a bizarre place or a restaurant while travelling to a new place? If you haven't yet, in this article we are giving you 11 options with the most bizzare travel experiences across the world!
Next time you are visiting one of the below places, make sure to add the bizarre travel experience in your list, because a little adventure doesn't harm anyone.
1. The Door to Hell - Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan
A massive flaming crater known as 'Darvaza Gas Crater' or 'The Door to Hell' has been burning continuously since 1971 in the Karakum Desert. It began when the Soviet geologists accidentally ignited a natural gas deposit.
The crater is 70m in diameter and up to 30m deep. With nothing in sight in the middle of the desert but the flaming crater is surreal and otherworldly.
Location: Derweze, Turkmenistan
2. The Catacombs of Paris - France
Enter the spooky tunnels of Paris, lined with neatly arranged bones and skulls. The vast underground tunnels of the 'Catacombs' hold the remains of approximately six million people. This experience definitely provides a haunting and unforgettable experience.
The subterranean tunnels were used as storage rooms in 1785, as the exhumed bones of corpses could not fit in the cemeteries of Paris.
Location: 1 av du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 14e
3. The Mummies of Guanajuato - Mexico
The 'Museo de las Momias' is located in Guanajuato, Mexico and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1988. On opening the tombs, the workers expected dusty bones, instead they were shocked to find many bodies still remarkably intact with skin, hair, even tongues.
If you visit Mexico, will you be visiting this unique place, that houses naturally preserved mummies that were exhumed due to a local burial tax in the 19th century. Take a spinechilling glimpse in the past at the mummies displayed in glass cases.
Location: Explanada del Panteón Municipal s/n, Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico
4. The Salt Mines of Wieliczka - Poland
Visit the 'Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines' of Poland that will amaze you with its mysterious salt world beneath the earth's surface. In operation since 700 years, the underground mines feature intricate salt sculptures, chapels, and even an underground lake.
Location: Daniłowicza 10, 32-020 Wieliczka, Poland
5. The Bone Church - Kutná Hora, Czech Republic
Sedlec Ossuary or 'The Bone Church', is a small chapel adorned with human bones. Around skeletal remains of around 40,000 to 70,000 people arranged in various artistic formations as a part of the design. A spooky sight this place attracts visitors from around the world.
Location: Zámecká, 284 03 Kutná Hora, Czechia
6. The Icehotel - Jukkasjärvi - Sweden
The self explanatory name 'Icehotel' is built entirely from ice and snow, offering guests the opportunity to sleep in a sub-zero environment! Founded in 1989, this hotel was hand sculpted from massive ice-blocks, today has become a Swedish landmark.
Located in Sweden, this freezing hotel is reconstructed every year, ensuring a new and ever-changing experience.
Location: Marknadsvägen 63, 981 91 Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
7. The Naked Man Festival - Okayama, Japan
Dating back over 500 years known as 'Hadaka Matsuri' or the Naked Man Festival, this unique festival in Japan involves thousands of men wearing loincloths, competing for the sacred Shingi sticks that are released into the temple crowds.
The participants brave the cold weather and jostle through a large crowd in a spectacle that is both bizarre and fascinating. The main event is free to watch and takes place around mid february each year.
Location: 3-8-8 Saidaijinaka, Higashi-ku, Okayama-shi, Okayama, Japan
8. The Underwater Sculpture Park - Grenada, West Indies
Located off the coast of Grenada, 'Molinere Bay Underwater Sculpture Park' was the first of Jason deCaires Taylor’s underwater gardens. A one of a kind site, the underwater sculpture garden is now one of National Geographic’s 25 Wonders of the World.
Ranging from human figures to a ring of children holding hands, one can go snorkeling or diving in this submerged art gallery for a surreal and ethereal experience.
Location: 12°05'00.3"N 61°45'48., 2nd Ave, The Lime, Grenada, West Indies
9. The Crooked Forest - Poland
Located near the town of Gryfino in Poland, the 'Crooked Forest' is a grove of around 400 pine trees with oddly curved trunks.
The reason for the unusual shape of the trees ranges from human manipulation to snowstorms or even gravitational anomalies. It is certainly a rare site and very fascinating to witness.
Location: Przemysłowa 25, 74-105 Nowe Czarnowo, Poland
10. The Magnetic Hill, India
Located near Leh in the Himalayas, the 'Magnetic Hill' is known for its optical illusion. The hills are located 30 km from Leh, with a strange phenomenon that puzzles the visitors. When you park your vehicle at a specific spot and put it in neutral, it appears to roll uphill against gravity.
A sign board nearby reads 'The Phenomenon That Defies Gravity, instructing visitors to park their vehicles in the box marked with a white point on the road, which is known as the Magnetic Road.
Location: Leh-Kargil-Srinagar National Highway
11. The Toilet Restaurant - Taiwan
'Modern Toilet Restaurant' is a unique restaurant chain in Taiwan serving its food in miniature toilet-shaped bowls and dishes!
Anything you order on the menu, is served in a squat toilet bowl or in a Western-style toilet. Dining here is an unusual experience, with a mix of Italian and Asian cuisine.
Location: 111, Taiwan, Taipei City, Shilin District, Wenlin Rd, 173號2F
So which experience out of the above thrilled or scared you the most? We hope you have already added one of the 11 most thrilling and adventurous experiences in the world in your travel list. Afterall, what is travel without some unique places and experiences right.
Also read: Cheers to the Exotic Sips: Exploring the Quirky Beverages of Northeast India
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