The 12 most incredible natural wonders on Earth

ANCIENT, intriguing trees. Lakes that have taken on alien-like colours. Here are some of the weirdest and most amazing sights on the planet, and two of them are here in Australia.

Magical Socotra Island. Picture: Rod Waddington

There is seriously wacky stuff going on in this world, and some of the weirdest, most amazing sights are caused by Mother Nature.

Take a look at these 12 jaw-dropping natural wonders around the world.

1. Socotra Island, Yemen

If you were to visit Socotra Island off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, you might think you had landed on an alien planet — there are more than 900 kinds of flora and fauna here, and one-third of those cannot be found anywhere else on the planet.

The unique plant and tree species (like these Dragon’s Blood trees) have evolved to handle the island’s harsh climate, and many are varieties that existed in ancient Africa but have long since disappeared.

2. Waiotapu Champagne Pool, North Island, New Zealand

It’s spectacularly coloured. Picture: Robert Young

This geothermal hot spring was formed 900 years ago and is 73 degrees. The constant efflux of carbon dioxide creates an effect similar to a glass of bubbly (hence the name), and mineral deposits have created the colourful hues.

3. Lake Hillier, Middle Island, Australia

"Lake Hillier" is a large PINK lake in Australia! pic.twitter.com/uD10VJnaqE

— Believe It or Not! (@Ripleys) November 16, 2014

Found on Middle Island in the Recherche Archipelago off the South Coast of Western Australia, Lake Hillier is pink — and no one really knows why. Scientists’ favourite theory is that it results from bacteria that live in the salt crusts of the lake.

One of the best ways to see the lake is from above, where it appears bubblegum pink. However, the water still looks watery pink from it’s shores, and even when bottled.

4. Cave of Crystals, Naica, Mexico

TCP Cairns Eye: Rene Boissevain in Naica Crystal Cave Rene / Boissevain / Naica

This cave showcasing giant crystals, some several feet thick, was discovered deep within a mountain in 2000 by miners.

The cave holds the largest selenite crystals ever found, but at nearly 300 metres below the Earth’s surface, this wonder is not easy to see — only the most determined can brave the miserable conditions and dangerously oppressive heat (you need to wear ice packs, a special thermal suit, and breathing apparatus).

5. Stone Forest, Shilin Yi, China

Tourists walking through the Stone Forest.

Hundreds of millions of years of seismic activity and erosion have created these imposing limestone formations, some of which stand nearly 10 storeys tall. The labyrinth of stone stretches over 300 kilometres.

The Stone Forest - China pic.twitter.com/N0np7JUKRF

— MB Photo Channel (@MariaBoedeker) April 22, 2014

6. Cano Cristales, La Macarena, Colombia

The magical Cano Cristales. A beauty of nature with 7 colours merging together: http://t.co/B1Gyv30jlR #travel pic.twitter.com/fWNrXx1kmE

— Daniel Gennaoui (@DanielGennaoui) November 23, 2014

It’s almost hard to believe this is for real and not something out of dream that involves unicorns. Most of the time, this river doesn’t look like anything special. But every year, there’s a brief moment between the wet and dry seasons when it bursts with colour.

A special plant that is a vibrant red grows during this period, and with the golden sand, blue water, and green moss, it’s no wonder the river has been nicknamed “the liquid rainbow.”

Red-y for some fun? Picture: Javier Devilman

7. One’uli Beach, Wailea-Makena, Hawaii

One’uli Beach, Maui, Hawaii, USA. pic.twitter.com/zyP4CHgvaw

— The Best from Earth (@TheEarthsFinest) September 6, 2014

There are actually several black sand beaches in Hawaii, like those in Wainapanapa State Park. Rather than being made up of the typical ground up shells and rocks, the dark brooding beaches have sand that’s actually microscopic little lava pebbles from the surrounding volcanoes’ dried lava and cinder.

8. Snow Rollers, Cincinnati, Ohio

Rolling into town. Picture: Miranda Granche

Last winter, the conditions in Cincinnati were perfect for a rare phenomenon: snow rollers — like the snow version of a Swiss roll cake. Mother Nature’s snowballs, as they’re sometimes called, occur when a wet layer of snow falls on top of a colder, icier layer of snow, and they’re hit by wind strong enough to roll the snow into this cylindrical shape.

9. Eaglehawk Neck Tessellated Pavement, Tasmania

Australia is home to some amazing sights. Picture: JJ Harrison

It looks so perfectly geometric, you would think it is man-made, but this stretch of rock formations is the work of nature. Erosion and sea water have flattened the rocks, and the process of salt water saturating the rocks, then the rocks drying out when the tide recedes has created the shallow basins.

Closer to the shore, where the rocks are covered by water for longer periods of time, there are more loaf-shaped formations.

10. The Wave, Coyote Buttes, Arizona and Utah

It doesn't get more "wow" than this pic of the Milky Way over The Wave by Max Seigal. #Arizona pic.twitter.com/v3JyciXfTc

— US Dept of Interior (@Interior) July 15, 2014

As the name The Wave suggests, it looks as if you could surf these calcified Navajo sandstone dunes. Some are up to nine metres high, and their unique shape is thanks to erosion from sand and wind.

In order to see these amazing formations up close and personal, you need to enter a lottery for a permit, so plan ahead.

11. Spotted Lake, British Columbia, Canada

The Spotted Lake. Picture: Tim Gage

It looks like a work of modern art, but the multicoloured spheres of the Spotted Lake are mineral deposits, left behind when the lake evaporates each summer.

Located near Osoyoos (not from the Washington state border), these days you can’t get too close to the lake because the area is sacred to the First Nations of the Okanagan Valley and now privately owned, but you can get a good view from the nearby road.

12. Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier, Antarctica

The Blood Falls, #Antarctica. It isn't really blood, just a subterranean iron-rich lake. Obviously. #Factoftheday pic.twitter.com/LhH26ISttP

— Black Tomato (@Black_Tomato) January 17, 2014

This bright red waterfall cascading down over pristine white ice and snow makes for an almost gruesome sight, as if the glacier is bleeding.

In reality, the crimson water comes from a two-million-year-old lake trapped beneath Taylor Glacier; its colour is due to ancient microbes still living within the subterranean iron-rich water, and a crack in the glacier allows the blood-red water to flow out.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo Travel and was sourced via the New York Post.