Rice terraces, Vietnam 

The Wave, Arizona

The colourful sandstone rock formation in the Coyote Buttes North Area of the US state features a pattern of beautiful curves and dates back to the Jurassic age.

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The world's largest salt flat, formed from several prehistoric lakes, is laid out over a source of brine which contains nearly half of the world's lithium reserves.

Northern Lights

Elusive and ethereal, the Northern Lights are one of the great, timeless thrills of travel, a beautiful, shifting dance of nocturnal rainbows that many viewers find a humbling and spiritually uplifting experience. They occur most commonly in the Arctic region, and in recent years the chance of enjoying the spectacle has become a prime reason to fly north for a winter break.

Caño Cristales, Colombia

This river, famous for its red-coloured underwater plants in the remote La Macarena National Park, is a good illustration of locals taking a hand in tourism.

Keukenhof, Netherlands

Set in the heart of the Netherlands’ prime bulb region south-west of Amsterdam, the Keukenhof claims to be the most beautiful spring garden in the world. Artistically presented across its 79 acres are arcs and curves, lines and strips of tulips, narcissi and hyacinths in unnaturally vivid colours, interspersed by reflective ponds and whimsical sculptures.

Quebrada de Humahuaca, Argentina

This Unesco World Heritage site is set in the Jujuy province of north-west Argentina. The region has been populated for at least 10,000 years. The Rio Grande river runs through the valley during the summer. 

Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming

Stretching 250ft by 380ft, the Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park and the third largest in the world. Set in the Midway Geyser Basin, green algae forms its inner circle, followed by a yellow rim that fades to orange and red on its outermost border. 

Dallol, Ethiopia

At Dallol, in the Denakil Depression, Africa dips to a depth of 116m below sea level, and the temperature soars. Dallol has the highest average air temperature in the world, calculated at 34.4°C. Head across the salt plain to the Dallol volcano, the lowest on earth, if that's not hot enough for you.

Chocolate Hills, Philippines

Bohol Island's 1,200 or so Chocolate Hills are a bit like giant Maltesers melted across a huge tray – which makes this attraction a mouth-watering prospect for those legions among us with a weakness in that direction.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Rated as one of the seven wonders of the natural world, this World Heritage Site stretches for 2,300 kilometres (1,430 miles) along the Queensland coast – from Bundaberg to the Torres Strait. In addition to being the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem, it is also the planet’s largest protected marine area, supporting 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc. 

Mendenhall Glacier cave, Alaska

These caves have icy walls in varying depths of blue, that shimmer as meltwater seeps over them. There are several caves within the glacier, some that can be reached on a trek, others that are much harder to get to. 

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

The mouth of the upper Antelope Canyon is one of the most popular and accessible slot canyons in the south-western United States, writes Telegraph Travel's Jolyon Attwooll, who visited the area where Danny Boyle's 127 Hours film was shot.

Okama, Japan

This crater lake at the centre of Mount Zao in Honshu, the largest and most populous island of Japan, is surrounded by three mountain ranges - the Kattadake, Kumanodake and Goshikidake.

Lavender fields, Provence

Bright-striped lavender fields are one of Provence's key sights in the summer, before the harvest. The ripples of colour mark out the contours of the region's gently undulating hills and are much photographed by eager tourists. 

Fly Geyser, Nevada

This geyser is said to have been "accidentally" created as a result of well drillings which took place nearby in the mid-Sixties, which caused the build-up and eruption of dissolved minerals. Its colours come from thermophilic algae which thrive in high temperatures.

Lake Natron, Tanzania

This salt and soda lake looks like something you might expect to see on the planet Mars. A blaze of cracked magenta, the lake is deadly and calcifies any animals that have the misfortune to take a dip in its fiery shores.

Kelimutu craters in Flores, Indonesia

Local legend holds that at least one of these three lakes is inhabited by evil spirits and, when they can turn as dark as an inkwell, you can see why. Each crater lake changes colour and in the past they have been variously brown, red, turquoise and blue.

Shubazakura Hill, Japan

Set in Hitsujiyama Park overlooking the city of Chichibu, around 400,000 pink moss flowers come to bloom between April and May on this hill spanning 17,600 square metres. Nearly 1,000 cherry trees also blossom in April.

 Verdon Gorge, Provence

The Gorge du Verdon, France's answer to the Grand Canyon, plunges 1,000ft to the emerald-green river below.