If 2022 travel data is anything to go by, the slump that was occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic may be well behind us. And while we are yet to reach pre-pandemic levels in terms of travel volumes, all indications are that we’re steadily cruising there. For instance, air traffic in 2022 hit about 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Granted, we’re not quite there yet but all these should be exciting news to both investors and globe trotters.
And since folk are all psyched up for travel and raring to go, information on exciting destinations for the new year should look like what the doctor ordered. Forget about the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, or any of the other ancient Seven Wonders of the World. In this article, we reveal the Seven Modern Wonders of the World in 2023. These are the destinations everyone should be packing for.
7 Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
There’s a reason many people consider Perito Moreno Glacier to be the most beautiful glacier on earth. There’s something about the vast, enormous icebergs, the rumbling sound of cracking ice, and the dazzling forms of incandescent glaciers that will leave anyone blown away.
- When is Perito Moreno Glacier open? Sun-Sat 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
6 Tiger's Nest Monastery, Bhutan
Officially known as the Kingdom of Bhutan, Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge. Those who’ve been there will swear that that region of the world is insanely beautiful.
Aside from its dramatic landscapes, Bhutan is known for its fortresses and monasteries. Well, it turns out that Paro Taktsang, or Taktsang Palphug Monastery, known in English as the "Tiger's Nest" is Bhutan’s most iconic monastery.
Of course, the buildings themselves are the kind that will make the eye pop out. But the location is something else.
Perched impossibly on the waist of a steep cliff, Tiger’s Nest deserves the appellation of a modern wonder of the world.
- Fun Fact: Tiger’s Nest is 3,120 Meters or 9,678 feet above sea level.
5 The Lake District, Great Britain
If the words of poets should mean something, It should be enough that William Wordsworth, the celebrated English poet, while on the banks of Grasmere Lake, called the beautiful expanse that makes up Great Britain’s Lake District, “the loveliest spot that man hath ever found.”
- Where Is the Lake District Located? Lake District is in the northwest corner of England, in the county of Cumbria.
4 AlUla, Saudi Arabia
The largest country in the Middle East has a number of attractions that make it well worth visiting. Of course, Riyadh's Edge Of The World must be among this number.
But situated in the heart of Saudi Arabia’s northwestern desert, AlUla, until recently unknown, is of late causing a sizzling sensation.
It has now been discovered that the region holds 200,000 years of largely unexplored human history within its sun-kissed expanse. Some of these include preserved tombs, sandstone outcrops, and mud brick houses.
- Where Can One Stay In AlUla? Madakhil Camp, a 50-minute drive from Prince Abdul Majeed bin AbdulAziz Domestic airport, provides fairly decent lodging.
3 Cappadocia, Turkey
In the world of travel, Turkey really needs no introduction. It has a rich history that’s perhaps only comparable to Rome, Egypt, or Greece. But why exactly is Cappadocia a modern wonder of the world?
The answer lies in its surreal expanse of huge rock towers whose wind-sculpted crowns are a particular sight to behold.
Known as Fairy Chimneys, these implausible natural works of art are what make Cappadocia a modern wonder of the world. The name itself conjures up images of something supernatural.
And true, a look at these spindly stems of rock may make one believe magic is real.
- What Is The Closest City To Fairy Chimneys? The closest city to Fairy Chimneys is Göreme which is only 3.7 miles away.
2 The Sardine Run, South Africa
South Africa’s Sardine Run plays out like a perfect version of the Wildebeest Migration—with one difference. While the Wildebeest Migration plays out on the vast grasslands of the Serengeti, the Sardine Run takes place inside South Africa’s Wild Coast, a section of the coast of the Eastern Cape.
Here’s what annually takes place. Sardines in their tens of millions migrate along this part of the ocean in as vast numbers as will build a 9-mile shoal.
This underwater drama also usually features other aquatic actors such as the Great White Sharks, Orcas, and many other predators who, like the crocodiles of the Serengeti, will be participating in a feast.
1 Mont Saint-Michel, France
Known in Medieval times as the Wonder of the West, Mont Saint-Michel, a 1,000-year-old abbey that perilously teeters atop a rugged outcrop in the middle of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, looks like something dreamed up.
Perhaps, unlike nowhere else, this is where the blend of a stunning natural backdrop and man’s architectural finesse is at its most sublime.