Colourful Landscapes

Mother Earth is brimming with colours. There are several places across the globe that are unusually coloured by the presence of pigmented bacteria, millions of years of sedimentary layering and other natural forces. There is a plethora of colourful natural wonders ranging from multicoloured mountains & deserts to astronomical curiosities and kaleidoscopic rivers gracing the surface of our planet. Our planet is an amalgamation of prism of hues for example a river in Colombia also known as liquid rainbow is popular for its vivid colours that cast the river in red, yellow, green and blue hues between July and November. In this blog we will be talking about the most vibrant places across the world. We have curated a list of the places that will make you think twice if they exist for real or not.

1. Northern lights - Norway
   Northern lights - a mythical light show that is on every traveller’s bucket list is a natural wonder that lies in the auroral oval in Northern Norway. These lights are visible from many places like Alaska, Iceland, Canada and Greenland but the best place to see this natural phenomenon is northern Norway especially near the town of Tromsø. The best time to see the northern lights is between September and March when it is dark and the swirls of glowing green, pink and purple gaseous particles are visible in the Earth’s atmosphere.

   

2. Panjin red beach - China
   Known as a beach but in reality it is a plant-covered wetland situated in the biggest wetland and reed marsh in the world. It lies in the southwest of Panjin part of the Liaohe River delta. The crimson colour of the beach comes from a type of seaweed that flourishes in the highly alkaline soil. These seaweed sprouts are green in the spring, turn lush jade in early summer and explode into a range of shades of crimson during its peak viewing seasons from late summer into early fall (August-October). Red beach is home to over 400 wildlife species and is the layover spot for approximately 250 species of birds that migrate annually from East Asia to Australia. Don’t forget to bring your camera as photography enthusiasts can get some of the classic shots here.

   

3. Havasu Falls - Grand Canyon
   Located in the Arizona region of the Grand Canyon Havasu Falls is one among the several falls that hikers would stumble upon while trekking in the Grand Canyon's Havasupai trail near Supai Arizona. The waterfall is named after the Havasupai people who are natives of the Grand Canyon area. The water flows out of limestone which gives it a pleasing blue-green hue. The waterfalls have created large plunge pools that are clear, deep and inviting. People come from around the world to view the waterfalls and Grand Canyon scenery.

   

4. Painted Desert - Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
   Painted Desert is jaw-droppingly beautiful as it is made up of erosion-prone layers of siltstone, mudstone and shale stretching across northeast Arizona. The landscape got its painted appearance from the abundance of iron and manganese present in the rock layers. Painted desert got its name from its unique terrain, a combination of sediments from sandstone, clay, volcanic ash and other geological materials that projects a riot of colours - lavender, red, orange and pink.

   

5. Cano cristales river - Colombia
   River of five colours in central Colombia is undoubtedly the most beautiful river in the world. A confluence of natural occurrences during the wet and dry season causes the water to run chromatic in the Cano cristales river. The crimson red hue is caused by a plant species in the river water that is visible throughout the year. Depending on the water, sand & rock formations and sunlight levels the river water due to which it appears purple, yellow, green and black round the year.

   

6. Grand prismatic spring
   This massive jewel of a hot spring is notable for its sheer size (largest in the U.S. and the third-largest in the world) but its striking feature is its rainbow-like colouration that amuses all the tourists. Moreover the hot spring's rainbow rings have led it to become Yellowstone's most photographed thermal feature. These colourful bands get their hues from different species of heat-loving bacteria that live in the spring. Each colour in the spring signifies a different temperature and a different variety of microscopic life. Like many other hot springs Grand prismatic spring is home to a variety of pigmented bacteria that thrive along its mineral-rich edges.

   

7. Seven coloured Earth - Mauritius
   Seven colour sand dunes near the Chamarel in Mauritius is a geological formation known for distinct colour sands - red, purple, violet, blue, green, yellow and brown. These sand dunes are created through the gradual conversion of basaltic lava into clay minerals. The different colours are the result of various cooling temperatures of the rock. One of the most fascinating facts of the sand is that if you mix a handful of this sand then the grains would eventually sort themselves by their shades. It is one of the most spectacular attractions in Mauritius not just for its aesthetic allure but also because of its mystical resilience.

If you are aware of more colourful places in the world then do let us know in the comments below. For the best ticket booking experience, book your train and flight tickets through Trainman app. Download the Trainman App to check PNR Status of your ticket, to get running status, to get train seat availability and many such features.