There are some really strange places in the world, so we have decided to compile a list of some usual attractions for those who enjoy the unconventional places where rats are worshipped, a lake its waters can turn animals to stone and an Island full of dolls hanging from trees and buildings covered with cobwebs and insects!
Here is our selection of the most bizarre attractions:
Lake Natron
This is a salt or alkaline lake located in the North Ngorongoro district of the Arusha Region in Tanzania. The water in this lake is red and hardens everything except the flamingos. With a pH of almost 12, Lake Natron is highly alkaline as the water evaporates quickly. The red colour is due to cyanobacteria that bloom in water.
Lake Natron is actually home to a host of wildlife, perhaps most importantly the hardy flamingos who casually walk in its waters; however part of the reason it’s so popular for the hardy flamingos is that predators can’t survive for very long in its waters thereby making it a hunt-free zone.
As for the reason why the water is so wild is because the otherworldly environment sits in the wake of Ol Doinyo Lengai; the only volcano on the planet to belch out one of Earth’s weirdest lavas: Natrocarbonatite. Over time, the salty lake has absorbed sodium carbonate and other minerals in Natrocarbonatite from the surrounding hills making the water a strong alkaline.
The Island of the Dolls
Also known as La Isla de las Muñecas is one of the main attractions of the channels that is located in the channels of Xochimilco, South of the centre of Mexico City. Dolls of various styles and colours are found throughout the Island, originally placed by the former owner of the Island, Julián Santana Barrera, who died from a heart attack.
He believed that dolls helped to chase away the spirit of a girl who drowned years ago. He later died in the same spot the girl drowned. The Island of the Dolls is full of dolls hanging from trees and buildings covered with cobwebs and insects. The place was named in the 1950s when the dolls started randomly appearing on the island.
The place began gaining fame in 1943, when Mexican filmmaker Emilio Fernández filmed María Candelaria there. The Island was featured on the Travel Channel show Ghost Adventures and the Amazon Prime show Lore. The Island of the Dolls is an hour and a half from Embarcadero Cuemanco, the only access is via trajinera. The journey includes a tour of the Ecological Area, the Ajolote Museum, the Apatlaco Canal, the Teshuilo Lagoon and Llorona Island which is approximately one hour. There is also a small museum on the Island.
Bermuda Triangle
Also known as the Devil’s Triangle is an urban legend focused on a loosely-defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The idea of the area as uniquely prone to disappearances arose in the mid-20th century, but most reputable sources dismiss the idea that there is any mystery.
Some hypothetical explanations of the Bermuda Triangle include: paranormal explanation, human error, violent weather and compass variations.
Great Blue Hole
The Great Blue Hole is one of the greatest natural wonders of the Caribbean and one can explore it from both above and below. The giant marine sinkhole is 43 miles off the mainland and from the capital of Belize City near the centre of the Lighthouse Reef. It is around 1,040 feet in diameter and 407 feet deep; it was formed during episodes of glaciation when sea levels were much lower.
The Great Blue Hole is visually stunning as they are popular for divers and there is also a massive shipwreck one can see en route. It is worth seeing, although it can be quite costly. The sinkhole can also be seen from air; there are helicopters who offer private and happy hour tours. On the tour, divers will see an explosion of marine life on the walls of Half Moon Caye and Long Caye. Belize’s Great Blue Hole is also famous as one of the world’s greatest scuba diving sites.
Karni Mata Temple
Constituted 500 years ago, the temple also known as Madh Deshnoke is a Hindu temple located South from Bikaner in Rajasthan. The temple is a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims and is renowned both in India and internationally as the “Temple of Rats” due to the numerous mice known as kābā which are considered holy and treated with utmost care by the devotees.
Approximately 20,000 kābā reside and move in spaces throughout the inner temple complex. Out of all of the thousands of kābā (rats) in the temple, there are a few white kābā, which are considered to be especially holy and believed to be the manifestations of Karni Mata herself and her four sons. Temple rules state that if you accidentally step on one of the rats and kill it, you must replace it with a rat made of solid silver or gold.
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