Nature's Greatest Shows
Eclipses, auroras, migrations and more. 18 places and moments, mapped and ready to build a trip around.
Plan a trip on Trailwind →Pamukkale
TurkeyBestVariesClimate37–102°FCurrencyTRYLanguageTurkishAirportDNZSnow-white mineral terraces cascading down a hillside above the ruins of Roman Hierapolis.
Zhangye Danxia Landform
ChinaBestMar–OctClimate14–84°FCurrencyCNYLanguageMandarin ChineseStriped rainbow mountains of layered red and gold sandstone.
Dallol
EthiopiaBestNov–FebClimate75–113°FCurrencyETBLanguageAmharicNeon acid pools and salt formations in the Danakil Depression.
Avenue of the Baobabs
MadagascarBestApr–NovClimate64–91°FAncient baobabs lining a dirt road, silhouetted gold at sunset.
Grand Prismatic Spring
United StatesBestJun–SepCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishYellowstone's giant rainbow-ringed hot spring.
Marble Caves
ChileBestDec–MarClimate30–64°FCurrencyCLPLanguageSpanishAirportBBASwirling blue marble caverns carved by 6,000 years of glacial water on Lake General Carrera.
Horsetail Fall Firefall
United StatesBestVariesClimate27–90°FCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishFor a few February evenings a Yosemite waterfall glows like lava.
Lake Hillier
AustraliaBestNov–MarClimate55–70°FCurrencyAUDLanguageEnglishAirportEPRA vivid bubblegum-pink lake ringed by dark forest and white sand, best seen from the air.
Spotted Lake
CanadaBestApr–OctClimate21–88°FCurrencyCADLanguageEnglishMineral pools that dry into a natural polka-dot pattern.
Racetrack Playa
United StatesBestSep–JunClimate37–99°FCurrencyUSDLanguageEnglishSailing stones that leave long trails across a Death Valley lakebed.
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
MexicoBestNov–AprClimate41–70°FCurrencyMXNLanguageSpanishMillions of monarchs blanket the fir forests here each winter.
Catatumbo Lightning
VenezuelaBestJanClimate72–88°FCurrencyVESLanguageSpanishThe world's most frequent lightning, storms nearly every night over Lake Maracaibo.
Total solar eclipse
August 12, 2026Northern lights (aurora)
Late August 2026 through early April 2027Perseid meteor shower
August 12-13, 2026Great wildebeest migration
SerengetiBioluminescent bay
Year-round, best on moonless nightsCherry blossom peak
Japan