A few weeks back, we looked at the Alternative 7 New Wonders of the World, a different take on which sights or places could have made the list. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at the Alternative Seven Natural Wonders of the World. We will look to take a similar approach but instead focus on nature’s greatest wonders. To try and make the comparison as relevant and legitimate as possible, we’ve tried to compare like with like. Of course, in nature, a location’s uniqueness is often what makes it a contender to be a wonder in the first place. If you’d like to refresh your memory on what makes the official 7 Natural Wonders of the World, have a read of our previous blog piece.
Our list starts with the K2 mountain located in Pakistan. As the second largest mountain in the world, it’ll be no surprise that this is the alternative wonder to Mount Everest. Measuring an enormous 8611 meters, it’s just 238 meters smaller than Mount Everest. However, where K2 has a march on Mount Everest is how difficult it is to be scaled. Savage weather, glaciers, and steep rock faces mean this mountain has only been climbed 377 times (as of 2021), compared to over 4,000 successful climbs of Everest. It’s also arguably a more aesthetically appealing mountain, but beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder.
Our second alternative natural wonder is the mighty Iguazu Falls, located on the border between Brazil and Argentina. It’s an alternative waterfall wonder to Victoria Falls and gets the nod just ahead of Angel Falls in Venezuela and Niagra Falls on the USA/Canada border. While Victoria Falls takes the honors for the largest sheet of water and the highest waterfall in the world, Iguazu has a unique claim. Iguazu Falls is the widest waterfall in the world, at over 2.7 km in width. The falls are made up of 275 separate waterfalls. A visit to either set of these falls is a magnificent experience and one not to be missed.
Next on the list is the Fish River Canyon in Namibia. Presented as an alternative option to the Grand Canyon in the USA, this is the second widest canyon in the world. To the untrained eye, snapshots of Fish River Canyon and the Grand Canyon could easily be mistaken, but the locations are quite different. The number of visitors per year is one of the most obvious differences between the two canyons. Nearly 6 million people visit the Grand Canyon yearly, while fewer than 100,000 visit Fish River Canyon. This makes the experience between the two quite significant. Fish River Canyon is a perfect choice if you want an exceptional off-the-beaten-track trek.
Clocking in at number 4 on our list are the Pacific atolls. Selected as an alternative to the Great Barrier Reef, these wonders of nature are dotted across the Pacific Ocean. Many of these atolls have unique flora and fauna that have evolved to reflect the individual circumstances of the atoll. While the atolls aren’t a homogenous group like the Great Barrier Reef, their unique nature and beauty make them a real ‘wonder’ contender.
Halong Bay in Vietnam is the fifth alternative natural wonder of the world on our list. Proposed as an alternative to the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Halong Bay is an area of natural beauty. It is recognized as such by its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The Halong Bay area covers 600 square miles and includes 2,000 limestone islets. While Halong Bay is relatively remotely located compared to the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, it is no less dramatic or beautiful.
Mount Bromo is our penultimate entry on the alternative 7 Natural Wonders of the World list. Located on the Indonesian Island of Java, this volcano is an alternative to the Paricutin volcano in Mexico. While Mount Bromo nor any other volcano can compete with the recency and speed of Paricutin’s formation, Mount Bromo offers many positives. Located amongst a cluster of other volcanoes, the setting for Mount Bromo is incredible, particularly at sunrise. Much like Paricutin, you can also climb Mount Bromo and walk along the crater’s rim, which still emits smoke. The volcano last erupted in 2015.
Our final entry is for an alternative to Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights. We’ve really struggled with this one because quite frankly the Aurora Borealis is nature at its very best. However, in an attempt to not be defeatist, we’ve come up with a couple of alternatives. While neither of these are on the scale or wonder level of the Auro Borealis, they’re still both pretty incredible in their own right. Both of the alternative wonders are caused by bioluminescent light, firstly by plankton in the sea and secondly by fireflies in the air. Anyone who has witnessed these sights in person will attest to the beauty and serenity such an experience provides.
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