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  1. Home
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  3. The Most Colorful Places on Earth

The Most Colorful Places on Earth

By Erika Owen
May 01, 2017
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Credit: Izzet Keribar/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
You can find color wherever you go, but there are some places that leave more vivid memories than others.

If you’re looking to douse yourself in the vibrancy of the world’s kaleidoscope, we’ve got some suggestions for you.

From an unexpected pink lake in the Dominican Republic to Iceland’s icy-blue Crystal Caves to India’s Holi festival, there are places all around the globe waiting to be explored.
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Lavender fields, France

Credit: Chad Ehlers/Getty Images

If the fragrant flowers don’t lure you in, the sea of purple will. Just imagining yourself completely surrounded in a delicious purple cloud is enough to bring your blood pressure down a few points.

1 of 22

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Lake Hillier, Australia

Credit: Getty Images/Universal Images Group

The pink color of this lake comes from its high salt content and the organisms living inside of it: algae and little dudes called halobacteria.

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Marble Caves, Chile

Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

These beautiful caves change color depending on the color of the water. The gentle curves of the rock walls make it easier for sunlight to bounce around, reflecting the blues below.

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Tulip Fields of Holland

Credit: Peter Adams/Getty Images

Every spring, rows upon rows of tulips bloom all around The Netherlands. Take a trip to Holland during March or April, and you’ll be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime scene.

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Crystal Caves, Iceland

Credit: WanRu Chen/Getty Images

These caves weaving through Vatnajökull glacier are a huge destination for tourists looking for a new kind of vacation memory. These ice tunnels are constantly changing — which is why you need to visit them with an experienced guide — given that the glaciers are always shifting.

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Rua Luis de Camōes, Águeda, Portugal

Credit: Luis Diaz Devesa/Getty Images

This tiny street in northwest Portugal has become the subject of many Instagram posts, thanks to the colorful umbrellas providing shade to passersby.

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Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Credit: Daniela Dirscherl/WaterFrame RM

If you thought things could get colorful above ground, just wait until you see the underwater world that is the Great Barrier Reef. There’s just something about the colorful fishes living among the vibrant reef that makes it feel like you’re peeking into a different universe.

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Lake Natron, Tanzania

Credit: Getty Images/Minden Pictures RM

This “salt and soda” lake in northern Tanzania can actually be deadly to some animals. According to Live Science, the pH balance of the alkaline water is enough to burn anything that attempts to swim in it. Coincidently enough, it’s the same toxicity level that gives it a red, cracked appearance.

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Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park

Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

This hot spring in Yellowstone National Park is the deepest in the park. It gets its name from the dark green water it’s filled with, giving it the appearance of a never-ending tunnel into the Earth.

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Holi Festival, India

Credit: Nigel Killeen/Getty Images

People around the world get together to celebrate the Hindu holiday of Holi, or “The Festival of Colors,” which marks the beginning of spring. One of the most fun activities is tossing colored powered onto everyone in sight, resulting in a human color wheel.

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Rue Targui, Chefchouen, Morocco

Credit: Izzet Keribar/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

While the medinas of Morocco are colorful on their own, nothing beats the all-blue city of Chefchouen. Every street and building here is painted in a various shade of blue. The city was previously closed off to foreigners for 500 years, but now welcomes travelers in search of a blue paradise with open arms.

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The Wave, Coyote Buttes, Arizona

Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

This sandstone formation is brushed in hues of brick red and golden yellow, changing colors as quickly as the weather patterns. Depending on when you visit — sunrise, sunset, the dead of night —you’ll get an entirely different palette.

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Northern Lights of Tromsø, Norway

Credit: Nick Tsuguliev/Getty Images

Located in the Arctic Circle, the Tromsø area is home to some of the best Northern Lights shows in the world. If you’re lucky, you’ll even catch a night when the pink lights emerge from the sky.

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Rio Tinto, Spain

Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

This red river in Spain gets its tint from thousands of year of mining in the area. Miners search for copper, gold, and silver, but the dissolved iron from the river’s rocks is the reason it’s so red.

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Cinque Terre, Italy

Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

These pastel buildings meet the sea in a stunning cliffside scene. The best views are when the coastline is lit up at night illuminating the soft colors against the deepening blue of the sky.

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Tokyo, Japan

Credit: David Gee/Getty Images

Visit Tokyo at night, and its neon signs will have you looking in every single direction, ten times over. If you thought Times Square was a nighttime sight to see, just wait until you’re lost deep into one of Tokyo’s neighborhood with nothing but the shop and restaurant signs surrounding you.

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Moscow, Russia

Credit: Getty Images

The Naryshkin baroque style of architecture you’ll find in Moscow is unlike any other. Pair the turrets and rounded design details with the colorful paint palettes and you’ve got yourself a scene straight from a storybook.

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Salt Flats, San Francisco Bay

Credit: Gregory Adams/Getty Images

This grid of colorful salt ponds is best seen from the sky. These various ponds have been turned different colors because of the micro-algae and microorganisms living in each one.

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Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, Africa

Credit: Getty Images/AWL Images RM

These neon-colored houses in Cape Town are recognized around the world. This neighborhood is an Instagram Story waiting to happen.

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Death Valley During a Super Bloom

Credit: Trina Dopp/Getty Images

It doesn’t happen often, but when Death Valley gets enough rain during the winter months, spring brings with it an explosion of brilliant blooms just waiting to be photographed.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

Credit: Getty Images

The colorful area of Nyhavn has been around since the 17th century, and is home to a row of vibrant houses, restaurants, and bars. The waterfront location only adds to its charm.

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Wisteria Tunnel, Japan

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This tunnel of cascading wisteria flowers is a literal dream come true. If you’ve ever wanted to actually live inside a watercolor, head to the Kawachi Fuji Gardens.

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Everything in This Slideshow

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1 of 22 Lavender fields, France
2 of 22 Lake Hillier, Australia
3 of 22 Marble Caves, Chile
4 of 22 Tulip Fields of Holland
5 of 22 Crystal Caves, Iceland
6 of 22 Rua Luis de Camōes, Águeda, Portugal
7 of 22 Great Barrier Reef, Australia
8 of 22 Lake Natron, Tanzania
9 of 22 Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park
10 of 22 Holi Festival, India
11 of 22 Rue Targui, Chefchouen, Morocco
12 of 22 The Wave, Coyote Buttes, Arizona
13 of 22 Northern Lights of Tromsø, Norway
14 of 22 Rio Tinto, Spain
15 of 22 Cinque Terre, Italy
16 of 22 Tokyo, Japan
17 of 22 Moscow, Russia
18 of 22 Salt Flats, San Francisco Bay
19 of 22 Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, Africa
20 of 22 Death Valley During a Super Bloom
21 of 22 Copenhagen, Denmark
22 of 22 Wisteria Tunnel, Japan

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The Most Colorful Places on Earth
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