The 10 most jaw-dropping countries in the world

One of travelling’s main ecstasies is the element of shock and awe when stepping into the unfamiliar – the ability to be surprised. Every page of the atlas throws up new landscapes that will take your breath away, and narrowing down a top 10 is no mean feat. In fact, it is tortuous; such is the eclectic mix of sharp mountains, verdant forests, wide canyons and far-stretching fjords.

But after much debate, we have settled on our 10 most jaw-dropping countries on the planet…

1. CANADA

, (Photo source: Reddit)

reddit

From Quebec on the east to the northern reaches of Yukon, Canada boasts remarkable scenery of sheer extremes, from huge mountain ranges to craggy coastlines – and everything in between.

2. NEW ZEALAND

New-Zealand-nature-landscape-river-mountains-meadows_2560x1600

We’ve all seen Lord of the Rings and can therefore fully appreciate the severity and allure of the Kiwi landscape. Sharp snow-capped hills create wide fiords, where crystal-clear streams flow teaming with wild brown trout.

3. SCOTLAND

scotland

There are few more beautiful places in the world than Scotland’s West Coast and surrounding islands, where jacinth heather hills tower high into a veil of cloud. Freshwater lochs pepper the landscape, and true escapism awaits.

4. TANZANIA

tanzania

While choosing between Africa’s myriad countries is nigh on impossible, with the likes of Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya all stunning in their own right, there is a certain magic to Tanzania’s Serengeti – 30,000km² of stunning vistas and game aplenty. This is the auditorium of the wildebeest migration.

5. CHINA

, (Photo source: pixsharka)

pixsharka

From placid mountain lakes, bamboo forests, impassive deserts to rice terraces, awesome sand dunes and the Great Wall itself, China’s landscapes are beguiling.

6. BOLIVIA

bolivia

One from extreme to the other, Bolivia has verdant mountains, with massifs sweeping as far as the eye can see. But the jewel in this South American crown is without doubt the salt flats, a mirror of talc-white, to the eye as smooth as a computer screen.

7. ICELAND

, (Photo source: memolition)

memolition

Volcanoes, snow-fed rivers tumbling over roaring waterfalls, lava fields and hot springs… Iceland is divided into different geographical regions, each utterly uniquely and breathtaking.

8. PATAGONIA

patagonia

A country of geographical immensity, there is a scenic severity to Patagonia, with craggy mountains towering high above the arid steppe, seemingly stretching into infinity.

9. IRAN

iraninset

Iran has beauty in spades, and with deserts sprinkled with historic oases and jagged mountain ranges, much of the beauty still remains from the years when Persia was a great world authority.

10. SWITZERLAND

switzerland

A European gem, with scenery that will arrest the attention of any traveller. A hotchpotch of blissful budgerigar-green valleys, punctuated by beautiful timber villages and turquoise-tinged lakes. Stunning doesn’t do it justice.

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