Places Donna McColl Wants to Go

Former host to the World Elephant Polo Championships.

A 600-year-old mini shrine guarded by a sword-wielding knight hides in a crumbling cliff face.

A tiny chapel clings to a precipice above Germany’s gemstone capital.

According to Hindu belief, this shallow island chain was created by a god with an army of monkeys.

This amazing mountain temple is topped by one of the tallest sitting Buddha statues in the world.

An ancient temple to the Hindu god Shiva surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery.

These crumbling walls serve as a reminder of the golden age of safaris in Chitwan National Park.

Everything from a plane to your own two feet are needed to reach this jungle resort.

This institution honors Nepal’s most storied warriors.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is home to one of Polynesia’s largest petroglyph fields.

An abandoned railroad tunnel is now filled with bioluminescent bugs.

This spiritual landmark for practicers of Shamanism is drenched in milk and vodka and covered in blue scarves.

Thousands of volcanic rocks carved 1,000 years ago.

This sacred fig tree with a link to the Buddha is one of the oldest human-planted trees in the world.

A striking depiction of Teotihuacan's mysterious "Spider Woman."

Hiding in plain sight near Kathmandu’s government center is a giant mandala that has become a locus for political protest.

This Kathmandu museum, built in an Austrian modernist style, looks like a set from Star Wars.

This temple contains what might be the world's oldest optical illusion.

Does this 10-foot-tall statue carved into a rock face depict a king afflicted by a skin condition or a Buddhist figure?

Once thought to be the Garden of Eden it holds a holy footprint claimed to belong to Adam, Buddha and Shiva.

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

This astonishingly geometric cave has inspired everyone from Jules Verne to Pink Floyd.

Denmark’s ultra-modern library hides a treasury of rare, unique books.

This small canyon is home to a treasure trove of geological oddities.