Some of the world's only freshwater seals live in one very special lake in Russia.

This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia.

Réunion Island's highest point is a two-million-year-old volcano and a paraglider's paradise.

At the center of an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is a deep chasm ringed by tall waterfalls.

The once highest point in China blends symbolic design with a kick of adrenaline.

This psychedelic tourist trap is a leisurely descent into madness.

One of the most poignant ruins of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, the local football team's stadium has been quickly reclaimed by nature.

The headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism, Thailand's largest monastic order.

This elephant kraal is the only one remaining in Thailand, dating back to the 16th century when these massive mammals were integral players in war and trade.

A shrine built to combat the bad karma of a commercial venture.

The ghost town left by the worst nuclear disaster of all time is being taken over by nature and urban explorers.

This attraction was abandoned after the Chornobyl disaster.

This 1000 year old relic-filled cave monastery and UNESCO World Heritage Site also hosts an amazing micro-miniature museum.

One of the largest museums in Ukraine remembers the story of the German-Soviet War in iconic, brutalist style.

340-foot statue built to honour the Heroes of the Soviet Union.

A forgotten remnant of the Soviet Union, Transnistria is an unrecognized country hidden behind a heavily militarized border between Moldova and Ukraine.

The charmingly disheveled clock tower of Tbilisi's puppet theater.

A gleaming white and undulating tower marks the border between Georgia and Turkey.

This Armenian monastery was carved out of cliffs and named after the spear used to stab Jesus.

A shrine of fire worship built on top of a natural flame.

The second largest in the world, this massive underground void has its own subway.

Despite being tiny and rural this Georgian airport looks like a sci-fi boondoggle.

Fortified homes of highland warriors that are still in use today.

Take respite inside this jaw-dropping church while climbing the volcano where Georgia's Prometheus was once chained.