Places Samir S. Patel Wants to Go

Unexplained bald patches in the landscape grow and recede over time, as though they are somehow alive.

The only remaining collection of flayed figures made by French "madman" Honoré Fragonard.

Tubing through a cave lit with glowworms is a magical underground experience.

World's largest cave was only discovered in 1991, and now offers tours to the public.

A gargantuan crystal kingdom.

Fire meets ice at the southernmost volcano on Earth.

Natural time capsule containing an alien ecosystem.

These charming mailboxes became social media stars after a typhoon failed to topple them.

This sacred, circular cave is lined with pools so clear and still that it's hard to tell where the water begins.

A bright turquoise river cascades beautifully down stepped terraces in southern China.

A fresco in this magnificent palace is said to have been the first depiction of the Taj Mahal's design.

A collision of human error and natural geothermal pressure created this rainbow-colored geologic wonder.

Join in a Seance at the Swedenborgian Church.

The remains of the wrecked steam trawler can be found on the beach at low tide.

Dead weights honor the dead of Portugal's fishing industry.

A centuries-old fortress city lies in ruin.

Traditional 11th-century outdoor tannery.

A boiling wellspring flowing with natural gas burns in a continual blaze.

This secret collection of the strange and occult was rediscovered in a forgotten room of an old house.

A battle between nature and architecture in the Cambodian jungle.

An abandoned railroad tunnel is now filled with bioluminescent bugs.

A science fiction-inspired apartment building designed by a famous Spanish architect.

The medieval-looking hammer beam teak roof may be a Victorian vanity, but it's still absolutely magnificent.

Norway has built what may be the world's most beautiful public toilet.