Places Wanderer 2202 Wants to Go

A harrowing trail up a mile-high mountain.

Rock-cut caves and 7,000 Buddhist sculptures carved into the nearly sheer face of a sandstone mountain.

A tunnel dug through the side of a mountain by hand provides convenient yet death-defying access to a small village in China.

Natural arch offers panoramic views of Yangshuo's karst hills.

The most famous location in China was home to whole dynasties worth of imperial rulers.

A sacred mountaintop temple offers a fine cup of tea to visitors who can survive the journey.

A once-stately trading fort is now a ruin slowly being consumed by the sea.

Half-size replica of the Taj Mahal.

Miraculous vase predicts the future at this Tibetan Buddhist site in the Himalayas.

The world's largest Tibetan refugee settlement.

The world's largest secondhand book market is a haven for bibliophiles and bargain hunters.

This 17th-century mausoleum is topped with an acoustic marvel.

15 monolithic temples emulate an eroding sand castle.

This ancient Hindu temple is covered in thousands of colorful statues and has a long mythological history.

Modest by day, illuminated majestically at sunset.

Deep in the Thar desert, a temple crawling with thousands of holy rats.

This hilltop warren of monastic dwellings is the result of centuries worth of Mongol attacks.

A centuries-old lookout post still sits atop a natural stone spire.

A nearly unconquerable island-fort in the Indian Ocean.

This otherworldly palace-mausoleum complex is the stuff eternal dreams are made of.

More than half of this Indian palace is drowned but it looks all the more spectacular for it.

Rock-cut cave complex filled with ancient Buddhist artwork.

A mecca for India's Jains.

This complex of vertically-excavated Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu monolithic temples in India's Maharashtra providence illustrates a spirit of tolerance characteristic of ancient India.