Places xavierdesilets Wants to Go

The abandoned tanks along this highway are all that remain of a deadly conflict.

The ruins of this mining boom town stand like skeletal reminders of the settlement's dark history.

The remains of diamond fever taken over by the desert.

This small island off Lambert's Bay is home to more than 2,000 Cape gannets and is the only such breeding colony open to the public.

Fascinating collection of Khoisan rock engravings, still situated in their original setting.

Environmentally crucial raptors like eagles and vultures are kept and protected in this massive sanctuary.

An ancient impact crater on the outskirts of Pretoria.

Local lore says a serpent-like beast lurks in the deep basin below the falls.

Haven for Cape Fur Seals, until the Ring of Death of jumping Great White Sharks arrives.

Raging waters have created a strange geological site that looks like something off of a progressive rock album cover.

This African beach is home to thousands of rare mainland penguins that are known for their annoying voice.

Camels and crocodiles share the black waters of this stunning Saharan oasis.

Reaching the "Church in the Sky" requires scaling the cliff face of a sandstone pinnacle with a 650-foot drop.

An Ethiopian "Jerusalem" featuring a church hewn out of a single rock.

Ethiopia's "smoking mountain" is in one of the hottest regions on the planet and is home to two lava lakes.

The hottest place on the planet.

A salt lake dotted with steaming limestone chimneys.

This ancient village and its adjoining cemetery have a beautiful history of death and remembrance.

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

A little church on a tiny island looks like something from a fairy tale.

Stunning examples of Russia's 18th-century wooden architecture.

The reason for the strange contortions in the trunks of these "drunken" pine trees in Russia is still a mystery.

Site of the largest impact event to occur over land in Earth's recorded history.

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