Unreal Places · Five countries · Series
5 places that look edited but are real
These five places look edited, and every one is real. Each has a plain cause: sand sliding off an underwater shelf, a ridge that ends in a sheer drop, granite boulders on an ocean island, a sandstone canyon carved by flash floods, and a valley cut by a glacier. Light and season decide how strong each one looks.
The places in this film
- 1
Le Morne, Mauritius
From the air it looks like a waterfall under the sea. It is sand and silt carried off a shallow shelf into deep water. You only see it from a helicopter or seaplane.
- 2
Seceda, Italy
A grass ridge in the Dolomites at about 2,500 metres that ends in a cliff. Two cable cars climb from Ortisei in summer.
- 3
La Digue, Seychelles
Smooth granite boulders on a white beach. The inner Seychelles are fragments of an ancient continent, which is why the rock is granite and not coral or lava.
- 4
Antelope Canyon, USA
A narrow sandstone slot canyon in Arizona, on Navajo land. Entry is with a Navajo guide only, and tours need booking ahead.
- 5
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
A flat valley between vertical cliffs with 72 waterfalls. Staubbach Falls drops almost 300 metres beside the village.
Tour links are partner links. They cost you nothing and help keep the guides free. How this works.
Plan it
- Best time
- June to September for Seceda and Lauterbrunnen. Mauritius and the Seychelles are warm all year, with calmer seas outside the windy season. Antelope Canyon has the famous light beams around midday from spring to early autumn.
- How long
- Each is a half-day to two days on the ground, as part of a longer trip.
- Getting around
- Seceda and Lauterbrunnen are reached by cable car and train. La Digue is a ferry ride from the larger islands and is explored by bicycle. Antelope Canyon is near the town of Page.
Good to know
- Book Antelope Canyon tours well ahead. Numbers are limited.
- Go up to Seceda early. Cloud builds around the peaks by afternoon.
- The underwater waterfall at Le Morne cannot be seen from the beach or from the mountain top.
Frequently asked
Is the underwater waterfall in Mauritius real? +
The view is real, but it is not a waterfall. Currents carry sand and silt from the shallow lagoon over the edge of an underwater shelf into much deeper water. Seen from above, the streaks of sand look like water falling.
Why are there granite boulders in the Seychelles? +
The inner islands of the Seychelles are pieces of an ancient continent that were left behind when India and Madagascar drifted apart. Most ocean islands are volcanic or coral. These are granite, worn smooth by weather over a very long time.
Can you visit Antelope Canyon without a tour? +
No. The canyon is on Navajo Nation land and every visitor must go in with a licensed Navajo guide. Tours run for the upper and lower sections separately and sell out in the main season, so book before the trip.
