Top 10 Breathtaking Natural Wonders Discovered in Recent Years
#10: Rainbow Mountain
Peru
No, this is not a fairy tale—this is very much real. Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca, can be found in the Andes of Peru. With its stunning seven colors, it challenges everything we thought we knew about mountains. A unique mineralogical composition is what makes this color scheme possible. Rainbow Mountain as we now know it wasn’t visible until the mid 2010s. Prior to that, it had always been covered by glacier ice caps. Once the snow melted, we were reminded that something beautiful can be hidden below the surface.
#9: Jaich Maa Hydrothermal Vent Field
Pescadero Basin
In 2018, scientists set out on a deep-sea mission in the Pescadero Basin, located in the southern end of the Gulf of California. There, they investigated a previously unexplored hydrothermal vent field. Hydrothermal vents are basically hot springs on the ocean floor. The team discovered multiple vents releasing steaming hot fluids, including one particularly awe-inspiring example in a spot named Tay Ujaa—which translates to “big cave.” The cavern houses a pool of shimmering water, which pours into an upside-down waterfall. Yes, we’re talking about all this going on underwater. It’s a marvel that few will ever see.
#8: Er Wang Dong Cave
China
This cave is so big and so deep that it contains clouds and fog within its upper half. They can’t escape! The Er Wang Dong Cave in the Chongqing province of China is so enormous that it has its own weather system. But it was only recently that the world was made aware of this natural wonder. The rock formations, the water, the greenery, the clouds, it’s all nothing less than extraordinary. The team of explorers—consisting of expert cavers and photographers—were taken aback after finding the entrance and subsequently climbing down to the sight of something so magical.
#7: Boiling River of the Amazon
Peru
This is the stuff of legends. Growing up, Andrés Ruzo’s grandfather told him about a boiling river in the Amazon. Might’ve just sounded like a wild story, right? A myth, you could even say. Well, Ruzo grew up to become a geothermal scientist—and in 2011, he set out to find out if the tale was actually true. Turns out—it was. It is. A real river, bubbling with water so hot, Ruzo said it felt like “a sauna inside a toaster oven.” Local indigenous people had long known about the Boiling River of the Amazon, known locally as Shanay-timpishka—a sacred, spiritual site. But because of its remote location, the rest of the world never knew about it—not until Ruzo’s journey brought it into the spotlight.
#6: Pristine Rose-Shaped Corals
Pacific Ocean
Off the coast of Tahiti, at a depth of more than 100 feet in the Pacific Ocean, scientists discovered an enormous coral reef with corals shaped like roses. The breathtaking finding occurred toward the end of 2021 and was further documented at the beginning of the following year. One of the divers called it a “magical” site to witness—and “a work of art.” We can see why he would use those words. It’s like being in a field of roses, but on the ocean floor! The fact that the corals were in such pristine condition only added to the allure—as did the fact that they were unusually deep for a coral reef in a tropical region.
#5: Taam Ja’ Blue Hole
Mexico
This underwater sinkhole in Chetumal Bay at the southeast corner of the Yucatán Peninsula is the deepest known blue hole on Earth. Scientific estimates published in 2024 suggest it plunges to over 1,380 feet below sea level. While Taam Ja’ Blue Hole’s existence was known before then, we had no idea it went that deep. It was discovered as far back as 2003 by a local diver, but most of the world didn’t hear about it until scientists officially studied it years later, with intensive research occurring in the 2020s. On the surface, the shade of the blue hole is subtly darker than the water around it. As for what’s all the way at the bottom? That’s still a mystery.
#4: Mount Mabu's Hidden Rainforest
Mozambique
It’s far from the same as actually being there, but these days you can explore places without even moving an inch. Google Earth is a prime example of that—and it’s how the discovery of a rainforest in Mozambique’s Mount Mabu came to be. That’s right—in 2005, a biologist at London’s Kew Gardens used Google Earth to spot an expansive biodiverse area that was previously undocumented. Soon after, scientists visited the location in person. Over years of research in the roughly 17,000-acre rainforest, they’ve uncovered dozens of new species of plants and animals. Let’s just say this wasn’t your typical discovery.
#3: Underwater Volcanoes
Pacific Ocean
There are a lot of volcanoes on the ocean floor—like, seriously, A LOT. One of the more recent discoveries came near the Cook Islands in 2025. Among a chain of underwater volcanoes found there, one contained the youngest volcanic rocks ever recorded in the area. Beyond that, some of these volcanoes may even be active. Underwater volcanoes have also been spotted elsewhere—like three newly discovered ones off the coast of Sicily. There was also a 2023 finding that high-resolution radar satellites detected nearly 19,000 more across the ocean floor. We can only imagine how many undiscovered underwater volcanoes are still out there, where they are, and how long they’ve been hiding down there.
#2: Son Doong Cave
Vietnam
Although the entrance to this mammoth cave was first found by a local man in 1991, it wasn’t until many years later that the rest of us learned about it. After mentioning it to two members of the British Cave Research Association, the man was asked to relocate the entrance—and he was able to do so in 2008. The following year, it was time for an expedition—and there was a lot to explore. Son Doong Cave—located near the Laos-Vietnam border—later became recognized as the largest cave in the world. And as recently as 2018, we learned it’s even bigger than previously thought. With its subterranean river, towering limestone formations, and sheer magnitude, it’s truly a sight to behold.
#1: A Giant Sinkhole with an Ancient Forest at the Bottom
China
It’s one thing for there to be a sinkhole that’s over 1,000 feet in length, nearly 500 feet wide, and 630 feet deep—that alone is pretty surreal. But for it to also have an ancient forest at the bottom? That’s something straight out of a fairy tale. Yet, that’s exactly what was found in southern China by a team of scientists in 2022. To think that there are 100-foot-tall trees beneath the ground we stand on is a wonder. Not only that, but scientists believe the forest could be home to species of small animals we’ve never seen before. Just look at all that greenery way down there! Are you kidding? Another one of nature’s many jaw-dropping surprises.
Is there an underrated natural wonder that you really enjoyed visiting? Let us know in the comments!
