Roraima: The Real ‘Lost World’ That Inspired Conan Doyle and Pixar

3,300-foot walls, plants found nowhere else, and a weeklong trek: inside the tepui behind Pixar’s ‘Up’

Hobbiton: How a New Zealand Farm Became Tolkien’s Middle-earth

Peter Jackson promised to restore the farm to its original state, but the Shire still stands—and draws millions of fans every year.

Craco: The Italian Village Abandoned When the Ground Gave Way

Filmmakers turned it into a movie set; the land is turning it into a ruin, season by season.

Kawah Ijen: The Volcano That Burns Blue

Beneath hypnotic blue flames, hundreds of miners risk their lives beside a lake that dissolves metal.

Hin Sam Wan: The Rocks That Look Like a Family of Whales Swimming Through the Trees

For centuries, only monks climbed here to meditate; today, it is one of Thailand’s most stunning landmarks.

Kumano Kodo: Japan’s Secret Pilgrimage Route Through 186 Miles of Sacred Forest

A journey along the route that Japanese emperors transformed into a spiritual path: history, purification rituals, and the mysticism of Kumano Sanzan.