You don’t need a spaceship to feel like you’ve left Earth. Our planet is full of surreal, alien-looking landscapes shaped by time, weather, volcanoes, and even ancient oceans. Some places are so bizarre, you’d swear you were standing on Mars, Venus, or an icy moon.
Here are 10 places where Earth seriously looks like another planet.
1. Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
This scorched landscape is one of the hottest places on Earth, and it’s packed with sulfur springs, acid pools, and neon-colored salt flats.
The mix of toxic gases, bubbling mud, and vibrant mineral deposits looks like something straight out of Venus—or a sci-fi nightmare.
2. Wadi Rum, Jordan
Nicknamed the “Valley of the Moon,” Wadi Rum is all red sand and towering stone arches. Its Martian feel is so strong, filmmakers used it as a stand-in for Mars in movies like The Martian and Dune.
It’s dry, dramatic, and totally otherworldly.
3. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
This is the world’s largest salt flat, stretching over 4,000 square miles. When it rains, the surface becomes a mirror that reflects the sky so perfectly, it feels like you’re walking through the clouds.
It’s like Earth’s version of a giant alien mirror lake.
4. White Desert, Egypt
This desert is full of strange chalky rock towers carved by wind over thousands of years. They look like melting icebergs, giant mushrooms, or strange sculptures dropped from space.
The stark white against the desert sands makes it feel like you’ve landed on a frozen planet.
5. Lake Natron, Tanzania
Lake Natron gets its deep red color from salt-loving algae and minerals. Its waters are so salty and caustic that animals can become calcified if they die in it.
It’s beautiful and eerie—like something you’d find on a distant exoplanet.
6. Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
This burning pit has been on fire since 1971, when a gas drilling mishap caused the ground to collapse and ignite. Scientists set it ablaze, thinking it would burn out in days—it’s still going.
Standing near it feels like staring into the core of a hostile world.
7. Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand
Inside these limestone caves, tiny glowworms light up the darkness with a magical, bioluminescent glow. The result? A starry sky—underground.
It feels more like exploring a glowing alien tunnel system than anything on Earth.
8. Mount Roraima, Venezuela/Brazil/Guyana
This ancient tabletop mountain rises dramatically from the jungle like a natural fortress. The top is often shrouded in clouds, with its own unique ecosystem and rock formations.
It inspired the setting for The Lost World and Up—and it really does feel like an island in the sky.
Read More: Top 10 Weather Phenomena That Science Still Doesn’t Fully Understand
9. Pamukkale, Turkey
Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish, and it’s easy to see why. The white travertine terraces filled with hot spring water look like a frozen waterfall—or an alien spa retreat.
It’s surreal, soothing, and stunning all at once.
Read More: Top 10 Strangest Things Ever Erupted from a Volcano
10. Vatnajökull Ice Caves, Iceland
These seasonal ice caves form under Iceland’s largest glacier. The blue tones, smooth curves, and shifting light make it feel like you’re inside a frozen moon like Europa.
It’s Earth, yes—but it looks like the inside of another planet.
The truth is, you don’t have to leave Earth to explore otherworldly terrain. These places prove our planet is already packed with landscapes that look like they belong light-years away.
Read More: Top 10 Reasons Yellowstone’s Supervolcano Keeps Scientists Up at Night
