In the west, we tend to associate China with the chaotic, smog-filled streets of Beijing, but this vast East Asian nation is home to an absolutely jaw-dropping array of natural sights. In fact, East Asia – made up of China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea and Taiwan – has some of the most beautiful mountains, lakes and unusual landscape formations in the world. Here are 14 of this region’s most noteworthy natural wonders.
Huangshan Mountain, China
(image via: wikimedia commons)
China’s mountain landscapes are absolutely magical. One prime example is the Huangshan range in the southern Anhui province, known for its rugged and often oddly-shaped peaks as well as spectacular sunsets. The moist climate here makes it prime green-tea-growing territory. It’s a major tourist destination, with up to 15 million visitors per year.
Mount Fuji, Japan
(images via: wikimedia commons)
Japan’s highest mountain and an active stratovolcano, Mount Fuji is one of the best-known peaks in the world. Visible from Tokyo on a clear day, this 12,389-foot mountain is found on the Pacific coast of central Honshu and is surrounded by five lakes. Hundreds of thousands of people climb it each year.
Tojinbo, Japan
(images via: ken_mayer, wikimedia commons)
Column-shaped basalt cliffs on the edge of the Sea of Japan are quite a sight. Tojinbo, which includes the Sandran, Rosoku, Byobu and Oike rocks, which originally formed 12 to 13 million years ago from volcanic activities.
Heaven Lake on Mt. Paektu, North Korea
(image via: wikimedia commons)
North Korea is a very mysterious country to much of the west – and here is one of its most stunning natural treasures. Heaven Lake is a crater lake within a volcanic caldera on Baekdu Mountain, which borders China. This high-elevation lake is covered in ice for much of the year,
Guilin Mountains & Li River, China
(images via: brad & ying, augapfel)
Take a leisurely boat ride along China’s Li River and gaze at the wondrous Guilin Mountains, known for their unusual tall and thin shapes. Guilin is actually a town in the far south of China, sometimes referred to as China’s most beautiful city.
Mount Everest, China & Nepal
(image via: topgold, joe hastings)
The king of all mountains, Mount Everest reaches an amazing 29,029 feet above sea level. Located in the Mehalangur section of the Himalayas, the mountain draws thousands of mountaineers and would-be climbers each year, many of whom never make it to the top.
Gobi Desert, Mongolia
(image via: wikimedia commons, david berkowitz)
Forever associated with the great Mongol Empire, Mongolia’s Gobi Desert is a vast area covered with bare rock with extreme temperatures ranging from -40 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to 122 degrees Fahrenheit in summer. Just within a 24-hour-period, there can be an astonishing 95-degree difference in temperature. The first dinosaur eggs ever discovered were found here, and the dessert is home to black-tailed gazelles, camels, polecats, snow leopards, brown bears and wolves. It’s divided into five ecoregions, each with their own particular set of landscape features, including the sand dunes of Khongoryn Els.
Mount Zao, Japan
(images via: wikimedia commons, satoru kikuchi)
Japan’s Mount Zao is the most active volcano in northern Honshu and contains the beautiful blue-green Okama Crater Lake. This lake is known as ‘Five Color Pond’ because it changes colors depending on the weather. Mount Zao is famous for its ‘snow monsters’, unusual formations of ice caused by lake water that is blown onto nearby trees and shrubs and then frozen.and is thesubject of local legends about a Loch Ness-type sea monster.
Guilin Mountains & Li River, China
(images via: brad & ying, augapfel)
Take a leisurely boat ride along China’s Li River and gaze at the wondrous Guilin Mountains, known for their unusual tall and thin shapes. Guilin is actually a town in the far south of China, sometimes referred to as China’s most beautiful city.
Mount Everest, China & Nepal
(image via: topgold, joe hastings)
The king of all mountains, Mount Everest reaches an amazing 29,029 feet above sea level. Located in the Mehalangur section of the Himalayas, the mountain draws thousands of mountaineers and would-be climbers each year, many of whom never make it to the top.
Gobi Desert, Mongolia
(image via: wikimedia commons, david berkowitz)
Forever associated with the great Mongol Empire, Mongolia’s Gobi Desert is a vast area covered with bare rock with extreme temperatures ranging from -40 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to 122 degrees Fahrenheit in summer. Just within a 24-hour-period, there can be an astonishing 95-degree difference in temperature. The first dinosaur eggs ever discovered were found here, and the dessert is home to black-tailed gazelles, camels, polecats, snow leopards, brown bears and wolves. It’s divided into five ecoregions, each with their own particular set of landscape features, including the sand dunes of Khongoryn Els.
Mount Zao, Japan
(images via: wikimedia commons, satoru kikuchi)
Japan’s Mount Zao is the most active volcano in northern Honshu and contains the beautiful blue-green Okama Crater Lake. This lake is known as ‘Five Color Pond’ because it changes colors depending on the weather. Mount Zao is famous for its ‘snow monsters’, unusual formations of ice caused by lake water that is blown onto nearby trees and shrubs and then frozen.
Taroko Gorge, Taiwan
(images via: wikimedia commons, xmatt)
One of Taiwan’s most famous sights, Taroko Gorge was carved into the marble landscape by the Liwu River, which leads out into the Pacific Ocean. Narrow roads take visitors along the edges of the gorge and a number of bridges span it, including the red Bridge of 100 Lions.
Lake Mashu, Japan
(images via: wikimedia commons)
Hokkaido’s Lake Mashu is the clearest lake in the world, located within a potentially active volcanic caldera. It’s surrounded by crater walls 660 feet high and is transparent down to 136 feet. The lake is often obscured by fog.
Jeju Island & Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, South Korea
(images via: wikimedia commons, garycycles4)
Jeju Island, also known as Jejudo, is a volcanic island off the coast of South Korea’s mainland. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s covered in lush green grasses and a number of dormant volcanoes including Hallasan, South Korea’s tallest mountain, and Seongsan Ilchulbong, a bowl-like crater. Jeju Island is also home to a large system of lava tubes, empty caves formed by lava flow.
Lake Hovsgol & the Khoridol Saridag Mountains, Mongolia
(image via: kenner116, wikimedia commons)
One of East Asia’s largest waterfalls, China’s Huangguoshu is located within the Huangghuoshu Waterfall National park in Anshun, Guizhou province. There are a number of viewing areas offering various angles of this 255-foot-high, 331-foot-wide waterfall, as well as smaller waterfalls in the park.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China
(image via: thekmf, angelshoe)
Is the Wulingyan Scenic Area of Zhangjiajie East Asia’s most beautiful sight? These gravity-defying pillars were the inspiration for the surreal landscapes of the movie ‘Avatar’. The 3,544-foot-tall Souther Sky Column has officially been renamed ‘Avatar Hallelujah Mountain’ in honor of the movie. Centuries of erosion caused by the expansion of ice in the winter have carved out the pillars that make this park so famous.
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