October 9, 2013

The most beautiful places on Earth – in pictures

As Lonely Planet turns 40 this year, the publisher has picked the most magnificent sights across the globe to be included in a new book entitled Beautiful World

lonely planet: Bryce Canyon National Park Utah — Bryce Canyon national park – Utah, US The Wall Street Trail of Bryce Canyon has its own skyscrapers: ponderosa pines. Chasms in the rock are formed when water freezes and expands, creating alleys up to 60 metres deep
Photograph: Sarun Laowong/Getty Images Photograph: Sarun Laowong/Getty

lonely planet: Hummingbird — Rufous hummingbird – California, US Rufous hummingbirds – here seen feeding on nectar at Huntington Beach, California – are just 8cm long but the hyperactive birds migrate across North America, following the blooming of wild flowers Photograph: Susan Gary/Getty Images

lonely planet: The Dolomites — The Dolomites – South Tyrol, Italy Millions of years ago the pale peaks and pinnacles of the Dolomites lay on the seabed; now they are among the world’s most distinctive mountainscapes Photograph: Michele Galli/Getty Images

lonely planet: Lantern festival — Lantern festival – Chiang Mai, Thailand Yi Peng, Chiang Mai’s version of the Thai festival Loi Krathong, takes place during a full moon in November and sees many hundreds of lanterns launched into the night sky Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images

lonely planet: Li River — Li river – Guangxi Zhuang, China The Li river area is renowned for classic images of mossy-green jagged limestone peaks, bubbling streams, wallowing water buffalo and cormorant fishing Photograph: GlowingEarth/Getty Images

lonely planet: Cormorants hunting with dolphins — The sardine run – Eastern Cape, South Africa During the annual migration of sardines, millions of the fish head north along the coast of South Africa, creating a feeding frenzy along the way. The migration occurs from May to July Photograph: Dmitry Miroshnikov/Getty Images

lonely planet: Monument Valley — Monument Valley Tribal Park – Arizona, Utah, US The sandstone spires of Monument Valley, part of the Colorado Plateau, are the result of millions of years of erosion. Iron oxide gives the rock its reddish tone Photograph: Ron and Patty Thomas Photography/Getty Images

lonely planet: Aurora Borealis — The aurora borealis – Kiruna, Sweden When charged particles, which flow from the sun at 1.4m kph, hit the Earth’s magnetic field at the planet’s poles, they create curtains of light. Solar storms heighten the effect Photograph: Antony Spencer/Getty Images

lonely planet: Lyth Valley in the Lake DistrictLake District — Lyth Valley in the Lake District – Cumbria, England The unspoilt Lyth Valley is tucked in a hidden corner of Cumbria, where trees are laden with fruit and rolling hills are the most magnificent green Photograph: 221A/Getty Images

lonely planet: Rice terraces — Rice terraces – Longsheng, China Terraced paddy fields wind up from the riverside to the mountaintop in a feat of farm engineering that allows the communities of Longsheng to harvest rice in a mountainous area Photograph: KingWu/Getty Images

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