Compared with some people here, I'm something of a neophyte traveler, but I can give it a go.

1. Grand Canyon from the river; sunset, sunrise, or fog, it doesn't matter
2. Temple of Karnak, Luxor, Egypt
3. Huangshan, China
4. MacKinnon Pass, New Zealand
5. View from Nameless Towers, Gokyo, Solu Khumbu, Nepal
6. La Digue Island, Seychelles
7. 2,000,000 wildebeest on the Serengeti

I know there are others, that I have yet to see. Just too little time.

1.setting out on a new travel
2.the monks in bangkok at sunrise
3.a train sleeper to yourself in india
4.people watching anywhere but specially durbar square- kathmandu
5.thai food (in Thailand)
6.being the first person at the Taj Mahal at dawn
7. hearing the muslim call to prayer ( especially after a 30 hour boat ride during a monsoonal storm from Nias)

Can't believe no one has mentioned Hagia Sofia in Istanbul yet.

Just the largest (and coolest looking and awesome and amazing ...) church in Christendom for oh, about a thousand years!

Absolute must see. You will be gobsmacked!

Kevin (mosaic hound)

#1 Walking through the Jokhang temple in Lhasa behind a nomad family from Kham who share their yak butter with you so you can add to the temple lamps.

#2 Allowing yourself to be adopted by a local family wherever you're traveling.

#3 Moroccan dance parties or weddings. The men's hips put Ricky Martin's to shame!

#4 Walking khora at Baudha in Kathmandu in the early evening, shoulder to shoulder with monks, kids, lovers, and families.

#5 Gnawing on spicy water buffalo jerky in a patch of morning sun during a long hike.

#6 Getting piss drunk and laughing hysterically (while trying to communicate in sign language) with the grizzled Tibetan truck drivers who gave you a lift.

#7 Sipping on a cup of chai after a monsoon shower while you watch monkeys chase one another from roof to roof..

Timbuctu
Tierra del Fuego
Cabo Verde
Rome
the NE of Brasil and Salvador in particular
Yemen
Angkor Wat

1. Namibian desert - another one of those awe inspiring, nothing for miles around places. Got to sleep under the stars!
2. Elephants - Chobe NP the best, can almost touch them.
3. Sunset on the Zambesi
4. Taj Mahal
5. Cape Town
6. Cold beers!
7. Hot showers!

Except for number 1, in no particular order:

1. Chinese buried army at Xian
2. Great Wall of China
3. Macchu Picchu
4. Ephesus
5. Eiffel Tower
6. The entire walled city at Pisa
7. The citadel, Central Turkey
8. The desert in Utah (just outside St George - so quiet)
9. Vegas

Having not done an extensive amount of travelling, my list is limited to the places I have been but each place is well worth a visit in my opinion:

1) Ngoro-Ngoro Crater, Tanzania.
Too much to take in in one day, going over the makes your heart jump into your throat, quite simply, the essence of beauty.

2) Thorong-La Pass, Annapurna Region, Nepal.
After a week of altitude sickness and a temperature of 104 F, words cannot describe the feeling of getting to the top, a great sense of achievement and being on top of the world - literally!

3) Rome, Italy.
Having been born there, I could be bias but just a few days there is enough to realise the power and greatness of this incredible city. You can spend the whole day just walking down little back-streets occasionally coming across a square or Piazza, snacking on THE BEST pizza in the world. When in Rome...

4) Zanzibar, E. Africa.
Untouched by throngs of tourists, just really laid back and beautiful - worth the choppy boat trip. Prison Island is a must, giant tortoises and a paradise beach.

5) Lushoto, Tanzania.
Beautiful little town in Northern Tanzania Usambura Mountains, go to the view point, only a few hours walk not too hard and the view is so worth the effort, Pride Rock in the Lion King was based on it! Very humbling.

6) Scotland, UK.
I went for the first time in January and am now hooked!

7)Dubai, UAE.
Only been for 3 days but just the most fascinating place, just a huge city in the middle of the desert! Dune driving is a mad rush and the heat! Just don't leave the hotel between 11am and 5pm, all the shops and businesses close then anyway and re-open till past 11.

Enjoy them if you find yourself passing!
Take it easy

Bump.

Angkor Wat
Serenghetti/Masai Mara
Mt Kilimanjaro
Great Wall of China
Machu Piccu
Chichen Itza
Giza plateau

Thats my list

What??? Not one single mention of a certain statue in Brazil?

I think Kao San Road should be among the traveler's 7 wonders. Where else on earth can a clean cut middle-class young man/woman go and come out a week later a complete and total hippie that pinches more pennies than a Great Depression survivor?

quote:

Originally posted by jv:
What??? Not one single mention of a certain statue in Brazil?

Haha. Jv your so funny.

My experiences are pretty limited compared to most of the responses here, but I thought I'd add the few things I thought were the best:

1. Watching a sunset from Ia on Santorini where the sun hits the water and seems suspended.

2. Plitvicka National Park in Croatia - wandering through the massive park with the sound of roaring waterfalls all around you. So peaceful and gorgeous!

3. Climbing the Alps in Europe.

4. Seeing the infinite amount of interesting and historical sights in Rome, Italy.

5. Wandering the medieval town of Ghent, Belgium.

6. The Cliffs of Moher, Burren, Dingle, and Galway... okay, fine, all of Ireland in general!

7. The Canadian Rockies - driving through them or skiing or hiking, whatever it is they are beautiful and majestic!

Hopefully with more travel under my belt I will be able to update this list with all the other wonderful things in the world!!

BTW - great thread, thanks for bumping Slip.