The original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were created more than two thousand years ago in what we like to think of as the OG travel guidebook, and featured sites distributed throughout the Mediterranean and modern-day Middle East.
With six of the seven original ancient sites long gone, various updated versions of the Wonders of the World – both natural and manmade – have been proposed in recent years. We’re guessing that at least a few Wonders, both ancient and modern, are featured on your travel bucket list. This is our guide to seeing them for yourself:
The oldest of the ancient wonders by almost two thousand years, and the only one that remains largely intact, the Great Pyramid was constructed in 2584 BCE to house the tomb of the pharaoh, Khufu. It is part of the larger Giza Necropolis that also includes two smaller pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx.
The pyramids are located on the edge of Egypt’s Western Desert, just thirteen kilometres from downtown Cairo. We recommend prebooking a guided tour of the complex as part of your Egyptian holiday experience, especially if you want to venture inside the pyramid itself. You’ll avoid having to negotiate with local guides touting for business, and you’ll learn so much more about the history and stories that surround this astonishing site.
Little is known about the Hanging Gardens, including where they were located or whether they ever actually existed. Ancient scholars wrote of a series of tiered gardens that rose skyward to create a mountain of greenery that emulated the green hills of her homeland.
The UNESCO World Heritage listed ruins of the city of Babylon are located in modern-day Iraq, around 85 kilometres south of the capital, Baghdad. There are some international tour companies that visit Babylon, but with smarttraveller.gov.au currently advising against all travel to the region, we recommend a visit to Singapore’s Parkroyal Hotel on Pickering or Shanghai’s 1,000 Trees retail complex, which have both been described as modern-day interpretations of the Hanging Gardens.
This twelve-metre-high statue, which depicts the ancient Greek king of the gods sitting on an immense throne, was created in around 435 BCE and housed in the Temple of
Zeus at Olympia. No-one knows for certain how the temple and statue came to be destroyed, probably some time in the sixth century CE. However, along with the partially excavated ruins of the temple, there are many more temples, statues and other archaeological treasures to explore when you visit Olympus.
Located around 400 kilometres north of Athens or just an hour’s drive from the Macedonian city of Thessaloniki, the region is also becoming increasingly popular as an eco- and adventure-tourism destination that is renowned its deep gorges, jagged peaks and unique flora and fauna.
Built to honour the Greek goddess of the hunt, the Temple of Artemis was located in the ancient city of Ephesus near the modern-day Turkish coastal city of Kusadasi. Today, only a single remnant of one of the temple’s 100 immense marble columns remains to mark the site, but the ruins of Ephesus contain many other amazing archaeological wonders, including the Library of Celcus, the Terrace Houses and the House of the Virgin Mary.
You can see miniature reconstructions of both the Temple of Athena and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (see below) during a visit to Miniatürk. This immense park of miniatures, located on the Golden Horn in Istanbul, contains intricately detailed models of numerous historic structures from Istanbul, Anatolia and former Ottoman territories.
This vast stone tomb was constructed during the fourth century BCE as the final resting place for Mausolus, who was an ancient ruler of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Standing 45 metres high and adorned with elaborate stone sculptures that depicted lions, horses, gods and battle scenes, it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries CE.
The most significant remnant of this ancient wonder is the word mausoleum, which describes any large and impressive structure that contains a tomb or collection of tombs. Other notable mausoleums you can visit include the Pantheon in Paris, Lenin’s Tomb in Moscow and China’s Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (home to the Terracotta Warriors).
The 33-metre figure of the Greek god Helios was built from iron, bronze and marble to honour a major military victory, and stood overlooking the city of Rhodes for just 54 years before it was toppled by an earthquake in 226 BCE. The fallen remains of the statue continued to be admired for a further 800 years before eventually destroyed.
Although the Colossus is long gone, the picturesque Old Town of Rhodes remains a popular tourist site on the island. Encircled by high stone walls and overlooked by the impressive Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, the town’s pretty, cobbled streets and squares are a wonderful place to spend a few hours, shopping and sampling local cuisine.
For more than 1500 years, the 100-metre-high lighthouse stood on an island in the Nile Delta, the light from its vast furnace guiding ships safely into the harbour at Alexandria. As with many of its fellow ancient wonders, its disappearance was due to a progression of destructive earthquakes over several centuries.
The city of Alexandria remains one of Egypt’s most important and historically significant cities, with the breathtaking, fifteenth-century Citadel of Qaitbay now where the lighthouse once stood.
Rome’s Colosseum is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, its outer wall rising 48 metres above the city streets, and its tiered interior capable of seating as many as 87,000 rowdy spectators.
Join a guided tour of the Colosseum’s ruins if you want to explore areas that are not accessible to the general public, including the underground tunnels and chambers where gladiators and wild animals were once held while they waited to go into battle.
The Great Wall is made up of a series of walls and fortresses that were built between the seventh century BCE and the sixteenth century CE to protect against nomadic invaders from neighbouring modern-day Mongolia. In total, the fortifications stretch for more than 6000 kilometres, and although some sections have long since disappeared, there are large sections that have been preserved and restored.
One of the most spectacular and best preserved of these is the UNESCO World Heritage listed Mutianyu Wall, which is located around 80 kilometres from Beijing. An enclosed cable car provides easy access to the wall if you’re not keen on taking on the endless stone stairs, while the 1580-metre, Speed Slide toboggan track provides a thrilling ride back to the bottom.
Located on the bank of the Yumana River in the northern Indian city of Agra, this vast mausoleum of white marble serves as the final chapter in one of the world’s most
famous love stories. It was built in the seventeenth century for the Emperor of Hindustan, Shah Jahan the Magnificent, to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal (and later, his own).
The Taj Mahal and its gardens attract more than seven million visitors every year, making it one of the world’s most popular historic sites. It’s a key stop on the renowned Golden Triangle circuit, which also takes in the Indian capital of New Delhi and the historic Pink City of Jaipur.
With arms stretched wide, the 30-metre figure of Jesus looks out over Tijuca National Park to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and the wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Although the most modern of the new Seven Wonders by several centuries, the statue has been a cultural symbol of the city ever since it was completed in 1931.
More than two million visitors make the journey up Corcovado Mountain each year, either as a Christian pilgrimage or simply to marvel at the determination and creativity required to create and install this immense work of religious art. The good news is that you don’t have to attempt the thigh-burning, three-hour climb on foot (although you can). Instead, we suggest you opt for the distinctive red narrow-gauge train that departs from the base of the mountain every twenty minutes.
Tucked away in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu was built during the fifteenth century but only became known to outsiders in 1911. Its stone walls and terraces, encircled by towering mountainsides, are thought to have been the private city of Incan royalty, complete with temples, a residential section and areas set aside for agriculture.
To protect and preserve the site’s unique nature, visitor numbers are strictly controlled, and you must have a permit to visit. You can choose to travel by luxury train from the city of Cusco, walk from the nearby hot springs town of Aguas Calientes, or challenge yourself to take on the multi-day Inca Trail.
The ancient city of Chichen Itza was a major centre for the Mayan people from approximately 600 to 1200 CE. The sacred site, in the eastern Yucatan region of Mexico, encompasses an expansive collection of structures over an area of at least five square kilometres, many of which demonstrate the Mesoamerican inhabitants’ expert knowledge of astronomy and architecture. The most well-known of these is the pyramid-shaped Temple of Kukulcán (also known as El Castillo).
The best time of year to visit Chichen Itza is during the dry season (November to April), when the weather is settled and temperatures are mild. For the most spectacular experience, time your visit for the spring or autumn equinoxes, when the sun casts shadows on the steps of the pyramid to resemble a giant snake descending the staircase. Throughout the year, a spectacular nightly sound and light show brings the history and mysteries of the complex to life.
Often referred to as the “Rose City” because of the pink sandstone from which the buildings are hewn, Petra’s ancient buildings is a stunning collection of expertly carved tombs, temples and other buildings that date as far back as the first century CE.
A highlight of any visit to Petra is the approach through a sandstone gorge known as the Siq. After winding for more than a kilometre between its narrow, curving walls, you will emerge in front of Petra’s most iconic ruin: Al-Khazneh (“the Treasury”). You may like to combine your visit to Petra with a memorable stay in the nearby Wadi Rum (“Valley of the Moon”), where you can experience traditional Bedouin hospitality.
Nature’s own amazing light display is caused when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, creating vibrant waves of green, pink, and purple to shimmer and dance across the night sky. The best chance of seeing this phenomenon is during the long dark nights of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, especially in regions that are closer to the Arctic Circle, such as Alaska, Canada and the Nordic countries.
Closer to home, the southern hemisphere’s version is the Aurora Australis, which is best seen in areas where there is little light pollution between March and September. Popular aurora viewing options include Tasmania, New Zealand’s Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve or a once-in-a-lifetime, chartered flightseeing tour.
Carved over millions of years by the course of the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon slashes through the red sandstone of Arizona for 446 kilometres and measures 29 kilometres across at its widest point. The South Rim, located around two hour’s drive from the city of Flagstaff, is the most popular destination to experience the vast beauty of the Grand Canyon – there are plenty of trails that are stroller and wheelchair friendly, and, unlike the quieter North Rim, it is open to visitors year-round.
The Canyon’s West Rim (home of the glass-floored Skywalk) is a popular day trip from Las Vegas, with a variety of tours you can choose from. You can even treat yourself to a
helicopter flight, complete with epic views and a heart-stopping landing on the floor of the Canyon.
More than 900 islands and 2900 individual reefs make up Australia’s own natural Wonder, scattered across a vast area of Queensland’s Coral Sea. It is the world’s largest structure made from living organisms, and it supports an immense diversity of life, from tiny coral polyps that are the Reef’s architects and builders to massive humpback whales that migrate to its warm, protected waters each winter to breed and nurse their calves.
The Reef is famously large enough to be seen from space, but getting up close and personal is best if you want to truly appreciate its unique beauty. You can explore its pristine islands and dazzling beaches on a skippered sailing charter, visit a floating pontoon to try snorkelling with giant wrasses and manta rays, or treat the family to an idyllic holiday at an island resort.
From the sun-kissed beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema to the distinctive profile of Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro owes much of its natural beauty to the immense bay on which it is set. However, the city is only one part of its appeal – the bay is studded with more than 130 islands, historic forts and ecologically significant areas of mangrove habitat.
Although the bay has suffered from major pollution issues in recent decades, it remains one of South America’s most spectacular geographical features. From downtown Rio, you can catch a ferry to the tranquil, car-free Ilha de Paquetá, then spend the day exploring on foot, or you can hire a bicycle or electric golf cart. Head to the Parque Natural Municipal Darke de Mattos at the southern end of the island for panoramic views across the bay – on clear days, you can even see Brazil’s other Wonder, Christ the Redeemer, standing atop distant Corcovado Mountain.
Reaching almost nine kilometres into the sky, Mt Everest is Earth’s highest mountain above sea level. It is known as Sagarmatha (meaning ‘Goddess of the Sky’) in Nepali/Sanskrit and Qomolangma (meaning ‘Holy Mother’) in Tibetan, its icy slopes are an irresistible lure to climbers, trekkers and adventurers from all over the world.
The good news is that you don’t have to be an experienced mountaineer to experience Everest’s awe-inspiring grandeur. You can opt for a multi-day trek to Everest Base Camp, a scenic flight over the Himalayas from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, or a helicopter transfer paired with a luxury overnight stay at Hotel Everest View (renowned as the world’s highest altitude hotel).
Parícutin is a newborn baby in geological terms – especially when compared with the ancient peaks of the Himalayas. In 1943, the world’s youngest volcano erupted from a cornfield in the Mexican region of Michoacán, taking just nine years to form a symmetrical high cone that now rises more than 400 metres above the surrounding land. It is now considered dormant and attracts visitors from around the world who come to climb its scree slopes and take in the sweeping views from its crater rim – either on foot, by horseback or by 4X4.
The volcano is located around two hours’ drive from the regional capital of Morelia, which is renowned for its UNESCO World Heritage listed pink stone cathedral and beautifully preserved stone aqueduct. From Morelia, it’s an easy day trip to the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary, where millions of monarch butterflies make a migration to escape the North American winter.
The world’s largest waterfall by width and height is formed where the full width of the Zambezi River falls in a single vertical drop of 108 metres, plunging into an immense chasm known as the First Gorge. The resulting spray, which can reach a height of 800 metres during the wet season (November to April) that can be seen from up to 50 kilometres away, earned the falls their Sotho name: Mosi-oa-Tunya (‘The Smoke that Thunders’).
The river itself forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, with features like the Devil’s Cataract and the historic Victoria Falls Hotel located on the Zimbabwe side of the river. The iconic Victoria Falls Bridge, which straddles the border between the two African nations, provides an ideal viewpoint of the falls. A grade 5 white-water rafting expedition is a fabulous way to experience the might of the river up close, or you can take in the entire spectacle from above: a memorable scenic flight known as “the Flight of the Angels”.
From the ancient remains of long-vanished civilisations to the breathtaking evidence of nature’s immense power, your personal travel manager is ready to help make your next holiday a little more Wonderful.