Perched on the edge of a mesa, Paolo Soleri’s utopian metropolis
– located in the middle of the
Arizona desert – looks lifted from a sci-fi film.

Topped with ceramic eggs, the stucco structure of Salvador
Dalí’s Catalonian home is an indulgent homage to surrealist
experimentation.

This colourful mound in the Sonoran Desert is a proclamation of
faith and love. Walk the hand-painted yellow brick road to
Salvation’s exuberantly painted 50-foot summit, crowned by the
words “God Is Love”.

A volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, Milos is publicised
as the discovery site of the Venus de Milo – but we’re most
interested in discovering the Papafragas caves.

A geological wonder, the rainbow mountains of Gansu
are rugged, multihued and majestic.

You’ve got algae to thank for the particularly pretty shade of
pink for which Lake Retba is known.

Across this archipelago, vast swathes of land are populated with
abstract geological forms, from coastline peninsulas to the weird
and wonderful rock formations of the Quiraing.

At Pamukkale, ethereal limpid pools hang like white travertine
terraces. Meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, its name couldn’t be
more in point.

Hitachi Seaside Park – with its marshmallow-pink kochia plants –
gives us serious Dr Seuss vibes.

This coastal desert is one of the oldest and largest in the
world; it’s distinctive russet hue also makes it one of the most
beautiful.