Spectacular Photos Showcase Secret Locations From Around the World

dune
Sane dunes in Lencois Maranhenses National Park, Brazil. The rainy season causes the valleys between the dunes to fill with rainwater. | A Sab/Dreamstime

These stunning photos are of secret locations off the beaten track where photographers will have to work a little harder to find.

Hidden Places: From Secret Shores to Sacred Shrines is a new book by Claudia Martin that explores less obvious locations from around the world. From the psychedelic salt mines of Yekaterinburg in Siberia to the rugged, green-tinted Copper Canyon in the Sierra Madre in Mexico.

cochem
The picturesque town of Cochem in Germany. | Boris Stroujko/Shutterstock
Cenote
The Ik Kil Cenote in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. A cenote is formed by the collapse of limestone bedrock. | Boris Vetshev/Shutterstock
cave art
Aboriginal artwork in Carnarvon Gorge, Australia. Located in central Queensland, the oldest sites in the gorge have been in use for over 3,000 years. | Chriskiely/Dreamstime
Italy
Civita Di Bagnoregio in Central Italy, nicknamed “The Dying City” because of the difficulty people have accessing it. | Nikolay Antonov/Dreamstime

The book takes in sites like the Silfra Deep Trench in Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet to create a remarkable rift and freshwater dive site. The author, Claudia Martin, is a travel writer who contributed to guide books and magazines.

driving track
An incredible road to drive in Transfagarasan, Romania. | Piotr Piatrouski/Shutterstock
fire pit
The “Door to Hell” Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan. A mystery remains as to how the 226 feet (69-meter) wide flaming hole appeared in the first place. | Matyas Rehak/Dreamstime
cave
The Apostle Islands in Wisconsin blanketed by coniferous forest and roamed by plentiful black bears. | Wisconsinart/Dreamstime
dunes
Great Sand Dunes National Park Colorado at Sunset. | Kris Wiktor/Shutterstock
woods
Mossy logs over a path in the rainforest in Naikoon Park, Haida Gwaii B.C., Canada. It is the ancestral home of the Gwak’rala’chala people, one of the many tribes that form the native group Haida. | dorinser/Shutterstock
Myanmar
Myanmar has countless tiered structures, known as pagodas, that house sacred relics associated with the Buddha and arhats. | Steve Allen/Dreamstime
park
Hitachi Seaside Park in Japan. | milezaway/Shutterstock
libya
Leptis Magna in Libya, a city founded in 7th century B.C. | Fotystory/Shutterstock
norway
The Lofoten archipelago in Reine, Norway. The fishing village of Reine is on the glacier-carved island of Moskenesoya. | Miroslav Liska/Dreamstime
scotland
The Cape Wrath Trail , Scottish Highlands. | Michal Szymnski/Shutterstock
china
Sanqing mountain, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, China. | Weiming Xie/Shutterstock

book cover

All images taken from the book Hidden Places by Claudia Martin (ISBN 978-1-83886-168-1) published by Amber Books Ltd (www.amberbooks.co.uk) and available from bookshops and online booksellers (RRP £19.99/$29.99/CAN$38.99).

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