When you think of Japan, your mind probably races to neon-lit cities, cherry blossoms, ancient shrines, or sushi masterpieces. But what if we told you Japan also has a desert? And not just any desert—a place where mirages shimmer across golden dunes like something out of Arabian Nights?
Imagine a crescent of golden dunes and red cliffs floating in the middle of the sea, kissed constantly by wind and waves. Welcome to the Magdalen Islands, or Îles de la Madeleine, Quebec’s quiet masterpiece hidden deep in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
You don’t need a passport stamp from Scandinavia to find yourself in a majestic fjord-like valley. Just head deep into the highlands of West Sumatra, and you’ll stumble upon a surreal pocket of earth called Harau Valley—where sheer granite cliffs tower over emerald rice fields, waterfalls tumble like silver ribbons, and mist hugs the treetops like it’s never known anything else.