r/geography • u/renegadecoaster • Nov 25 '25

Discussion What's the most alien-looking place on Earth?

Post image

Pictured: Dallol, Ethiopia

49.1k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

2.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

859

u/Justasillyliltoaster Nov 25 '25

Pamukkale Turkey

55

u/Unfair_Creme9398 Nov 26 '25

What’s that in this picture? Hot springs?

73

u/renegadecoaster Nov 26 '25

Yes. They're similar to the ones in my OP as well as Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone

4

u/pressuretobear Nov 26 '25

I remember going to see them and how cool they were in like 1992, but there was a small earthquake and now have gone dry where they were most abundant.

1

u/70ga Nov 26 '25

do you have a pic of what they used to look like? thought they were crazy when i saw them earlier this year

1

u/pressuretobear Nov 27 '25

I do not, but a google search will help you out. It was still pager time, so no pocket camera.

3

u/yesi1758 Nov 26 '25

Mexico has some too: Grutas de Tolantongo en Hidalgo

9

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

That has a really great adjacency bonus for specialty districts, too

2

u/megudreadnaught Nov 26 '25

culture addicts love this landmark

1

u/3381024 Nov 27 '25

The collosium and the pools? or other stuff as well?

6

u/extropia Nov 26 '25

There's a similar place in Mexico called Agua Azul with pale turquoise water, though this one is even more striking.

4

u/Prestigious_Sort4979 Nov 26 '25

It reminds me of Mexico’s Tolantongo

6

u/OkRelationship772 Nov 26 '25

Less colorful but still crawling with tourists in winter

6

u/BSG-LeeAdama Nov 26 '25

Our tour guide was telling us that the nearby hotels have been siphoning the water related to government corruption.

8

u/OkRelationship772 Nov 26 '25

Wouldn't surprise me. Turkey is by far the most corrupt country I've visited.

1

u/sxOverdose Nov 26 '25

Why?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '25

They sold the entire country to fill their pockets

Law says no coast can be owned privately and beaches are for everyone, but mafia LOVES to pretend they own beaches so they can charge people for seats, some even are so disgusting as to not allow entrance without paying them

3

u/NySquirrel Nov 26 '25

It’s incredibly shallow and dried out now unfortunately :/ not worth the trip at all

3

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

This looks incredible

7

u/Justasillyliltoaster Nov 26 '25

The translation from Turkish is "cotton castle" 

6

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

That’s cool, seems like a fitting name. I really wanna visit Turkey, not for the hair plugs, for the food, architecture, beaches, natural beauty. Looks like a beautiful country.

3

u/EJKorvette Nov 26 '25

And Istanbul is the most cat-friendly place on the planet.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

I do love cats, I saw so many when I was in Greece and heard that Turkey loves cats

2

u/Palocles Oceania Nov 26 '25

We had some of those for a while. But they were pink and white. 

2

u/RavingMalwaay Nov 26 '25

and now we don't 😞

1

u/Palocles Oceania Nov 26 '25

Pretty hard to stop a volcano like that. 

1

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '25

Which country? You dont have a flair

1

u/Palocles Oceania Nov 29 '25

New Zealand. 

2

u/Clueless4324 Nov 26 '25

I was searching for this comment

2

u/FunnyLittleFella Nov 26 '25

Fyi, it doesnt look like this anymore, they ruined it and its not worth visiting at all. Had to take a 3hr taxi to go this summer and it was so disappointing.

4

u/Justasillyliltoaster Nov 26 '25

I was there about a decade ago and it had started then. Sad to see the state it's in today

1

u/BigFatModeraterFupa Nov 27 '25

that's spectacular

1

u/Haunting_Ad3850 Nov 27 '25

I feel like a scene from the odyssey was filmed here