The 6 most beautiful holiday destinations in the world without beaches

A good many of us picture ourselves relaxing on a sun-drenched beach, contemplating talcum-white sand and emerald green sea when we’re planning a holiday destination. There are some, however, (myself included) who can do without sun, sand and sea. It’s not that we’re averse to holidaying at the beach; it’s just that we don’t feel compelled to visit one every time we take a vacation. There are other ravishingly beautiful spectacles to marvel at and feel uplifted by, which we wouldn’t get to experience if we stayed in ‘holiday auto-pilot’ mode. I’d like to tempt you to switch off your holiday auto-pilot and try navigating live through the magnificent alternatives to coastal resorts. Here are six breathtaking destinations which might at least be worth considering as enchanting substitutes for beach holidays.

Life's a beach

i) The Iguazu Waterfalls, Argentina-Brazil Border
Whilst the Niagara Falls are more famous, when Lady Eleanor Roosevelt first saw these magnificent, thundering cascades she remarked “Poor Niagara!” The volume of water smashing its way down these jaw-droppingly immense natural shelves every second appears to be of cosmic proportions. On the Argentinean side, you can walk right around the water and explore the fabulous National Park, whilst on the Brazilian side you’ll simply be speechless and transfixed by the stunning, panoramic beauty of the vista which confronts you. You won’t even think of a beach while you’re spellbound by this spectacle.

Staring at that for a while - makes you need a wee

ii) The Grand Canyon, Arizona
It is difficult to convey in words, or even in photographs for that matter, the awesome, stark beauty – and the sheer immensity - of this vast gorge in the earth’s surface. There is a profoundly humbling sense not so much of peering into the abyss but of the astounding power of nature as you gaze into the canyon’s astonishing enormity. Contrary to popular mythology, it is not the deepest canyon on the planet (Mexico’s Barranca del Cobre and Idaho’s Hell Canyon are deeper) but it is the most spectacular, stretching before you apparently limitlessly, with its intricate geological layers strikingly visible in the colossal ravine’s walls. The Colorado River rushes mightily at the base of the canyons, 1,850 feet above sea-level and many of the ridges have weather-sculpted lines which make them look uncannily like Chinese temples. The rich colours of the rocks – which are millions of years old – change with the angle and intensity of the sun during the day. The desert-like floor of the Inner Canyon, about a mile lower than the highest North Rim, is 35º F hotter than the almost icy temperatures at the top. It’s a breathtaking spectacle you’ll find it hard to leave behind.

Massive

iii) The Canadian Rockies, Canada
A part of the North American Rocky Mountain Range, the Canadian Rockies are arguably more beautiful than their American neighbour and are certainly older. Bejewelled with stunning lakes, canyons, limestone caves, waterfalls, glaciers, and magnificent mountain panoramas, these fabulous natural colossi are a hikers and walkers dream. The mountains house no fewer than five huge natural parks; the highest peak, Mount Robson, is regarded as a real challenge to climb but simply looking at it is enough to take your breath away and entrance you.

A truely wonderful place to visit

iv) The Pyramids, Egypt
As with the Grand Canyon, it is virtually impossible to do justice to these gigantic monuments with words or even pictures. You have to be there, staring at the enigmatic Sphinx and the immense four-sided pyramids in the desert heat, before you can truly sense the magnitude and mysteriousness of these fabulous structures. 30,000 human beings toiled for over 20 years in Giza to construct these astonishing tombs for the Pharaohs – the largest pyramids in the world – beginning in 2700 BC. However, whilst those at Giza are the most spectacular, no less than 118 ancient pyramids have been identified in Egypt; all have an eerie beauty and you can almost feel the world as it was when they were built.

Although technically there is sand

v) The Great Wall of China
If the Great Pyramids at Giza took a mere 23 years to complete, the Great Wall of China outstrips them on a construction timescale hands down: it took 100 years to finish. Deservedly regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, this incredible man-made structure stretches for no less than 4,000 miles. Started in 5th Century BC, it was originally constructed to protect the Chinese Empire from the warrior-like Xiongnu people to the north. Initially made of wood, stone, earth and grass, bricks were added later when they began to be manufactured. Fabulous though this spectacle is, it is nonetheless sobering to appreciate that between 2 to 3 million Chinese people died during its construction.

Walk it all!

vi) Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada and New York, United States
Whilst I am conscious of leaving out so many other fabulous beachless destinations – the Taj Mahal, the Amazon Rain Forest, the eerily beautiful archaeological miracle of Petra in Jordan, with its ancient temples carved exquisitely out of rock – I’ve decided to include this stunning location as my last, on the grounds that no list can be exhaustive; hopefully it will simply set you off thinking about other places to visit which don’t involve sand and sea. Two waterfalls in one list might seem a tad excessive, but there is something ineffably mesmerising about the endless thundering of millions of tons of water over these massively precipitous shelves, and Niagara remains a truly magnificent spectacle. Formed during the last ice age, the Falls have three distinct areas – the famous Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and the Bridal Veil and American Falls on the New York side. The colours of the water, the mighty roar, the breathtaking views - all will leave you quite simply spellbound.

Has anyone got a barrel?

Beaches have their place but, as I hope you’ll agree, they are not a mandatory feature of every holiday. The six magnificent destinations suggested here are really only a small sample of the many, many beachless spectacles this amazing planet has to offer.