Ancient civilizations flourished on river-valleys. These valleys have been the seat of the most progressive and notable civilizations in history. The Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Chaldeans and others built their civilization on the river-valley of Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; the Chinese established a unique civilization in the river-valleys of Huang He and Yangtze Rivers; in India - on the river-valleys of Indus and Ganges Rivers; and the Egyptians on the river-valley of the Nile.
However, this article is focus on valleys which are considered tourist spots or attractions. These are either of geological or geographical significance. Here's the list of some of the most beautiful valleys in the world today.
Wadi Al-Hitan (Egypt)
Wadi Al-Hitan is a palaeontological site in the Al Fayyum Governorate of Egypt, some 150 km southwest of Cairo. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest whale forms, the archaeoceti (a now extinct sub-order of whales). The site reveals one of the greatest mysteries of the evolution of whales: the emergence of the whale as an ocean-going mammal from a previous life as a land-based animal. No other place in the world yields the number, concentration and quality of such fossils, as is their accessibility and setting in an attractive and protected landscape. This is why it was added by the UNESCO to the list of protected World Heritage sites.
Great Rift Valley (Ethiopia/Kenya/Malawi/Tanzania)
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. The name continues in some usages, although it is today considered geologically imprecise as it combines features that are today regarded as separate, although related, rift and fault systems. Today, the term is most often used to refer to the valley of the East African Rift, the divergent plate boundary which extends from the Afar Triple Junction southward across eastern Africa, and is in the process of splitting the African Plate into two new separate plates. Geologists generally refer to these incipient plates as the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate.
Valley of Flowers (India)
Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park, Nestled high in West Himalaya, is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km². The Valley of Flowers is an outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned.
Vinales Valley (Cuba)
Viñales Valley is a karstic depression in Cuba. The valley has an area of 132 km² and is located in the Sierra de los Organos, just north of Viñales in the Pinar del Río Province. Tobacco and other crops are cultivated on the bottom of the valley, mostly by traditional agriculture techniques. Many caves dot the surrounding hillfaces (Cueva del Indio, Cueva de José Miguel). The conspicuous cliffs rising like islands from the bottom of the valley are called mogotes. Viñales is a major tourist destination offering mainly hiking and rock climbing. The local climbing scene has started to take off in the last few years with many new routes being discovered resulting in an increase in local tourism.
La Gran Sabana (Venezuela)
The Gran Sabana is an important natural attraction in Venezuela and is located in the south of Bolívar State on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, approximately 1,400 km from Caracas. The area has a tropical humid climate with an average temperature of 28 °C, but at night it can go down to 13 °C. The Gran Sabana lies on a plateau with a mean altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level and is dotted with huge table-top mountains called tepuis, which rise dramatically from the surrounding plains. Mount Roraima is the tallest of the tepuis at 2,810 meters above sea level. It also marks the triple border point for Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. The most important town in the region is Santa Elena de Uairen, the municipal capital, which is 5 kilometers from the Venezuelan-Brazilian border. It has a population of approximately 12,000 inhabitants. The region is inhabited by several indigenous groups, including the Pemon, who are the most numerous. Canaima National Park, which was created by a decree on the 12th of June, 1962, encompasses most of the Gran Sabana but the areas do not exactly match. In 1975 the Canaima National Park was extended from the original 10,000 km² to 30,000 km², making it the sixth largest national park in the world. The main attractions for visitors to the region are Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, Mount Roraima, the mountain which inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World, and the many other mountains and waterfalls.
Valley of the Moon (Chile)
Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) is located 13 kilometers west of San Pedro in the Cordillera de la Sal, in the Atacama desert of Chile. It has various stone and sand formations which have been created through the centuries by floods and wind and has also given it an impressive range of color and texture, looking somewhat similar to the surface of the moon. In Valle de la Luna, there are dry lakes where the composition of salt makes a white covering layer of the area. It presents diverse saline outcrops which appear like man-made sculptures. There are also a great variety of caverns. Valle de la Luna is a part of the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and was declared a Nature Sanctuary in 1982 for its great natural beauty and strange lunar landscape, from where in inherits it's name. It is one of the most famous attractions of Chile. The valley is also considered one of the driest places on earth, as some areas have not received a single drop of rain in hundreds of years. A prototype for a Mars rover was tested there by scientists because of the valley's dry and forbidding terrains.
Semuc Champey (Guatemala)
Semuc Champey is a natural monument in the department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, near the Q'eqchi' Maya town of Lanquín. It consists of a natural 300 m limestone bridge, under which passes the Cahabòn River. Atop the bridge is a series of stepped, turquoise pools, a popular swimming attraction.
credited to wikipedia
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