When we travel we are drawn to bright, colourful cities, villages, natural sites and landscapes. It is hard to believe that some of these places actually exist, but they do and here's 30 of the most beautiful, colourful places on earth!
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1. Lavender Fields, Provence, France
As Jean Giono eloquently once said "Lavender is the soul of Provence".
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2. Lake Hillier, Australia
Located next to the strikingly blue Pacific Ocean in Western Australia is Lake Hillier, a saline lake known for its pink colouring!
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3. Valparaiso, Chile
Valparaiso, know as Valpo to the locals is an art lovers dream! With its artistic vibe, colourful houses, muraled walls and colourful port, we fell in love with Valpo as so many had before us when we visited in 2013.
4. Five Flowers Lake, China
The Juizhaigo region of China features countless stunning natural wonders including the Five Flower Lake, a shallow multi-coloured lake whose bottom is criss-crossed with ancient fallen tree trunks.
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5. Burano, Italy
If you travel to the northern part of the Venetian Lagoon you will discover Burano, famous for its lace making and brightly coloured fishermen's houses.
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6. Laguna Colorada, Bolivia
At 14,000 feet above sea level is Laguna Colorada, a stunning shallow salt lake that is white-speckled and red in colour. Again, I was lucky enough to see this when I travelled South America in 2013, and the photos do not give it justice! If you are lucky you will also spot a number of flamingoes who have made this part of the world their home.
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7. Pink Sands Beach, Bahamas
This little slice of the Bahamas is one of the Caribbean's pretties beaches with three miles of pink sand stretching across Harbour Island. The red shells of small marine animals mix with the island's white sanding creating the soft, pink colour!
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8. Chefchaouen, Morocco
Chefchaouen is one of the pretties, most vibrant towns in Morocco. A blue washed, artsy village located at the foot of the Rif mountains.
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9. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The GBR off the coast of Queensland is the largest living thing on Earth and is even visible from outer space! Boasting thousands of reefs, hundreds of islands, 600 types of coral and countless specifies of fish, star fish, turtles, dolphins and sharks.
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10. Cinque Terre, Italy
A set of 5 colourful, seaside villages set along the cliffs of the rugged Italian Riviera coastline.
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11. Cano Cristales River, Columbia
More commonly known as the "River of Five Colours" or the "Liquid Rainbow" this beautiful river is coloured yellow, green, blue, black and red due to the bed of the colour.
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12. Lake Pukaki, New Zealand
When I first saw the lakes of the South Island of NZ I was speechless! Their shimmering, blue qualities are due to the glacial fees to the lakes. Lake Pukaki is set at the bottom of the highest peak in New Zealand, Mt Cook and is one of the most beautiful, vibrant places I've ever seen.
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13. Lake Natron, Tanzania
This salt lake is known as "the Lake that turns animals into stone". It colour is due to the very high salt levels and very high evaporation rates.
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14. Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan is the oldest settlement in Puerto Rico and is a National Historical Landmark. It is known for its historic squares, cobblestoned streets and colourful buildings.
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15. Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Located in Arizona this is the most visited slot Canyon in the Southwest. It is famous for its rock colour, ambient light and is also very easily accessible.
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16. Santa Marta, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro's favelas or shanty towns are a vibrant mix of colours!
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17. Yuanyang Terraces, China
Yuanyang Rice Terraces date back over 2,500 years when the people who lived here established the terraces in their struggle to make a living in the difficult terrain. They are famed for their beautiful scenery and are known as 'land sculptures' that has been labelled a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site.
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18. Tulip Fields, Holland
In Spring Holland comes to life with the striking colours of flowering tulip bulbs.
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19. Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the US and third largest in the world. Its colours match the rainbow by dispersion of white light by an optical prism of red, orange, yellow, green and blue.
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20. Brighton Beach, Melbourne, Australia
Brighton Beach is Melbourne's favourite seaside destination and the 82 Brighton bathing boxes remain exactly as they did over 100 years ago. The owners have choses to differentiate their bathing boxes with minor structural, artistic and colour variations. Together they become a collective, colourful work of art!
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21. Lake Retba, Senegal
The salinity content of Lake Retba compares to that of the Dead Sea, and during the dry season it exceeds it! The pink colour is caused by a bacteria which is attracted to the salt content of the lake. The bacteria produced a red pigment in order to absorb the sunlight and gives the lake its unique pink colour!
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22. Copenhagen, Denmark
The 17th century waterfront, canal and enterainment district of Denmark's capital, Copenhagen is lined with brightly coloured townhouses and bars.
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23. Bo kaap, Cape Town, South Africa
The Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town is formerly known as the Malay Quarter. It is a multicultural area, rich in history and is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobble stoned streets.
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24. Cargill's Salt Evaporation Ponds, California
These bright, colourful ponds brighten the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay. The bright colours are caused by the organism or micro-algae living within the ponds.
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25. La Boca, Argentina
La Boca, a neigbourhood of Buenos Aires' is famed for its colourful houses, tango & its soccer team. It was one of my favourite places in Argentina, despite nursing a awful hangover from too much partying BA style the night before!
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26. Peyto Lake, Alberta, Canada
Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. It gets it's incredible colour from the large amounts of glacial rock flour that flow into it during the summer months and is definitely on my bucket list!
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27. Procidam, Italy
The most picturesque and charming spot of the island of Procida is Marina Corricella. A thin slice of waterfront is made of colourful, picture perfect fishermens houses.
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28. Trinidad, Cuba
Trinidad is one of the most vibrant, stunning towns in the world. A mixture of cobbled streetes, terracotta tiled roofs, green rolling hills, blue seas, palm trees and bright, pastel houses. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with carefully restored Spanish colonial architecture.
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29. Zhangye Danxia, China
The Zhangye Danxia landform area is known as “the eye candy of Zhangye" and truly has to be seen to be believed. It is a geologists dream!
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30. Marble Caves of Lago Carrera, Chile
The Marble Caves of Lago Carrera are amazingly vibrant blue and grey caves that all lay in stunning turquoise waters. A part of Patagonia that is not to be a missed!
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What other incredible, colourful places have you visited in your travels?