1. Hanging Temple, China
China’s 1 500-year-old Hanging Temple defies gravity. Legend has it that this temple was built by one man, but this is hard to believe when you see this building clinging onto a cliff near Mount Heng in Shanxi Province. Whoever built the 40-room temple linked by a passageways was a genius, though, as it has no wooden pillars for support and is held onto the cliff by drilled holes…made 1 500 years ago and long before the advent of modern construction tools!
2. Castellfollit de la Roca, Spain
This medieval village is a geographical phenomena. It once had a normal flatland village layout, but due to being built on a basalt column and the streets being made out of volcanic rock, the village got ‘stretched out’ by years of tectonic movements, pulling the village onto the edge of the cliff. Perhaps hundreds of years from now it will be pulled right off the cliff, so go while you can…
3. The Swallow’s Nest, Ukraine
Also known as the Love Nest, this castle in Gaspra was built in 1911 and has managed to survive an earthquake. It’s still standing today, overlooking the Black Sea, and open to tourists.
4. Mount Hua Plank Walk, China
Perhaps only suitable for experienced mountain climbers; this trail has nothing but chains for handholds and boards nailed into the mountain for footholds to help climbers ascent and inch their way across narrow ledges. Just don’t look down!
Mount Hua Plank Walk, China
5. Bloukrans Bridge, Western Cape, South Africa
A safer bet is the Bloukrans Bridge Bungee Jump located near Nature’s Valley along the Western Cape’s Garden Route. At 216-meters high it’s spilled as the world’s highest commercial natural bungee jump. Ready? 1, 2, 3…jump!
6. Sant’Agata de’ Goti, Italy
Perched on a sheer-drop bluff above a river gorge, this magical little medieval town seems to have been built by some sort of wizardry, as it’s hard to believe humans could have pulled off such a feat. While only a short drive from modernised Naples, a visit to this town is like stepping back into the Middle Ages, with narrow lanes leading to piazzas and ancient churches adorned with gorgeous frescoes.
Sant’Agata de’ Goti – Italy
7. Meteora, Greece
Comprising six Eastern Orthodox monasteries (there were originally 24), this vast complex is built on massive natural rock pillars and rounded boulders located near the town of Kalabaka near the Pineios River and Pindus Mountains. An architectural wonder, it’s no surprise Meteora has been recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
8. Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe, France
You’ll need thighs of steel to make the 268-step pilgrimage up to this chapel nestled on top of a needle-point rock formation, but it’s well worth it to see this gravity-defying structure in southern France that is thousands of years old.
9. Katskhi pillar, Georgia
If you’re one of the lucky few to crack the nod to get permission to visit the 130-foot high Katshki Pillar in Georgia, it won’t be an easy trek but well worth it to visit what may be one of the world’s most isolated churches. So isolated, in fact, that locals reportedly only gazed up to it for centuries before mountaineer Alexander Japaridze first led a group to its summit in 1944.
10. Edge Walk, Canada
Visiting Toronto and feeling brave? Head to the city’s tallest structure, the CN Tower, and take a death-defying stroll along its handrail-free walkway. Being safety conscious Canada, it’s not as dangerous as it seems, though: visitors are equipped with safety gear, including straps attached to a bar ringing the inside of the walkway where they can walk 1,168-feet above ground and peer over for a hands-free view.
Edge Walk, Canada
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