A valley is “a flat area of land at a lower level than that which surrounds it; an area of land whose water flows into a river and which is bounded by mountains or mountain ranges”. For most people, a valley is undoubtedly synonymous with inspiration and a work of nature that people love to admire and visit.
This natural formation of a valley is incredibly fascinating! You can see how nature works and shows us all its splendor by creating the valleys. Beautiful formations that make our planet an interesting place to see, feel, live and explore.
Would you like to explore some of the most beautiful valleys on our planet? Enjoy and discover the 20 Most Beautiful and Amazing Valleys in the World.
Bac Son Valley, Vietnam
Travelers who have had the opportunity to visit Bac Son agree that the valley offers one of the most breathtaking panoramas in northern Vietnam. Imagine the Bac Son Valley is a vast patchwork of rice paddies framed by limestone mountains covered with vegetation 500 to 1200 meters high.
To fully appreciate this breathtaking panorama, you have to climb Na Lay Mountain and climb the 1200 or so steps to reach the top. Your efforts will be amply rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of the Bac Son Valley. What a spectacle!
The rice paddies are a vast tapestry of changing hues, framed by a forest of peaks and limestone mountains, all of which paint one of the most beautiful pictures the country has to admire. A real photographer’s dream!
Valle de Viñales, Cuba
For most visitors, the evergreen Valle de Viñales is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Cuba. Huge royal palms rise up from the rust-red soil, while the dead-straight rows of tobacco plants line up in endless succession. Even more striking than the countless shades of green in the fertile valley are the karst cliffs, up to 400 m high, which rise up from the plain in numerous places.
They are overgrown with dense vegetation and once formed the pillars of an ancient cave system. From a distance, the shape of the karst mountains is reminiscent of the curved backs of elephants. The humps seem to slumber like oversized animals in the green Valle de Viñales. They are called mogotes and the karst rocks have long since become the landmark of the entire region.
Braies Valley, South Tyrol
In the heart of the Dolomites, the beautiful Prags Valley nestles in the southern Limestone Alps. The valley between the municipalities of Monguelfo and Villabassa is considered one of the most beautiful in South Tyrol thanks to its breathtaking mountain scenery and fairytale hamlets. Nature is at its most beautiful at the lake Prags at the back of the valley
A wooden boat hire hut stands on the shore of the lake, a jetty leads out into the blue water and the summit of the 2810-metre-high Seekofel rises majestically in the background.
Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland
The fairytale-like Lauterbrunnen Valley lies in the heart of the Bernese Alps. Flanked by gigantic rock faces, it offers everything that nature-loving tourists long for – traditional villages with wooden gabled houses, lush mountain meadows and views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The Lauterbrunnen Valley virtually embodies the ideal image of Switzerland.
The pride and joy of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, as the name suggests, are its many waterfalls. A total of 72 cascades can be found here, as well as numerous mountain springs and streams. Author J.R.R. Tolkien is said to have used the Lauterbrunnen Valley as the inspiration for Rivendell, one of the locations in “Lord of the Rings”.
Valley of Mkhomazana River, South Africa
The Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa combine the most beautiful mountain scenery in the entire country. The green mountain flanks stretch through the landscape like huge jagged dragon’s backs, with heights of up to 3482 meters. A jewel in the “Dragon Mountains” is the valley of the Mkhomazana River. Here the river winds its way through the ever-narrowing valley towards the east.
Anyone driving the Sani Pass from the northwest will be rewarded with magnificent views of the landscape. The highest pass road in South Africa climbs an incredible 1200 meters of altitude in 35 kilometers of tight hairpin bends. Once you reach the bottom of the valley, the road follows the course of the Mkhomazana River through the valley and the surrounding Mkhomazi Wilderness Area.
Innerdalen, Norway
If a painter were to dream up the perfect Scandinavian valley for his painting, it would probably look like Innerdalen in Norway. Lush green meadows, scattered with small wooden houses with grass-covered roofs, two crystal-clear lakes and a rushing waterfall characterize the picture.
In the background, the 1452-metre-high Innerdalstårnet, also known as the “Matterhorn of Norway”, spirals upwards. There is no car traffic, instead an unpaved gravel road leads into the lovely high mountain valley.
Risstal Valley, Austria
The “Großer Ahornboden” in the Tyrolean Risstal valley is a unique natural jewel that is unparalleled in the Alps. Around 2500 centuries-old sycamore maples, framed by the massive rock faces of the Karwendel, stand on a wide grassy plain, forming a sparse forest.
The gnarled giant trees, under which dairy cows graze and chamois leap, have been a natural monument since 1927. Various hiking trails run through the valley. Most visitors come in summer and autumn, when the trees shine in their colorful robes.
Monument Valley, USA
The imposing mesas of Monument Valley in the eastern border region of the US states of Utah and Arizona provide the perfect western backdrop. Many film directors have fallen in love with the red to purple scenery, which immediately makes you yearn for adventure.
The steppe and desert lowlands owe their unmistakable appearance to millions of years of sedimentation and erosion processes. Large parts of Monument Valley are open to the public, the dusty Highway 163 crosses the valley from Kayenta to Mexican Hat and leads to a number of viewpoints.
Punakha Valley, Bhutan
The Punakha Valley in western Bhutan is characterized by forested mountain slopes whose peaks often disappear into the clouds, rice fields shimmering in all shades of green, farms and small clusters of houses. The fertile valley, which is fed by the glacial waters of the Mochu and Pochu rivers, is the country’s granary.
In addition to the beautiful landscape, the Punakha Dzong, one of the most magnificent monastery castles in the entire country, attracts many visitors to the Punakha Valley. Built in 1637, the monastery fortress with its 21 temples is considered the most spectacular example of Bhutanese architecture.
Þórsmörk, Iceland
At the foot of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, framed by volcanic peaks and glacier tongues, lies one of Iceland’s most beautiful and at the same time most inaccessible nature reserves. Þórsmörk – the forest of Thor, the god of thunder, as the first settlers called this rugged and mystical region – is truly impressive.
The Markarfljót river carves its way through the kilometer-wide gravel bed in dozens of veins every day, with cotton grass swaying in the wind, bushy birch trees growing and moss-green mountain peaks rising up in between. The area is particularly popular with hikers, with various paths criss-crossing the valley.
Jiuzhaigou Valley, China
Jiuzhaigou, the “Valley of the Nine Villages”, is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in China. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The nature park of the same name, with its wild and romantic mountains, deep blue lakes and thundering waterfalls, is the most popular attraction in Sichuan province.
It is home to many endangered animal and plant species, including the giant panda and the Sichuan takin. Various hiking trails lead to three of the nine villages, the remaining six are somewhat hidden further up in the mountains and are not accessible to tourists.
Great Rift Valley, East Africa
The Great Rift Valley, which runs through several countries on the African continent, is one of the most impressive regions in Africa.
The Great African Rift Valley was formed over 30 million years ago when two large land masses moved apart. Today it forms a huge valley that is sometimes 30, sometimes 100 kilometers wide and shows itself from very different sides.
In Tanzania, numerous volcanoes and alkaline lakes were formed, hot springs bubble in Kenya and in Ethiopia, the Great Rift Valley is green and fertile. Even today, the rift is still widening – by around two centimetres every year.
Valle Sagrado, Peru
Sooner or later, every traveler to Peru will probably end up in the Valle Sagrado, the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The central part of the Urumbamba Valley between Pisac and Ollantayytambo once served the Inca people as an agricultural production center, whose produce was delivered to the former Inca capital, nearby Cusco.
Even today, the fertile valley still feeds the farmers who live here, who grow fruit as well as quinoa, maize and beans. Not far away, enthroned on a remote mountain ridge, is Peru’s greatest attraction, the “lost” city of the Incas: Machu Picchu.
Yosemite Valley, USA
For over a century, the main attraction of Yosemite National Park has been the narrow, deeply carved Yosemite Valley in the west of the park, whose numerous waterfalls offer an impressive spectacle, especially in spring when the snow melts.
These include the 189-metre Bridalveil Falls, the 491-metre Ribbon Falls, the three Yosemite Falls with a combined height of 739 meters, the 181-metre Nevada Falls and finally the postcard-worthy 97-metre Vernal Falls.
Just as impressive as these waterfalls are the huge cliffs of dark grey granite that flank the valley to the right and left, including the vertical wall of El Capitan, which is over 1000 meters high, and the rock of Half Dome, which seems to have been sawn in half.
Benasque Valley, Spain
The Valle de Benasque with the villages of Benasque, Castejón de Sos and the Pico de Aneto mountain is one of the most beautiful areas of the Spanish Pyrenees. Hikers in particular feel at home here in the mountains of northern Spain.
The valley of the Río Ésera river attracts visitors with its iron-rich springs, wild and romantic side valleys, cross-country and downhill ski runs and the winds that are so favorable for gliding.
Valle de Benasque was once so remote that the Benasqués dialect has been spoken for centuries and has hardly been spoken in recent years.The Maladeta massif around the highest Pyrenean mountain, Pico de Aneto (3408 m), is also a geographical highlight and is particularly attractive for mountaineers.
The Valle de Benasque is surrounded by the highest Pyrenean mountains, the Maladeta (3308 m) and the Posets (3371 m).
Barun Valley, Nepal
Barun valley of Nepal is one of the most beautiful places in the world that lies in the Himalayan Glacier. Barun Valley brings more moisture than any of the other valleys in the Himalayas. The reason for having a microclimate barun valley is a dense jungle with lots of rain. It can be called as the Amazon forest of the Himalayas valley due to its average rainfall.
Barun Valley is one of the amazing valleys of Nepal situated on the lapse of Makalu Mountain. Makalu is also the Fifth highest mountain of the world as well as the fourth highest mountain of Nepal.
Besides the marvellous views of the high mountain ranges, Barun Valley also offers stunning contrasts, where high waterfalls flow down the deep gorges. Barun valley lies entirely inside the Makalu Barun National Park of Nepal. Because of that you can also spot some of the rare species of flora and fauna.
Harau Valley, Indonesia
The one and a half hour drive from Bukittinggi to the west is not in vain as a mountainous, natural atmosphere adorned with rows of beautiful waterfalls about 100 meters high awaits you. Not to mention the place where four clear rivers flow by to feast your eyes.
Harau Valley is a fertile valley in Harau District, Lima Puluh Kota Regency, West Sumatra Province. It is located about 138 km from Padang and about 47 km from Bukittinggi. This place is surrounded by colorful steep granite stones with an altitude of 100 to 500 meters.
The Harau Valley has a tropical climate and fertile land, as well as the beauty of a charming natural landscape. Harau Valley is nicknamed Yosemite Valley in Indonesia because it has a similar beauty to Yosemite National Park in California.
Nubra Valley, India
The Nubra Valley lies to the north-east of Leh. The two dominant rivers are the Shyok and the Nubra. They form a wide valley and separate the Ladakh Range from the Karakoram Range. In the past, popular trade routes to Central Asia ran through here, but these are now interrupted. The average altitude of the Nubra valley floors is around 3000 meters.
Nubra is a wide valley with the gravel beds of meandering rivers, impressively green oases with poplars and grain fields on wide alluvial fans. There are even dune landscapes and quaint villages with flat houses and prayer flags, mani walls, gompas and monasteries. Camels also live here.
Kaghan Valley, Pakistan
Kaghan Valley is a jewel among the many beautiful valleys in the Mansehra District of Hazara in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. This 160 kilometer long valley is most popular summer holiday spots for both Pakistanis as well as foreigners. The valley features pine forests, alpine meadows, crystal clear lakes and cool mountain streams. Kunhar River, the main feature of the valley, is famous for its trout fish.
Nestled along the banks of the river are the towns of Balakot, Paras, Mahandari, Kaghan, Naran, Batakundi, Barwai and Baiser. The local people are friendly and simple. Gujar nomads are one of the most interesting features of the Kaghan Valley. They take their herds of cattle to the high pastures of the upper Kaghan Valley in spring and bring them down again in autumn.
While going to Kaghan you will find them camped along the road in their traditional tents or moving up and down the valley with their herds of pack animals, sheep and goats.
Valley of Ten Peaks, Canada
The absolute highlight in the Valley of the Ten Peaks is undoubtedly Moraine Lake. It is not for nothing that the view from the “Rockpile” vantage point is considered the most photographed motif in Canada (it can also be found on the Canadian 20-dollar note from 1969 to 1979). Probably everyone who travels to western Canada will make a stop here. The sight makes your heart beat faster!
The glacier-fed lake lies at an altitude of 1,884 above sea level in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. What makes it so special is its deep blue to turquoise color. And we can assure you: the lake really is as turquoise as in the photos. “This is due to small particles of glacier debris reflecting the light in the lake.