10 great places to leap into the weirdly wonderful
— -- This being Leap Day, take a leap of imagination and picture yourself amid the landscape of some otherworldly natural wonder. Leslie Weeden, travel director of Outside, shares her list of favorite out-of-the-ordinary getaways with Kathy Baruffi for USA TODAY.
The Blue Lagoon Grindavik, Iceland
The Blue Lagoon, about 20 minutes from Reykjavik, is 53,820 square feet of mineral-rich geothermal seawater. "This is a surreal spa experience, bathing in the milky, steamy turquoise waters, surrounded by hills of black lava. The lagoon's white silica mud is reputed to be healthy and revitalizing for the skin," Weeden says. Stay at the renovated, art-deco Hotel Borg in Reykjavik and visit the Blue Lagoon for a natural high: a steam bath in a lava cave or a waterfall massage. bluelagoon.com
Boiling Lake and the Valley of DesolationDominica, West Indies
Take a stroll through Dominica's primeval landscape. "Boiling Lake is a three-hour hike into the island's mountainous interior," Weeden says. "The lake, which bubbles at 190 degrees, is surrounded by misty cliffs. You walk through dense rain forest and the Valley of Desolation, a stark place where sulfurous gas pours from vents along the way." The secluded Papillote Wilderness Retreat offers adventure packages. 866-522-4057; dominica.dm
Cappadocia RegionTurkey
Three-million-year-old volcanic eruptions have created a bizarre and beautiful landscape in Central Turkey: the Cappadocia region, with its narrow sandstone spires called fairy chimneys, and other unusual rock formations. "Aside from the gorgeous spires and chimneys and sandstone valleys, what's really amazing about this place is its underground cities, cave hotels and rock-hewn dwellings," Weeden says. "It would not seem out of place to find the sand people from Star Wars in this landscape." 877-367-8875; tourismturkey.org
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & PreserveAlaska
Climbers are starting to explore the "moulins" or pits, up to 300 feet deep, in the glaciated areas of the Wrangell-St. Elias in southeast Alaska. The sport is called "moulineering" and involves ice axes and crampons. "Go with St. Elias Alpine Guides to rappel down into one of these frozen pits that lead to surreal ice passages and caves. Waterfalls crash down some of them, forming icy pools at the bottom," Weeden says. 907-822-5234; nps.gov/wrst
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