the Travel Enthusiast
- 13 Nov
andra88 in Amazing Places | NO COMMENTSThe most mystical travel destinations on the planet
Glastonbury Tor, photo by Alan Simkins
As soon as humans started telling stories, the supernatural and the magical have found a place in our imaginations, and the age of reason hasn’t managed to erase our fascination with all things mystical.
Witches, wizards, elves, legendary heroes or mythical beings are the stuff of fairy tales and old folk tales, but visiting the places that have been associated for centuries (or millennia!) with these creatures can bring a drop of magic in your life. You don’t have to believe in magic, but some of the most mystical travel destinations on the planet will definitely capture you imagination.
Oak Island, Nova Scotia
If you like pirates and pirate stories as a kid (or still do) you will definitely enjoy a ramble on Oak Island, the site of the legendary Money Pit. Instead of hoping to win the lottery, try your hand at treasure hunting, an activity that has been practiced on Oak Island for the past couple of centuries. Legends say that there is a pirate treasure buried by Captain Kidd or Blackbeard, who is thought to have said that he buried the treasure somewhere where “none but Satan and myself can find it.”
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Easter Island, photo by Phil Whitehouse
Imagine the surprise of explorer Jaakob Roggeveen who discovered the Easter Island in 1722, only to find that there are immense human heads and torsos made of stone scattered everywhere. It’s still not entirely clear who built these statues, and more importantly, how, but rest assured that people came up with a lot of possible explanations and even more crackpot theories.
Glastonbury, UK
Some believe that the mystical island of Avalon, where King Arthur was buried, in fact located in Glastonbury Tor, which used to be surrounded by marsh. Today, Glastonbury has become a magnet for New Age types and free spirits who come looking for a bit of the magic that was supposed to surround this place.
The bones of Arthur and Guenevere were supposedly found in Glastonbury, some stories draw connections between Glastonbury and the Holy Grail, and there are a bunch of legends about the ancient Druids who considered the town a sacred site.
Hill of Tara, Ireland
Tara, photo by Germán Póo-Caamaño
The Hill of Tara, the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland, has immense historical significance, but this fascinating site is also shrouded in myths and legends. Before Celtic times, Tara was supposed to be the the capital of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of legendary people who ruled the island long ago.
The Tuatha Dé Danann were eventually defeated by mortals, and went underground, to the Otherworld populated by the Sidhe, otherwise known as the fair folk.
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travel search by Travelgrove (get this widget)Itsukushima, Japan
The island of Itsukushima in Hiroshima Bay is famous for its incredibly beautiful shrine, one of the most popular attractions in Japan. The whole island used to be revered as a deity in the past and it was connected to the sun goddess Amaterasu and Susano, the god of storms. Because it was supposed to remain pure, commoners were not allowed on it. Even today, births and deaths are not allowed on the island, and pregnant women and the elderly are taken to the mainland.
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