Hidden Beach - Marietas Islands in Mexico

The experience of exploring the world's hidden wonders is one of the best things about travel. From a waterfall hidden in a deep gorge to a park quietly tucked in the Mexican jungle, these destinations feature surprising — and stunning — secrets that will inspire you to go off the beaten path.

With its fantastic rock formations and idyllic sand beaches, it might be hard to believe that this picturesque locale was once a bomb site.Located off the west coast of Mexico near Nayarit, the Marieta Islands were formed by volcanic activity and were later used by the Mexican government for military weapons testing, reported the Daily Mail. The bombs carved chunks out of the rocky landscape, creating caves and revealing a hidden beach.

The hidden beach, called Playa del Amor, is the perfect romantic getaway. It features a sandy beach with turquoise-blue waters, and is accessible via a water tunnel in the island that can lead swimmers to the hidden beach, according to TravelLust.org. It is approximately a 40-50ft swim through the cave with about five to six feet of space above water level to the rock. There is no need for scuba gear (or even to hold your breath); the tunnel is not located underwater.

NEXT: A winding staircase reveals a secret

Hidden Waterfall - TinagoFalls in the Philippines

Meaning "Hidden Falls" in Filipino, Tinago Falls in Iligan City, Philippines is not the region's most famous waterfall (that would be the beautiful Maria Cristina Falls), but with its secretive location and deep-blue waters, it is perhaps the most enchanting.

Hidden in a deep ravine, the 240ft-tallTinago Falls is accessible via a trek down a winding staircase comprised of 500 descending steps, according to TouristLink. But adventurous visitors will be rewarded with the sight of its clear, cascading falls and lagoon-like pool, perfect for swimming. Under the falls is another hidden gem — a small cave where people can enter and listen to the rumbling waters of the falls.

NEXT: A magical underwater secret

Hidden Underwater River - Cenote Angelita in Mexico

It has been called a "diver's dream," and perhaps there is no better way to describe the magical Cenote Angelita in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, which features a water-filled cave with a unique underwater river at the bottom.The natural formation occurs when hydrogen sulfate mixes with saltwater causing it to be much heavier than regular salt water, according to Huffington Post. The mixture sinks to the bottom, forming a distinct separation that flows like a river, complete with trees extending from the surface.

Divers have to dive through a mystical cloud (created by a layer of hydrogen sulfide), found at about 100 feet and stretches down to 110 feet to see the tree-lined river, but the sight is unlike no other. However, because of the remote location of the entrance and the underground nature of the dive,the phenomenon can only be seen in person bycertified "advanced" scuba divers who have logged at least 20 divesand who can cope with exploring the depths of the180ftpit, according to CenoteAngelita.com.

NEXT: A cave bathed in blue light

Sea Cave - Blue Grotto in Italy

There are many amazing sea caves around the world, but not many are flooded with a brilliant blue and emerald light. The blue coloring of the Blue Grotto in Capri, Italy is created by the daylight which enters via an underwater opening located immediately below the entrance to the cave, according to the official tourism site for Capri. The light is filtered by the water which absorbs the red tones, leaving only the blue ones to pass into the cave.

The grotto's cavity is around 196ft long and 82ft wide.The roof of the entrance is situated approximately 3 feet above the level of the sea and, for this reason, visitors are obliged to lie down in their tour boat as it enters the cave, which is at its "bluest" between 12 noon and 2 p.m. The cave itself also holds more secrets. In 2012, an underwater investigation of the cave revealedseveral statue bases which might possibly hint at the existence of ancient Roman statues lying nearby, under the caves turquoise waters, according to Discovery News.

NEXT: A romantic lake hidden in the mountains

Heart-Shaped Lake in the Mountains - Trnovacko Lake in Montenegro

Located at the Bosnian-Montenegro border, Trnovacko Lake's beautiful heart shape makes it one of the most photographed locations in the region, according to the Cross-Border National Parks website. The green-blue lake is 2,300 ft long and 1,300 ft wide and hidden amidst a "huge amphitheater of rocky peaks." The lake is drained from the Maglic, the Volujak and the Bioc hill ranges.

The lake is best accessed from Bosnia-Herzegovina, from Tjentiste and Prijevor which is located on the border, says Cross-Border National Parks. By Prijevor, visitors can reach the lake by car, via a drive through the jungle, and then continue on foot to the lake, which is about a half hour walk. Access to the lake is also possible without crossing the border, but hikers need to be in good physical condition because of the high altitude.

NEXT: You can fit a skyscraper in this new discovery

Newly Discovered Giant Cave - Hang Son Doong in Vietnam

A Hang Son Doong explorer navigates a plant-covered cavescape. Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. (Carsten Peter/National Geographic/Getty Images)

Almost six miles long, 650ft-wide and 550ft-tall, Son Doong cave in Quang Binh province in Vietnam is so big, it can fit a 40-story skyscraper. But the cave, which was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding limestone underneath a mountain, actually remained undiscovered until 1991 and unexplored until 2009.

Thanks to the tour company Oxalis Adventures, tourists can now explore the cave, which is inhabited by stunning formations and 60-foot stalactites, and dotted with rare "cave pearls" that were formed over hundreds of years when dripping water creates layers of calcite that build up around grains of sand. The companyhas been working working closely with the government to ensure a sustainable future for the cave, according to the Guardian.

First discovered by a local man in 1991, the Son Doong cave became known worldwide in 2009 when it was explored by members of British Cave Research Association led by Howard Limbert and his wife Deb Limbert, guided by local resident Ho Khanh, according to Thanh Nien News.

NEXT: A sparking jewel in the Afghanistan

Six Deep-Blue Lakes in the Mountains - Band-E-Amir in Afganistan

View of one of the six lakes that make up Band-E-Amir, hidden in the Koh-E-Baba mountains in Afghanistan. Band-E-Amir is Afghanistan's first National Park. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Hidden in Afghanistan'sKoh-e Baba mountains, at an altitude of 9500ft, the intensely blue waters of the six linked lakes that make up Band-E-Amir glitter against the dusty, almost desert-like mountains that surround them.The lakes are formed from mineral-rich water that seeped out of faults and cracks in the rocky landscape, according to the Guardian. Over time, the water deposited layers of hardened mineral that built up into walls. This stunning sight has made Band-E-Amir Afghanistan's most unique national treasure and has attracted thousands of local Aghan tourists and pilgrims.

In 2009, Band-E-Amir was named Afghanistan's first national park.The government hopes the park will one day become one of Central Asia's hottest international tourist destinations, according to the Guardian.

NEXT: A sea of trees at the base of Mt. Fuji

Sea of Trees - Aokigahara Forest in Japan

Also known as the Sea of Trees, Japan's Aokigahara Forest lies at the base of Mount Fuji and hides many stunning gems, such as ice caverns andtrees growing from volcanic rock.The tree cover in this forest is so dense that G.P.S. devices sometimes don't function here, according to the New York Times. Because of the density of the trees and the near-absence of wildlife, Aokigahara Forest is known to be amazingly quiet and almost otherworldly in its eeriness. The forest, with its haunting stillness, is also the most common place to commit suicide in Japan.

Bodies are frequently discovered in monthly sweeps coordinated by the police and local volunteer firemen, according to Japan Times.Bodies are frequently discovered in monthly sweeps coordinated by the police and local volunteer firemen. The publications reports that local authorities have implemented several measure in recent years to reduce the number of suicides, including installing security cameras and regular patrols of the site.

NEXT: A beach in the middle of a meadow

Beach Hidden in a Meadow - Gulpiyuri Beach in Spain

A shell-shaped little beach surprisingly located in the middle of a meadow, Gulpiyuri Beach is perhaps one of the most charming beaches in the world. Gulpiyuri, located in the town of Llanes in the northern coast of Spain, is a flooded sinkhole within an inland beach roughly 40 meters (131 feet) in length, with a golden stretch of sand and crystal-clear waters that are even fully tidal, according to the Daily Mail. This is due to a series of underground tunnels carved by the salt water of the Cantabrian Sea, which allows water from the Bay of Biscay to create small waves.

Hidden in a series of hills, the "private beach" and Spanish natural monument is somewhat tricky to find. The official tourism site for Llanes recommendstaking the coastal pathway from the beach of San Antolín, and going in a westerly direction up some steps to visit it.

NEXT: A wonderland hidden in the jungle

Surreal Park Hidden in Jungle - Las Pozas in Mexico

The jungle of Xilitla, Mexico is home to tropical plants and orchids, but hidden amidst its lush vegetation explorers will find an estate of fantastical sculptures, windings stairways and swimmable pools that earned Xilitla the nickname "magic town."

Las Pozas ("the pools") is a sculptural garden of a combined 80 acres, built by the eccentric British millionaire, poet and patron of the Surrealist movement, Edward James. It's a wonderland of bizarre structures — doors that cannot be opened, stairways that lead nowhere, a "library" without books, beams reclining like enormous serpents and holding only a single flowerpot on top — all of which intermingle harmoniously with its subtropical environment.

Visitors to Las Pozas, which was built between 1949 and 1984, can also explore James' structures known as the "House of Three Floors" (it actually has five), Saint Edward's Plaza, the Summer Palace, the Cinematographer, the Flamingo House, the Bamboo Palace, or the Deer House, among many others, according to UNESCO.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Japan's Abandoned Ghost Island

Japan's Hashima Island, commonly called Gunkanjima (or 'Battleship Island'), was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility and housed thousands of workers in its heyday. When coal mining declined, operations at the facility ceased and the island was abandoned. (Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre)