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Travel is personal – your experiences are unique to you, and simply put, only you can decide on what your definition of a world wonder might be.

Whilst the UNESCO lists are great for getting ideas, they simply cannot encompass all the wonders our world has to offer. That’s why we’ve compiled our own list, from Sri Lanka to Ethiopia.

Here are 7 of our favourite lesser-known world wonders, which we think deserve a bit more recognition.

Latvia’s Beautiful Rundale Palace

7 Lesser-Known World Wonders

Ethiopian Church

Step inside a wonder of a lost, ancient world. Away from the heat of the day, inside cool tunnels cut into the rocky, rusted-red hillsides of Lalibela in Ethiopia, you’ll find yourself fascinated by the architectural masterpiece of medieval Christianity that somehow, very few people know even exists.

These are the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, where places of worship have been cut from the very rock and white-robed monks walk with stately grace.

Visit the rock-hewn churches on our Ethiopia in Depth tour.

Southern India’s Incredible Temple

Salt Cathedral, Zipaquira

Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira

A Roman Catholic cathedral, 200 metres below the surface of the ground, with white saline walls illuminated ethereal shades of blue and purple – this truly is a lesser-known world wonder.

The Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira is constructed within the hollowed-out belly of an old salt mine, and it feels like the inside of a beast with the huge, cavernous rooms held up by wooden structures that look strangely like whale ribs. People have been excavating the valuable commodity of salt from these hills since the 5th century.

Visit the Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira on our Discover Colombia tour.