Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher*

Where do you start? Iconic buildings, awesome canyons, weird monuments, vast animal migrations, spooky dungeons and romantic vistas are just some of the man-made marvels and natural wonders in 1000 Ultimate Sights. Make your own list, hit the road, and start exploring the world's most breathtaking sights.

• Natural phenomena, including the bubbling Pitch Lake of Trinidad
• Architectural masterpieces, including the ground-breaking Sagrada Família in Spain
• Wildlife spectacles, including the Elephant Gathering of Sri Lanka
• Historic sights, such as the magnifi cent ruins at Volubilis, Morocco
• Cultural icons, including the Giant Buddha of Leshan, China

Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Andrew Bain, Kayla Ryan, Nigel Wallis, Rachel Williams, Ben Handicott, Belinda Dixon, Carolyn Bain, Nana Luckham, Tim Richards, Sarah Baxter, Bridget Blair, Paul Bloomfield, Rose Mulready, Abigail Hole, Andy Murdock

About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel.

TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

*#1 in the world market share - source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA. March 2012-January 2013