The most beautiful countries in the world - some of them you may not even know!

A ranking of countries with the most beautiful landscapes
1. Indonesia
2. New Zealand
3. Colombia
4. Tanzania
5. Mexico
6. Kenya
7. India
8. France
9. Papua New Guinea
10. Comoros
11. Ecuador
12. United States
13. Vanuatu
14. Japan
15. Solomon Islands
16. Italy
17. Philippines
18. Peru
19. Australia
20. Costa Rica
21. Norway
22. Argentina
23. Grenada
24. Malaysia
25. Tonga
A ranking of countries with the most beautiful landscapes

The beauty of nature is impossible to quantify, but the website money.co.uk has made an effort anyway. It published a Natural Beauty Report with the 50 countries that can boast the most spectacular islands, mountains, beaches, coral reefs, and more. Let's have a look at the top 25 and see if your (favorite) country made it onto the list!

Picture: Gert Boers / Unsplash

 

1. Indonesia

With more than 17,000 spectacular islands, tropical forests, and incredible beaches, Indonesia takes first place in this ranking with a score of 7.77 /10.

Photo: Nick Fewings / Unsplash

2. New Zealand

Yes, it's number 2! Characterized by volcanoes, glaciers, and magnificent mountain peaks, some of them the background of famous movies and TV series, New Zealand reaches a Natural Beauty score of 7.27/10.

Picture: Yoal Desurmont / Unsplash

3. Colombia

This South American nation not only has a beautiful coastal area with crystalline beaches on the Caribbean, but it also boasts tropical forests, Andean mountains, and the Amazon jungle. Colombia is in third place with 7.16 /10.

Image: Guillermo Bresciano / Unsplash

4. Tanzania

Africa's number one country is Tanzania, marked by vast plains full of wildlife such as lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and buffaloes. It also has the highest mountain in Africa in Kilimanjaro National Park. Tanzania's score was 6.98/10.

Picture: Hana El Zohiry / Unsplash

5. Mexico

Thanks to its great variety of landscapes, from mountains to beaches, jungles, deserts, swamps, and natural caves, Mexico ranks fifth in the world with a score of 6.96/10.

Picture: Uriel Soberanes / Unsplash

6. Kenya

As does Tanzania, Kenya holds an immense savanna with incredible wildlife. Furthermore, it has a beautiful coastal area on the Indian Sea. The country comes in sixth with 6.70/10.

Image: Sergey Pesterev / Unsplash

7. India

Unsurprisingly, India is on this list. A vast country, it has many natural wonders such as the Himalayan peaks, jungles, beautiful lakes, and dry areas such as the Thar Desert. With 6.54/10, it ranks seventh.

Photo: Parth Madhvani / Unsplash

8. France

The first European country on the Natural Beauty ranking is France. With countless forests rich in oak, chestnut, and olive trees, natural caves, and incredible mountains with snow-capped peaks, this nation also has a varied coastline with cliffs, sandy, and rocky beaches. A must-see with 6.51/10 points.

Picture: Antoine Rakotozafy / Unsplash

9. Papua New Guinea

North of Australia, this island is famous for its large number of active volcanoes. It has immense biological diversity thanks to its coral reefs and stretched beaches. Its score is 6.39/10.

10. Comoros

Formed by 3 islands in the southeast of Africa, Comoros is an enchanting archipelago with beaches of crystal clear waters and white sand. It also has large unexploited forests, mountains, and volcanic regions. Comoros reached 6.22 /10 points in the Natural Beauty ranking.

11. Ecuador

Ecuador is a small country with an amazing variety of landscapes. Within a day you can reach either the Pacific coastline or the Amazon rain forest from the central range of the Andes mountains. And let's not forget about the Galapagos Islands, which are part of this nation too. It seems almost unfair that the country reaches no higher than 11th place in the ranking with 6.03/10.

Photo: Robinson Recalde / Unsplash

12. United States

Another country that one would surely expect to see on this list. The United States is home to world-famous natural parks such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Everglades, Niagara Falls, and Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, as well as several lovely coastlines. Its score was 6.02/10.

Picture: Hari Nandakumar / Unsplash

13. Vanuatu

You may not have known it, but this is an archipelago of volcanic origin with beaches, waterfalls in a tropical setting, caves, and rough swamps. One of its islands, Ambrym, is a volcano that can be visited if you are lucky enough to make it to this Southern Pacific paradise! Vanuatu has a score of 6.02/10.

Image: Seiji Seiji /Unsplash

14. Japan

Japan is made up of a variety of islands and consists for three-quarters of mountains. One of the famous natural phenomena of the country is the blossoming of cherry trees in spring and the coloring of the cherry tree leaves in yellow, orange, and red in autumn. Tough to put a number on that, but money.com.uk gives Japan a score of 6/10.

Picture: Steve Sharp / Unsplash

15. Solomon Islands

990 islands make up this archipelago, six of which have a larger surface and are volcanic. They contain tropical rainforests and paradisiacal beaches, bays, and reefs. With more than 230 types of orchids and other tropical flowers, the landscape has an extraordinary color palette. With a score of 5.97/10, the Solomon Islands are in 15th place on this list.

16. Italy

The second European country on this global ranking has a long Mediterranean coastline with a variety of beaches. Apart from that, Italy also boasts many beautiful lakes and majestic mountains such as the Gran Paradiso in the Graian Alps. The country's score was 5.87/10.

Photo: Ricardo Frantz / Unsplash

17. Philippines

With more than seven thousand islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines counts the famous Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park among its natural wonders. Another is the Tubbataha Reef and its rainbow eucalyptus forest, wowing visitors with fabulous trees of a  multicolored crust. The Philippines scores 5.80/10 and comes in 17th.

18. Peru

The Peruvian Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. And that's just one of the many miraculous landscapes the Andean nation can boast of. Let's also mention the Huayllay stone forest, the Amazon River, and the 7-Colors Mountain. Peru's 5.66/10 points have gotten it to 18th place.

19. Australia

A favorite among many travelers, Australia could obviously not be missing from a ranking of countries with the most natural beauty in the world. A land of contrasts, the Oceanic nation has a biodiversity that includes beaches, rainforests, mountain ranges, and deserts. Worth highlighting is the Great Barrier Reef, the only living structure visible from space, and one of the most famous monoliths in history, Mount Uluru. Australia's score was 5.65/10

20. Costa Rica

A small country with a high concentration of wildlife, Costa Rica is a popular travel destination in Central America. On its beaches, rivers, and waterfalls, people can go rafting, windsurfing, diving, kayaking, sport fishing, and surfing, but the nation is known for the great care it takes to protect the environment. It is ranked 20th with 5.65/10 points.

21. Norway

The wonderful aurora borealis or northern lights are on the bucket list of many a traveler. Norway also has glaciers, mountains, waterfalls, caves, and caverns with spectacular scenic routes. Its fjords can be explored by boat. Norway got 5.62/10 points and came in 21st place.

22. Argentina

Argentina's Perito Moreno is one of the most accessible and spectacular glaciers in the world. No wonder this nation in the southern cone of the Americas got a high score in natural beauty! Its Andes mountains, glacial lakes, and meadows in the Pampas can be added to the famous Iguazu Falls, which it shares with Brazil. Scoring 5.43/10, Argentina ranks 22nd in the world.

Photo: Mike Swigunski / Unsplash

23. Grenada

A small island located in the Caribbean, early colonists used to describe it as 'Spice Island' thanks to its nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and cocoa. But in terms of natural beauty, Grenada has coral reefs, turquoise beach waters, mountains, tropical forests, spectacular waterfalls, and one of the most famous underwater volcanoes in the world. It is ranked 24th with 5.39/10.

24. Malaysia

Beautiful Malaysia is known for its white beaches with clear waters, a rich seabed, and pleasant temperatures. Its jungles include Taman Negara, which is considered the oldest tropical forest in the world. Malaysia also has the largest subterranean cave in the world, the Sarawak Chamber. With a score of 5.39/10, it is ranked 24th.

25. Tonga

This Polynesian kingdom consists of more than 170 islands in the South Pacific. Many of them are uninhabited and lined with white beaches, coral reefs, vanilla plantations, primary forests, lakes, and volcanoes. Tonga is an important breeding spot for humpback whales, which you can watch as long as you don't disturb them. It came in 25th with a score of 5.39/10.