Explore the New Seven Wonders of the World
Hanli Prinsloo swims through a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa.
Photographer: Peter Marshall
The Seven Wonders of the World were the original bucket list—the places every Socratic disciple wanted to visit. As we prepare for a post-pandemic reality, those with a thirst for adventure should go by a new list. These marvels include archaeological and natural treasures spanning far wider than the ancient Greek world and catering to all types of modern explorers.
Like a Spanish Stonehenge, the three megalithic mounds around the Andalusian city of Antequera—70 miles from Córdoba—offer an enigmatic window into a society of farmers that thrived in the Guadalhorce Valley during the Neolithic era and Copper Age. The formations, believed to be burial chambers, resemble giant caves with stone pillars and flat roofs. Each boulder weighs as much as 180 tons, dwarfing Stonehenge’s 40-ton slabs. Travelers with Made for Spain & Portugal can couple their visit to the tombs with tapas tasting at the sustainable Santo Domingo gastronomy academy in nearby Archidona. Stay at La Bobadilla, a Royal Hideaway Hotel; its 63 rooms have Mudejar windows with views onto surrounding olive groves.