Ancient civilisations had an interesting way with their decor – often erecting elaborate stone structures and monuments. Many of these sites still stand to this day, astounding modern historians and engineers, as well as making for unforgettable photo opportunities for the rest of us.
Of the thousands of creations scattered around the world, we have identified three of the most iconic landmarks around the world that you should visit at least once in your life.
Don’t miss out – these places will rock your world.
Easter Island, Chile
Famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, better known as moai, Easter Island is home to one of the world’s most exotic collection of monolithic human figures. Standing at a height of 4-metres, and weighing 13 tonnes, it is still unknown why these statues were constructed or how they were moved around the island. Interestingly, these giant, hollow-eyed gaunt faces are not faced outward to the sea, but inward, overlooking the now empty and denuded landscape.
Easter Island is also a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers plenty of things to do aside from visiting the moai. Similar to an open-air museum – the island is best explored by foot, bicycle or even on horseback, and is also superb for diving or just lazing on the wide stretches of white sandy beaches!
Getting there: Fly into Tahiti, French Polynesia, via Auckland, Zealand, from Singapore and then take a domestic flight to the island. Find your flights to Easter Island at KAYAK.sg from S$2,302**:
Y-o-Y Change in average flight prices# fell 14.04% between January and April 2017
Best Time to Go##: January/February, during the annual Tapati Festival
Mayan Ruins, Mexico
Second on our list, the Mayan Ruins were constructed some 4,000 years ago and are considered amongst the most sophisticated craftsmanship of their time. Built with the dual intentions of creating a lasting tribute to the gods while also analysing astronomical events, it’s no surprise that the engineers who erected these monuments were advanced astronomers who also developed the most accurate calendar of their day.
What’s more amazing is that thousands of Mayan sites were built without any of the modern machinery and equipment that we have today. The most famous of the sites, Chichén Itzá, home to ‘El Caracol’ – a rare round building in Mayan architecture, is easily accessed from Cancun. This Mexican national treasure can be enjoyed by history buffs, and the young and old alike.
Getting there: Fly into Mexico City via Vancouver, from Singapore, and then take a coach (which runs several times a day) toChichén Itzá. Find your flights to Mexico City at KAYAK.sg from S$1,392**:
Y-o-Y Change in average flight prices# has dropped by 10.42% between Jan and Apr 2017
Best Time to Go##: October to May
Stonehenge, England
The last contender on our list goes to none other than Britain’s very own Stonehenge. Constructed between 3100 B.C. and 1600 B.C, no written records nor clues were left behind for the purpose of this towering ring of monolithic stones. One popular belief holds that since the monuments’ entrance faces the rising sun on the day of the summer solstice, it might have served as a solar calendar to track the movement of the sun and moon to mark the changing seasons.
Adding to the mystique of Stonehenge, the discovery of huge buried stones at the Durrington Walls, just a couple of miles away, suggests that this whole region might have been part of a grander plan centuries ago. Coincidence or not, decide for yourself.
Getting there: Take a train from London to Salisbury train station, where there are shuttle buses to Stonehenge. Find your flights to London at KAYAK.sg from S$820**:
Y-o-Y Change in flight prices# has risen a slight 0.03% between January and April 2017
Best Time to Go##: April to early July or October
**The flight prices (including taxes and fees, excluding baggage fees) for one round-trip economy seat given above were collated on 23 May 2017 for travel in October 2017 – February 2018 from Singapore to the destination listed, unless specified otherwise. Prices are in SGD, may be subject to change and offers may no longer be available.
#Y-o-Y change in flight prices (%) compares the average round-trip economy flight prices from Singapore to the given destinations above between January and April 2017.
##Best time to go is based on the average lowest price of travel months for round-trip economy flights from Singapore to the given destinations. Results were based on flight searches from KAYAK.sg in 2016 and 2017, generated on 23 May 2017.
