Stand on the equator at Mitad del Mundo

Kiribati is the only country in all four hemispheres — stand on the equator on Kiritimati, the first place on Earth to see the new day.

Switchback railway descending a near-vertical Andean wall at Alausi.

Not the highest mountain, but its summit is the furthest point from the centre of the Earth.

Experience complete silence in an anechoic chamber, a room designed to absorb all sound reflections. Visit Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis (holds a Guinness World Record for the quietest place on Earth at -24.9 dB(A)) or the anechoic chamber at Microsoft's Building 87 (known for testing audio equipment). The extreme silence can be disorienting, and visitors often hear their own heartbeat and internal bodily sounds.

Step inside a working base like Port Lockroy or Vernadsky, post a card from the world’s southernmost post office and meet the scientists.

The world's oldest and largest spaceport.

Sacred red monolith at the desert heart.

Visit Quito, the capital of Ecuador, located high in the Andes at 2,850 meters. Explore the historic center (a UNESCO World Heritage Site with colonial architecture like the Compañía de Jesús church and San Francisco Monastery), ride the TelefériQo cable car for panoramic views of the city and surrounding volcanoes, and sample local dishes such as locro de papa (potato soup) or empanadas de viento (fried pastries).