Pamukkale, Turkey —

From a distance, Pamukkale looks every bit like a ski resort, with a cascade of brilliant white slopes and a scattering of tourists at the top, seemingly preparing to slalom down into the valley below.

So why isn’t it melting away as midsummer temperatures nudge toward 100 Fahrenheit, or 37 Celsius, and the heat hangs in the shimmering air?

Because this unusual and beautiful wonder, located deep in the sunkissed hills of southwestern Turkey, isn’t snow at all. In fact the water it’s formed from sometimes spurts out of the ground at boiling point.

And those visitors milling around its upper reaches aren’t going anywhere fast. Most are here to take in the extraordinary spectacle — and either paddle or soak in some of the planet’s most photogenic pools.

Today, Pamuk

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