One of dozens of lakes on the island, Lake McKenzie shimmers in the starlight. During the day the lake's sugar white beach and windowpane water attract hundreds of visitors. Like the painters and poets who celebrated Fraser's otherworldly allure, they return home with stories and images of soul-stirring beauty.

King Tut DNA

Hidden in the desert canyons west of the Nile, the Valley of the Kings holds the tombs of King Tut and his royal relatives. In antiquity this was considered a secluded spot. Today the growing suburbs of Luxor shimmer nearby.

Madagascar

Avenue of the Baobabs, an area near Morondava protected since 2007, is all that remains of a once thick forest cleared for farmland. Growing 80 feet or more, baobabs are valued for fruit and bark.

Visions of Earth

Barbados—Several species of morning swimmers—human tourists, protected turtles, assorted fish—share the azure waters of Paynes Bay. Boat operators here feed fish-strip breakfasts to about 15 young hawksbill and green turtles.

King Tut

A coffin of solid gold weighing almost 250 pounds held the king's mummified remains.

King Tut

Icon of ancient Egypt, the teenage pharaoh's funerary mask immortalizes his features in gold, glass, and semiprecious stones. This and other treasures from his tomb, now in Cairo's Egyptian Museum, attract a constant swirl of visitors.

Rodrigo Da Silva Lazzarini