EARTH’S MOST BEAUTIFUL RAINIEST PLACES

Since it’s April and it’s probably going to rain a lot anyway, why not embrace it? Rain can be a very beautiful thing. In fact, you can really max it out and check out 10 of the rainiest places on earth. They are wet most of the time. But whether it’s raining there or not, these places have their own special beauty. See what we found below.

AITUTAKI -- COOK ISLANDS

Maximum rainfall of 22.5 inches (572 millimeters)

Aitutaki, in the Cook Islands, has the most beautiful turquoise lagoon at its center, with a string of uninhabited islands and palm-fringed beaches, which are pure joy in the sunshine.

Tapuaetai (One Foot Island) is a tiny island in the southeast of the lagoon, with an extraordinary beach, often considered to be "Australasia's Leading Beach."

Grab the rays while you can, because these islands get record rainfalls.

CAYENNE -- FRENCH GUIANA

Maximum rainfall of 23.5 inches (597 millimeters)

Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, a French colony at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast, has a tumultuous past, with the French, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English all battling for supremacy, from the early 1600s through the mid 1900s. The weather didn’t help any of them.

The most famous area here is Devil's Island, where Henri Charrière wrote "Papillon," a novel about a great escape.

Given its extremely rainy weather, Cayenne is almost entirely covered in rainforests, with many rivers and streams. Check out the Jardin botanique de Cayenne, the city's botanical garden.

The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites in between the raindrops nearby.

EMEI SHAN -- CHINA

Average annual rainfall of 321.62 inches (8169 millimeters)

Mount Emei, in the Sichuan Province of China, is the highest of the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism. It is partially enveloped by a phenomenon called a “clouds sea,” a wide double blanket of clouds that collect, which deposit lots of rain.

While you are there, check out the 76 Buddhist monasteries from the Ming and Qing periods, including the first Buddhist temple, built in China in the 1st century CE.

FINCH-HATTON -- AUSTRALIA

Maximum rainfall of 34.6 inches (879 millimeters)

Platypus love rain. And they are very particular. That’s why they are only found in a couple of places on the planet. Finch-Hatton, Australia, one of the rainiest spots on earth, is where rare platypus hang out. There are waterfalls galore, with freshwater swimming holes, and other rainforest delights.

KUKUI -- HAWAII

Average annual rainfall of 365.9 inches (9293 millimeters)

The volcanic mountain peak of Puu Kukui, on the island of Maui, in Hawaii, is the highest peak of Mauna Kahalawai -- the West Maui Mountains). It towers 5,787 ft above the Puʻu Kukui Watershed Management Area, an 8,661-acre (35.05 km2) private nature preserve maintained by the Maui Land & Pineapple Company.

Thanks to its eternally wet, boggy conditions, with rich volcanic soils and dense vegetation, access to the area is restricted to researchers and conservationists.

CROPP & HOKITIKA RIVERS -- NEW ZEALAND

Average annual rainfall of 453.4 inches (11,516 millimeters)

Cropp River, in New Zealand, is only 9km long. It is filled, however, with vast amounts of rain.  The Cropp River joins with the Whitcombe River, a tributary of the Hokitika River. It makes for quite a river ride. The rain-soaked landscape is full of drama, with the massive rise of Mount Evans with its big waterfalls and hanging glacier. The river cuts through, first, as gentle waters swell with rain, then gather into the wildest rapids, with wicked drops, twists, and turns.

SUVA -- FIJI

Maximum rainfall of 26.5 inches (673 millimeters)

Suva is the largest city in Oceania. It sits on a peninsula at the heart of Fiji. It is diverse, with multicultural Indo-Fijian roots. The prolific rains water more than 78 parks and hundreds of gorgeous gardens. And, thanks to the copious amounts of rain, there are more lush plants than there are tourists here.

BAGUIO -- PHILIPPINES

Maximum rainfall of 46.0 inches (1,168 millimeters)

Baguio, in the province of Benguet in northern Luzon island of the Philippines, is the center of business and commerce as well as the center of education in the entire Northern Luzon.

The city’s name is derived from the Ibaloi word bagiw, meaning 'moss,' given the copious amounts growing in the wet conditions here.

Baguio sits at an altitude of approximately 1,540 meters (5,050 feet) in the Luzon tropical pine forests. They are particularly beautiful because of the proliferation of lush orchids.

Check out the month-long Panagbenga Festival (Flower Festival) and celebrate the Chinese New Year here in February, which ends with the spectacular Lantern Festival.

CILAOS -- REUNION

Maximum rainfall of 73.6 inches (1,870 millimeters)

Cilaos, on the island of Reunion, is considered the rainiest city in the world. The Cirque de Cilaos is the local natural wonder, with colorful fields of flowers, forests and amazing pristine rain-fed waterfalls.

It’s a great place for rock climbing, hiking, and mountain-biking, if you can brave the weather.

CHERRAPUNJI -- INDIA

Average annual rainfall of 463.7 inches (11,777 millimeters)

Cherrapunji, in the Meghalaya State, in India, is a place of great contrasts. It is considered the second wettest place on Earth, on average, yet it experiences great droughts during the winter.

Mawsynram, about 15 km from Cherrapunji, is believed to get a few extra millimeters of rainfall on average, but Cherrapunji has more sites to see.

Check out the beautiful super-dramatic waterfalls, hills, and centuries-old living root bridges while you are here.

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