If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does it mean when a photograph leaves you speechless, or questioning reality? Surrounded by the beautiful Pacific Ocean and full of stunning mountain ranges, valleys, forests, and even volcanoes, Hawaii will often have you questioning your reality – even if you’ve lived here your entire life. These 17 photos prove that Hawaii is so stunning, and varied in its landscape, that sometimes, you can’t even tell if we’re on earth anymore.

1) “Mauna Kea 1” by Hector Parayuelos
Hector Parayuelos/Flickr
The stark contrast between sky and mountain has you wondering if this could even be earth.
2) “Almost Enough to Touch” by Brian Uhreen
Brian Uhreen/Flickr
It’s hard to tell if this is a photograph, or a painting.
3) “Tropical Aurora” by Floyd Manzano
Floyd Manzano/Flickr
It sure does look like the Northern Lights made a visit to Hawaii, doesn’t it?
4) “Light & Shadow” by Glen Malley
Glen Malley/Flickr
Even the trees in Hawaii look as though they were painted, or somehow altered.
5) “Makapuu Night Panorama” by Tommylege
Tommylege/Flickr
The combination of light, clouds and stars make for one dreamy photo.
6) “New Time Zone, Still No Friends” by Zach Dischner
Zach Dischner/Flickr
I can’t believe two things about this photo – the colors and lighting in this sunset, and that this is actually a self-portrait.
7) “Ethereal-ish” by Dustin Williams
Dustin_J_Williams/Flickr
Yet another other worldly shot taken in Hawaii. It’s gotta be the lava rocks, right?
8) “Flowing Rock” by Paul Bica
Paul Bica/Flickr
Never has a volcanic eruption looked so beautiful.

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9) “Waikiki Winter” by Kanaka Menehune
Kanaka Menehune/Flickr
This is a pretty unique shot – as the surf is not often calm enough to get straight reflections like this.
10) “Spouting Horn Kauai” by Christian Arballo
Christian Arballo/Flickr
Beautiful during the day, this photo taken at night experimenting with LED light is absolutely breathtaking.
11) “Shimmer” by Andy Beal
Andy Beal/Flickr
How cool are the lights from these little shops reflecting on the water?
12) “Mystical Kalalau” by Alex Schwab
Alex Schwab/Flickr
Sometimes I can’t believe the beauty of this magnificent state – it feels like a fairytale.
13) “Healing Waters” by Andy Beal
Andy Beal/Flickr
From the photographer: "An overcast day at the Iao Valley provided the perfect opportunity to get this dreamy shot." We couldn’t agree more.
14) "Morning Fog" by Megan Shute
Megan Shute
The way the fog rolls over the Ko’olau Mountains is stunning.
15) “View of Keonehe’ehe’e (Sliding Sands)” by David Fulmer
David Fulmer/Flickr
This photo appears as though it was taken on Mars, rather than earth.
16) “Pink Sunset of My Dreams” by D Sharon Pruitt
Pink Sherbet Photography/Flickr
Is it possible that a sunset could actually be so vibrant?
17) “Wispy Makena Cove Sunset” by Peter Liu
Peter Liu/Flickr
The fiery sunset and lava rocks were captured brilliantly in this long exposure shot.

Share your unreal photos of Hawaii in the comments below!

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