This article looks at the 5 best places for adventure travel in the world. If you wish to see our detailed analysis of Adventure Tourism and AI, you may check out 20 Best Places for Adventure Travel in the World.
5. Antarctica
Recommended Activity: Anything and Everything!
Insider Monkey Score: 5.83
Very few people get to visit the most sparsely populated continent in the world. However, for avant-garde travelers, there is no greater wish than to voyage across the Drake Passage until you reach the Ice Continent. There are many great adventures to be experienced in Antarctica, from hiking across glaciers and icebergs to kayaking in the Southern Ocean. In case you’re a wildlife enthusiast, prepare to paddle among orcas and whales while an army of penguins waddles before your eyes. Each breath on this continent provides an opportunity to explore what very few in history have had the chance to visit.
4. Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica
Recommended Activity: Tree Camping
Insider Monkey Score: 6.39
If you’re looking for an immersive vacation, there is nothing as pure as the feeling of spending a night inside the rainforests of Costa Rica. The country is famous for its rich biodiversity, and the best way to explore this for yourself is to go tree camping. Here, you can scale the expansive canopies of Guanacaste trees and spend the entire night inside a tent that is suspended in the middle of the jungle. You’ll wake up to the calls of monkeys, toucans, and macaws mere inches from your bed, thus allowing you to surrender yourself to the flora and fauna of the rainforest.
3. Kaituna River, New Zealand
Recommended Activity: White Water Rafting
Insider Monkey Score: 6.57
Queenstown, New Zealand is known as the adventure capital of the world and the country hosts a myriad of adventures that draws in adrenaline junkies from all over the world. Apart from being the nation that invented bungee jumping and hosting the enchanting landscapes you have seen in The Lord of The Rings movies, it is also home to some of the most treacherous white waters on the surface of the planet. The Kaituna River provides the opportunity for tourists to paddle their way down the rapids at gut-wrenching speeds. You’ll find yourself at the mercy of the river as your raft is launched through a series of winding slopes, each of which makes your heart skip a beat.
2. Blue Mountains, Iceland
Recommended Activity: Descend into the Thrihnukagigur Volcano
Insider Monkey Score: 6.62
The Thrihnukagigur Volcano is a dormant volcano near the Blue Mountains of Iceland. The volcano has 3 peaks, the last of which erupted 4,500 years ago, leaving behind a vacant lava chamber. Since 2012, this crater has been opened to the public who can hike to the peak using a 2-mile trek before descending down into the heart of the mountain. The descent is approximately 120 meters; however, it feels very much like a journey to the center of the earth. Inside the chamber, tourists get to observe a speleological miracle as the crater expands into a vast magma chamber whose walls are lined with mesmerizing mineral deposits.
1. Machu Pichu, Peru
Recommended Activity: Hike the Inca Trail
Insider Monkey Score: 7.83
Perched atop the Andes, the ancient city of Machu Pichu is a bucket list-worthy attraction on its own. However, instead of visiting this city by train, adventurists can take on the challenge of hiking across the Peruvian terrain. There are several terrains that lead to the Lost City, the most famous of which is the Inca Trail, which takes roughly 4 days to hike. On this path you will come across other archeological sites such as the Wiñayhuayna. Moreover, the route offers incredible landscapes and wildlife that make this trail one of the best places for adventure travel in the world.
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