Top 100 travel experiences: map

Our top 100 travel experiences are plotted on the map below. Click a number to learn more about a POI or expand the entire list using the icon in the top-left corner of the map. You may also view the complete ranking as a list below.

The top 10 in more detail

1. Antarctica

Our small-ship expedition to Antarctica is without a doubt our number one travel experience. It’s difficult to pick out one single experience, but among the best were crossing the Antarctic Circle, making landfall on the continent among a colony of Gentoo penguins, exploring the pristine Paradise Bay, navigating through stunning pack ice and colossal icebergs, observing penguin chicks on Barrientos Island and watching a baby humpback whale sleep off the bow of the ship.

There was one moment in particular that sticks in our minds. We were invited to a champagne toast to celebrate crossing the Antarctic Circle at at 66°33′ south of the equator. At one point, Kia had to switch her glass from one hand to the other because, as she put it, “Eek, my champagne is getting colder!” For a working-class kid from Tower Hamlets and a boy from Norfolk, that moment felt absurd.

Read more: Antarctica: why my seventh continent was more than just an ego trip

2. Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway

In 2010, we had a failed outing in Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Kia struggles with the cold, so waiting in the freezing darkness with a coachload of strangers was not her idea of fun.

Fast forward six years and we found ourselves in Tromso in the Norwegian Arctic. This time, we saw the Northern Lights of nature documentaries and time-lapse videos. It was the first (and probably only) time we experienced something that we would describe as celestial.

Read more: Chasing the northern lights in Tromso

3. Mount Yasur volcano, Vanuatu

Within minutes of arriving at Mount Yasur on Tanna Island, we heard an almighty explosion. We hurried towards the crater’s edge so that we wouldn’t miss the drama. Thankfully, Yasur is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and there was plenty more drama to come.

At the crater’s edge, we could see directly into the volcano where molten lava snaps viciously. At dusk, the volcano is exhilarating. In the dark, it’s downright terrifying. As the light fades, the colours become more pronounced: the vibrant yellows, deep oranges, hot reds all coming alive against the pitch-black backdrop.

With each explosion comes a mass of molten lava and rocks spat into the sky above. At times, it feels reckless being so close to something so deadly, but a decade on, Mount Yasur reigns high on our list of 100 top travel experiences.

Read more: Hiking Mount Yasur volcano on Tanna Island

4. Easter Island, Chile

Easter Island is one of the most surreal travel experiences we have ever had. The deforestation on the island is almost eerie; at times, it felt like we might be driving through the English countryside.

On Easter Island, however, the skies are vivid blue, the sand is powdery white and there’s the small matter of the giant moai, the monolithic figures that the island is famous for. Given its remote location, getting there isn’t easy but it’s well worth the time and money.

Read more: Visiting Easter Island: the middle of nowhere

5. K2 base camp trek, Pakistan

The K2 base camp trek is incomparable to trekking in Nepal. It is a tough slog to one of the most remote regions of the Greater Himalayas. Gone are the crowds and comforts of Nepal. Gone are the villages, teahouses and monasteries. Even the trails are missing in sections.

Instead, the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan offer an alternative view of the highest peaks on Earth. Trekkers will find they have large amounts of time, and trail, entirely to themselves.

The K2 base camp trek, combined with the crossing of Gondogoro La Pass, traverses some of the most stunning scenery on the planet, the most humbling of which is at Concordia where the world’s most majestic coliseum of high peaks is guarded by the crown of the Karakoram: K2.

Read more: K2 base camp trek: a walk among giants in the Karakoram

6. Swimming with humpback whales, Tonga

It was late October and we were approaching the very end of Tonga’s whale watching season. We had been delayed in Samoa about a week longer than expected and arrived in Tonga just two days before the last day of the season.

Desperate not to miss our opportunity to swim with whales, we hastily flew north to the Vava’u Islands, one of the best places to see the humpbacks.

At first, it seemed like we were too late, but just as we were about to give up hope, we came upon a mother and calf. Watching them swim and dive together was utterly magical.

Read more: Swimming with humpback whales in Tonga

7. Erta Ale, Ethiopia

The Danakil Depression is one of the hottest, lowest and driest places on Earth. It’s so extreme that life has been found in pure acid here. Temperatures regularly reach 45°C (113°F) and seas of molten magma ooze just beneath the crust’s surface. Sensibly, the hike to Erta Ale volcano starts after dark to avoid the suffocating heat of the day.

Dubbed ‘the hike to hell’, the journey up can only be done with armed guards. For us, the risk was worth it. Erta Ale is home to the world’s longest-existing lava lake and is everything one might expect: livid, fearsome, incandescent. The lava blisters and explodes and though it’s not as explosive as Yasur above, it is more expansive. The lava is not concentrated in a single vent. Rather, it oozes, flows and erupts across a vast amount of space – a thoroughly thrilling experience

Read more: Visiting Erta Ale volcano: the ‘hike to hell and back’

8. Etosha National Park, Namibia

We have been on safari in Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Sri Lanka, but Etosha National Park was singularly outstanding.

Namibia’s premier national park is one of Africa’s great safari destinations and teems with wildlife, from big game mammals to tiny colourful birds. Animals here don’t come two by two, but by the dozen.

At one waterhole, we watched a pride of lions lap at the water while scores of thirsty zebras, antelope and wildebeest enviously watched on. The drama and opera of the scenes here were truly extraordinary.

Read more: Safari in Etosha National Park: where the wildlife comes to you

9. Sossusvlei & Dead Vlei, Namibia

Namibia happens to have two POIs in our top 10 travel experiences. Peter had wanted to visit Dead Vlei for years, ever since seeing it in a National Geographic photo essay.

The stark silhouettes of these seemingly petrified trees pitched against a brazen blue sky and vibrant desert dune are utterly surreal. Paired with the dunes of Sossusvlei, this gets a clear spot in our top 10 travel experiences.

Read more: 23 tips for visiting Sossusvlei in Namibia

10. Swimming with whale sharks, Djibouti

Swimming with humpback whales in Tonga (above) and diving in the Galápagos were two of the best things we’d ever done, so it was natural to wonder if swimming with whale sharks in Djibouti could possibly compete. (Answer: yes, it could.)

Whale sharks are the largest known fish in the world and while their bulk can be daunting, these creatures are thoroughly gentle. Their spots catch the light in such a way that seems to makes them glow. It’s the closest thing to Avatar we’ve seen in real life.

Read more: Swimming with whale sharks in Djibouti