Kia and Peter rank their top 100 travel experiences, hand-picked from over 100 countries, seven continents and thousands of places of interest

This week, it will be exactly 10 years since we packed up everything we owned, put it in storage and went off on a year-long journey around the world. It started on 11th August 2014 with a 36-hour journey from London, through Singapore and Brisbane, to our final destination of Vanuatu.

From there, we traced an epic route through Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands and Hawaii before hitting terra firma in South America. In the decade since, we have visited many more countries, all seven continents, the seven world wonders and thousands of places of interest (POIs).

To mark 10 years of Atlas & Boots, we share below our top 100 travel experiences, from the Great White Continent to drizzly Glen Coe.

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.

Antarctica is among our top 100 travel experiences
Atlas & Boots Gentoo penguins in Antarctica

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.

The Northern Lights was one of our top 100 travel experiences
Atlas & Boots Watching the Northern Lights in Norway

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.

Mount Yasur volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu
Atlas & Boots Mount Yasur volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu

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.

Easter Island ranks highly in our Antarctica is among our top 100 travel experiences
Atlas & Boots The moai of Easter Island

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.

A humpback whale in Tonga
Atlas & Boots Swimming with humpbacks in Tonga

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.

Erta Ale was one of our top 100 travel experiences
Michail_Vorobyev/Shutterstock The hellish Erta Ale in Ethiopia

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.

elf-drive safari through Namibia Sossusvlei
Atlas & Boots Deadvlei is another surreal Namibian landscape

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.)

Swimming with whale sharks in Djibouti
Atlas & Boots Swimming with whale sharks in Djibouti

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

Insights on our Top 100 travel experiences

Australia has the highest number of overall entries on the list with six POIs: Penguin Parade on Phillip Island (14), Uluru (36), Sydney Bridge Climb (44), Skydiving in Cairns (55), Whitehaven Beach (61) and the Great Ocean Road (80).

Norway has the second-highest number of entries on the list with five POIs: the Northern Lights in Tromso (2), Polar plunge (18), Kayaking among glaciers (38), Midnight sun (48) and Bergen (96). This might be slightly unfair, however, as three of those are in Svalbard, the remote archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

Icebergs at midnight in Ilulissat Icefjord
Atlas & Boots #30: Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland

Ethiopia and Turkey have the third-highest number of entries on the list with four each. Denmark arguably equals them but given that three of Denmark’s POIs are in Greenland and the other is the Faroe Islands, it seems unfair to name Denmark per se.

The other countries with multiple entries are Namibia, Djibouti, USA, France (courtesy of French Polynesia), South Africa, Jordan, Peru, Argentina, New Zealand, Fiji, Tanzania, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Iceland, Italy, Mexico.

Our homeland of the UK has only one POI on the list: Winter mountaineering, Glen Coe at number 100. We promise it’s not a pity vote!

Uluru at sunset – one of our top 100 travel experiences
Atlas & Boots #36: Uluru in Australia

Peter and Kia disagreed on two things: 1. Peter put the Sydney Bridge Climb much higher than Kia would have. 2. Kia wanted the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on the list but Peter felt that it wasn’t better than any of the other POIs that did make the list.

There were several POIs that almost made the top 100 but didn’t. The closest 10 were: Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Vahine Island in French Polynesia, the Brest Fortress complex in Belarus, Zanzibar, Taveuni in Fiji, the Atacama Desert in Chile, Franz Josef glacier in New Zealand, Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, a wall dive in the Turks & Caicos, and Aigüestortes National Park in Catalonia.

A group photo taken while Kayaking in Svalbard
Werner Kruse #38: Kayaking among glaciers, Svalbard

Finally, a disclaimer: there are several big sights that we haven’t yet seen so – as with any list – take ours with a pinch of salt. Among the top sights we still want to see are: all of Canada (yes, we know), Yellowstone National Park, Derweze in Turkmenistan, the Mongolian steppe, Victoria Falls, and Torres del Paine which was completely obscured by fog when we visited in 2015.

Top 100 travel experiences: Complete ranking

RankExperienceCountry
1AntarcticaAntarctica
2Northern Lights in TromsoNorway
3Mount YasurVanuatu
4Easter IslandChile
5K2 base camp trekPakistan
6Swimming with humpback whalesTonga
7Erta AleEthiopia
8Etosha National ParkNamibia
9Sossusvlei & Dead VleiNamibia
10Swimming with whale sharksDjibouti
11Climbing DenaliUSA
12Arctic Circle TrailGreenland (Denmark)
13Diving in the GalapagosEcuador
14Penguin Parade on Phillip IslandAustralia
15Rhinos in EswatiniEswatini
16Bora Bora lagoon tourFrench Polynesia (France)
17DallolEthiopia
18Polar plunge, SvalbardNorway
19Simien MountainsEthiopia
20Manyeleti Game ReserveSouth Africa
21Sandbank dinner in the MaldivesMaldives
22PetraJordan
23Angkor WatCambodia
24Machu PicchuPeru
25Pyramids of GizaEgypt
26Salar de UyuniBolivia
27Perito MorenoArgentina
28CappadociaTurkey
29Blue HoleBelize
30Ilulissat IcefjordGreenland (Denmark)
31Everest base camp trekNepal
32Eqi glacierGreenland (Denmark)
33TikalGuatemala
34Kilimanjaro trekTanzania
35Faroe IslandsFaroe Islands (Denmark)
36UluruAustralia
37Sonesta plane wrecks Aruba (Netherlands)
38Kayaking among glaciers, SvalbardNorway
39Rarotonga Cook Islands (New Zealand)
40Great Wall of ChinaChina
41Iguassu FallsBrazil
42Le PouceMauritius
43Wadi RumJordan
44Sydney Bridge ClimbAustralia
45San Blas IslandsPanama
46Trekking the Fann MountainsTajikistan
47Silk Road cities of UzbekistanUzbekistan
48Midnight Sun, SvalbardNorway
49Adam's PeakSri Lanka
50Mount PopaMyanmar
51Zion National ParkUSA
52Fitz Roy, El ChaltenArgentina
53Grand CanyonUSA
54Blue Lagoon in IcelandIceland
55Skydiving in CairnsAustralia
56Nazca LinesPeru
57Lac Abbe & Lac AssalDjibouti
58ColosseumItaly
59Elephant safari at Udawalawe National ParkSri Lanka
60BaganMyanmar
61Whitehaven BeachAustralia
62Climbing AconcaguaArgentina
63Taj MahalIndia
64Gullfoss WaterfallIceland
65Chichen ItzaMexico
66KaikouraNew Zealand
67SamoaSamoa
68Lalibela Ethiopia
69Blue MosqueTurkey
70Sani PassLesotho
71Honeymoon IslandFiji
72Highlander SvanetiGeorgia
73DolomitesItaly
74Rio de Janeiro Brazil
75San MarinoSan Marino
76West BankPalestine
77Ngorongoro CraterTanzania
78Mont Saint MichelFrance
79Climbing Mt OlympusGreece
80Great Ocean RoadAustralia
81Monuriki Island (Castaway island)Fiji
82EphesusTurkey
83Nevis bungy jumpNew Zealand
84Snorkelling in Le TahaaFrench Polynesia (France)
85CenotesMexico
86DubrovnikCroatia
87PamukkaleTurkey
88Santa Elena Cloud ForestCosta Rica
89Star Wars TourTunisia
90Table MountainSouth Africa
91Nevis PeakSt Kitts & Nevis
92Climbing Mt ElbrusRussia
93Dead SeaJordan
94Bogshoeing in LatviaLatvia
95CartagenaColombia
96Bergen Norway
97Highlander Ras-Al-KhaimahUAE
98Vatican CityVatican City
99CERNSwitzerland
100Winter mountaineering, Glen CoeUK

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