The best nature destinations
219 places we'd send a nature-first traveler, from household names to under-the-radar picks.
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Acadia National Park, USA Granite coast and blazing maples in crisp Atlantic autumn -
Aitutaki, Cook Islands One of the Pacific's bluest lagoons, best in dry-season winter -
Almaty, Kazakhstan Big-mountain backdrop, Silk Road bazaars, cheap alpine skiing -
Alofi, Niue Snorkel with whales over coral chasms on the tiny rock island -
AlUla, Saudi Arabia Nabataean tombs at Hegra, cool desert nights October to March -
Amalfi Coast, Italy Cliffside lemon villages over blue sea, dreamiest in early summer -
Andasibe, Madagascar Indri calls at dawn in eastern rainforest, spring lemur season -
Andermatt, Switzerland Uncrowded alpine skiing in winter, high-pass hiking in summer -
Annecy, France Alpine lake town of turquoise canals, swimmable by warm June -
Apostle Islands, USA Sea-cave kayaking off Lake Superior cliffs in warm summer -
Appenzell, Switzerland Storybook Swiss hills of painted houses, cowbells and alpine cheese -
Arusha, Tanzania Safari gateway: dry-season game drives, calving season in the south -
Asheville, USA Blue Ridge foliage and mountain breweries in golden fall -
Aspen, USA Champagne powder in winter, wildflower peaks come August -
Asturias, Spain Green cliffs, cider houses, Spain's cool-summer coast -
Aswan, Egypt Nubian villages and felucca sails on the calm upper Nile -
Atauro Island, Timor-Leste One of Earth's richest reefs off a sleepy island, dry-season diving -
Bacalar, Mexico Seven-shade freshwater lagoon at its clearest in winter dry season -
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Gold-domed mosques and the world's largest stilt village, dry months -
Bandhavgarh, India Dense Bengal-tiger jungle, prime dry-season big-cat sightings -
Bandipur, Nepal Car-free Newari hilltop town with Himalaya views, autumn clear -
Banff, Canada Turquoise glacial lakes and peak trails in short alpine summer -
Banos, Ecuador Waterfall gorge and canyon swings under drier autumn skies -
Barichara, Colombia Colombia's prettiest stone village, golden in the December dry -
Bariloche, Argentina Andean lakes town for winter skiing and summer trail days -
Barreal, Argentina Andes foothills with some of Earth's clearest stargazing skies -
Batanes, Philippines Ivatan stone villages on green cliffs, clearest before the storms -
Bergen, Norway Fjord gateway of wooden wharves, best in long dry summer light -
Big Bend National Park, USA Star-filled desert canyons and Rio Grande hikes, winter-cool -
Big Sur, USA Cliff-hugging Highway 1 and redwood coves, clear golden autumn -
Bocas del Toro, Panama Caribbean archipelago of stilt bungalows, driest in February -
Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands Shore diving on pristine reefs, below the hurricane belt -
Boquete, Panama Cloud-forest coffee highlands and quetzals in the dry-season hills -
Bora Bora, French Polynesia Overwater lagoon blues in the cooler, dry June-to-October window -
Bornholm, Denmark Baltic sun island of smokehouses and cliffs, quiet before peak summer -
Bozjyra, Kazakhstan Chalk spires above the Ustyurt desert, spring and autumn 4x4 country -
Brașov, Romania Saxon square below Carpathian peaks, Dracula's castle nearby -
Breuil-Cervinia, Italy Long Matterhorn runs into Switzerland, reliable deep-winter snow -
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda Mountain-gorilla treks through misted equatorial rainforest -
Cafayate, Argentina High-desert Torrontes wine country, harvest February to April -
Cairns, Australia Dry-season reef trips with clear water and no summer stingers -
Cameron Highlands, Malaysia Cool tea terraces and strawberry farms above the tropical heat -
Camiguin, Philippines Volcano isle of waterfalls and hot springs, calm dry-season dives -
Cape Town, South Africa Table Mountain hikes and Cape beaches in dry southern summer -
Castro, Chile Chiloe's stilt houses and wooden churches, warmest in austral summer -
Catalina Island, USA Art Deco Casino above a yacht harbor, sunny SoCal summer swims -
Chengdu, China Panda nurseries and numbing hotpot, teahouse afternoons in mild seasons -
Chiang Rai, Thailand White Temple and misty hill tribes in cool, dry northern winter -
Chobe, Botswana Dry-season elephant herds massing along the Chobe riverfront -
Churchill, Canada Tundra polar bears at the ice edge in crisp late-autumn -
Cinque Terre, Italy Five cliff villages linked by sea trails, best in calm September -
Colchagua Valley, Chile Carmenere wine country at harvest during the March vendimia -
Con Dao, Vietnam Empty islands of turtle nesting and reefs, calm seas in dry months -
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy Dolomite peaks, ski culture in winter, via ferrata in summer -
Cumberland Island, USA Wild horses on empty dune beaches, mild and bug-free spring -
Dades Valley, Morocco Switchback gorge road and rose valley, spring-green oases -
Damaraland, Namibia Desert-adapted elephants and ancient rock art in stark red hills -
Deer Valley, USA Groomed Wasatch bowls and ski-in luxury, deep January powder -
Dingle, Ireland Wild Atlantic peninsula: fishing pubs, trad music, empty headlands -
Dominica Rainforest waterfalls and boiling lakes on the nature island -
Douro Valley, Portugal Terraced wine country cruised by river, golden at September harvest -
El Chalten, Argentina Argentina's trekking capital under Fitz Roy, austral summer -
El Nido, Philippines Bacuit Bay's limestone lagoons by boat, dry and calm in high season -
Ella, Sri Lanka Hill-country tea trails and the Nine Arches Bridge in clear season -
Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Blue holes, WWII wrecks and Champagne Beach in the dry season -
Exmouth, Australia Swim beside whale sharks off the reef in autumn's clear water -
Freiburg, Germany Sunny university town at the Black Forest's edge, trails and cuckoo clocks -
Freycinet, Australia Wineglass Bay hikes and oyster farms in warm, dry Tasmanian summer -
Fuvahmulah, Maldives A one-island atoll where tiger sharks patrol the dry-season blue -
Galapagos, Ecuador Snorkel with sea lions in the warm-water season, January to June -
Göreme, Turkey Fairy-chimney valleys and dawn balloon flights over Cappadocia -
Grenada Spice markets and rainforest falls on the calm southern coast -
Gros Morne National Park, Canada Fjord boat rides and tablelands geology in long summer light -
Guatape, Colombia Climb the monolith over a maze of lakes, sunniest in dry January -
Ha Giang, Vietnam Motorbike loop past limestone passes, golden rice in October -
Haida Gwaii, Canada Totem-pole rainforest and remote First Nations coast, summer -
Hakone, Japan Hot-spring ryokan and Mount Fuji views over Lake Ashi, clear autumn days -
High Tatras, Slovakia Alpine lakes and granite ridges, hiking summer or skiing winter -
Hirosaki, Japan Castle moat buried in cherry petals, late-April bloom in the far north -
Hood River, USA Gorge windsurfing and orchard cider in bright river-valley summer -
Hualien, Taiwan Marble cliffs of Taroko Gorge above a jade river, cooler autumn hikes -
Ikara-Flinders Ranges, Australia Ancient Wilpena amphitheatre and outback silence, mild-winter walks -
Île de Ré, France Atlantic bike island of whitewashed villages, oysters and salt marshes -
Inhotim, Brazil Open-air art pavilions in tropical gardens, warm dry-winter strolls -
Isle of Harris, Scotland Hebridean white-sand beaches and turquoise water, empty even in July -
Isle of Skye, Scotland Cuillin ridges and sea cliffs under long Hebridean summer light -
Jebel Akhdar, Oman Terraced rose farms and canyon rims, damask bloom in April -
Jeju Island, South Korea Volcanic craters and lava-tube coast, green tea fields and spring hikes -
Kakadu, Australia Ancient rock art and teeming wetlands, dry-season waterfall pools -
Karakol, Kyrgyzstan Trekking base by Issyk-Kul under snow peaks, alpine lakes in high summer -
Kaş, Turkey Lycian coast diving and harbor tavernas on the turquoise sea -
Kauai, USA Na Pali cliffs and quiet beaches in dry shoulder-season sun -
Kazbegi, Georgia Hilltop Gergeti church under a glacier peak, green in summer -
Khongoryn Els, Mongolia Mongolia's singing sand dunes rising from the Gobi, camel treks in summer -
Khorog, Tajikistan Pamir Highway town below the Roof of the World, brief summer overland -
Koh Kood, Thailand Thailand's last quiet island: jungle waterfalls, dry-season clarity -
Koh Lanta, Thailand Long, laid-back Andaman sands, dry and swimmable in high season -
Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia White-sand Saracen Bay and bioluminescent nights, dry-season calm -
Kotor, Montenegro Fjord-like bay and ramparts up the mountain, warm in early autumn -
Koyasan, Japan Mountaintop monastery lodgings and lantern-lit Okunoin, autumn best -
Kuching, Malaysia Borneo's easy city: riverfront laksa and proboscis monkeys nearby -
Labuan Bajo, Indonesia Gateway to Komodo dragons and Padar's ridgelines, dry-season seas -
Laikipia, Kenya Private conservancies with rhino and wild dog, low-crowd safari -
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Volcano-rimmed highland lake, clearest under winter dry skies -
Lake Bled, Slovenia Island church on a glacial lake below the Julian Alps, mirror-calm autumn -
Lake Khovsgol, Mongolia Deep blue alpine lake ringed by taiga and reindeer herders, brief summer -
Lapland, Finland Aurora season under glass igloos, deep-winter Arctic silence -
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland Valley of 72 waterfalls under sheer Jungfrau cliffs, greenest in June -
Leh, India Ladakh's high passes and Pangong blue, reachable only in summer -
Lijiang, China Naxi canal town under snow peaks, cobbled lanes and spring meadows -
Lofoten Islands, Norway Sea-cliff fishing villages under midnight sun and summer hiking -
Lord Howe Island, Australia Capped-visitor island: empty beaches and lagoon snorkeling in summer -
Luang Namtha, Laos Jungle treks to hill-tribe villages, cool and dry in the north -
Lucerne, Switzerland Lakeside old town of painted facades below snow-dusted peaks -
Maasai Mara, Kenya Wildebeest herds and big cats on golden Mara grassland -
Mackinac Island, USA Car-free Victorian island and fudge shops in bright summer -
Majuli, India The Brahmaputra's river island of monasteries, dry-season calm -
Marfa, USA Minimalist art in the desert and eerie night lights, cool fall -
Margaret River, Australia Surf breaks and cellar-door wineries, sunny southern-autumn harvest -
Mauritius Lagoon reefs and volcanic peaks, dry cool-season snorkeling -
Mendocino, USA Foggy headlands and redwood coast in warm Indian-summer light -
Mendoza, Argentina Malbec vineyards under the Andes, grape harvest March to April -
Menorca, Spain Mallorca's calm sister: hidden calas of turquoise water, quiet in July -
Merzouga, Morocco Erg Chebbi dune camps, cool nights under Saharan stars -
Messinia, Greece Voidokilia's crescent bay and Pylos ruins, golden Peloponnese summer -
Miches, Dominican Republic Quiet palm coastline and eco-lodges, dry sunny Caribbean winter -
Milford Sound, New Zealand Cliff-face waterfalls thundering after summer rain in the fjord -
Møn, Denmark Chalk cliffs and dark-sky beaches, long light Baltic summer -
Moorea, French Polynesia Jagged green peaks and stingray shallows in dry-season calm -
Munnar, India Rolling tea hills of the Western Ghats, misty post-monsoon green -
Musandam, Oman Dhow cruises through Arabia's fjords, dolphin-run winter waters -
Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevis Plantation inns and a rainforest volcano in quiet winter calm -
Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania A collapsed-caldera floor packed with big game, dry-season clarity -
Nida, Lithuania Sand-dune spit between lagoon and sea, still and warm in summer -
Ninh Binh, Vietnam Karst towers over rice-boat rivers, green and gold by late spring -
Nong Khiaw, Laos River town under karst cliffs, dry-season viewpoints at dawn -
Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda Canopy walks and chimp treks in montane rainforest, dry trails -
Ohrid, North Macedonia Ancient lakeside churches and clear swims, mellow before peak -
Okavango Delta, Botswana Flood-season waterways and dry-season wildlife, safari at its peak -
Olympic National Park, USA Rainforest, glaciers, and wild coast in dry high summer -
Ometepe, Nicaragua Twin-volcano island rising from a lake, hikeable in the dry season -
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica Corcovado rainforest and empty beaches, wildlife-rich dry season -
Oulu, Finland Northern lights over the Arctic coast without Lapland prices -
Paro, Bhutan Tiger's Nest clings to a cliff, best in clear spring and autumn -
Perhentian Islands, Malaysia Turtle snorkeling off clear sands, open only outside the monsoon -
Pokhara, Nepal Annapurna reflected in Phewa Lake, clearest after the monsoon -
Portland, USA Food-cart rows and forest parks, rose-bloom early-summer days -
Prince Edward County, Canada Sandbanks dunes and family wineries, warm Ontario harvest autumn -
Prince Edward Island, Canada Red-cliff coast and lobster suppers in soft island summer -
Queenstown, New Zealand Southern Alps powder and lakeside apres in deep winter -
Raja Ampat, Indonesia Earth's richest reefs and karst lagoons, calmest October to April -
Rarotonga, Cook Islands Lagoon-ringed island on scooter time in the dry winter months -
Réunion Volcano hikes and forested cirques, clear cool dry-season trails -
Rock Islands, Palau Kayak jade islets and jellyfish lakes in dry-season clarity -
Ronda, Spain White town split by a gorge, bridge over a 100m Andalusian drop -
Rügen, Germany White chalk cliffs and Baltic resort piers in bright summer -
Saba, Caribbean Netherlands Cloud-forest volcano and world-class wall dives, winter-dry -
Sabi Sands, South Africa Leopard-dense private reserve by Kruger, dry-season game drives -
Salalah, Oman Monsoon-green hills and waterfalls during the July khareef -
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia Rainy-season floods turn the salt flat into a vast sky mirror -
Salento, Colombia Wax-palm cloud forest and coffee fincas, greenest in dry January -
San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico Highland Maya markets and cool pine air in the dry winter months -
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile Driest desert on earth, geysers and clear stargazing skies -
Sancerre, France Hilltop Loire vineyards, harvest season tastings -
Sanibel Island, USA Shell-strewn Gulf beaches and refuge trails, calm sunny winter -
São Miguel, Azores Mid-Atlantic volcano island: crater lakes, hot springs and whales -
Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe Cocoa plantations and empty jungle beaches on the equator -
Sardinia, Italy Turquoise coves and nuraghe ruins, warm swimmable early-autumn sea -
Sedona, USA Red-rock canyon hikes and vortex trails in spring-cool air -
Serengeti, Tanzania Great-migration river crossings across the northern plains -
Siquijor, Philippines Folklore island of waterfalls and white sand, driest in spring -
Siwa Oasis, Egypt Salt lakes and palm springs in a remote Berber oasis -
Snowdonia, Wales Wales's rugged peaks: rack railway to the summit, valleys of slate -
Soča Valley, Slovenia Electric-blue river rafting and alpine trails in high summer -
Sokcho, South Korea Granite peaks of Seoraksan ablaze with foliage, seafood port below -
Song-Kol, Kyrgyzstan High nomad pastures and yurt stays around a silent alpine lake, July only -
Sossusvlei, Namibia Rust-red dunes and cracked white pans, cool clear-sky mornings -
South Luangwa, Zambia Walking safaris and leopard sightings in the dry-season bush -
Spiti Valley, India High-desert Himalaya and cliff monasteries, open only in summer -
St Davids, Wales Britain's tiniest city on a wild coast path of cliffs and seals -
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Two-thirds parkland, snorkel coves and hills in winter dry -
Suchitoto, El Salvador Cobblestoned indigo town above a birding lake, best in dry winter -
Tana Toraja, Indonesia Cliff graves and boat-roof houses, funeral season in the dry months -
Telluride, USA Box-canyon powder in winter, alpine wildflowers come July -
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, USA Painted badlands and wild bison, cool golden autumn drives -
Tipperary, Ireland Rock of Cashel above green valleys, soft-lit spring hikes -
Tofino, Canada Surf breaks and old-growth rainforest on the wild Pacific edge -
Torres del Paine, Chile Granite towers and glaciers on the classic W trek, austral summer -
Tozeur, Tunisia Date-palm oasis and film-set dunes on the Sahara's edge -
Træna, Norway Arctic-circle fishing isles and sea caves, midnight-sun summer -
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka East-coast whale runs and Nilaveli sand at their calm summer best -
Tromsø, Norway Aurora nights and dog-sled Arctic silence deep in polar winter -
Ubud, Indonesia Bali's temple-and-terrace heart, greenest in the April-to-October dry -
Uluru, Australia Red-centre sunrises and cool desert hikes in winter dry season -
Umbria, Italy Tuscany's quieter neighbor: hill towns, truffles, no crowds -
Upolu, Samoa Swim the To Sua ocean trench and waterfalls in dry-season sun -
Ushuaia, Argentina The end of the world, Beagle Channel cruises in austral summer -
Val Gardena, Italy Dolomite valley of jagged peaks, meadows in summer, powder in winter -
Varkala, India Red laterite cliffs over Kerala's Arabian Sea, dry-season sunsets -
Vava'u, Tonga Swim alongside humpback whales in the July-to-October season -
Victoria Falls, Zambia Full-thunder falls after the rains, spray visible for miles -
Vieques, Puerto Rico Glowing bioluminescent bay and wild horses, dry-season nights -
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda Gorilla families on green Virunga slopes, drier trekking months -
Wachau Valley, Austria Danube wine valley of terraced vineyards and abbeys, gold at harvest -
Wadi Rum, Jordan Mars-red desert camps, canyon hikes in shoulder-season cool -
Waiheke Island, New Zealand Ferry-close vineyards and quiet beaches in peak summer -
Wairarapa, New Zealand Martinborough pinot cellars and dark-sky nights, golden-vine autumn -
Wanaka, New Zealand That lone lake tree and Roys Peak trails in long summer light -
White Desert, Egypt Wind-carved chalk formations glowing under desert stars -
Yakushima, Japan Moss-draped rainforest and thousand-year cedars, misty spring hikes -
Yangshuo, China Karst peaks along the Li River, misty bamboo rafts in spring and autumn -
Yasawa Islands, Fiji Barefoot island-hopping and cave swims in Fiji's dry season -
Yellowstone National Park, USA Geysers and bison herds across wide-open summer highlands -
Yosemite National Park, USA Thundering spring waterfalls under granite domes, before crowds -
Zagori, Greece Stone-arch bridges and Vikos Gorge hikes in wildflower autumn -
Zakopane, Poland Tatra ski slopes and highlander cheese huts, snow-sure in winter -
Zhangjiajie, China Sandstone spires wreathed in cloud, glass walkways above misty gorges -
Zhangye, China Rainbow-striped Danxia hills glowing at sunset, dry summer light best -
Ziro, India Apatani rice terraces and a September indie-music festival