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National Geographic (NatGeo) recently announced two major projects: the best photos and must-see destinations and experiences for travel in the coming year. NatGeo's criteria for selecting destinations in 2023 were: places that are different, new, and inspiring. This year's NatGeo list also focuses on national parks and wildlife around the world, outdoor activities and experiences, green travel, and multi-generational destinations.
National Geographic is known as the American magazine of the National Geographic Society and is a pay-per-view television channel. This year, National Geographic received more than 2.2 million photos from 132 photographers from 60 countries.
The small white church sits atop Mount Profitis Ilias on Karpathos, one of the lesser-known islands in the Dodecanese archipelago of Greece.
The 25 inspiring destinations are evenly divided into 5 categories: experiential journeys for all generations (Family); activities in adventurous places (Adventure); exploring history and heritage (Culture); beautiful wilderness (Natural); and community conservation and sustainable destinations (Comunity).
In the Community category, NatGeo mentions destinations such as exploring Karoathos Island, Greece – where women-led businesses are leading the way in sustainable tourism. Spend a weekend in Milwaukee (Wisconsin, USA) to enjoy the vibrant local atmosphere. Alberta, Canada, offers visitors a blend of tradition and modernity. If you want to stop in Asia, explore Laos. And if you're in Africa, Ghana is a name that comes to mind. Visitors can discover African heritage through museums and mingle with fashion-loving crowds in the capital, Accra.
A herd of zebras wades through the waters of the Okavango Delta at the Selinda spillway, a canal that attracts abundant wildlife in northern Botswana.
With the Nature category focusing on escaping to places of stunning natural beauty, Botswana is the first destination on the list. Here, you'll be surprised by programs to restore endangered species, create safe corridors for wildlife, and develop community-based tourism projects. Stop in the Scottish Highlands to learn more about the reconstruction movement aimed at restoring the natural landscape and native flora and fauna. In Slovenia, locals are developing culinary tours, visiting farms, vineyards, and cheese-making. Big Bend National Park in Texas (USA) and the Azores region (Portugal) are the other two names on the list.
Archaeologist Mohamed Megahed is conducting excavations at the 4,300-year-old Khuwy tomb in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt.
If you're passionate about history and culture, visit Cairo (Egypt) to explore the Grand Egypt Museum, the new home of King Tut (Tutankhamun), and admire the Sphinx in Luxor. You could also visit Busan (South Korea) to attend Asia's leading film festival and enjoy craft beer. Take a pilgrimage along Europe's historic "superhighway." Discover the cultural and historical aspects through the culinary scene of Charleston (South Carolina). See one of the world's largest collections of rock sculptures at the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Henan Province (China).
The Train des Vignes travels across Lake Geneva as it moves between Vevey and Puidoux, passing through the Lavaux vineyards of Switzerland.
In the Family category, consider a trip to Switzerland and a train ride to charming Alps towns to enjoy chocolate, hiking, and skiing together. Other suggested experiences include rescuing turtles in Trinidad & Tobago, having a campfire in San Francisco while admiring the Golden Gate Bridge, hiking in California (USA), and birdwatching in Colombia. You could also visit Manchester (England) to see the stadium of one of the world's most famous teams.
The Inca temples and terraced fields of Choquequirao. Situated high above, surrounded by the Apurímac River and the Peruvian Andes.
For those who love hiking and exploring nature, visit Choquequirao, an isolated Inca ruin in Peru. In New Zealand, the country that invented bungee jumping, try this adventurous activity. If the bungee jumping spots in that country aren't exciting enough, head to Utah (USA). In Austria, hike across the country to sample local cuisine and culture. Finally, add Revillagiged National Park (Mexico) to your itinerary. The protected waters there are home to some of the world's largest populations of sharks and stingrays.
