10 Daring Destinations Around the World for Adventure Seekers

1.

New Zealand: The land of the Kiwis is almost synonymous with adventure. The world’s first zorbing site – where you roll down a hill inside a giant, transparent plastic ball – is in Rotorua, and the world’s first permanent bungee jump operation is at the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge near Queenstown. The hiking and kayaking are world-class, too.

2.

Peru: Machu Picchu is on many bucket lists, for the ancient Incan citadel evokes a feeling of awe and mystery, especially when shrouded by the Andean mist. With popularity, however, comes hordes of tourists. To find sanctuary from the crowds, head to the oasis of Ica, where sandboarding the surrounding dunes can be just as awesome.

3.

India: Culinary adventures in India, may they be taking cooking classes or exploring food markets, differ by region. Rajasthani cuisine, in the north, includes the pairing of spiced lentil soup and baked wheat rolls, known as dal bati, while crispy, savory dosas (pancakes) are common in the south. In India, your best traveling companions are your taste buds.

4.

U.S. National Parks: There are myriad adventures across all 84 million combined acres of the U.S. national parks. As a showcase of geological diversity, there’s everything from scuba diving down the underwater kelp forests of the Channel Islands to climbing the massive rocks of Yosemite. Not that active? Watching Yellowstone’s Old Faithful erupt can be thrilling, too.

5.

Mongolia: Genghis Khan went down in history as the founder of the largest land empire in the world. In the 13th century, however, the great leader couldn’t survey his grand domain without a horse. Today, tourists can follow in his hoofprints on a horseback riding tour in the highlands of Mongolia, once part of his great Mongol Empire.

6.

The Galapagos: Merely being in the Galapagos is special; it’s where Charles Darwin conjured up the theory of evolution after observing the unique variations in the animals on each of the islands. Exploring leads you to blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and dramatic landscapes – and even the opportunity to scuba dive in between them, sometimes with hammerhead sharks.

7.

Turkey: If you’ve ever dreamed of sleeping in a cave, look to Cappadocia, where cave hotels are built into the nooks of fairy-tale-like chimney rock formations, characteristic of this dry, Turkish region. To fly through the enchanted land, book one of the many hot air balloons that soar above in the mornings.

8.

China: With its 1.3 billion people, China is a massive country to explore. If you’re not really a people person, you might want to zone in on pandas instead. At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, you can observe the famed Chinese bears of all ages, and if you’re lucky, perhaps even a newborn.

9.

The Amazon: The Amazon rainforest may be known for its monkeys, snakes and occasional sloths, but the river that makes this jungle fertile is home to river dolphins – pink ones. You might catch a glimpse of them on a riverboat or on a canoeing excursion from one of dozens of ecolodges along the mighty river in Peru and Brazil.

10.

St. Kitts and Nevis: Mini speedboats that accommodate two people are easy enough to zip around St. Kitts’ southeast peninsula. Ride to a secluded snorkeling spot for an underwater gander of the tropical fish – or simply throw in the towel on adventures, lay it out on the beach and just soak in the Caribbean scenery.

Have you found adventure around the world? Tell us in the comments.

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