The best destinations for city, nature, culture and adventure travel
Picture-book castles and nine Michelin-starred restaurants are reasons to visit the Dordogne region of southwestern France.
Fanjingshan, China. Picture: iStock
From Toronto to Belize, Greenland to Dordogne, France, National Geographic Traveler has revealed its picks for the best must-see destinations and travel experiences of 2019.
Overall, the magazine’s Best Trips issue features 28 destinations which are categorised under four themes: cities, nature, culture and adventure.
Under cities, Toronto, Canada is given a place of honour for what editors describe as a dynamic, multicultural hub for creativity.
The city’s diversity — nearly half of its residents are immigrants who together speak more than 200 languages — is credited with fuelling the city’s creative mix, be it music (Drake and The Weeknd are namedropped in the piece), food or art.
Meanwhile, travellers seeking to be awed by nature are advised to visit Fanjingshan, China’s newest Unesco World Heritage Site. A sacred Buddhist site, intrepid hikers can climb the 7 664-foot Red Clouds Golden Summit, a dramatic, thumb-like peak that takes climbers high into the clouds.
The reward? Sweeping views of the green mountain range below and a temple visit at the top.
In 2019, the Dordogne region of southwestern France will fete the 100th anniversary of the Félibrée, an annual celebration for all things Occitan, one of several reasons it also makes NatGeo’s Best Trip 2019 list.
Picture-book castles and the area’s nine Michelin-starred restaurants are also reasons to visit.
Toronto, Canada. Picture: iStock
National Geographic’s Best Trips destinations for 2019 are:
Cities
Dakar, Senegal
Salvador, Brazil
Kansas City, Missouri
Toronto, Canada
Matera, Italy
Perth, Australia
Mexico City, Mexico
Montenegro
Nature
Peruvian Amazon
Montenegro
Belize
Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
South Walton County, Florida
Fanjingshan, China
Tahiti, French Polynesia
An Egyptian man rides a horse past one of the three Giza pyramids, south of Cairo.
Culture
Cairo, Egypt
Hoang Lien Son, Vietnam
Galway, Ireland
Bauhaus Trail, Germany
Oakland, California
Vevey, Switzerland
Dordogne, France
Greenland. Picture: iStock
Adventure
Greenland
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico
Isla de los Estados, Argentina
Macedonia
Canterbury Region, New Zealand
Caño Cristales River, Colombia
Oman
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
