The churches of Lalibela are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a significant pilgrimage destination in the Christian world, yet they remain remarkably uncrowded outside of Timkat — the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany each January. Tens of thousands of pilgrims descend on Lalibela from across the country, filling the rock courtyards with drumming, chanting, white robes and candlelight.

Getting here takes some effort — a flight to Addis Ababa and a connection to the highlands. For travelers who make that effort, Lalibela delivers something increasingly rare: a place that feels genuinely discovered.

There are several routes to get you to the top, ranging from the popular Marangu route — known as the Coca-Cola route for its hut accommodations — to the more scenic, less trafficked, and longer Lemosho and Rongai routes. The route and outfitter you choose for the journey shapes the entire experience. It’s worth your time and investment to get right.

What most people don’t expect is how much the guides and porters shape the climb. There is no climbing Killi solo. Everyone must go with a certified operator. These are skilled, local mountain professionals who carry extraordinary loads, set the camps, cook the meals, fill your water bottle, and sing you to the summit on the final push. Choosing an ethical operator and tipping well isn’t a footnote — it’s part of what makes this trip worth doing.

And when it’s over, Zanzibar is waiting. A short flight from Kilimanjaro airport delivers you to white sand beaches, turquoise water, and a Stone Town that will keep you happily lost for days. There is no better place on earth to rest your legs and relive every step of the climb.

Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia each offer their own distinct entry point into a desert adventure — from the tourist heavy dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga in Morocco’s southeast, to the vast, remote southern Algeria, to Tunisia’s otherworldly Chott el-Djerid salt flats. A 4×4 overland route takes you through terrain that shifts dramatically, from rocky, wind-scoured plateaus to towering dunes.

The most magical part of a Sahara crossing may be sleeping under a sky loaded with stars, or it may be stopping for a cup tea in the shade when you come across an actual oasis after driving for hours with nothing but sand on the horizon. Or if your lucky, it may be an interaction with a nomadic family for whom the desert is not an adventure, but simply home.

An overland Sahara adventure is not a trip you stumble into. It takes a lot of planning, the right vehicle, the right guide, and a genuine appetite for a lot of adventure and little bit of discomfort. All of which makes arriving on the other side feel exactly the way it should.

Getting here means a expedition ship and, for most routes, crossing the Drake Passage — two days of open Southern Ocean that will either humble you completely or turn out to be surprisingly manageable. Either way, you’ll have a story. The journey is part of the experience, and the experience is unlike anything else travel has to offer. Antarctica doesn’t care about your bucket list. It simply exists, on its own terms, at the bottom of the world. The privilege of witnessing Antarctica firsthand is something you will carry for the rest of your life. It’s an investment worth every penny. If it’s on your list, don’t sleep on it. With a changing climate and growing tourism interest, you’ll be glad you went sooner rather than later.

Getting here requires intention. Bhutan controls tourism through a daily sustainable development fee, which means the trails aren’t crowded, the sites aren’t overrun, and the experience never feels manufactured. When researching travel to Bhutan, it can feel like a limitation, but once you arrive, you realize it’s the whole point. When you visit Bhutan, you’re not just buying a trip. You’re buying into a different way of thinking about what travel is for. And also, the chili cheese dish they serve at nearly every meal is worth every cent of the tourism fee.

Getting there isn’t easy. The trek into Bwindi can be steep, muddy, and unpredictable in the best possible way, depending on how elusive the gorilla family is feeling on the day of your visit. You’ll be led by trackers who come from the communities that have lived alongside these forests for generations, and you’ll be amazed at their ability to navigate you through jungle weilding a machete to make a path for you.

The respect and relationship between people, jungle, and the gorillas is what makes Bwindi so magical. Uganda’s mountain gorilla population has grown precisely because conservation here is community-led, not imposed from the outside.

Less than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas live in these hills. The permit system exists to protect them, and the revenue it generates flows directly back into their survival. When you trek Bwindi, you’re not just ticking off a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You’re part of the reason these animals still exist.

But Palau isn’t just a backdrop. It’s a destination that will change the way you think about the ocean. One of the most forward-thinking marine conservation nations on earth, Palau has built its entire relationship with tourism around protecting what makes it extraordinary. When you come here, you feel that from the moment you arrive — in the clarity of the water, the abundance of the reef, the quiet seriousness with which locals talk about the sea. This isn’t just a bucket-list dive trip. It’s a chance to witness something rare, adventure through it responsibly, and leave knowing you were part of protecting it.