Looking to avoid the crowds of tourists on your next trip?  We’ve researched the experiences of over 30 travel experts to explore their most memorable albeit underrated adventures.  So, without further ado, here are 33 underrated experiences to add to your bucket list.

North America

1. Snorkel with Manatees in Florida’s Crystal River, USA

Experts say that this place is home to one of the world’s largest manatee communities.  100 manatees are said to live here around the popular Crystal River Wildlife Reserve all year round.  The spring-fed rivers mixed with the warm gulf waters here make this place the perfect habitat.

You and your family can spot them above water from the boardwalk.  You can also take a guided snorkeling tour and visit the Crystal River Wildlife Reserve.  The best time for your visit is between the months of November and March.

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Behold the Havasupai Falls in Arizona, USA

Even international hikers will confirm that hiking to Havasupai Falls is both awe-inspiring and memorable.  The creek that runs through the Supai village and into the Colorado River at the bottom of the famous Grand Canyon is bright blue-green.  It’s but a part of the beautiful scenery there though as you approach Beaver Creek, Havasupai, and Mooney Falls.  This approximately four-hour or 10-mile hike is truly unforgettable.

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Hike the Cone Volcano Paricutin in Michoacán, Mexico

This hike is a full-day experience,  Get an early start.  You travel from the nearest city, Angahuan, to the bottom of the cinder cone on horseback.  The climb to the top is notably steep and challenging due in part to the fact that the volcanic rock you hike over is loose under your feet.  While the volcano is classified as officially extinct, it still remains hot, and you can actually hear this natural wonder sizzle..

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Discover La Huasteca Potosina, México

Begin your adventure in southern La Huasteca in the town of Xilitla.  It is here that Edward James chose to create his popular little surrealist garden city.  Next, travel north to the famous El Sotano de las Golondrinas or the Cave of Swallows.

This beautiful bird refuge is especially exciting at dawn.  It’s then that you’ll witness thousands of birds come spiraling out of the cave to begin their daily routine.  Be sure to visit Tamasopo and see the waterfalls too.

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Rappel Down a Waterfall in Cascada Tamul, Mexico

Ciudad Valles is a mountain town in the Huasteca region of the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi.  Cascada Tamul is perhaps the best of the numerous waterfalls here,  This is also where  your averabe well-informed thrill-seeker comes to rappel 300 feet down this well-known waterfall.  It’s roughly an hour’s drive from Ciudad Valles to this waterfall.  Plus, you’ll need to hike through the woods for about 30 minutes.  All in all, it’s an unforgettable experience.

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Freediving in the Cenotes of Quintana Roo, Mexico

Adrenaline junkies already know how this unique sport in the midst of nature can be incredibly exciting.  If you’re new to this activity, take a class at one of Mexico’s certified schools.  You’ll be taken into cenotes, or deep freshwater caverns, where you’ll learn how to properly hold your breath, dive deep and keep your cool.

Any fears you have about being underwater will disappear with a professional instructor.  The cenotes here provide the ideal environment for learning how to free dive.  Visibility is perfect and there are no dangerous sea creatures.

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See the Sunrise from a Fire Lookout in California, USA

Fire towers are found in remote mountain and forest areas.  In the US there are former fire lookout cabins that travelers can rent.  The vantage points were originally used to keep an eye out for dangers such as a fire.  The retired locations now afford campers some breath-taking views and even a sense of solitude.  The NorCal lookout cabins are available from the start of summer into early fall.  It’s like bare-bones camping with a roof over your head.

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Witness a Rare Superbloom in California, USA

This rare desert botanical phenomenon in which a significant quantity of wildflowers whose seeds have been dormant blossom at the same time.  This is usually connected to an especially wet rainy season.  To witness it, travel to Murrieta in the spring.  It is then that you will see gorgeous golden poppies blanketing the hills.

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The Cabot Trail and Sunset Hike at Cape Breton Island, Canada

This is a comparatively unknown but worthy trip.  It is fast becoming popular with cyclists, motorcyclists, and road-trippers, The official Cabot trail includes over 100 miles of memorable coastline and a scenic cruise through well-known Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  There’s much to do here including boating, hiking, and kayaking.  Most importantly though, you should take a sunset hike on the Skyline Trail.  Watch for moose and other wildlife!

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Explore all the Frozen Wonders of the Arctic Circle

Many travelers never consider the Arctic Circle!  Visit During their summer and you’ll have daylight 23/7 in which to take in the bleak, bizarre landscape.  Here you can go biking on frozen sea ice, and see beluga whales in their natural habitat.  If you like drones, this is a fantastic place to fly them.  Veteran visitors say you land at Yellowknife, charter another plane to Somerset Island, and stay at the Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge.  Here you’ll find nothing but the local polar bears.

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South America

Cruise Around the Tip of South America

Most tourists take cruises in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean Sea.  Not only will you avoid the typical tourists, but see some spectacular sights as well.  Board your ship in Punta Arenas, in Southern Chile.

You will get to see friendly dolphins and majestic Magellan Penguins.  You’ll visit the mile-long Glacier Alley, and famous promontory Cape Horn.  You will be sailing in some of the same waters circumnavigated by none other than Magellan.

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Dine at Samuel Ortega’s Authentic Eatery in Southern Ecuador

You will find Shamuico Espai Gastronomic in the village of Saraguro two hours north of Loja and two hours south of Cuenca.  Community leader Samuel Ortega went to work to support his family.  Having learned about cooking from his mother, he quickly got work in a couple of restaurants.

Today he serves up his own dishes that are a fusion of coastal, Amazon basin, and Andes Ecuadorian food.  Sample something from the nine-course tasting menus with apropos alcohol pairings.

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Condor Watching in the Colca Canyon, Peru

The Colca Canyon is the official home of endangered condors.  Experts say that you should try to arrive early in the morning.  Not only are the condors reportedly breath-taking but so is the landscape.  Be sure to look for other Andean animals such as chinchillas, vicuñas, and vizcachas too.

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Europe

Witness the Wonders of Sintra, Portugal

Lisbon is now on the list of Europe’s trendiest cities  Perhaps that’s why travelers often overlook Sintra.  It’s an attractive UNESCO World Heritage site town about 28 kilometers from the capital city.  It’s a fairytale town complete with mismatched architectural styles, unique palaces, and the attractive hills of the Serra de Sintra.

See the rugged remains of Muslim al-Andalus’ castle too.  From the remaining walls, you can get a great view all the way out to the ocean.

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Hike at Slovenia’s Beautiful Lake Bled

As Slovenia’s various neighbors–Austria, Croatia, Hungary, and Italy grow more popular travel experts believe hiking here will become very popular in the next couple of years. This crystal-clear lake backdropped by the Julian Alps even has its own little isle right in the middle.

You can actually take an hourly bus from the capital city of Ljubljana to the lake.  If you’re feeling athletic, do the Mala Osojnica hike.  You’ll be able to see not only the lake, and the castle, and miles of the Slovenian countryside.

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Explore Shipwrecks While Open-Water Scuba Diving in Malta

If you’ve never gone scuba diving, you can get certified in Malta.  It’s a four-day class that includes both classroom time and time in the water.  Located in the Mediterranean Sea, the water is clear and warm so this is a great spot for scuba diving.  More importantly, Malta is also blessed with coral reefs, multiple shipwrecks, and plenty of sea life to see, see?

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See the Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain

While talk of Andalusia, Spain, usually brings to mind the regal Real Alcazar found in Seville or the fairy-tale-reminiscent Alhambra palace situated in Granada, there’s an often-overlooked monument that’s also incredible.  It’s called the Great Mosque of Cordoba.

It’s totally different from the Real Alcazar or the Alhambra.  Indeed, it’s different than any other building on the planet.  Known to the locals as the Mezquita, it spans the space of over four football fields with a roof held up by several double arches supported by more than 850 Roman columns shaped from various precious stones.

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Take in the Ancient Paleolithic Cave Art in France and Spain

Southern France and Northern Spain reportedly have the world’s highest concentration of Paleolithic cave art.  Almost 400 caves in Europe feature art from this particular period.  350 or more are found in these two places.

At last report, only a few of them can be visited.  The caves located in France are spread out a bit more than those in Spain but many of them are found in the Dordogne not far from Sarlat,  However, in Spain, you can easily reach at least a dozen of them from Santander.  They are all official UNESCO World Heritage sites and contain art that was created between 11,000 to 40,000+ years ago.

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Hike to the San Fruttuoso Abbey in Liguria, Italy

The noteworthy San Fruttuoso abbey is ensconced in the popular Portofino National Park in the Liguria region of Italy.  The closest city is Genoa.  More specifically, it’s nestled in a cove about halfway along a peninsula.  It can only be reached on foot or by boat.

If you’re feeling athletic, you can hike to it.  Fly into Milan, take a car south to the village of Camogli/  The trail starts there in the west.

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Behold the Floral Beauty at the Rose Festival in Gerberoy, France

Visit the charming, timber-framed village of Gerberoy.  Its claim to fame is its yearly Rose Festival.  The roses here date back centuries.  If you enter the village slowly you should notice the wonderful, enticing aroma here.  The colors, of course, are also nothing less than remarkable.  A visit here might inspire you to go home and plant some roses of your own.

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Celebrate Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, UK

Visit here in the month of June and you might be privy to the annual celebration of Summer Solstice.  Thousands of people come to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge to see the sunrise in this prehistoric place.  This tradition is said to date back millennia and the sunrise is breathtaking as the rays of the sun appear to be channeled into a specific point in the very heart of this mystifying structure.

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Asia

Live Amongst Leopards in the Village of Bera, India

This interesting Indian village located in the state of Rajasthan is home to people who actually co-exist with a fierce feline predator – the leopard.  Often overlooked by tourists heading for Jodhpur and Udaipur, Bera is the world’s best place to see a leopard.  They roam freely here as the resident Rabari tribe goes about their daily lives as if it was nothing.

It’s tied into their religion.  Believe it or not, there has not been one leopard attack here in over 100 years.  More than 60 wild leopards consider this little pastoral pace their home.

You have more than a 90 percent chance of (ahem) spotting a leopard here.  Those are better odds than anywhere else on the planet.  Look for crocodiles and birds at Jawai Dam.

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Visit the Largest Erosion Creator on the Planet in the Israeli Desert

You can see the Ramon Crater in the desert of Negev.  It is officially the planet’s largest erosion crater.  This otherworldly site is one of Israel’s most unique attractions.  Only two and a half hours out of Tel Aviv, the unusual terrain here will make you feel as if you are on another planet.  If that’s not enough, you can hike the area, take a  jeep tour, and even rappel down the crater walls.

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Rappel from the Incredible Keshet Cave, Israel

Explore Keshet Cave in the Western Galilee in Israel.  The views from this cave are beautiful and extend to the gleaming Mediterranean.  The ceiling of the cave has collapsed so now there is a natural arch from which the more adventurous and courageous visitors can rappel and even gaze out over Galilee.  It’s definitely an exhilarating experience.

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Go Canyoning Amidst the Incredible Hills of Bali, Indonesia

There’s much to see in Bali.  Unfortunately, many people miss the canyons.  There are numerous canyoning trips available whether you’re a beginner or a weathered veteran of cantoning.  Bali’s hills are perfect.  You will become immersed in the untouched jungle,  jump through waterfalls, brave natural slides, and go swimming in natural pools.  You will explore the unspoiled nature of another land with friends and family as you run wild through the island’s lesser-traveled regions.

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Hike Up Mount Batur and See the Sunrise from the Summit in Bali, Indonesia

Speaking of Bali, Mount Batur is one of the island’s two volcanoes.  Many hikers have reached its peak but for a really exciting adventure, try hiking it at night in time to see the sunrise from the summit.  A guide will help you navigate the rough mountainside and tropical rainforest via a trail appropriate for your ability.

The locals who live on the volcano will prepare you breakfast.  Then you relax, see the sunrise, and make friends with the monkeys before hiking down again.  Hit the local hot springs to soothe yourself after the hike.

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Africa

Take an Incredible Mokoro Trip into the Okavango Delta, Botswana

A mokoro is a dug-out canoe.  The locals traditionally use it to traverse the delta.  On this trip, a guide will take you into the delta and you’ll camp in tents accessible only by water.  Highlights include exploring lagoons and reed-lined reed-lined channels, swimming in hippo-free spots, guided hikes on remote delta islands, and nightly campfires.

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Watch the Wild Wildebeest Migration Across Africa

The Great Wildebeest Migration is one of the world’s biggest en masse animal movements.  It includes millions of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle, crossing across East Africa from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains to Kenya’s Masai Mara.  You can witness different aspects of it all year.  June is when the herds reach the Grumeti River where they attempt to cross this crocodile-infested water.

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Go on Safari at a Wild Rhino Orphan Sanctuary, South Africa

The renowned Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary NPC in Lowveld is the largest orphan rhino sanctuary on the planet.  Here you can feed the baby rhinos, go on guided hikes through the reserve, and sit ‘round a campfire under a star-filled sky.  You can also go on safari to see the released rhinos and other animals too.

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Explore the Ghost Town of Kolmanskop, Namibia

Diamond miners abandoned this town back in the 1950s in search of more prosperous places.  Today Kolmanskop, located in Southern Namibia, is truly a town that time has forgotten.  Visitors are welcome to explore this interesting albeit eerie ghost town.  You’ll discover once happy homes now filled with sand and take in memorable views of the surrounding desert.

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Oceania

See Glow Worms Illuminate Caves in Australia and New Zealand

Exploring a glow worm cave is a popular activity.  You can only see this natural phenomenon in Australia and New Zealand.  Some even say it’s  “magical.”

(Technically though, they’re primitive fly larvae, Arachnocampa, found in wet habitats but that does not make this experience any less special.)  Visit Waitomo Glow Worm Caves or Australia’s Glowworm Tunnel.

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Do Lake Taupo Hole in One Challenge, New Zealand

The charming town of Taupo is beautiful.  But if you’re a golfer you should take the Lake Taupō Hole in One Challenge.  Unlike normal golf, where you avoid water, this game is entirely based on water as you attempt to get a hole-in-one 102 meters above the shore.  You may win a cash prize of $10,000 on average and be able to finance another unique adventure.

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Be awed by Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, New Zealand

Last but certainly not least, see the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, ensconced in the Rotorua area.  Spanning an area of 18 square kilometers, it is reported to be an astounding, awesome geothermal spot complete with near-mesmerizing neon green water and well worth a visit.  Your trip will be memorable.

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