Top 100 Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences

1.See the Northern Lights

The world's most-wished-for experience: curtains of green and violet aurora rippling across an Arctic winter sky, an unforgettable dance of solar light over the polar dark.

2.Hot-Air Balloon over Cappadocia

Göreme, Cappadocia

Hundreds of balloons rise at dawn over surreal fairy-chimney valleys, drifting silently above pink rock spires as the sun ignites the lunar landscape below. Pure magic.

3.Serengeti Great Migration Safari

Serengeti

Witness over a million wildebeest and zebra thunder across the plains and brave crocodile-filled rivers, Earth's greatest wildlife spectacle and the ultimate safari moment.

4.Dive the Great Barrier Reef

Queensland

Plunge into the planet's largest living structure, a kaleidoscope of coral, turtles, rays and tropical fish stretching 1,400 miles, visible even from space.

5.Visit Machu Picchu

Cusco Region

Mist parts over the lost Inca citadel perched on an Andean ridge, a 15th-century masterpiece of stone terraces and temples that defines the bucket-list pilgrimage.

6.Cruise to Antarctica

Antarctic Peninsula

Sail among colossal icebergs to the white continent, surrounded by penguins, seals and breaching whales in the most pristine, otherworldly wilderness left on Earth.

7.Go Gorilla Trekking

Hike misty rainforest to sit feet from a family of wild mountain gorillas, locking eyes with a silverback in one of conservation's most profound encounters.

8.Explore the Galápagos Islands

Galápagos

Walk among fearless giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas on the volcanic islands that inspired Darwin, where wildlife shows zero fear of humans.

9.See the Pyramids of Giza

Giza

Stand before the last surviving Ancient Wonder, 4,500-year-old pyramids and the Sphinx rising from the desert, an awe-inspiring monument to a vanished civilization.

10.Walk the Great Wall of China

Beijing / Jinshanling

Trek along thousands of miles of ancient fortification snaking over green mountains, a staggering feat of human ambition and one of the New Seven Wonders.

11.Hot-Air Balloon over the Serengeti / Maasai Mara

Maasai Mara

Float silently at dawn above herds of elephants and migrating wildebeest on the savanna, ending with a champagne breakfast in the African bush.

12.Visit Petra

Ma'an

Walk the narrow Siq canyon to the breathtaking reveal of the Treasury, a rose-red temple carved into sandstone cliffs by the ancient Nabataeans.

13.See the Taj Mahal

Agra

Gaze on the world's most beautiful monument to love, a perfectly symmetrical white-marble mausoleum that glows pink at dawn and silver under the moon.

14.Climb to Everest Base Camp

Khumbu, Himalayas

Trek through Sherpa villages and glacial moraine to stand beneath the world's highest peak, an epic high-altitude pilgrimage to the roof of the planet.

15.Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro

Summit Africa's highest peak, hiking from jungle through alpine desert to a glaciered crater rim at 19,341 feet, watching sunrise above the clouds.

16.Swim with Humpback Whales

Vava'u

Slip into clear Pacific water beside a 40-ton humpback and her calf, one of the only places on Earth permitting this intimate, humbling encounter.

17.Trek Patagonia's W Circuit

Torres del Paine, Chile

Hike past turquoise lakes and hanging glaciers to the granite Towers of Paine at sunrise, the crown jewel of trekking at the end of the world.

18.Witness a Total Solar Eclipse

Path of Totality

For a few surreal minutes day turns to night, the sun's corona blazes around a black moon and birds fall silent, an astronomical event of pure awe.

19.See the Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto

Kyoto

Wander temple gardens and riverbanks beneath clouds of pink sakura during the fleeting bloom, the most beautiful and poignant week in Japan's calendar.

20.Witness the Wildebeest River Crossing

Mara River

Watch thousands of wildebeest plunge into crocodile-infested waters in a dramatic, primal stampede, the climactic act of the Great Migration.

21.Hike the Inca Trail

Cusco Region

Follow the original four-day Andean stone path past cloud-forest ruins to arrive at the Sun Gate as Machu Picchu emerges at dawn below.

22.Visit the Colosseum

Rome

Stand inside the 2,000-year-old arena where gladiators fought before 50,000 spectators, the colossal beating heart of ancient Rome and a Wonder of the World.

23.Experience Rio Carnival

Rio de Janeiro

Lose yourself in the world's biggest party, samba schools, sequined dancers and pulsing drums flooding the Sambadrome in a riot of color and rhythm.

24.See Iguazú Falls

Iguazú

Stand at the thundering Devil's Throat as 275 cascades roar through the jungle, a wall of water dwarfing Niagara and wreathed in rainbows and spray.

25.See Victoria Falls

Livingstone / Victoria Falls

Feel the spray of the world's largest curtain of falling water, a mile-wide thundering cataract the locals call 'the smoke that thunders.'

26.Visit Angkor Wat

Siem Reap

Watch sunrise silhouette the spires of the world's largest religious monument, a vast 12th-century temple city reclaimed from the Cambodian jungle.

27.See the Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats

Uyuni

Walk across the world's largest salt flat, a blinding white expanse that becomes a perfect mirror of the sky after rain, where earth meets heaven.

28.Visit Uluru

Northern Territory

Watch the sacred monolith blaze deep red at sunset in the heart of the Outback, a spiritual icon of Aboriginal culture rising from the desert.

29.Track Mountain Gorillas... see the Okavango Delta

Okavango Delta

Glide by dugout canoe through a labyrinth of channels and lily-pads teeming with elephants, hippos and big cats in Africa's pristine inland delta.

30.Stay in an Overwater Bungalow

Step from your private deck straight into a turquoise lagoon over coral gardens, the quintessential South Pacific fantasy beneath Mount Otemanu.

31.Watch a Santorini Sunset

Oia, Santorini

Watch the sun melt into the Aegean from white-washed cliffs and blue domes, the most romantic and photographed sunset in the Mediterranean.

32.Ride a Gondola in Venice

Venice

Glide through silent canals beneath ancient bridges and palazzi in a black lacquered gondola, the timeless romantic ritual of the floating city.

33.Swim with Whale Sharks

Ningaloo Reef

Snorkel alongside the gentle giant of the sea, a spotted 40-foot whale shark gliding through the clear waters of a thriving fringing reef.

34.Visit Christ the Redeemer

Rio de Janeiro

Ascend Corcovado to the outstretched arms of the 98-foot Art Deco statue, gazing over Sugarloaf, beaches and bay in one of the great city panoramas.

35.Float in the Dead Sea

Dead Sea

Bob effortlessly atop hyper-saline water at Earth's lowest point, reading a newspaper while floating, then coat yourself in famous mineral-rich mud.

36.See the King Penguins of South Georgia

South Georgia

Land on a remote sub-Antarctic beach amid a quarter-million king penguins and elephant seals, the 'Galápagos of the Poles' in overwhelming abundance.

37.Stay in an Ice Hotel

Jukkasjärvi

Sleep on a bed of ice beneath reindeer hides in a hotel rebuilt each winter from frozen river, a dazzling palace of carved snow and ice art.

38.Walk the Camino de Santiago

Galicia

Walk the ancient 500-mile pilgrim road across northern Spain to the cathedral of Santiago, a transformative journey of solitude, blisters and community.

39.Go Whale Watching / Snorkel a Cenote

Yucatán

Descend into a crystalline limestone sinkhole hung with stalactites, swimming in cool sacred Maya waters lit by shafts of jungle sunlight.

40.See the Monarch Butterfly Migration

Michoacán

Stand in a mountain forest where millions of monarchs cloak the fir trees in orange and fill the air, the longest insect migration on Earth.

41.Cruise the Norwegian Fjords

Geirangerfjord

Sail beneath sheer mile-high cliffs and plunging waterfalls through deep glassy fjords, the dramatic, UNESCO-listed soul of Scandinavian scenery.

42.Dive the Silfra Fissure

Þingvellir

Snorkel or dive in glacier-clear water filling the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, with 300 feet of visibility.

43.Explore an Ice Cave at Vatnajökull

Vatnajökull

Step inside a glowing electric-blue ice cave beneath Europe's largest glacier, a sculpted crystal cathedral that melts and reforms every winter.

44.See the Manta Rays at Hanifaru Bay

Baa Atoll

Snorkel amid hundreds of manta rays and whale sharks swirling to feed in a tiny UNESCO bay, one of the planet's densest filter-feeder gatherings.

45.Snorkel Jellyfish Lake

Eil Malk, Palau

Swim through a marine lake among millions of harmless golden jellyfish pulsing toward the sun, a surreal, dreamlike underwater phenomenon found nowhere else.

46.Visit Chichén Itzá

Yucatán

Stand before El Castillo, the great Maya step-pyramid where light forms a serpent of shadow at equinox, a New Wonder of the ancient world.

47.Track Polar Bears

Ride a tundra buggy across the frozen Arctic to watch the world's largest land predators gather and spar, the polar-bear capital of the planet.

48.Hike to the Tiger's Nest Monastery

Paro Valley

Climb to a gravity-defying Buddhist monastery clinging to a cliff 3,000 feet above the valley, the spiritual icon of the Himalayan kingdom.

49.Explore Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum

Sleep under desert stars in a Mars-like valley of towering sandstone and red dunes, the otherworldly 'Valley of the Moon' of Lawrence of Arabia.

50.Take a Helicopter Tour over the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Soar by helicopter over a mile-deep chasm of layered rock carved by the Colorado River, grasping the sheer immensity of one of Earth's great wonders.

51.Sail the Galápagos... ride the Trans-Siberian Railway

Moscow to Vladivostok

Cross seven time zones and 5,700 miles of taiga, steppe and Siberian wilderness on the world's longest railway, the ultimate epic train journey.

52.Hike the Atacama Desert under the Stars

Atacama

Explore the driest desert on Earth, geysers, salt lagoons and Mars-red valleys, beneath the clearest, most star-blazing night skies on the planet.

53.See the Komodo Dragons

Komodo National Park

Trek with rangers to face the world's largest lizard in the wild, then snorkel pink beaches and manta-ray channels among the iconic Padar vistas.

54.Climb Mount Sinai / Hike a Volcano at Mount Batur

Mount Batur, Bali

Climb an active volcano by torchlight to watch sunrise break over Bali's caldera and lake from the summit, with coffee brewed on volcanic steam.

55.See the Great Blue Hole

Lighthouse Reef

Dive or fly over the perfect 1,000-foot sapphire sinkhole ringed by coral, a hauntingly deep marine wonder made famous by Jacques Cousteau.

56.Cruise Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay

Sail among thousands of emerald-green limestone karsts rising from jade waters on a traditional junk, a mist-wrapped seascape of mythic beauty.

57.Drive the Garden Route / Go Shark Cage Diving

Gansbaai

Drop into a cage as a great white shark surges from the deep, an adrenaline-fueled, face-to-face encounter with the ocean's apex predator.

58.Visit the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Watch 500 hot-air balloons ascend en masse at the world's largest balloon festival, a dawn sky filled with color over the New Mexico desert.

59.Walk Among the Giant Sequoias / See the Atacama

Lofoten Islands

Kayak beneath jagged peaks plunging into Arctic fjords past red fishing huts and white beaches, the staggeringly scenic islands of northern Norway.

60.Ride the Glacier Express

Zermatt to St. Moritz

Wind through the snow-capped Swiss Alps aboard panoramic carriages over 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels, the world's slowest, most scenic express train.

61.Sail the Whitsundays / Snorkel Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo Reef

Step off the beach straight onto a vibrant fringing reef teeming with turtles, rays and whale sharks, Australia's wild, uncrowded alternative reef.

62.Relax in a Japanese Onsen

Hakone / Beppu

Soak in a steaming open-air volcanic hot spring surrounded by snow or autumn maples, a centuries-old ritual of deep Japanese relaxation.

63.Attend a Sumo Match

Feel the ground shake as giant wrestlers clash in a ritual-laden ancient tournament, one of Japan's most thrilling and uniquely cultural spectacles.

64.Go Dog Sledding in the Arctic

Lapland

Mush a team of huskies across silent snow-blanketed forests under the polar twilight, a thrilling, ancient way to travel the frozen north.

65.Stay in a Glass Igloo under the Aurora

Saariselkä

Lie in a heated glass-domed igloo and watch the Northern Lights ripple overhead from your bed, an unforgettable fusion of comfort and wilderness.

66.Kayak a Bioluminescent Bay

Paddle through dark water that explodes into glowing blue light with every stroke, a magical living galaxy in the world's brightest bio bay.

67.Sandboard the Sahara / Sahara Desert Night

Merzouga, Sahara

Ride camels into towering golden dunes, sandboard their crests and sleep in a Berber camp beneath a blazing canopy of desert stars.

68.See the Tulip Fields / Drive Iceland's Ring Road

Ring Road

Circle a whole country of waterfalls, geysers, black-sand beaches, glaciers and volcanoes on one epic road trip through Earth's raw geology.

69.Visit the Terracotta Army

Xi'an

Face thousands of life-size clay warriors buried for over 2,000 years to guard China's first emperor, an astonishing archaeological army frozen mid-march.

70.Explore Antelope Canyon

Page, Arizona

Walk through sculpted swirling sandstone walls where beams of light pierce the narrow slot canyon, the most photographed canyon in the American Southwest.

71.See the Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice

Wander boardwalks over sixteen terraced turquoise lakes linked by cascading waterfalls through emerald forest, a fairy-tale national park of impossible color.

72.Walk on Pamukkale's Travertine Terraces

Pamukkale

Wade through cascading white mineral pools spilling down a hillside like frozen cotton, bathing in thermal waters above ancient Roman ruins.

73.Tour Tuscany's Vineyards

Tuscany

Drive cypress-lined roads through rolling golden hills, hilltop towns and famed vineyards, sipping Chianti at sunset in Italy's most idyllic countryside.

74.Take a Scenic Flight over Milford Sound

Fiordland

Fly past sheer cliffs and cascading falls into a mist-wrapped fiord carved by glaciers, the eighth wonder of the world on New Zealand's wild coast.

75.Dive Sipadan Island

Sipadan

Drop down a sheer wall into swirling tornadoes of barracuda and schooling jacks past gliding turtles, the reef Jacques Cousteau called untouched art.

76.Run the Sahara / Raft the Grand Canyon's Colorado River

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Run thundering whitewater rapids deep in the mile-high canyon walls on a multi-day rafting expedition, a wild river journey through geologic time.

77.See the Twelve Apostles / Sail Croatia's Dalmatian Coast

Dubrovnik

Walk the medieval limestone ramparts above the Adriatic and island-hop crystal coves, the honey-stoned 'Pearl of the Adriatic.'

78.Skydive over the Swiss Alps / Palm Islands

Interlaken

Leap into freefall at 120 mph high above snow-capped Alps and glacial lakes, an ultimate adrenaline rush over some of Europe's most jaw-dropping scenery.

79.Bungee Jump off Victoria Falls Bridge / Bloukrans

Victoria Falls Bridge

Plunge 364 feet from the bridge straight toward the Zambezi gorge below the thundering falls, one of the world's most spectacular bungee jumps.

80.See the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road

Victoria

Drive a cliff-hugging coastal road to the limestone sea-stacks rising from crashing Southern Ocean surf, Australia's most iconic shoreline.