National Geographic Traveler’s “Best of the World” list.
Here are the places National Geographic reports you need to visit in 2017.
See the full article at Best Trips 2017
Anchorage
With Cook Inlet as a front porch, the Chugach Mountains out back, and five national parks nearby, Anchorage offers easy access to Alaskan-size adventures.
Banff
With its rugged peaks, meadowed valleys, and turquoise-blue lakes, Banff National Park offers everything from mountain hikes and horseback excursions to hot spring soaks and luxury accommodations
Cartagena
Untouched by the conflict, Cartagena, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, has long inspired visitors and writers—in particular, novelist Gabriel García Márquez.
Finland
If silence is golden, you’ll discover the mother lode in Finland’s state-owned protected areas. From near the Arctic Circle in Lapland (where the northern lights can be seen up to 200 nights a year), through the 20,000-island Finnish archipelago, and along the rocky beaches on the mainland’s southernmost tip, Finland’s 40 national parks, 12 wilderness areas, and six national hiking areas are sanctuaries for silence-seekers. It’s no wonder that Finns celebrate a hundred years of independence in 2017 with four (winter, spring, summer, and fall) nationwide Finnish Nature Days, and by designating Hossa Hiking Area as the country’s 40th national park. Join the party on a winter digital detox at WiFi-free Torassieppi, a rustic and remote reindeer farm. No phones or other electronic devices are allowed, freeing you to focus on more restorative pursuits, such as reindeer sledding or snowshoeing through unspoiled Lapland tundra, forests, and fells.
Guadeloupe Islands
Guadeloupe, or “Gwada,” has one foot in France, one in the Caribbean and a rich culture all its own.
Madrid
Eighty years after Hemingway titled a Madrid-based short story “The Capital of the World,” the lofty billing still fits.
Malta
Storied land of the Knights of Malta, home to three World Heritage sites—including the capital, Valletta—and a recent headline-grabber as a setting for the television phenomenon Game of Thrones
Papa New Guinea
For indigenous cultures in secluded villages, life pretty much goes on as it has for centuries. Recent homegrown tourism initiatives, such as the villagehuts.com lodging and travel website, are making it a bit easier for adventurers to visit PNG’s untamed rain forests—home to threatened tree kangaroos and Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, the largest butterfly in the world—volcanic fjords, and vibrant coral reefs.
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