20 Most Fascinating Exotic Destinations for Your Next Adventure 

Updated On: November 09, 2023 by   Omnia Essawy

Are you looking for a new adventure? Growing bored of the familiar scenery and in need of a drastic change? Feeling intrigued to discover new exotic destinations and an unspoilt territory of this big mystery we call Earth? 

If yes, then the following list is just what you need to get started. Although the notion in itself is exciting, our planet is so full of wonders that it could get overwhelming when it comes to the question; ‘Where do I start?’. 

This is where we come in with our very thorough list of the world’s most exotic travel destinations to put you on the beginning of the road to your next grand adventure. 

1. Petra, Jordan 

 Located in Jordan’s southeast desert, the mysterious city of Petra majestically rises out of a cliff between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. This worldly famous archaeological site contains multiple tombs and temples that are carved into the pink sandstone cliffs of Petra, which has earned it its nickname, the ‘Rose City.’ Another fascinating fact about this exotic destination, especially to young generations, is that it was home to several scenes from the Hollywood blockbuster film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  

2. The Great Blue Hole, Belize 

Although it is not exactly for those faint at heart, visiting and, if possible, diving into The Great Blue Hole should -and probably is- on everyone’s bucket list. This giant marine sinkhole off the coast of Belize is over 100 meters deep with a surface area of over 70 thousand square meters wide. It is the largest sea hole in the world and is almost perfectly circular in shape which makes for quite the incredible view when flying over it. Naturally, thanks to its mesmerizing nature and the even more mesmerizing underwater experience it offers, the Belize Great Blue Hole was chosen to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, part of the second-largest barrier reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Belize’s Great Blue Hole was also ranked as the #1 most amazing place on Earth by the Discovery Channel in 2012. So it is safe to say that it is quite worth the trip. 

3. Bay of Kotor, Montenegro 

The Bay of Kotor, also known as the Boka, is one of the richest destinations in its area when it comes to cultural and historical significance, as well as natural beauty as it boasts gorgeously pristine waters and grand picturesque mountains. Furthermore, a lot of the bay’s surrounding cities, towns, and villages are medieval in nature and are still preserved to this day which makes this whole area a popular hot spot for all architecture and history lovers from all over the world. 

4. Yellowstone National Park, USA 

Made up of over 8000 km2 (2,219,789 acres) of unspoilt nature and rare wildlife, Yellowstone National Park is, without a doubt, the perfect place to detach yourself from your routine everyday life and reconnect with mother nature like you never have before. Spread across 3 of the most naturally gifted states of the United States of America, this mesmerizing national park offers its visitors a new and unique experience that is almost never found anywhere else. Not only will you get up close to some of nature’s most raw and untouched sceneries, but you will also get to encounter some unique and free wildlife including animals such as grizzly bears, elks, buffalos, and even wolves. 

5. Whitehaven Beach, Australia 

Stretching over 7 kilometres, Whitsunday Island’s award-winning beach, Whitehaven, boasts gorgeous white silica sand that is among the purest in the world and is one of the main reasons why people from all over the world make the trip to visit Whitehaven beach in particular. So don’t miss out and take the time to go experience one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, just don’t forget to take tons of pictures, a view like that doesn’t come around often. 

6. Porto Heli, Greece 

Originally a secluded fishing village, Porto Heli has evolved through the decades to become one of Greece’s most beautiful and elite cosmopolitan vacation spots. From its gorgeous olive groves to its breathtaking bays and coastline, Poto Heli is an ideal destination for escaping your everyday life, whether alone, with your significant other, or with friends/family. 

7. Fregate Island, Seychelles 

The private island of Fregate is the ultimate honeymoon paradise and the reasons vary. Spread across 2.07 square kilometres, the Fregate Island has seven gorgeous beaches that cater to everyone’s dream beach vacation. It is mainly famous for the Oetker Collection’s secluded private luxury resort which is one of the most exclusive resorts in the world offering both luxury and privacy. 

8. Fiji  

When it comes to exotic destinations, Fiji tops every list. Made up of over 300 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, this archipelago boasts some of the world’s most pristine white sandy beaches, mesmerizing underwater life, incredibly diverse nature, and exclusive and classiest resorts. All of this and more rightfully earns this gorgeous and one-of-a-kind country the title of ‘Paradise on Earth’ as many call it. 

Fiji is not just a perfect destination for relaxing and unwinding, this archipelago also offers its visitors some of the world’s best underwater adventures. In fact, Fiji was named the ‘soft coral capital of the world’ by oceanography Jacques Cousteau. 

With 5 meters of underwater visibility, the sights seen under Fiji’s water range from corals to tunnels and pinnacles. So aside from being an exotic paradise, Fiji is every diver or snorkeler’s ultimate dream destination. Fiji also boasts ideal surfing conditions as it has some of the world’s best waves. 

That’s not all, you can also practice white-water rafting along the Rivers Fiji and enjoy some uncanny scenery along the way. So no matter what is it you seek in your vacation destinations, Fiji has it all. 

9. Forest of Knives, Madagascar 

The Forest of Knives, also known as the Tsingy de Bemaraha, is, without a doubt, one of the most exotic and fascinating places in the world where a variety of Madagascar’s unique wildlife such as the Fossa, bamboo lemurs, Van-Decken-Sifakas- and several others live happily and naturally among the forest’s razor-sharp vertical stones. When you travel to the Forest of Knives, you will get to experience this bizarre and unique natural environment firsthand, you would also be able to hike around the forest’s one-of-a-kind pinnacles of limestone while observing your stunning surroundings of wildlife and gorgeous nature. 

10. Goza, Malta 

Located in the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Gozo is one of the 21 islands that make up the Maltese archipelago. In addition to being one of the Mediterranean Sea’s top diving destinations, it also boasts some gorgeously enchanting backwaters, historical monuments and buildings, ancient ruins, rural hiking paths, and some incredible secluded beaches. 

11. Panjin Red Beach, China

Located in the highest wetland and reed marsh in the world, the Panjin Red Beach, also known as ‘the Red Carpet Beach’, is a wonderland of scenic beauty. Because of a unique type of sea week called ‘Sueda’ that stays green in the summer and turns red in the autumn, this sandless beach is coloured in gorgeous red. Aside from the sandless red beach, this region of Panjin is home to about 260 species of birds which makes it ideal for birdwatching practices. That is in addition to being home to containing around 399 kinds of wild animals. It is also famous for rice and bamboo shoots. 

12. Amer Fort, India 

Located high on a hilltop, Amer Fort or Amber Fort is a key tourist attraction in Jaipur that is known for its majestic and artistic style elements and architecture which boasts a blend of influences of the Mugal and Hindu origins. Made out of white marble and red sandstones, the Amer fort has a series of palaces, halls, courtyards, and gardens which most tourists visiting India make sure to pay a visit to experience this historical greatness firsthand. 

13. Longsheng Rice Terraces, China

The Longsheng Rice Terraces, also known as the Longji Rice Terraces, are located in a town called Longji in Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous Country, about 100 km from Guilin, China. These stunning terraced fields of rice are built along the winding slope from the riverside up to the mountain top. Aside from being vast and stunning, these rice terraces fields look like a dragon’s scales and the summit of the mountain range looks like a dragon’s backbone. This earned the Longsheng Rice Terrace the title ‘Dragon’s Backbone. 

14. Con Dao Island, Vietnam

Exotic and unique, this group of islands off the southeast coast of Vietnam are known for their pristine sandy beaches, gorgeous coral reefs, and exquisite marine life. The list of activities to do and new experiences to enjoy on this exotic Vietnamese island is endless. Other than hiking and exploring deserted beaches and empty coastal roads, Con Dao island offers its visitors the awesome opportunity of wildlife-watching as well as diving and exploring the mesmerizing marine life of the island’s surrounding clear water.  So it is safe to say that Con Dao Island is not just an exotic destination, it is a minefield of adventures. 

15. Taha’a Island, French Polynesia

French Polynesia is one of the world’s most stunning spots with each island overpowering the next when it comes to natural beauty, gorgeous beaches, and iconic attractions. However, there are certain places that tend to steal the spotlight from the rest of the French Polynesian islands such as Bora Bora and Tahiti. Although they do deserve the fuss, French Polynesia has a lot of other underrated destinations that are just as gorgeous and worthy of the visit. On the top of that list is Taha’a Island which is also known as the “Vanilla Island” for being the source of more than 70% of all Vanilla in French Polynesia. In fact, Taha’a’s landscape is dotted with a vast amount of vanilla plantations that welcome guests visiting the island who can enjoy exploring the island’s treasured orchid as well as sampling the unique and delicious Vanilla tahitensis which some say tastes like little drops of paradise. 

16. Derweze, Turkmenistan 

‘The Doorway To Hell’, ‘Hell’s Door’, and ‘The Gates of Hell’, are just examples of the names and titles said about the Derweze village in Turkmenistan. Located in the middle of the Karakum Desert about 260 kilometres north of Ashgabat, Derweze has about 350 inhabitants only. However, that’s not, by far, the most unusual thing about the rural council of Derweze. In Derweze, right in the middle of the Karakum desert, there is a giant illuminated hole filled with natural gas known as the Derweze gas crater. This gas crater was made by geologists over four decades ago and its flames have been burning ever since, it is also the reason why Derweze earned all these hell-related nicknames. 

17. Cappadocia, Turkey 

Cappadocia is famous for being one of Turkey’s most naturally beautiful and visually striking regions for its mesmerising landscape and unique scenery. Thanks to volcanic eruptions through the centuries, Cappadocia’s exquisite moonscape was formed, offering everything from mountain caves, clefts, and pinnacles, to Cappadocia’s famous rock formations that are known as ‘fairy chimneys. Thanks to this incredible landscape as well as the ideal flying conditions in the area, Cappadocia became one of the best places in the world to enjoy a one-of-a-kind hot air balloon ride among the city chimneys, pointed rock formations, vineyards, and valleys. If all you do when you visit Cappadocia is go in a hot air balloon and fly over the gorgeous landscape of the city, it is still worth the visit. 

18. Cano Cristales, Colombia

Located in the Serrania de la Macarena province of Meta, the Colombian river of Cano Cristales, also known as the ‘River of Five Colours’ or the ‘Liquid Rainbow’, has been called the most beautiful river in the world, and the river that escaped from heaven for its striking variations of stunning colours. The best time to visit Cano Cristales is during the months between July to November because that is when the river bed is radiant with multiple colours such as green, yellow, blue, black, and most dominantly, red. So don’t miss out on visiting a peace of paradise and capturing some once-in-a-lifetime memories there. 

19. Giant’s Causeway, Ireland 

Formed as a result of a volcanic eruption that happened about 60 million years ago, Giant’s Causeway is an iconic and integral part of Ireland’s historic landscape and heritage. The area of the Giant’s Causeway contains about 40,000 large, interlocking hexagonal columns made from basalt, some of which go as high as 39 feet into the air. This, naturally, gives this little corner of Northern Ireland a great significance which attracts people of various nationalities from all around the world to come to visit this historical and natural monument and witness its greatness up close. 

20. Sossusvlei, Namibia

Home to the largest sand dunes in the world, Sossusvlei is one of the best known and most spectacular attractions in Namibia. The scenery in Sossusvlei is something out of a dream with gorgeous and huge red sand dunes surrounded by large white salt and clay pans. Sossusvlei is situated in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the most conservation area in all of Africa and is ideal to visit all year round.

Now that you have gotten an overview of some of the most exotic places around this wonderland called Earth, where do you plan to go hunting for the next adventure?