- Activity
- Authentic Experiences
- Inspiration
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 26.03.2021
Describe your
ideal trip
Tailor your trip
with a local expert
Book your personal trip
100% securely with us
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 26.03.2021
Late 2019, we published a Rough Guide to the 100 Best Places on Earth. A stylish coffee table book, full of inspiring photographs and carefully curated places and experiences to take in 2020. Back then we didn't think about a possible pandemic limiting all of our travels to a bare minimum in 2020. We recently browsed the book again and are now more excited than ever to discover these places. Read further to find our top 6 bucket list places for 2021 and beyond.
Bhutan has been quietly forging its own path for centuries. Now, it’s leading the way in sustainable tourism. With at least sixty percent forest cover, Bhutan takes environmental conservation seriously. It’s already carbon negative, and while the target to become the world’s first fully organic nation by 2020 has been pushed back, they are still actively working on it.
Preservation is priceless, and travellers to this enchanting nation will leave with a real sense of what a privilege it is to experience Bhutan’s natural, cultural and spiritual riches.
You may have heard of Bhutan’s now-famous compulsory tourist tariff, which sees foreign visitors paying a minimum of $250 per day just to visit. But what you may not know is this includes all accommodation, food, transport and a local guide – and it also grants you access to one of Southeast Asia’s most pristine corners. A tailor-made trip ensures you get to see exactly what you want to see and travel the way you prefer - a specific route, selected hotels, particular activities, it's all possible when you go tailor-made.
Monks in Bhutan
Over the past decade, however, a new generation has reignited Tbilisi’s cultural scene through a mix of local art galleries, exhibition spaces, music venues, concept stores and creative hubs. A growing crop of industrial- style hotels is springing up across the city, many set in Soviet-era factories and publishing houses. The food scene is thriving, too – innovative chefs have taken the helm in the kitchens of new restaurants, where they reimagine traditional Georgian cuisine with a modern twist. The revolution is underway. Read more about why Georgia is the ultimate adventure destination.
Tbilisi in Georgia
Ethiopia is a largely Orthodox Christian country, and its religious festivals and structures are something to behold. The sunken churches of Lalibela, hand-carved out of the red rock below ground some nine hundred years ago, are an astonishing feat of engineering. Come January, the network of tunnels and staircases that connect all eleven churches fill up with thousands of worshippers dressed in white, celebrating the birth of Christ with a twelve-hour mass.
Exploring Ethiopia with your own guide and at your own pace will help you really discover this fascinating country. A local expert working for a local tour operator can help to plan and book your ideal trip.
Lalibela in Ethiopia
Moustiers-Ste-Marie is the loveliest village on the fringes of the gorge, occupying a magnificent site near its western end. Set high on a hillside, just out of sight of both canyon and lake, it straddles a plummeting stream that cascades between two golden cliffs. A star slung between them on a chain, originally suspended by a returning Crusader, just adds to its charms.
Gorges du Verdon in France
Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore described the Taj Mahal as “a teardrop on the face of eternity”, and though its layout follows a distinctly Islamic theme, representing Paradise, it is above all a monument to romantic love. Shah Jahan built the Taj to enshrine the body of his favourite wife, Arjumand Bann Begum, better known by her official palace title, Mumtaz Mahal (“Chosen One of the Palace”). The emperor was devastated by her death, and set out to create an unsurpassed monument to her memory – the result is sublime.
Taj Mahal in sunset
Their dramatic setting on the Zambezi river – on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border – has also made Victoria Falls the undisputed adventure capital of Africa. There’s an array of adrenaline-fuelled activities on offer, from whitewater rafting and bungee jumping to zip-lining and bodyboarding. Less touted are the stunning wildlife-viewing opportunities
Victoria Falls affords: the national parks that line the serene banks of the Upper Zambezi are home to large mammals, such as elephant, lion, buffalo, giraffe and leopard, as well as a variety of antelope and more than 410 bird species.
Read more in our First-timer's Guide to the Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls
Find more travel inspiration in our book The Rough Guide to the 100 Best Places on Earth 2020.
Header image: Yana Zubkova/Shutterstock
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 26.03.2021
Plan your tailor-made trip with a local expert
Book securely with money-back guarantee
Travel stress-free with local assistance and 24/7 support