What should I put on my Bucket List Top 5 places ?

[Talios]

I’m recently retired, early 50s, very fit and active. I’ve decided to draw up a top 5 inspirational places to visit with the aim of doing them in the next 10 years.

So I’m looking for suggestions, preferably personal/recommended specific places to visit or things to do (so not a general “do an African safari”), or somewhere unusual or breathtaking.

NOT looking at Europe (unless it’s an unusual or not well known fabulous place) and NOT Australia/NZ.
I have reasonable budgets but nothing extortionate like £30k for Antarctica!

Things I love:

Wildlife (on land and under water)
Adventurous and outdoorsy
Amazing scenery
A little history/culture but not the main driver

Things I’m not interested in:

Food and wine
Fancy hotels (unless there’s more to the place that the hotel)
Cruises (unless it’s a smaller boat somewhere special )

Provisionally on my list is:

Diving with manta rays (any specific recommendations welcome as there’s several places in the world, I’m a certified diver)

Visit/ canoe up the Amazon jungle probably Brazil or Guyana

So any suggestions what else I can add?

If you are feeling adventurous and want to experience unique biodiversity think about a trip to Madagascar. There's a surprisingly extensive tourist infrastructure mainly due to French visitors. But most of it is fairly basic. And it's one of the worlds poorest countries so it can be sometimes challenging.

But the people and the experiences are amazing. We booked a tour just for two of us with a driver and local guide who was amazing. Highlights include the otherworldly Baobob forrests and of course the jungle safari. Lemurs!

It's very different to a African mainland safari. There's no big five or the big predators.

There's a couple of fairly expensive beach resorts. Mainly all inclusive. But if you want to tag on some down time we flew on to Mauritius which was a welcome unwind.

Although you said not a safari, I would consider South Africa as it is absolutely stunning. So glad I was able to visit & I was blown away by the scenery. I’m not a diver but I would imagine there are some beautiful places to do that.
I have always wanted to visit Japan too, preferably during cherry blossom season.

Thanks both. Madagascar is a possibility, Apparently it’s much bigger than folk think and yes, I’d heard it is very poor with poor infrastructure. @Hobbesmanc Did you go with a particular company or did you book independently?
@SunshineLollipopsAndRainbows Sorry I maybe wasn’t clear in my post - I didn’t mean I wasn’t keen on a safari, just for more specific or actual recommendations on particular park etc, rather than someone recommending for us to do a safari. We have seen and done quite a lot of South Africa but Japan is a possibility. Apparently it has some amazing scenery away from the cities that get the most publicity for holidays.

For a safari I rave about South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, and you can always tie in side trips to Victoria Falls and or Lower Zambezi National Park. Or a side trip to Malawi (and Lake Malawi).

I'd add Iceland to your list - self drive tour.

I am currently living in Finland and would definitely put it on your list if you've not been here. The winter is very cold and snowy and outdoor activities like cross country and downhill skiing, snow mobiling, snow shoeing etc are all popular but in the summer months it is beyond stunning. We did a trip round the western Finland archipelagos from Turku to Nantali and stayed in some very rustic cabins plus some amazing hotels. So much to see and do across lots of little islands. Highly recommend it.

I just came here to say Iceland. Do a self drive tour, do the interior off road if you can, don’t spend too much time in Rekjavik.

As for South Africa, I was unimpressed by the South Coast tourist route.

For a bit of history, an tour of Egypt (Luxor to Aswan) including a river cruise.

On my list is

See the northern lights
See Puffins off the coast of Scotland
Trek the Great Wall of China

Alaska is breathtaking and I really want to go back. A lot of people cruise there but I actually flew over and spent most of my time around Juneau.

I walked around some nature trails around the Mendenhall Glacier and on Mount Roberts. There's a tramway that takes you partway up the mountain and the views are gorgeous. The visitor centre had some fascinating information about the local Tlingit tribe as well and I don't know if it's still there but they had a bald eagle you could see up close (I believe she had been injured and couldn't be released back into the wild but it's a long time since I was there so I don't know if she'd still be there).

I didn't go on them but there are plenty of whale watching tours and the like, and other parts of Alaska would be gorgeous to visit too. I only stayed around Juneau as I was visiting a friend but she and her husband took me to an old gold mine, there were people panning for gold there too, and as well as Mount Roberts and the glacier there's Sandy Beach which had lots of old broken pottery from a nearby lost town, and the abandoned town of Treadwell which had been reclaimed by the forest.

It was all fascinating, and everywhere you look there is stunning scenery and almost always bald eagles flying overhead.

Dive with Manta Rays off Flores in Indonesia. We stayed in barefoot huts on the beach on tiny Kanawa Island. Went over to Komodo to see the dragons too.

Hawaii - we did a family trip there. 3 nights in Honolulu and 11 nights on Big Island. We did a mixture of organised tours and down time at the beach/pool/etc.

Safari - we went to Madikwe (border of South Africa and Botswana) and had a marvellous time. We also drove the Garden route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town with 3 children aged 5-8. Time of year was dictated by a wedding but would have aimed for whale sightings if possible.

Cambodia - my sister has just come back and the photos look awesome!

Iceland and The Maldives have been my favourites so far.

Following for ideas.

DH and I were about to go to Syria, visiting its Mediterranean coast and cities like Palmyra and Damascus when firstly my mother went into hospital and then the civil war broke out. It's still on my bucket list but god knows when we can do it.
so -- go to the places you decide on as soon as you can.
How about South Korea, China (esp Shanghai) and Taiwan? I find the culture of far eastern countries endlessly fascinating. I loved both Hong Kong and Tokyo, both so different from each other and from anywhere else I'd been.

Petra - stay in the Cave hotel, not fancy but right by the entrance. If you go in cooler months you’ll have place to yourself.

Vietnam with a cruise on an old junk boat in Harlong bay.

Last year I did my first ever safari, to Botswana, incorporating the Okavango Delta and Chobe river areas as well as a couple of nights in Livingstone (Zambia) for Victoria Falls and a walking safari to see rhinos. Botswana has the largest population of African elephants so if you like them, it's a must. I highly recommend it.

I went with a company called Explore, who specialise in small group travel. Normally comfortable but fairly basic. Exodus are very similar. Have a look at their brochures - I'm sure something will grab your attention.

Churchill to see the polar bears - I saw the northern lights while there, so that's another tick off the bucket list. I wouldn't recommend the company I went with because they filled every seat in the tundra buggies so if the wildlife was at the other side of the vehicle, you couldn't see it. Look for a company that only half-fills the buggy (obviously they are more expensive) or, if you are keen enough, the ones where you sleep in a converted buggy in the polar bear area. We stopped in Toronto for a couple of nights on the way back for dinner up the CN tower and then a day trip to Niagara Falls.

Places high on my list that I haven't done yet:

• Chile - all the way from the Atacama to Patagonia.
• Bhutan & northern India
• Namibia
• Madagascar (already mentioned) has been high on the list for a few years and I might get there in 2023.
• Kamchatka (far eastern Russia - bears and volcanoes) was high on the list but with the Ukraine situation I won't be going to Russia so that's off the list for now. Maybe Alaska instead.
• Total eclipse in North America in 2024.

I’m in the Maldives right now at Ellaidhoo it’s the most incredible place swam with mantarays three days ago out of this world the reef here is incredible like a fish tank. I’m coming back for a month next year it is so so so fantastic- I g it ace been to the Maldives before but nothing like this

I was also booked to go to Syria at Easter 2011, which was cancelled two weeks before I was due to go due to the war breaking out. A lot of the places on the itinerary have been destroyed. I echo the "do it while you can" sentiment.

Thanks everyone, lots to look at, some we have done already.
Iceland is creeping up the list of possibles.
@Parsley1234 thank you, that’s the sort of specific recommendation that really helps. So the reef life is really good? I’ve heard that some of the Maldives reefs are in poor condition so it’s good if there’s still some healthy ones. I’ve dived Egypt (fab), Caribbean (varying, some great, some average) but not made it to the Maldives yet.

I can't believe nobody has suggested the Galapagos islands yet. They are amazing and tick all your boxes. It can be done on a small boat cruise leaving from Ecuador so combine it with a trip there. Also Easter Island (combine with a trip to Chile). I also absolutely loved the Falkland islands - the wildlife is incredible and the islands are starkly beautiful (go in their summer though). Better name change now as that is very outing to those who know me :).

Hi op

fellow diver and on my bucket list is a Maldives liveaboard or Raja Ampat, heard it’s a bugger to get to but a divers sanctuary- mantra rays will be viable there and whale sharks etc.

Ive done Japan once on the bullet train and highly recommend, sooo different to other Asian countries. I’m going to go back and visit other places but highly recommend it, stand out places Takyama, Nikko & Kyoto. Loved Tokyo for the different buzz. Hakone for mt Fiji was good but very touristy. Theres also diving spots in Japan if you want to tag that on flights allowing etc.

as others have mentioned self drive Iceland, in summer there’s whale watching etc.

I was due to go Borneo in 2020 for diving / wildlife and to spend time in the jungle there which is still is on my list.

@Talios it’s out of this world like nothing you’ve ever seen before I don’t dive but a lot do here and everyone says the same good luck !

I went to Antarctica, it cost me around £5K. This was eight years ago so it'll be a bit more now but nothing close to £30K! Put it at the top of your list! I've traveled all over the world but this was absolutely the best experience of my life. I still think about it all of the time.

Other suggestions:
See the northern lights
Greenland
Easter Island, but also anywhere around Polynesia/South Pacific
Victoria Falls and/or Iguazu Falls
See wild tigers in India
Andaman Island
(Some of these I've done and some are my own bucket list)

Oman. Forts, history, spectacular scenery and wildlife , infact everything on your list. I spent my childhood there. Go coastal. Definitely go to Muscat.