National Geographic’s list of best trips for 2021
25 amazing places to inspire future journeys and remind us why we love to travel.
Travel · 2021 · By National Geographic Staff · Published November 17, 2020 · 34 min read
Topics: Best of the World, Green Travel, Cultural Tourism, Wildlife Watching, Environment, Parks, Adventure, Historic Sites, Cultural Conservation, Family Travel, General, Travel
The world is full of wonders—even if they’re hard to reach. While the pandemic has brought our journeys to a standstill, it has not quieted our curiosity. Ahead of a new year—with the promise of a return to travel—we are eager to share these 25 timely tales of timeless places that will define our future itineraries. Reported by the global editors of National Geographic Travel and framed by five categories (Adventure, Culture and History, Nature, Family, Sustainability), these superlative destinations speak of resilient communities, innovative conservation efforts, and thrilling opportunities for future explorations. The joy of travel comes from the unexpected. Now is the time to dream of your next journey and lay the foundation for your next trip. We hope our list of the new year’s most important places will inspire you. We look forward to seeing you out in the world soon! DREAM OF ULTIMATE ADVENTURES See brown bears in remote Katmai National Park, Alaska. Discover mountains, beaches, and waterfalls in the Caribbean’s climate-resilient Dominica. Hike a kingdom of electric-blue ice in Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina. End a rugged trek with a warm welcome in the high-altitude Svaneti Region, Georgia.
Katmai National Park, Alaska
In the shadow of the volcano
There are no roads into Katmai. Most of the nearly 5 million acres of this combined national park and preserve are designated wilderness where no hunting is allowed. The only way in is by boat or float plane. For many travelers to the park—limited in number even before the pandemic—Katmai is where to visit a 1.2-mile-long fishing hole that serves the largest concentration of brown bears in the world. Thanks to the Bear Cam and Fat Bear Week it has become famous. For archaeologists such as Laura Stelson, who explored here in the footsteps of a 1910s expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the park is a site to study 9,000 years of human history. The longstanding Indigenous communities that lived in the area were displaced and re-established after the massive 1912 eruption of the Novarupta, the largest volcanic paroxysm of the 20th century. Stelson hopes one day to find the right technology to scan what lies beneath the pumice and other rock that covers this otherworldly landscape about 290 miles southwest of Anchorage. (Related: Find six otherworldly destinations on our planet.) “Katmai is a very unique place with all these different types of landscapes presented in one single park,” says Stelson. “You have coastal beaches. You have tundra. You have spruce forest, mountains, volcanoes, and you have this weird desert. So there’s just a lot of environmental diversity and diversity of experiences.”
Dominica
Caribbean adventure tourism helps fuel this island’s climate resiliency
The weathered mountains running down the spine of Dominica formed a natural shield, largely protecting the eastern Caribbean island, called Waitukubuli (“tall is her body”) by the Indigenous Kalinago, from colonial intrusions and overdevelopment. Left alone to thrive were leafy rainforest and a thrill-seeker’s dream collection of natural marvels: nine active volcanoes, 365 rivers, towering waterfalls, black sand beaches, and blistering-hot geothermal features like Boiling Lake, a flooded fumarole with water temperatures nearing 200°F (93.3°C). What Dominica’s formidable volcanic terrain couldn’t block is global climate change, which is worsening the effects of hurricanes. Warmer ocean temperatures supercharged Hurricane Maria, whose direct hit on the island in September 2017 caused catastrophic landslides and critically damaged nearly every man-made structure. (Related: Discover more big-time adventures on the island where nature rules.) Post hurricane, nature rebounded, residents rebuilt, and the government resolved to make Dominica the world’s first climate-resilient nation. It requires not only hurricane-proof buildings but also a diverse economy, including a tourism sector that attracts more high-end spenders and an agricultural system that grows a variety of fruits and vegetables eaten locally. Adventure tourism plays a huge role in the climate resiliency push by creating jobs and an economic incentive to restore and protect Dominica’s greatest natural resource—its wild side. Ready to book your trip? Snorkel Dominica’s crystal-clear waters with Nat Geo Expeditions.
Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Where to hike a kingdom of ice
Along the turquoise shores of Lake Argentino, the town of El Calafate gets its name from the thorny plant whose berries infuse cocktails and regional beers. However, its proximity to Los Glaciares National Park has placed the town on the tourist map as the gateway to the kingdom of ice in southern Argentine Patagonia. There, near the border with Chile, the 1,722-square-mile park encompasses subantarctic forests that preserve habitats for species such as the guemal, puma, rhea, condor, guanaco, and the calafate plant. But the park’s main draws are the nearly 300 glaciers that cover almost half of the park surface. The most popular and accessible, three-mile-wide Perito Moreno glacier, stands almost 200 feet above the surface of Lake Argentino. Huge masses of ice spectacularly calve from its face with thunderous roars. It’s possible to hike with crampons on the glacier to find swaths of electric-blue color among waterfalls, crevices, ice caves, underground rivers, and extravagant ice formations. (Related: Saddle up for stellar views and gaucho culture in Patagonia.) This frozen desert is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third largest expanse of continental ice in the world, after Antarctica and Greenland. After exploring the frigid ends of the Earth, visitors return to a boat waiting on the lake to celebrate their adventures with a shot of whiskey and chips of ice. —Erick Pinedo, Nat Geo Traveler Latin America
Svaneti Region, Georgia
A remote land of warm welcomes
Located in the shadows of 15,000-foot peaks, the Svaneti region in northwest Georgia’s Caucasus mountains may seem forbiddingly inaccessible. The rugged landscape bristles with medieval stone towers that doubled as dwellings and defense posts. These fortresses attest to a time when Svan families fought fiercely to hold possession of their lands in small villages and lofty settlements such as Ushguli. Protected as the Upper Svaneti World Heritage site, Ushguli is one of Europe’s highest inhabited communities, at nearly 8,000 feet above sea level. Due to its remoteness, Svan culture evolved over the centuries in isolation from the rest of Georgian lands, developing a unique oral-only language and traditions such as ritual beard cutting and blood feuds. Once infamous for lawlessness, the region is recognized today for its welcoming spirit. “Georgia is famous for its hospitality, but Svaneti is Georgian hospitality times 10. Parties, toasts, and alcohol are the order of the day,” says Michał Głombiowski, a travel writer and photographer from Poland who frequently visits Georgia. (Related: This mega-trail offers hikers nearly a thousand miles of forest and mountains.) While still far off any beaten path, Svaneti now is accessible to intrepid adventurers via the Upper Svaneti section of the Transcaucasian Trail, an ambitious long-distance trail network project ultimately aiming to connect Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Trekkers with enough lung capacity to tackle a four-day, high-altitude hike from Mestia, the regional capital, to Ushguli are treated to cool vistas of serrated peaks by day and warm receptions in Svan guesthouses at night. —Martyna Szczepanik, Nat Geo Traveler Poland
DISCOVER SITES OF CULTURE AND HISTORY Reckon with a racist history to build a better future in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Celebrate Native resilience in Pueblo Nations, New Mexico. Revisit 500 years of Magellan’s Pacific legacy in Guam. Relish relics of a golden age in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea. Delight in a cultural crossroads in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain. See an art festival in a legendary landscape in Tonglu, China.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
A hub for discussions on race in the U.S.
Greenwood Rising, the name of Tulsa’s new “Black Wall Street” history center, aptly describes the groundswell of support for sustainable socioeconomic transformation in the Oklahoma city’s Historic Greenwood District—site of one of the worst incidents of racial violence in the United States’ history. Beginning on May 31, 1921, white terrorists destroyed the prosperous district in an 18-hour assault, murdering some 300 Black residents and erasing nearly 35 blocks of Black-owned homes and businesses. To commemorate the 100th anniversary—and tell the story of the once vibrant community—the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission is building Greenwood Rising (expected to open in fall 2021) and is hosting speakers, concerts, and other special events throughout the year. (Related: Remembering “Red Summer,” when white mobs massacred Blacks from Tulsa to D.C.) The history center is designed to be a catalyst for revitalizing Greenwood and for confronting and ending systemic racism across the U.S., says Phil Armstrong, project director of the Centennial Commission. “There’s a real sense in Tulsa and throughout the country that we are much better than this,” Armstrong says. “Greenwood Rising will be a launching pad for continuing the discussion of racial trauma and reconciliation, and the entire historic district will be a place where people can come to learn, acknowledge implicit bias, and personally commit to enacting real change within their own spheres of influence.”
Pueblo Nations, New Mexico
Surfacing Native American voices in the American Southwest
In New Mexico, monuments to oppressors of Native Americans—such as Spanish conquistador Don Diego de Vargas—are toppling, as some activists call to honor Po’pay, organizer of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The uprising ousted the Spanish from Pueblo Indian homelands. Although Spain regained control in 1692, the revolt is credited with ensuring the long-term survival of Pueblo culture. A statue of Po’pay represents New Mexico in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. At home, Po’pay’s enduring legacy is evident in the state’s 19 Pueblos, including Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Each Pueblo is a sovereign nation and living community with distinct traditions. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) in Albuquerque is the starting point for exploring the Pueblos—online via a Virtual Culture Guide and in-person when it’s safe to resume group tours and celebrations. Michael Lucero, IPCC’s guest experience manager and member of San Felipe Pueblo, calls the center’s resources the “lens” through which visitors can better appreciate the richness of Pueblo life. “When you step foot on a Pueblo, you’ll start connecting the dots,” Lucero says. “This is where we feel safe and connect with the Earth.” (Want more stories from New Mexico? Visit our travel guide.)
Guam
Revisiting Magellan’s legacy in the Pacific
The 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the globe isn’t exactly a cause for celebration on Guam, a U.S. territory and largest of the Mariana Islands. During a three-day stopover in March 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan killed Indigenous Chamoru people and erroneously labeled the Marianas Islas de los Ladrones (Islands of Thieves). A Spanish naval vessel will stop in Guam in March 2021, as part of a commemorative voyage retracing the world-circling route launched by Magellan in 1519 and completed by Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano in 1522. For the Chamoru today, the arrival of the anniversary expedition is an opportunity to tell their story, one whose chapters include the Magellan encounter, Guam’s colonial history, and the realities of living at what’s dubbed the U.S. military’s “tip of the spear” in the Pacific. (Related: Guam’s ecological fate is in the hands of the U.S. military.) Guam’s complex story is reflected in the Chamoru language, which features Spanish, English, and Japanese words. Young Chamorus are increasingly learning to embrace their culture, says Chamoru author and activist Michael Bevacqua. “Chamoru is an Indigenous memory,” adds Bevacqua, who teaches free language lessons and encourages fellow Chamorus to voice their choice for the future of their island’s political status—whether statehood or independence. “To me, being able to speak Chamoru and pass it on is at the core of our culture and the identity of our people.”
Gyeongju, Republic of Korea
This ancient Korean kingdom still glitters
Named Korea’s Culture City of East Asia 2021, Gyeongju is more commonly known by its nickname: “the museum without walls.” The city, located at the southeast corner of the Korean peninsula, is home to an astonishing abundance of archaeological sites, thanks to a nearly thousand-year reign as capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla (57 B.C. to A.D. 935). Protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Gyeongju Historic Areas are a captivating collection of Buddhist art from this golden age. Among the treasures: temple and palace ruins, stone pagodas, rock carvings, a superb eighth-century statue of Buddha, and about 150 Silla nobility burial mounds, some up to 75 feet high. (Related: How did South Korea prevent a COVID-19 disaster?) Gold, silver, and gilt-bronze crowns, jewelry, and other glittering artifacts excavated from the tombs are displayed in the Gyeongju National Museum’s “Silla the Kingdom of Gold” exhibit. Virtually tour the exhibition hall for an inside look at the lavish lifestyles of Silla royalty. —Bo-yeon Lim, Nat Geo Traveler Korea
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain
Jazz and legends in a Basque cultural capital
In the interior of Spain’s tradition-rich Basque Country, one city claims the cultural crown. Vitoria, also known by its Basque name of Gasteiz, was historically a commercial and cultural crossroads due to its prime position on the shortest route connecting the medieval kingdom of Castile with northern Europe. Now, Vitorians continue the tradition of welcoming outside influences by hosting emerging and legendary jazz artists—such as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, whose Vitoria Suite album pays tribute to the city—during the international Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival held each July. A bronze statue honoring Marsalis stands in the gardens of La Florida Park, Vitoria’s green lung and part of a ring of parks giving Vitorians more square feet of green space per inhabitant than any other Spanish city. Urban nature conservation efforts coupled with a commitment to sustainable transport—a large part of the population travels by bicycle or tram—earned Vitoria-Gasteiz the title of European Green Capital in 2012. (Related: This is how the Basques became an autonomous community within Spain.)
Planet-protecting Vitorians are equally passionate about preserving tradition, particularly in the historic quarter. The Gothic majesty of the Cathedral of Santa María tops a hill overlooking the centuries-old district. On streets that bear the names of medieval artisans’ guilds, locals throng bars and restaurants, sampling the habit-forming Basque version of tapas, known as pintxo. A plaza at the southern end of the old town is the site every August of an unusual celebration that honors the patron of the city—and the plaza’s namesake—la Virgen Blanca (the White Madonna). During the festival, a crowd gathers here to watch an effigy of a Basque villager, known as Celedón, whiz down a zip wire with his open umbrella to kick off the party. On reaching a balcony, Celedón magically “becomes” a real person who then encourages the crowd to enjoy the revels. —Sergi Ramis, Viajes National Geographic (Spain)
Tonglu, China
A Chinese landscape made famous in paintings lands its first art fest
Completed in 1350, “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains” is a touchstone of traditional Chinese shanshui, or landscape painting—a flowing visual journey along the Fuchun River and mountains that, when fully unrolled, extends more than 22 feet long. Painter Huang Gongwang, one of the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty, lived in seclusion alongside the Fuchun River, in Tonglu, for three years before completing this handscroll masterpiece. Ever since, tranquil Tonglu—tucked in the mountains of eastern Zhejiang Province, 168 miles southwest of Shanghai—has been a source of inspiration for generations of Chinese artists and writers. In 2021 Tonglu is once again in the art spotlight. The first Tonglu Art Triennale, originally scheduled for autumn 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic to spring 2021, will display modern art installations in fields and along the river—and, the hope is, boost rural tourism. Festival curator and director Fram Kitagawa, founder of Japan’s Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, says the very word “Tonglu” embodies the spirit of the event. He explains, “At this season, the fog on the Fuchun River and the clouds in the mountains are intertwined with each other, which is very similar to the Chinese landscape painting I knew when I was young.” —Yi Lu, Nat Geo Traveler China EXPLORE WILD BEAUTIFUL PLACES Watch for wolves and moose in a national park on Isle Royale, Michigan. Imagine yourself in a Jurassic Park among the savanna grasses of the Cerrado, Brazil. Roam the “last paradise” of UNESCO-recognized Lord Howe Island, Australia. Marvel at the northern lights in Yellowknife, Canada.
Isle Royale, Michigan
Wolves and moose roam this lesser known U.S. national park
Nature runs wild on Michigan’s untamed Isle Royale, a best-kept secret of a national park in the northwestern corner of Lake Superior. The 45-mile-long wilderness island is only 18 miles from the shores of northeastern Minnesota, yet frequent fog banks, fierce storms, and choppy waters can make it seem edge-of-nowhere remote. Along with causing numerous shipwrecks in the late 1800s to early 1900s, the hazardous waters surrounding Isle Royale shaped the island’s unique ecosystem. The park has only 18 mammal species (compared to more than 40 on the mainland), many of them descendants of the hardy animals who were able to swim here in summer or cross the frozen lake in winter. (Related: See why Isle Royale National Park is a camper’s paradise.) Since 1958, scientists have been observing Isle Royale’s most famous residents, wolves and moose, in the world’s longest predator-prey study. When only a single wolf pair remained in 2018, a multiyear relocation plan began to restore the population, helping keep moose numbers in check and boosting the resiliency of the entire ecosystem. Moose sightings are frequent, as are haunting loon calls. Less seen or heard are humans. The isolation and solitude mainly beckon seasoned backpackers, kayakers, and canoeists who arrive equipped to navigate Isle Royale’s roadless backcountry and inland lake paddling route, Chain of Lakes.
Cerrado, Brazil
This Brazilian wilderness may be the closest thing we have to a ‘Jurassic Park’
Environmental victories in the Brazilian Amazon don’t always turn out to be a good thing for its lesser known biome neighbor, the Cerrado. South America’s largest savanna, the Cerrado covers nearly a quarter of Brazil’s land surface and is extraordinarily biodiverse. But it is increasingly vulnerable to deforestation due to soybean farming and cattle ranching driven from the Amazon. More than 40,000 square miles have been destroyed in the past decade alone. The Brazilian Campaign for the Defense of the Cerrado (“No savanna, no water, no life”) is sounding the alarm about the pressing need to save this endangered wonderland. Several of South America’s major rivers—including São Francisco, Paraná-Paraguay, and Tocantins-Araguaia—begin here, and 5 percent of the planet’s plants and animals are found here. (Related: Brazil’s wildfires may destroy the world’s largest tropical wetland.) The Cerrado’s dizzying variety of life includes more than 10,000 species of plants (nearly half of which exist nowhere else) and Jurassic Park–size creatures: boarlike tapirs that can top 650 pounds; rare giant armadillos weighing up to 110 pounds; and giant anteaters, threatened with extinction in Brazil, that can weigh more than a hundred pounds. Equally outsized is a giant palm tree called buriti, nesting site for some of the 850-plus bird species and a main food source for many other wild things that call the Cerrado home.
Lord Howe Island, Australia
A ‘last paradise’ in the Tasman Sea
Being off the path to anywhere helped Lord Howe, a tiny island in the Tasman Sea, stay human-free until the 18th century. Today, only 400 visitors (slightly more than the permanent population) are permitted at any one time, helping protect one of Earth’s most isolated ecosystems in what locals rightfully call “the last paradise.” While less than seven miles long and just over a mile at its widest, Lord Howe is the largest in an eponymous World Heritage-listed chain of islands, remnants of an underwater volcano that erupted millions of years ago. Surrounding the island is Lord Howe Island Marine Park, home to the southernmost coral reefs on the planet, more than 500 fish species, and a who’s who of protected and threatened marine species, including the whale shark, great white shark, and hawksbill turtle. (Related: Explore the southernmost coral reef in the world.) The island’s Protecting Paradise Program takes a holistic approach to biosecurity, enlisting the help of community volunteers and technology to remove destructive invasive species (most recently rodents) and protect endemic ones like the critically endangered Lord Howe Island Phasmid, or “walking sausage,” a big-as-your-hand stick insect thought to be extinct until 2001.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Northern lights shine here 240 nights a year
The story of Yellowknife, capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, reads like an adventure novel. Sitting at the edge of the Arctic, on the banks of the Great Slave Lake, and surrounded by wild taiga, the city of 20,000 came into being when gold was discovered in the area in the 1930s. Gold mining was the main industry in Yellowknife for decades, and when the last of the local gold mines was closed in 2004, the city was already busy mining diamonds: In 1991, geologists found one of the richest diamond deposits on Earth here. The Dene people have stewarded and traveled this land for thousands of years. Today, in the face of global challenges like COVID-19, climate change, and environmental degradation, the Dene find freedom in the land, says Catherine Lafferty, a Yellowknives Dene Nation author whose latest book, Land-Water-Sky/Ndè-Tı-Yat’a, is the first penned under her Dene name, Katłıà. (Related: These tips will give you the best shot at experiencing the northern lights.) “Going out on the land is one way to find peace and solace, to reconnect and to heal,” says Lafferty, who was raised in Yellowknife and writes about Indigenous injustices in northern Canada. “The land helps us to remember what is important. It is there that we can find happiness in the simplicities of nature’s gifts.” Future visitors to Yellowknife can experience some of these gifts during nights lit by the aurora borealis shimmering over the boreal forests and countless small lakes outside the city. —Ondřej Formanek, Nat Geo Traveler Czechia PLAN AN AMAZING FAMILY JOURNEY Learn about 10,000 years of cultural history in Indigenous British Columbia, Canada. Reach for the stars at Florida’s Space Coast. Stroll the world’s longest seafront walking trail on the England Coast Path. Watch traditional cowboys at work in the marshes and meadows of Hortobágy, Hungary. Find the real-life idyll beneath the fantastic facade of Transylvania, Romania.
Indigenous British Columbia, Canada
Where nature and First Nations connect
Canada’s westernmost province, British Columbia, is home to more than 200 distinct Nations. Amid the global reckoning on race, learning about Indigenous B.C. as a family is a springboard for talking with kids about timely issues such as cultural appropriation and racial stereotypes. With an Indigenous history that spans some 10,000 years, the province is a perfect place to embark on authentic Indigenous travel experiences hosted by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. Vancouver and Vancouver Island are among the most convenient places for families to learn about Indigenous culture. The island alone has more than 45 Nations and the city offers some kid-friendly urban options, such as Talaysay Tours’ “Talking Trees” walk in Stanley Park. (Related: How First Nations-led protests in Canada sparked a conservation movement.) On the 90-minute forest ramble, Squamish and Shíshálh cultural ambassadors share knowledge passed down through the generations to help visitors understand how First Nations people across southern British Columbia use the land for food, medicine, and technology. “We do not see ourselves as separate from the land,” says Candace Campo, co-owner of Talaysay Tours and a member of the Shíshálh Nation. She explains that in the Shíshálh language, they have a saying: “Nuchutmulh, [which] means ‘we are one’ and connected to all living things.” Ready to plan your trip? Spend four days exploring the rich wildlife and culture of Haida Gwaii with Nat Geo Expeditions.
Space Coast, Florida
A launchpad for wonders both in the sky and in waters below
With all systems go for U.S. astronauts to rocket into orbit via NASA’s new Commercial Crew program, Florida’s Atlantic shoreline east of Orlando is again at the center of space exploration. The 72-mile stretch, known as the Space Coast, includes launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (open with COVID-19 restrictions), families can watch scheduled blast-offs of SpaceX and Boeing spacecrafts and walk among gigantic rockets towering over a hundred feet high. A different sort of giant, the lumbering West Indian manatee, plies the waters of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, surrounding the space center. Tour company Florida Adventurer leads kayaking trips in the 140,000-acre refuge. By day, kayakers are treated to glimpses of manatees and dolphins. At night (June to September or later), the refuge’s Indian River Lagoon hosts an otherworldly underwater show, called bioluminescence, courtesy of billions of light-producing plankton. (Related: Learn more about Florida’s Space Coast and its wildlife haven.) “On bioluminescence tours, kids see light zigzagging in every direction under the water,” says Florida Adventurer owner Josh Myers. “During the day, a manatee could pop up next to their kayak and squirt water at them. Those moments are life-changing for kids, inspiring them to learn more about what lives in the water.” —Ivan Vasin, Nat Geo Traveler Russia
England Coast Path, U.K.
An epic walk to remember
A colossal undertaking reaches fruition in 2021 as the England Coast Path—the world’s longest seafront walking trail, stretching nearly 2,800 miles—is unveiled in its entirety. How does a small nation successfully vie for this global title? The answer lies in England’s geography: peer closely at a map of Great Britain and you’ll see the land meets the water in an uneven zigzag of estuaries, inlets, and promontories. That rugged seascape—awash with secretive coves, windswept bluffs, and welcoming port towns—has been intrinsic to shaping the nation’s fortunes and character. And the new England Coast Path aims to bring this prized patrimony to the people and, in so doing, protect the landscape for generations to come. (Related: Walking in Wales reveals legends and landscapes of imagination.) While the project was partly inspired by the opening of the 870-mile Wales Coast Path in 2012, England has a long history of coastal hiking. In the 1970s the 630-mile South West Coast Path was established as a National Trail. The England Coast Path absorbs such existing stretches and has created dozens more from scratch for a total of 67 sections. Landowners, residents, and conservationists were consulted to harmoniously enact the landmark ruling of 2009 that legally opened up England’s whole coastline to the public for the first time. Each segment of shore has a different character. While some stretches offer unspoiled rural scenery, others have been carefully curated. Opened in September 2020, the 40-mile segment dubbed “Cumbria’s Hidden Coast,” winding from Whitehaven to Millom in the country’s northwest, is dotted with art installations and adrenalized activities. Meanwhile, in the southeast, a trail christened “England’s Creative Coast” links artworks and plots out a digital geocaching tour across Sussex, Kent, and Essex. —Maria Pieri, Nat Geo Traveller UK
Ready to book your trip? Nat Geo Expeditions has a 16-day cruise around the ancient isles of England, Ireland, and Scotland.