18 Bucket List Adventure Destinations For 2018

The world offers endless exciting adventures and sites to explore. Everyone should enrich their life with a bit of travel. Mountains, parks, lakes, forests, islands and "lost" cities – all of these breathtaking locations are worthy of being any adventurer's ultimate trip destinations.  

This is a trip for the sightseeing traveler. Experience the Best of Southern Peru – This is an exclusive from Kuoda Travel. Inca citadels, striking Andean scenery, cities brimming with history, one of the deepest canyons on this planet, the world's highest navigable lake, world-class cuisine and, not to mention, the world wonder in the lost ancient city of Machu Picchu. This unique Peru itinerary offers discerning travelers diverse scenic and cultural experiences that are second to none.

This trip is for the adventure traveler. The vacation is exclusive from Nicaragua Vacations and is designed for those adrenaline hunters looking for the best in boarding action – surfing and volcano boarding. The most authentically colonial Spanish city in country, Leon, is surrounded by volcanoes. The Pacific Rim is truly visible here, with great opportunities for "volcano boarding." This new adrenaline sport sweeping northwest Nicaragua. Twenty minutes out of town and you'll hit some of the best surfing in the region on the deserted beaches of Poneloya. 

This trip is for the adrenaline junkie. If you're looking for endless thrill and adventures and also want somewhere relaxing and indulgent to lay your head at night, this trip is for you. Soar through the forests on a zip line, discover a towering waterfall after a horseback adventure, and take in the world-famous hot springs.

This trip is for the dog lover. You will ride with a professional musher behind a team of ten huskies. The once-in-a-lifetime adventure is both romantic and exhilarating, with the dogs pulling the sled along rustic and sinuous paths into the heart of the snowy forest. Traversing six kilometers of remote Quebec countryside, the ride creates an unforgettable memory. The new Dog Sledding Adventure is part of Manoir Hovey's "Winter Your Way" program for 2018, which lets guests tailor-make their northern holidays.

Go behind the scenes at the Vatican. Available only through Access Italy, this exclusive, behind scene entrance allows access to one of the most hidden parts of the Vatican:  the Mosaic Laboratory and the Pope's private studio, where artisans work to make Pope's gifts to world famous Head of States. The tour also includes St. Peter's Basilica, a masterpiece of Renaissance and Baroque architecture that is one of the world's most important Christian sites, as well as the Vatican Museums (featuring the most comprehensive art collection in the world with more than 2,000 rooms) and The Sistene Chapel.

This trip is for intrepid solo travelers. This adventure glides through premier Brazilian rain forest 10 hours from the nearest town. Led by Mountain Travel Sobek, experts in remote locations, their guides wind a small band through the Central Amazon Ecological Corridor. "Bucket list" moments abound from sunset over the winding Rio Negro to stopping in "ports of call" only accessible by small boats. Trek through rainforests to see a kaleidoscope of colorful birds, magnificent trees draped with vines and carpeted with orchids, and monkeys chattering and cavorting in the trees. Swim at deserted beaches in water as pure and clean as rainwater, hike in untouched forests, and explore the river's edge including evening excursions watching for nocturnal species.

Qualia, a world-class luxury resort in the Whitsundays, is a private world of sensory perfection on Hamilton Island.  Enjoy a luxury holiday on a private island on the Great Barrier Reef. No matter how many photos they post on Instagram, no image will ever do this 60-room resort on the edge of The Great Barrier Reef justice. World-class service, enormous pavilions, mind-bending views, poolside luxury, and a private beach combine to make this Australia's premier beachside resort retreat. 

This trip is or gorilla lovers. Track one of the 12 habituated groups of mountain gorillas with expert trackers. Hike to Karisoke, site of the research camp and grave of Dian Fossey, who is famed for her research on the mountain gorilla – and for changing the way we look at our closest relatives. Spend time in the nursery and plant a tree – help reforest this area, and thus become part of Rwanda's conservation aims. Fly into Kigali and don't miss the Genocide Museum and have lunch at the famous Hotel Rwanda.

This is where you stay to experience the beauty of Finland – in a warm and cozy igloo with a glass top perfect for Northern Lights viewing from the comfort of your own bed. If you love adventure (and dogs) go Dogsledding with Husky & Co, which will be the most fun 10K ride you'll ever experience. A bonus will be to spend time with the adorable Husky puppies after the ride. Make sure to go snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing on any of the many beautiful snowy trails in the surrounding areas of this magical winter wonderland.

Go heli-skiing in the winter months or heli-biking in the summer for adventures of a lifetime at Tordrillo Mountain Lodge. Just a 40-minute flight from Anchorage, it is a remote, multi-sport luxurious lodge in the heart of the Tordrillo Range. Located on the banks of the Talachulitna River and Judd Lake, it is within eye shot of two 11,000-foot volcanoes and Mount McKinley, North America's tallest peak at 20,320 feet. 

This trip is luxury all the way. The accommodations are first class. Staying in a yurt is a cozy and incredible experience. Guided hikes are selected by the guest based on easy, moderate or strenuous. No matter what hike you choose it is guaranteed to be spectacular. Did you ever have a picnic lunch with wine in a setting of utter beauty? Well, this is your chance to have a dream come true. Don't miss kayaking through the Grey Glacier or the classic Hike to the Base of The Towers; you will not be disappointed.

There are seven distinct seasons on Fogo Island: Warm summers, snowy winters, a spectacular pack ice season, hopeful spring, trap berth inspired by the traditional fishery, and the world's best berry picking in the early fall. Each of the seven seasons provides a different perspective for getting to know the island, and perhaps yourself. Although located just over halfway between the equator and the North Pole, the Labrador Current passing by Fogo Island's doorstep brings with it the makings for a subarctic landscape and a temperate maritime climate. The island's boreal forest plays host to herds of caribou, beavers, foxes, mosses, grasses, and wildflowers. Migrating whales and icebergs visit in the spring.

Minaret Station is New Zealand's premium alpine experience. Explore the wilderness of the South Island with the friendly and experienced Minaret Station team through one of many Heli-Adventure options. Alternatively set off on a memorable Guided Fishing, Guided Hunting or Heli-Skiing excursion. Experience luxurious high country hospitality by spending a night at Minaret Station Alpine Lodge, set at the head of a picturesque glacial valley within the untouched landscapes and beauty of the Southern Alps. Minaret Station is the gateway to New Zealand's outdoors. Put simply it is the highlight to any tour "down under."

Salar de Uyuni, amid the Andes in southwest Bolivia, is the world's largest salt flat. Though wildlife is rare in this unique ecosystem, it harbors many pink flamingos. At nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, the Salar dazzles the eye and plays optical tricks on you with what look like white hexagonal tiles of salt that seem to go on forever. In winter (our summer), you can drive across it. In summer (our winter), the Salar becomes a giant puddle, and the reflection of sky and clouds seems to reflect the entire world. Stay in a hotel made almost entirely of salt to round out the bucket list experience.

Between 3 million and 300,000 years ago, three under-water volcanoes erupted and created a landmass—shaped in a near perfect triangle—that lay uninhabited until Polynesians arrived, sometime between 400 and 700AD. The island is called Rapa Nui by locals and Isla de Pascua by Chileans, who govern the island—which has been described as "a half fantastic land, a land of dreams."

Often described as southern Africa's final frontier, Namibia consists mostly of desert, sand dunes, huge open spaces and great swaths of silence. Geographically twice the size of California, Namibia today is home to a population of only 2.2 million people, about half the population of L.A. Hoanib Skelton Coast is vast, remote, isolated wilderness offering excellent viewing of Namibia's distinctive desert-adapted wildlife. Diverse activities showcase spectacular scenery, unexpected oases and enormous sand dunes. Seal colonies that line the endless dramatic shores of the Skeleton Coast are a fascinating sight.

Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, oodles of elephants, rolling surf, cheap prices, fun trains, famous tea and flavorful food make Sri Lanka irresistible. Highlights include: Tea Experience held at the Dunkeld Tea Factory; Dambulla Caves, one of the most preserved sites in the country set in the hilltops of central Sri Lanka; Galle Forte, famous for its well preserved Dutch architecture; and Sigiriya Rock Fortress, a 700-foot-tall rock column is one of the country's most iconic and visited sites.

This is a classic road trip destination. Tour natural wonders and architectural landmarks that will blow your mind. Highlights include Geirangerfjord, Trollstigen, and Ålesund. Round out your adventure by staying in one of the pods on a steep, natural levee amongst birch, aspen, pine and age-old boulders at Juvet Landscape Hotel.