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National Geographic reveals its top destinations for 2022

Maureen O'Hare
By Maureen O'Hare, CNN
Updated 10:20 PM EST, Thu November 18, 2021
<strong>National Geographic's Best of the World 2022:</strong> National Geographic has published its list of the<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/best-of-the-world-2022?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=vanity::src=ngp::cmp=BOTW_2022::add=vanityurl_press" target="_blank" target="_blank"> best places to visit in 2022</a>. In the culture category is the Japanese island of Hokkaido, home to the Ainu people.<br />
National Geographic's Best of the World 2022: National Geographic has published its list of the best places to visit in 2022. In the culture category is the Japanese island of Hokkaido, home to the Ainu people.
Yomiuri Shimbun/AP
<strong>Sustainability:</strong> The Polish city of Łódź features in National Geographic's sustainability-themed picks. Freedom Square is pictured. <br />
Sustainability: The Polish city of Łódź features in National Geographic's sustainability-themed picks. Freedom Square is pictured.
iStockphoto/Getty Images
<strong>Nature:</strong> Namibia's Caprivi Strip is an up-and-coming safari destination.
Nature: Namibia's Caprivi Strip is an up-and-coming safari destination.
Radek Borovka/Alamy Stock Photo
<strong>Adventure:</strong> The Pacific archipelago is Palau is one of the choices in the adventure category. It's known for its remarkable marine life.
Adventure: The Pacific archipelago is Palau is one of the choices in the adventure category. It's known for its remarkable marine life.
Ethan Daniels/Alamy Stock Photo
<strong>Family: </strong>For multigenerational vacations, National Geographic recommmends Bonaire, one of the so-called ABC Islands.
Family: For multigenerational vacations, National Geographic recommmends Bonaire, one of the so-called ABC Islands.
Volmar K. Wentzel
<strong>Arapahoe Basin:</strong> Guests enjoy the highest Via Ferrata in North America at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Colorado.
Arapahoe Basin: Guests enjoy the highest Via Ferrata in North America at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Colorado.
Courtesy Ian Zinner/Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
<strong>Northern Minnesota:</strong> In the nature category, Northern Minnesota -- where camp under the Milky Way in Voyegeurs National Park -- is one of the picks. For more of National Geographic's Best of the World list, visit <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/best-of-the-world-2022?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=vanity::src=ngp::cmp=BOTW_2022::add=vanityurl_press" target="_blank" target="_blank">NatGeo.com/BestoftheWorld</a>.
Northern Minnesota: In the nature category, Northern Minnesota -- where camp under the Milky Way in Voyegeurs National Park -- is one of the picks. For more of National Geographic's Best of the World list, visit NatGeo.com/BestoftheWorld.
Steve Burns/Getty Images
National Geographic's top picks for 2022
CNN  — 

While the pandemic is far from over, many of us are hopeful that 2022 is the year we’ll finally be able to broaden our travel horizons again.

And now – in as much a year-end tradition as Thanksgiving turkey or putting up the tree – travel publishers are releasing their annual recommendations of where to travel in the year ahead.

Lonely Planet got in there at the start of November, bigging up Slovenia, Oman and Mauritius, and now it’s the turn of venerable travel chronicler National Geographic, which has been educating us about our planet since 1888.

For its 2022 list, National Geographic’s editorial teams around the world have selected 25 “must see” destinations. These are spread across five categories – nature, adventure, culture, sustainability and family – with a focus on national parks and wildlife, outdoor activities and experience, green travel and multigenerational trips.

‘Reflect and regroup’

“In many ways, the pandemic provided a moment for travelers and communities around the world to reflect and regroup on how we explore the world,” says George Stone, executive editor of National Geographic Travel.

“With this year’s list, Nat Geo takes a look at what’s different, new, and inspiring – from the new Seine River bike trail in France to Chimanimani National Park, a new national park in Mozambique that signals the country’s environmental commitment.”

Green Fields of SLH Hotel Kasara Hokkaido Japan
Hokkaido, Japan's northern nature paradise
01:00 - Source: CNN

In the culture category, Procida, a little island off the coast of Naples, is an Italian Capital of Culture for 2022, while London’s legendary music hub Tin Pan Alley has had a recent resurgence, with the opening of three new music venues.

Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, is renowned for its natural beauty, stunning waterfalls and rich wildlife, but also for the unique heritage of its indigenous Ainu people.

For Sustainability, National Geographic’s picks include Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park, a biosphere reserve in the Amazon which is currently under threat – just last week parts of the forest were cleared for an oil road and pipelines.

In Poland, the post-socialist industrial town of Łódź has become a thriving center of alternative culture, business and finance. The cotton factories that pepper its cityscape have been repurposed as galleries, museums, convention halls and and community centers, while its downtown is dressed up with striking murals.

<strong>Close encounters of the elephant kind: </strong> Part of the traditional migration route between southern Angola and northern Bostwana, the Caprivi Strip is part of an ecosystem that supports nearly 145,000 elephants at any one time. Herds of up to 700 animals often surround safari vehicles.
Close encounters of the elephant kind: Part of the traditional migration route between southern Angola and northern Bostwana, the Caprivi Strip is part of an ecosystem that supports nearly 145,000 elephants at any one time. Herds of up to 700 animals often surround safari vehicles.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>The giant baobab trees: </strong>Plentiful water and the hot climate cause the baobab trees to grow to Godzilla-like size in the Caprivi Strip.<br />
The giant baobab trees: Plentiful water and the hot climate cause the baobab trees to grow to Godzilla-like size in the Caprivi Strip.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Tented camps: </strong>Like the Okavango Delta across the border in Botswana, the Caprivi is spangled with tented camps, from basic self-catering tents to luxury resorts. Nambwa Tented Camp in Bwabwata National Park flaunts posh tents, gourmet bush cuisine and a swimming pool where a resident leopard hangs out.<br />
Tented camps: Like the Okavango Delta across the border in Botswana, the Caprivi is spangled with tented camps, from basic self-catering tents to luxury resorts. Nambwa Tented Camp in Bwabwata National Park flaunts posh tents, gourmet bush cuisine and a swimming pool where a resident leopard hangs out.
courtesy African Monarch Lodges
<strong>A bird's eye view of the waterways: </strong>Fly-in trips provide stunning aerial views of the myriad waterways that make up Namibia's Four Rivers region and the greater Okavango Delta area. <br />
A bird's eye view of the waterways: Fly-in trips provide stunning aerial views of the myriad waterways that make up Namibia's Four Rivers region and the greater Okavango Delta area.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Leer at leaping lechwes: </strong>Among the Caprivi's three water-dwelling antelope, red lechwes are the most common, and the most graceful when leaping through high grass and knee-high waters. The ruddy creatures are often found in large herds in marshy areas along the Okavango, Kwango and Chobe rivers.
Leer at leaping lechwes: Among the Caprivi's three water-dwelling antelope, red lechwes are the most common, and the most graceful when leaping through high grass and knee-high waters. The ruddy creatures are often found in large herds in marshy areas along the Okavango, Kwango and Chobe rivers.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Cruising the bush: </strong>The paved Trans Caprivi Highway connects the region's scattered settlements and numerous national parks and other conservation areas. Four-wheel drive is recommended, but ordinary cars can navigate the main highway.
Cruising the bush: The paved Trans Caprivi Highway connects the region's scattered settlements and numerous national parks and other conservation areas. Four-wheel drive is recommended, but ordinary cars can navigate the main highway.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>The bush after dark: </strong>Camps and lodges in the Caprivi offer nighttime game drives to view animals that are more active after dusk. Nocturnal creatures are everywhere, from owls and bats to snakes and scorpions like the one shown here under a UV flashlight. <br />
The bush after dark: Camps and lodges in the Caprivi offer nighttime game drives to view animals that are more active after dusk. Nocturnal creatures are everywhere, from owls and bats to snakes and scorpions like the one shown here under a UV flashlight.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Small but interesting: </strong>The<strong> </strong>Caprivi is rife with smaller creatures that often get overlooked in the rush to see the obvious animals. The area has a wide variety of reptiles, amphibians and insects like this "dikpens", or armored bush cricket.
Small but interesting: The Caprivi is rife with smaller creatures that often get overlooked in the rush to see the obvious animals. The area has a wide variety of reptiles, amphibians and insects like this "dikpens", or armored bush cricket.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Home of the cape buffalo: </strong>The Caprivi Strip is the only place in Namibia where the hulking cape buffalo, one of the charter members of the "Big Five" of African wildlife, can be spotted.
Home of the cape buffalo: The Caprivi Strip is the only place in Namibia where the hulking cape buffalo, one of the charter members of the "Big Five" of African wildlife, can be spotted.
Joe Yogerst/CNN
<strong>Where four rivers meet: </strong>Also called the Four Rivers Region, the Caprivi Strip is ideal for exploring the Okavango and Zambezi rivers, and the wildlife-rich wetlands along the Chobe and Kwango rivers. Guided tours offer views of hippos, crocodiles and other water life.
Where four rivers meet: Also called the Four Rivers Region, the Caprivi Strip is ideal for exploring the Okavango and Zambezi rivers, and the wildlife-rich wetlands along the Chobe and Kwango rivers. Guided tours offer views of hippos, crocodiles and other water life.
courtesy African Monarch Lodges
How to get the best out of the Caprivi strip

Getting the nature nod, Namibia’s Caprivi Strip is an up-and-coming safari destination. Once off limits due to the long border war that plagued this region, safari camps and lodges are now sprouting up. Visitors can enjoy several large national parks, plenty of navigable waterways, and an impressively high ratio of wildlife to human residents.

Namibia's Caprivi Strip: Africa forbidden zone now a wildlife wonderland

Sun and adventure

The ancient waters of Lake Baikal, known as Russia’s “Sacred Sea,” are bigger than all the Great Lakes of North American combined, and it makes up close to a quarter of our planet’s freshwater reserves.

Tourism here is not without controversy: It’s currently the stage for a fierce battle between the state, a local population dependent on tourist income, and environmentalists concerned about mass development damaging its delicate ecosystem.

go there lake baikal desktop thumb 1
'There is not enough space': Welcome to a town that many say can't take on more people
09:11 - Source: CNN

Adventure seekers are recommended to try the new 420-kilometer-long La Seine à Vélo bike route which runs from Paris to the Normandy sea. Or if hiking is more your thing, there’s the 147-kilometer-long Sentier Nepisiguit Mi’gmaq wilderness trail in New Brunswick, Canada. It follows the Nepisiguit River from Daly Point’s Nature Reserve to Mount Carleton Provincial Park.

Skiers and snowboarders should make their way instead to Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin, a high-elevation resort with runs for experts as well as beginners.

For family trips with loved ones, National Geographic’s picks include Turkey’s sweeping southwest coastline, a lesser known Mediterranean delight which was known in ancient times as Lycia. Sailing is the perfect way to explore its secluded bays and coves.

Another sun-seeking option is Bonaire – known, along with Aruba and Curaçao, as one of the ABC islands – which is close to South America and a little outside of what’s considered the hurricane belt. The snorkeling and diving is particularly good in its pristine waters, where underwater visibility can exceed 30 meters, allowing wonderful views of coral reef and forgotten shipwrecks.

For more of National Geographic’s Best of the World list, visit NatGeo.com/BestoftheWorld.

National Geographic’s ‘Best of the World 2022’ list:

CULTURE

Jingmai Mountain, Yunnan, China

Tin Pan Alley, London

Hokkaido, Japan

Procida, Italy

Atlanta, Georgia

SUSTAINABILITY

Ruhr Valley, Germany

Parque Nacional Yasuni, Ecuador

Łódź, Poland

National Columbia Gorge Scenic Area, Oregon/Washington

Chimanimani National Park, Mozambique

NATURE

Caprivi Strip, Namibia

Northern Minnesota

Lake Baikal, Russia

Belize Maya Forest Reserve

Victoria, Australia

ADVENTURE

Seine River Bike Trail, France

Costa Rica

Nepisiguit Mi’gmaq Trail, New Brunswick, Canada

Palau

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado

FAMILY

Danube River Cruise

Lycia, Turkey

Granada, Spain

Bonaire

Eastern Shore, Maryland

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