National Geographic has included Indigenous tourism outfitters in Alberta, Canada as one of its top 25 breathtaking places and experiences for 2023.
The 25 destinations are selected by the international publication's global editors and framed by five categories: Community, Nature, Culture, Family, and Adventure.
Indigenous tourism outfitters' experiences in Alberta were selected as places to "experience how long-held traditions and contemporary perspectives intersect."
Weasel Tail Enterprises, for example, offers First Nations activities and experiences in the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains. They have discussions in their tipi and partake in hiking, horseback riding and swimming. There are also various Indigenous-guided activities.
Have a look at the complete list of the top 25 destinations selected by National Geographic.
- Visit Karpathos, Greece, and discover the Dodecanese Islands, "where women-led ventures are leading the charge in sustainable tourism."
- Visit the Great Lakes city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which celebrates its cultural community as much as its breweries.
- Experience Indigenous tourism outfitters in Alberta, Canada.
- Ride on a new high-speed train that carries travellers to lesser-known regions of Laos.
- Visit Ghana to learn about Black heritage and "hang out with a fashion-forward crowd in the capital, Accra."
- Check out the spellbinding biodiversity of Botswana and learn about the programs to "rehabilitate endangered species, create wildlife corridors, and develop community-owned tourism projects."
- Explore the Scottish Highlands, where conservation efforts are striving to restore the original landscape and native flora and fauna.
- Bike around Slovenia on new gastrotourism biking routes that visit farms, vineyards, cheesemakers, and other food producers.
- Visit the Big Bend National Park in Texas where you'll discover the "frontier legend" of the southern state.
- The Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, is comprised of a volcanic archipelago that is popular for whale watching and thermal springs.
- Travel back in time in Egypt to discover ancient wonders including King Tut’s new home at Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum and Luxor’s Avenue of the Sphinxes.
- Discover the creative energy of Asia’s top film festival and sip craft beer in Busan, South Korea.
- Possibly the oldest road on Earth, Italy’s Appian Way is considered Europe’s ancient “superhighway." It was also a key military and economic artery for ancient Rome.
- Want to savour some delicious country cuisine along with some culture and history? Visit the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.
- See some of the largest assemblages of stone statues in the World in China's Henan Province at Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Ride the rails to quaint Alpine towns in Switzerland for chocolate, hiking and skiing.
- You can help conserve turtles in Trinidad and Tobago, which is one of the world's important leatherback turtle rookeries.
- In San Francisco, California, gather around a campfire with Golden Gate views at "Presidio Tunnel Tops and hike the urban Crosstown Trail."
- Colombia is a bird-watching paradise, with a vast array of brightly-coloured, feathered creatures to observe. It is also the enchanted land of Disney’s Encanto.
- Travel to Manchester, England to visit the playing grounds of a world-famous soccer team and also be inspired by the city’s vibrant art scene.
- Visit the isolated Inca site of Choquequirao, Peru. Some people say it even rivals Machu Picchu and will soon be more accessible to trekkers.
- Discover adrenaline-fuelled activities across New Zealand, the island country that invented bungee jumping.
- Don't brush off less popular adventure tourist spots. Utah is home to a range of heart-pumping activities.
- In Austria, visitors can hike "the cross-country Bergsteigerdörfer network of mountaineering villages to sample [the] local culture."
- With protected waters supported by National Geographic's Pristine Seas initiative, the Revillagigedo National Park in Mexico is home to one of the largest aggregations of sharks and manta rays in the world.
