Best Places to Travel: Destinations That Live Up To The Hype

Ever wanted to know what the best places to travel to are? Well we can help with that.

If you’re paying lots of your hard-earned money to go on the trip of life-time, then you want to be sure you won’t be disappointed.

Here are 54 destinations Mobal World Phone users found lived up to the hype and blew their minds…

Destinations in Africa

1. Okovango Delta game preserve, Botswana
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Paul Voorhees

2. The Pyramids, Egypt
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“For man made attractions, I have to admit I did not expect to be impressed by the Egyptian pyramids, but I was. Especially the Sphynx.
Wendy McIlroy

3. Nile River, Egypt
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“Cruising the Nile – indescribable…a fabulous experience with so many sites to take in and to marvel at, and a feeling that some how time has stood still in parts of this beautiful country.
Donna

4. Sabi Sabi preserve, South Africa
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“Sabi Sabi preserve in South Africa where I stood not 10 feet away from 6 Rhinos grazing. Scary but fascinating.
Joe Favaro

5. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
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“All of Kenya and Tanzania are remarkable. Forced to pick one tourist site, I’d have to choose Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania.
Nancy

6. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwa
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“Victoria Falls in Zimbabwai during the day with the mist rising hundreds of feet skyward.
Joe Favaro

7. Zambesi River, Various Africa
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“Sunset on the Zambesi River. What a sight.
Joe Favaro

Destinations in the Americas

8. Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina
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“I saw the question and answered it before I saw the answer listed: Iguazu Falls. I haven’t been everywhere, but it was unbelievable and it was my first answer.”
Diana A.

9. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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“Rio has the most beautiful setting of any city I have ever seen. From Corcovado the city below is the cidade marveloso! I have visited many coastal cities (Sydney, SF, Vancouver, Lisbon, SD, Miami, Honolulu, etc.) all of which are beautiful but Rio is the most spectacular.
Kervin

10. Banff/Lake Louise, Canada
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“Banff/Lake Louise area is a breathtakingly beautiful and fun destination.
Dee in Indiana

11. The Pacific Rim National Park, Canada
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“The Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. It is a temperate rainforest with huge trees that are hundreds of years old and an impassable undergrowth — you have to walk on a boardwalk. It feels like you are walking in the time of dinosaurs.
RM Nishikawa

12. The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
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“The Galapagos Islands. A naturalist’s dream.
B. Delidow

13. Machu Pichu, Peru
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“Machu Pichu at dawn.
Erwin Miller

14. Glacier Bay, Alaska
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“My favorite spectacular landscape would have to be Glacier Bay in Alaska – watching the glaciers calving is simply awesome!
Michelle C.

15. Grand Canyon, Arizona, US
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“No question: the most jaw dropping spectacular sight (for first time visitors) is the Grand Canyon. For a decent second choice: the approach to Yosemite Valley from Tuolomne Meadows.
George Curran

16. Lake Powell, Arizona, US
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“My vote is for Lake Powell, Arizona. It’s like the grand canyon with water. I’d put Iguazu Falls in second place.
Gary Christopher

17. Niagara Falls, US/Canada
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“It’s really difficult to name just one, but it doesn’t have to be outside the U.S. The Niagara Falls work for me.
Betty Sheldon

18. Angel Falls, Venezuela
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“Angel Falls, Venezuela. The worlds tallest waterfalls as seen from a helicopter.
Ron Kellerman

Destinations in Antarctica

19. Glacier Alley, Antarctica
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“Glacier Alley in Antarctica, or just Antarctica, itself. All those penguins are so adorable and interesting.
Fran Roberts

Destinations in Asia

20. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
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“Easily it is Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There is nothing like it for shear scale as the many temples cover many square miles. Especially amazing is that the sculptures and rock carvings survived through the centuries in spite of the jungle growth, looters, and the Vietnam War when the US dropped more bombs on this tiny country than were dropped on Japan during World War II. Beautiful countryside and the Cambodians are an amazingly resilient people.
Bruce Stenman

21. Great Wall of China, China
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“Watching the sunrise over the Great Wall of China in Simatai after spending an evening with the village children & parents in Gubeikou Town.
T&J Piccinato

22. Terra-Cotta Warriors, China
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“The Terra Cotta Warriors at Xian are perhaps one of the most amazing things we have ever seen. Just the massive size of the exhibit is impressive.
T&J Piccinato

23. Dunhuang Dunes, China
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Erwin Miller

24. The Forbidden City, China
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D. Nadler

25. The Summer Palace, China
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D. Nadler

26. Taj Mahal, India
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“Without a doubt it has to be the Taj Mahal. It’s one of those mythical places of the world that actually lives up to its reputation. It is absolutely stunning.
Len Pine

27. Mt. Kanchenjunga, India
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“Sunrise view of Mt. Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill, near Darjeeling, India
Erwin Miller

28. Sumba Island, Indonesia
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“Villages in the Waikabubak district of Sumba Island, Indonesia with their distinctive thatched roofed stilt houses.
Erwin Miller

29. Borobadur, Indonesia
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“Just spectacular.
Wendy

30. Petra, Jordan
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“Petra – amazing and awe-inspiring (plus its an adventure just getting down the siq)
Donna

31. Lake Khovsgal, Mongolia
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“Traditional Hovsgal Hangard Ger Camp on pristine Lake Khovsgal, Mongolia.
Erwin Miller

32. Himalayas, Nepal
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“I’ve seen many of these places – don’t think I could even start to rank them, although I would add many of the Himalaya views in Nepal (Annapurna circuit, Everest from the air, Machapuchare from Pokhara). I think the one place of which I expected the least was the Taj Mahal – and I must say, seeing it at sunset filled every expectation I had ever had, from high school on. It is everything every dreamer ever imagined.
Susan Mcneely

33. Gobi Desert, Mongolia
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“Another spectacular sight was the fire clifs in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Truly a beautiful place.
Ron Kellerman

34. Kemer/Anatalya, Turkey
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“Kemer or Antalya Turkey is popular with the Europeans but not known to America. The Yacht tour is wonderfull and the sea is turquoise and next the the mountain. Kemer has an international sea port. Not sure how to send picture but the yachts are really neat looking also.
Therese

35. The Cistern, Istanbul, Turkey
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“The Cistern in Istanbul is the most spectacular for me – those Romans could build anything and the Turks have turned it into a spiritual experience. (I do have pictures if you want them.)
R Schofield

36. Ephesus, Turkey
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“Without a doubt I’d have to say Ephesus in Turkey. I had expected it to be really touristy and generic. But I was completely impressed. Incredible is the only word I can use to describe it. It’s one of those places I could return to over and over again and never get bored with it!
Les Sewell

Destinations in Australasia

37. Bora Bora
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“Nothing in the nature comes close to the beauty of Bora Bora. Photographs cannot capture the true depth of colors you’ll see as you ride from the airstrip through the lagoon to your resort located on a motu (small island surrounding the lagoon). I remember saying to my wife, “that’s the bluest water I’ve ever seen”, and about a minute later, “no, this is the bluest water I’ve ever seen”. And so it went; for the 45 minutes it took to cross over to our hotel. I must have seen 20 different shades of blue, all more amazing than the last.
Greg Thibault

Destinations in Europe

38. The Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
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“The Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia is spectacular.
Rob Swingle

39. The Tower of London, England
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“Some of the sights mentioned above I’ve found truly stunning; others I’ve long wished I could see them. But the place that strikes me as most mind-blowing, strictly in tourist terms, is the Tower of London. Here, you have a precinct steeped in as much history and drama as any acreage on earth; you’ve got the place of beheadings and murders, you’ve got the crown jewels, you’ve got the ravens, an armorial museum, a magnificent Norman chapel, and countless other things worth seeing. If you know British history, you’ll surely find it rewarding. But if you don’t, not to worry; you have your own Beefeater yeoman guard to show you through. These guards, in addition to their official role as, well, guards, are perhaps the most informed and entertaining tourist guides anywhere. They had me in stitches.

You can wander the precinct at your leisure–at least the public spaces, which are many. On my first visit, nearly twenty years ago, I was astonished to find unprotected graffiti scratched into the walls of one of the prison towers; since then it has been covered by clear plexiglass. My first time through I found the names of several Jesuit martyrs in the graffiti. As a Jesuit priest, I felt especially moved by this discovery.
John Montag

40. Stonehenge, England
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“In 2006, I took a Special Access tour of Stonehenge. Before and after regular hours, you can (or could) go on a limited number tour of Stonehenge where you get to go inside the circle. You can touch the stones, stand next to the stones (and see incised Greek graffiti), get incredible pictures. I went on an evening tour and we had 20 minutes to wander around inside and outside the circle. Halfway into our alloted time, the sun started setting and it was so beautiful. When you are up close, you get a better idea of the grandeur and ancient-ness!
Cindy Thun

41. The Pont Du Gard, France
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“The Pont Du Gard Roman aqueduct in southern France near Remoulins is very impressive. You used to be able to walk across the top of it and look down at the river, but I’d heard you can’t do that anymore.
Bill M.

42. The Königssee, Germany
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“The Königssee in Southern Germany is absolutely gorgeous. It is very quiet; you can only ride in electric boats. I would love to explore the area more on foot.
Pat Branson

43. Acropolis, Greece
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“As a member of western civilization, the Acropolis brought tears to my eyes the first time I saw it.”
Kathleen Kelly

44. Santorini, Greece

Paul Voorhees

45. Connemara, Ireland
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“It truly is breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful.
Donna

46. Rome, Italy
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“After three trips spanning 30+ days we thought we had experienced Rome, but we were wrong. Now, after two weeks in an apartment on via dei coronari in Rome, we would encourage anyone who wants the flavor of the eternal city to book an apartment in this neighborhood. In the morning hours Rome is all yours, at 8 a.m. I was the only person in Piazza Navona. And the local newsstand chap, and the grocery store clerk and the capucino shop all recognized us on the street ad said hello, one becomes part of the neighborhood.”
Tim Johnson

47. The Sistine Chapel, Italy
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Patricia Orlando

48. Orvieto, Italy
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“Orvieto, Beautiful 3000 year old town located on a mountain north of Rome.
Craig Gross

49. Venice, Italy
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“Venice, Italy is absolutely the most amazing of the cities I’ve visited – it is a city like no other on earth!
Michelle C.

50. Sognefjord, Norway
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RM Nishikawa

51. Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland
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“Visited WIELICZKA HISTORIC SALT MINE, Krakow, Poland.

230 Km of tunnels through solid rock salt with sculptures including an underground chapel complete with Rock Salt figures and alters.
Wayne Hadden

52. Krakow, Poland
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“All the natural phenomena (waterfalls, canyons, cliffs, mountains, lakes and so on) and many manmade ones (dams, skyscrapers, etc.) are of course wonderful, and we’ve enjoyed many of them in a lifetime of travel on all continents except Antarctica.

But THE most amazing and wonder-full place we’ve ever visited was the old city of Krakow, Poland. The enormous hand-carved, gilded and painted altarpiece (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altar_of_Veit_Stoss) in the immense gothic church on the main square (from the tower of which the recording of the bugler’s famous truncated call that saved the town centuries ago plays hourly) is the most astounding work of art I have ever viewed.

When you add to that the square itself with its ancient cloth market, the nearby castle (fabulously restored, full of ancient furnishings and tapestries, tours available in a multitude of languages), the cathedral (where the former Pope presided), the old Jewish quarter, all the other untouched-by-war medieval buildings, ancient city walls, all in a very walkable central area — plus the ability to take day trips out of town to an incredible underground salt mine and/or Auschwitz (terrible to visit, but important to remember) — and much, much more (see http://www.krakow-info.com/default.htm), Krakow will blow your socks off.

We were alerted by many guidebook writers that this would be the case, and thought we were prepared, but the reality of the place outshone all our expectations. It is a priceless gem, but totally available.

P.S. The food everywhere there was also fantastic–I made it a point to eat something made with mushrooms at every lunch and dinner for the 5 days we were there; never duplicated a dish, and each was more delicious than can be expressed. And all the other food, at restaurant after restaurant, was just as wonderful, not to mention very reasonably priced.
Cherry C.

53. Lake Bled, Slovenia
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“I would vote for Lake Bled in Slovenia. It isn’t spectacular, but it’s beautiful and relaxing.
Pat Millligan

54. The Alhambra, Spain

“The Alhambra. Good enough for Washington Irving, good enough for me.
Charles Deahl

Feel there’s a destination missing? Leave your suggestion in the comments below…

15 thoughts on “Best Places to Travel: Destinations That Live Up To The Hype

  1. Hail

    AMAZING PHOTOS!!!!!!! I LOVED THEM!!!!

  2. Debra

    I’ve traveled a lot and I must say these are the ones I recommend, Alaska, Machu Pichu, Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon river, Jerusalem, Western Ireland, and the Emerald Lakes of Chile. Nothing in Europe impressed me, too much pollution.

  3. David

    I thought Muir Woods in the San Francisco Bay Area was tremendous. The trees are pretty spectacular. People from all over the world come.

  4. Barbara Shatto

    Myanmar/Burma
    1. The Golden Rock Pagoda, a huge boulder covered in gold leaf, which balances on the edge of a cliff at the top of a mountain, a place of pilgrimage for all Buddhists in the country.
    2. The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon/Rangoon, believed to have been built nearly 2600 years ago, during Buddha’s life time, the greatest pagoda of its kind in the world, comparable in size and grandeur to the Ankor Wat of Cambodia, the difference being that it is not a ruin but “alive”. It continues to be used daily for worhip by Buddhists.

  5. Jody Korte

    Zaas Fee,Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I went to Bora Bora last year it is spectacular.Water that has so many shades of blue!!!!

  6. callon Zukowski

    Cesky Krumlov ,Czech Republic…The most beautiful medevil town in the world, bar none.

  7. Jerry Chaffee

    Maya Indian ruins, Tikal and other places in Guatemala
    People don’t realize how advanced the Maya Indians were. Their calendar is still more accurate than ours and they were adept at mathematics, astronomy, and architecture.

  8. Donald Steedman

    The Grand Canyon, Arizona.

  9. angelface

    i think i live in paradise now (have seen almost all the 54 places ) .it’s overlooking Lake chapala and the mountains at 5000 feet south of Guadalajara /Mexico with the best climat in the world .

  10. Nancy Carlson

    Prince William Sound, Alaska

    South Georgia (South Atlantic Ocean) – history, snow-covered peaks arising from the sea, albatrosses, & hundreds of thousands of king penguins

  11. Linda

    I didn’t see any thing listed for Australia or New Zealand………both countries have many, many wonderful places to visit. My favorite in New Zealand was the Bay of Islands and my favorite (s) in Australia was the Great Barier Reef and Sydney….I didn’t get to the “Out Back” but from pictures I’ve seen that has got to be spectacular too. I have been to many of the 54 destinations listed and all are exceptional destinations……….my goodness the WORLD has so much beauty!

  12. John Urian

    Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

    Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand

  13. Ralph Riccio

    Budapest, Hungary, is an underappreciated travel destination. It is a lively city with some interesting sites (Fisherman’s Bastion on the Buda side of the river is a great place to look across at the Parliament, on the Pest side). Vaci Utca (the pedestrian street) is very pleasant, and the Central Market at the far end of the street is magnificent, both exterior and the wares available in the interior. Food generally is excellent, and prices are more than reasonable. It’s a very pleasant place.

  14. Zuri

    The Galapagos Islands are the most incredible living museum of evolutionary changes, with a huge variety of exotic species (birds, land animals, plants) and landscapes not seen anywhere else.

  15. suzanne falconi

    perito moreno glacier argentina

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