People often ask me: “What is your favorite country to visit?”
For an avid adventurer, this is a confusing question. How do you distill the culture, atmosphere, food, scenery and all the other factors that shape the international travel experience?
Identifying countries that I’ve explored in depth on multiple visits—popular ones like Turkey, Nepal, South Africa, and Indonesia—is a measuring stick. A more novel approach might be to consider places that I only planned to visit once, but surprisingly, left me wanting more.
Here are the spots that I considered a “one-and-done” spot, but they’re all on my return trip list.
Rwanda
I was unprepared for the natural beauty of Rwanda. Like many people, I traveled to Rwanda for a primate trek. But the sudden closure of the Burundi border meant I had some extra time.
What a serendipitous gift it was to discover the beautiful tea plantations, the luscious landscape of a thousand mountains, and the singing fishermen working on their trimaran boats at night on Lake Kivu.
A village in Rwanda, a country of nearly 14 million people.
Edwin Remsberg | Image Gallery | Getty Images
Rwanda is credited with reconciliation after the 1994 genocide. There are genocide memorials across the country that tell their difficult history with respect and transparency.
The primate hike wasn’t too bad either. I ventured to Volcanoes National Park in search of golden monkeys, a photogenic subspecies found in the Virunga Mountains of Central Africa. I was hoping for a close-up, but it ended up being a close up. A naughty monkey found his happy place between my feet.
Saudi Arabia
On my first day in the Kingdom, I watched the amber sun drift across the horizon on a dramatic cliff called World’s Edge. I imagine the vastness of the view will be difficult to reach the top.
A few days later, I experienced another of Saudi Arabia’s superlatives, immersed in a fertile green valley surrounded by giant red sandstone pillars. I walked around Wadi Al Disah (Valley of Palm Trees) and couldn’t believe how majestic the desert environment was.
Photo taken by Todd Miller on the cliffs of the World’s Edge in Saudi Arabia.
Source: Todd Miller
Wadi Al Disah is similar to Jordan’s Wadi Rum’s geological cousin, but without the crowds. The Nabateans built the now world-famous ruins of Petra 2,000 years ago. They also built Hegra in Saudi Arabia, a treasured World Heritage site that’s most interesting after dark.
At night, thousands of candles illuminate part of its memorial tomb, creating a sense of mystery from ancient civilizations. Mass tourism is relatively new in the kingdom and I felt truly welcome thanks to the warm Arab hospitality. Highlight of my trip: a spontaneous offer to visit a Bedouin camp. Our hosts invited us into their tent compound and shared tea, photos and stories of their nomadic lifestyle.
Montenegro
A few years ago I cycled through this gem of a country with its mountains, turquoise waters and Orthodox churches. While nearby Croatia gets the most attention and tourists, Montenegro is the place to soak up the Adriatic atmosphere.
The UNESCO-awarded Bay of Kotor is often called Europe’s southernmost fjord, but it’s actually a flooded river canyon.
Aerial view of Sveti Stefan, a fortified island village with 15th-century stone buildings on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro.
Photography by Feng Wei | Moment | Getty Images
Near Stari Grad (Old Town) in Kotor, I hiked up a fortress and walked into a Serbian Orthodox church built in 1305. Somehow he and I overcame the language barrier and had a great time chatting.
Cycling along the Adriatic Sea into Albania, I discovered the peninsula village of Sveti Stefan. I was just passing by. But the lingering image of that rural hamlet with its red clay roofs and surrounded by the blue sea brought me back.
Antarctica
On my Way Down Under tour, I was one of the first visitors of the season, which starts in mid-November.
The colors of Antarctica are pure and spectacular: endless, flawless white punctuated by fiery orange sunsets. The pristine places we explored on foot and by kayak remained untouched for at least six months during the harsh winter months.
Sunset on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Andrew Peacock | Stone | Getty Images
On King George Island, a crew member from our expedition ship contacted a nearby Polish research base with only seven members. After a long winter, researchers are eager for some new faces. They invite us into their intimate living quarters and generously share chocolates, snacks and precious fruits. I longed to return to the White Continent again and experience the coldest, windiest, driest, and perhaps most peaceful place on earth.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu is one of the least visited countries in the world, not because it’s unwelcoming or unrewarding, but because of its remoteness. this Air Vanuatu placed its national carrier into voluntary liquidation in May no help.
Still, this Melanesian country offers breathtaking experiences, including Mount Yasur, the world’s most accessible active volcano, famous for its natural lava fireworks. I was engulfed in thick toxic volcanic smoke During my visit to the rim, visibility was next to zero.
Tribal rituals in Vanuatu.
Source: Todd Miller
The archipelago’s clear waters and coral reefs are world-class. Off the coast of Efate, I snorkeled above a downed but intact World War II-era Corsair fighter jet. The pilot reportedly survived the crash.
Vanuatu is also steeped in tribal traditions. On Pentecost Island we witnessed the land diving ritual known as the original bungee jump. In this annual coming-of-age ceremony, people take a leap of faith from a tall wooden tower with banyan vines wrapped around their ankles. In the background, men wearing condoms and women in grass skirts sing and dance during the ceremony. Good diving, they say, ensures a good yam harvest. We witnessed 10 successful dives that day, which should bode well for a good harvest.
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