A roundup of the lists I get asked about most. All visited, all verified.
Best sunrise spots in the world
- Mount Bromo, Indonesia – the iconic Pinterest sunrise. Worth the 3am wake-up.
- Bagan, Myanmar – over 2,000 temples emerge from morning mist.
- Cappadocia, Turkey – hot air balloons over fairy chimneys.
- Mount Fuji from Fuji Five Lakes – especially Lake Kawaguchiko in autumn.
- Haleakala, Maui – sunrise from 10,000 feet above the clouds.
- Angkor Wat, Cambodia – sunrise over the temple in lily pad pond.
- Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia – mirror reflection on the salt flats.
- Wat Arun, Bangkok – golden light hitting the temple over the river.
Best rooftop bars in the world
- SkyBar at Lebua, Bangkok – 64 floors up, where Hangover 2 was filmed.
- Cloud 9 at Sirocco, Bangkok – even higher than SkyBar, fewer tourists.
- Aer at Four Seasons, Mumbai – looks over the Arabian Sea.
- Salon de Ning, Hong Kong – Peninsula Hotel views of Victoria Harbour.
- Vista, Mexico City – Sofitel Reforma rooftop, sunset over the city.
- Refugio Selva, Bogota – jungle vibes on top of a luxury hotel.
- 230 Fifth, NYC – Empire State Building view, comfortable seats.
- Roof at Plage de Doini, Greek Islands – over the Aegean, sunset perfection.
Best coffee cities for serious coffee people
- Melbourne, Australia – the world capital of third-wave coffee.
- Tokyo – traditional pour-over to the next level. Bear Pond Espresso, Glitch Coffee.
- Reykjavik, Iceland – shockingly good coffee for a country with no coffee plant.
- Stockholm – fika is a cultural institution. Drop Coffee, Johan & Nystrom.
- Portland, Oregon – the American capital of espresso. Heart, Coava, Stumptown origin.
- Lisbon – the best espresso in Europe. Local bicas for 0.65 euro.
- Vienna – traditional coffeehouse culture, hours-long sitting allowed.
- Cape Town – Truth Coffee is a steampunk-themed roaster worth the trip.
Best wildlife photography destinations
- Maasai Mara, Kenya (July-October) – the great migration. 1.5M wildebeest.
- South Luangwa, Zambia (June-October) – leopards, walking safaris, cheaper than Kenya.
- Pantanal, Brazil (July-October) – jaguar capital of the world.
- Galapagos, Ecuador – the only place wildlife doesn’t fear humans.
- Bandhavgarh, India – highest tiger density in the world.
- Skomer Island, Wales (May-July) – 30,000 puffins, no crowds.
- Madagascar – lemurs and species found nowhere else.
- Borneo – orangutans in the wild, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants.
Best whale watching
- Husavik, Iceland – blue whales, humpbacks, sperm whales. Original whale watching town.
- Hermanus, South Africa – southern right whales from the cliff, free.
- Tofino, Canada – orcas and grays, surf town vibe.
- Faroe Islands – pilot whales, dramatic fjord scenery.
- Vava’u, Tonga (July-October) – one of the only places you can swim with humpbacks legally.
- Monterey Bay, California – more diverse cetacean activity than almost anywhere.
- Mirissa, Sri Lanka – blue whales close to shore.
- Bahia de Banderas, Mexico – humpback breeding ground December-March.
Best bird watching
Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru’s Manu national park, Borneo, Madagascar, Iceland (puffins), South Africa, Botswana’s Okavango Delta. For raptors specifically: Israel’s Eilat in October during migration.
How I use these lists
Pick the one thing on a list that fits a trip I’m already planning. Build the trip around it. Don’t try to do the full list – that’s tourism, not travel.