National Geographic recently released their list of Best Trips: Places You Need to Visit in 2017.  Each year we look forward to reading this list AND seeing all of the amazing places to which Adventure Life travels.

For a snapshot of a few of the categories and destinations highlighted by National Geographic, we have created the list below.  

NATURE
1. Near the Arctic Circle, Lapland is a 20,000 island archipelago that belongs to Finland.  From here, the incredible Northern Lights can bee seen up to 200 nights per year!
2.  Baja is "where behemoths of the sea—whales, great white sharks, and manta rays with wingspans up to 20 feet—and a variety of fish congregate"
3.  National Geographic specifically mentions Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve and Mashpi Lodge as recommended accommodations in Ecuador!

CITIES
1.  Explore the COLORS of the gardens, skies, and maze-like souks (markets) in Marrakech, Morocco 
2.  Visit Madrid, what Hemingway deemed "The Capital of the World."
3.  Where can you spot a bear, hike a glacier, go fishing, & enjoy a microbrew? Anchorage, Alaska is your answer!
4.  "Like a matryoshka nesting doll, Russia's splendid capital city reveals itself in layers."  Discover these layers in Moscow!
5.  Cartegena, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, has long inspired visitors.
6.  Germany's "gateway to the world" for centuries, Hamburg is laced with canals to explore!

CULTURE
1.  "Eager for its turn on the world stage, this tiny island nation in the Mediterranean Sea is embracing a reboot while holding fast to a formidable heritage." Visit Malta!
2.  Papua New Guinea gives travelers an experience unlike any other - untamed rainforests, indigenous culture, volcanic fjords, colorful coral reefs, & even the largest butterfly in the world!
3.  "UNESCO designated Chengdu only its second 'City of Gastronomy,' citing it as 'the cradle and center of Sichuan cuisine.'"
4.  Must see:  Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site in Johannesburg, South Africa.

You can see the National Geographic list in its entirety here.