As Everglades National Park primarily consists of an intricate network of wetlands and canals, roads within and leading to the Florida preserve are few and far between. In fact, amid its mammoth 1.5 million acres of swampy terrain, there are only four total entrances and two principal roads serving motor vehicles.
So beyond cruising on the 39-mile-long Main Park Rd (Florida Rte 9336), which connects the Ernest F Coe Visitor Center and Cape Sable, or spotting alligators along the Tamiami Trail (US 41), the question becomes: in which Florida city should I begin my trek to Everglades National Park?
Fortunately, in Florida you have road-trip options that touch cosmopolitan cities, additional national parks and orange-grove-draped country roads. Here are the five best ways to get to Everglades National Park.
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1. The Tamiami Trail
Best road trip for history lovers Miami-Everglades National Park; 64km (40 miles)
The closest major airport to Everglades National Park is Miami International Airport, some 35 miles east of the Shark Valley Visitor Center. Spend some time in Miami taking in the turquoise Atlantic vistas in Miami Beach, watching the boats zip around Biscayne Bay and snacking on croquetas and cafecitos (Cuban coffee) along Calle Ocho, Little Havana‘s main thoroughfare.
After Miami, head west along the Tamiami Trail. As you visibly transition from suburbia to swampland, note the numerous attractions that the Miccosukee tribe operates along the trail, including airboat rides and the Miccosukee Indian Village museum. Within the museum, you can see beadwork, patchwork and photography that sheds life on the tribal community, dating back to the early 19th century.
Best road trip for water vistas Key West-Everglades National Park; 216km (134 miles)
Start this three-hour road trip by exploring the coral-reef-surrounded and party-filled downtown of Key West, which is the southernmost city in the continental US. Mallory Square is known for its daily sunset celebrations, but it’s really a place to gather all day, with the raucous Hog’s Breath Saloon and a nearby Ron Jon Surf Shop outpost.
From there, you’ll find only one road leading through the Florida Keys to mainland Florida: the Overseas Highway, which weaves through numerous cozy, art-gallery-draped confines, including Marathon, Islamorada and Key Largo. Along your drive, snag a reservation at the Fish House in Key Largo for regional delights, like fresh mahi mahi and conch salad.
For a bonus park en route to the Everglades, Bahia Honda State Park has the clearest of waters and rentable snorkeling equipment on-site.
Detour:Dry Tortugas National Park and Biscayne National Park are both detour options with this road trip. Book reservations months in advance, and note that you’ll need a boat – or access to one – to make the most of them.
Best road trip for parks and wildlife in a small stretch Naples-Everglades National Park; 117km (73 miles)
It doesn’t get much easier than this. From Downtown Naples’ boutiques and upscale eateries, hop on US Rte 41 and take it directly to the Shark Valley Visitor Center for an Everglades adventure. But you’ll want to make some stops along the way.
Among them are the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which has a 110,000-acre waterway with boat and kayak rentals for navigating the lush mangroves. Fakahatchee Strand Preserve makes for a nice pause as well. Its Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk spans more than half a mile and winds through a swamp, culminating in an alligator pond.
Planning tip: The Gulf Coast Visitor Center – located in Everglades City – is the closest Everglades visitor access area to Naples. Keep an eye on its reopening schedule, following damage sustained from Hurricane Ian.
Best road trip for Central Florida charm Tampa-Everglades National Park; 407km (253 miles)
With vast white-sand beaches and an increasingly hip bar and nightclub district in the form of Ybor City, Tampa is officially a place to be. After touring the Florida Aquarium or getting your thrills at Busch Gardens theme park, the easy way out of town and en route to Everglades National Park is the Interstate 75 straight-shot, but resist temptation and opt for a more rural trek south along US Route 17.
On your way to Shark Valley Visitor Center, make a pit stop in Haines City at Ridge Island Groves for some farm-grown oranges and blueberries. Wauchula has a quaint downtown that’s home to a handful of antique shops, like Heritage Park. Once Rte 17 connects with Interstate 74, Fort Myers and Naples are both seamless detours within 10 minutes of the highway.
Best road trip for a bonus National Park experience Orlando-Everglades National Park; 410km (255 miles)
For those Walt Disney World–goers seeking a nature-infused reprieve, Everglades National Park is doable in approximately five hours. From Central Florida, the quickest route is Interstate 95 through West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. However, traffic on I-95 is totally unpredictable, and the road gets particularly congested during snowbird season (October through April).
You’ll find a quieter way south via US Route 98/27. Memorable stops include Immokalee, which is home to the Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch. The operation sheds light on the cowmen, ranchers and pioneers who settled the swamp-adjacent farmland in the late 1800s. Before arriving at Shark Valley Visitor Center, Big Cypress National Preserve is also on the way, and it has swamp tours and eight campgrounds.
Planning tip: As this trip can easily evolve into a multi-day affair, consider lodging well in advance. If all else fails, you can try your luck in Everglades City, but you’ll find fewer than a dozen hotel options there.
With each season, you’ll experience a new and magical side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Whether popping with wildflowers in the springtime or exuding the most vivid shades of oranges and reds in September and October, you can embark on the same hike(s) year-round and always be left mesmerized by a different perspective.
The most visited national park in the United States, recent years have seen 14 million-plus annual visitors, with hiking being a quintessential experience. While a drive along Newfound Gap Road or The Foothills Parkway will inspire, hikes in the Smoky Mountains get you up close and personal with caves, critters (just don’t get too close to the black bears) and access to the park’s sole lodging option.
There are 150 trails within the park with varying degrees of difficulty, scenery and resources. Amid all the options, here are our top six hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Best hike for hiking pros 11.7 miles (18.8km) roundtrip, 8-9 hours, strenuous
Soaring 5,842 feet, climbing this North Carolina mountain is considered one of the top experiences within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To access the deep forest-filled Baxter Creek Trail, head to the Big Creek Ranger Station / Cataloochee Campground. From there, it is an unrelenting steady climb, where you’ll traverse a steel footbridge and pass a variety of towering champion trees – some of the largest in the park.
At the top of Mt. Sterling, you’ll find a nearly 90-year-old fire tower that was once utilized to keep watch over the vast forest below. Fun fact: it has the highest elevation of any fire tower left standing in the eastern United States. And, yes, you can climb in it. It makes the perfect spot to eat whatever meal you’ve packed.
2. Low Gap Trail to Mount Cammerer
Best hike for panoramic mountain vistas 11.5 miles (18.6km) roundtrip, 7-8 hours, strenuous
With rigid switchbacks, towering hardwoods and a stretch of the Appalachian Trail, this strenuous hike has so much Smoky goodness packed into a single experience. The Low Gap Trail itself is situated near the park’s northeast corner near the town of Cosby. Count on traversing dirt-meets-rock ridges and valleys aplenty during this 3000-foot-plus jaunt.
The final half-mile or so is steep and strenuous but is worth it in the end. At the peak of the trail is a historic stone fire tower dating back to the 1930s. From the tower – which is octagonal in shape – you can see the Big Creek hydro-electric plant, Mount Sterling, Snowbird Mountain and lines of smaller peaks aplenty.
Best hike for taking in the most Smoky Mountains landscapes 11 miles (17.7km) roundtrip, 7-8 hours, moderately strenuous
Arguably the most popular day hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this easy-to-find trail has it all. Starting just off a large parking lot approximately seven miles south of Sugarlands Visitors Center, you’ll pass under Arch Rock en route to Inspiration Point, which absolutely lives up to its name with vistas of Little Duck Hawk Ridge and beyond. And, yes, there is a cave – Alum Cave itself makes for a nice reprieve and photo op.
Past the cave and en route to Mt LeConte, you’ll find LeConte Lodge, the only lodging option within park boundaries. The lodge – comprising a handful of wooden cottages – is open from mid-March through mid-November. You’ll want to book your reservation as early as possible (up to a year in advance) as it’s a popular spot!
4. Davenport Gap to Max Patch Road
Best hike for an overnight adventure 13.2 miles (21.2km) one-way, 2-3 days, moderately strenuous
Take a weekend for this lengthy and challenging jaunt. Among the highlights, you’ll trek up more than 2500 feet of Snowbird Mountain, navigate a set of towering stone stairs, duck below lengthy lines of canopy trees, coast through flat meadows and tiptoe along dirt roads with steep edges nearby. It has it all.
There is a campsite near the top of Max Patch but do keep an eye on local orders as it has been temporarily shuttered in recent years. There are two campsites nearby that operate seasonally as more reliable options, Harmon Den Horse Campground and Rocky Bluff Campground. However many days you plan for this hike, bring water as the streams can be scarce during drier times.
Best hike for families 2.4 miles (3.9km) roundtrip, 1-2 hours, easy
With a trailhead that’s less than four miles from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, this asphalt trail is easy to get to and easy to navigate. Once you park, it’s a steady, windy 1.2-mile climb surrounded by rocky terrain and, toward the end, the Laurel Branch Stream trickling below. There are a few spots on the Laurel Falls trail where the asphalt is in rough shape, so bring your all-terrain stroller if you have one. At the end of the hike is a cement bridge splitting two unique falls. If you’re lucky, you’ll snag the sole wooden bench overlooking it all for a family photo or two.
6. Gatlinburg Trail
Best hike to bring your dog, or bicycle, on 1.9 miles (3.1km) one-way, 1 hour, easy
Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed within Great Smoky Mountains National Park… with the exception of two walking paths: the Oconaluftee River Trail and the Gatlinburg Trail. These are the only two paths you can bicycle on, too. While easy, Fido will surely get a workout and be entertained by this moderately hilly experience, including a pedestrian footbridge, adjacent river banks and even chimneys remaining from prior homesites.
A dramatic area crammed with goose-bump-inducing vistas, shimmering lakes, towering waterfalls, soaring striped granite boulders, and vast emerald-green forests, Yosemite National Park is a beacon for the world’s hiking community – some 4 million people come to explore its 750 miles of trails each year.
The best way to experience it all is to lace up your boots and head out on two feet. There are hikes for a range of abilities, from short punch-packing walks with staggering scenery to heart-racing overnight backcountry hikes for solitude and nature spotting (more than 400 species of animals reside in the park). Here are the six best hikes in Yosemite National Park.
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Best hike for adventurers
17 miles (27km) round trip, 12-16 hours, strenuous
Half Dome has become the trail for thrill-seeking day-trippers visiting Yosemite National Park. The 4900ft climb is one the most challenging and rewarding hikes in the US. It takes in the crowd-pleasing Vernal and Nevada waterfalls, before going through tranquil sequoia forests and above the timber blankets to a vertiginous 200ft cable-assisted nerve-testing granite climb to the 8844ft Half Dome peak.
The cables are only up between late May and October, and to prevent crowding, permits are required to climb the sub-dome and Half Dome; around 300 are awarded by lottery per day via recreation.gov.
Reach Half Dome via the immensely popular – and steep – Mist Trail, which can be completed as a shorter day hike (see below). It’s also possible to break the hike up over two days and camp on the way to Half Dome, climbing up 4.8 miles from Yosemite Valley to Little Yosemite Valley Campground.
Best hike for waterfalls
5.4 miles (8.6km) round trip, 5-6 hours, moderate to strenuous
This belter of a hike climbs a long, slippery granite staircase, which winds along the Merced River as the towering falls spray mist on hikers. Many choose to start at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley and just climb the 1000ft, 2.4-mile round trip to the plunging 317ft Vernal Falls. On many days rainbows can be viewed in the frothy cascade from the top. Continue on a little to view the fast-flowing Emerald Pool.
Those with strength left in their knees can ascend the switchbacks a further 2000ft to the powerful and thunderous 594ft-high Nevada Fall. Climb above it for awesome views of the valley, then descend via the John Muir Trail for soaring views of the Liberty Cap granite dome and Nevada Fall beside it.
Best hike for major attractions
11.5 mi (18.5 km) full loop, 5-7 hours, easy
Don’t walk this trail for the wow factor, but to soak up some understated Yosemite charm – and find a surprising amount of solitude. With little altitude change, the trail follows some of the first wagon roads in the area and is a great way to get acquainted with the park’s meadows, granite cliffs, and natural water features.
Ramblers will see the iconic vertical rock formation El Capitan – a 3000ft granite monolith immortalized by Alex Honnold in the Oscar-winning movie Free Solo – and one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, Yosemite Falls, tumbling 2425ft from top to bottom. There are also views of the Three Brothers rock formation, named for the three sons of Chief Tenaya, head of the Ahwahneechee tribe, plus meandering sections of the 145-mile Merced River.
The route is best completed in spring when the wildflowers are in bloom, or in the fall when the trees turn red and golden. Near dusk, there’s a good chance of spotting mule deer. Keep a lookout too for hawks, woodpeckers, and elusive black bears. The relatively flat path is, in places, wheelchair- and stroller-friendly. The loop can be broken into segments or walked in its entirety and is open year-round.
Best high hike
9.6 miles (15.4km) round trip, 6-8 hours, strenuous
This trail is the whole package, connecting two of Yosemite’s big draws – Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point – and boasting magnificent views. Climbing 3200ft from the valley floor to heights of 7200ft, along forest paths, up switchbacks, and along wide rocky ledges, it shows off the park’s most prized landmarks: Yosemite Falls, Cathedral Rocks, El Capitan, Sentinel Dome, Mirror Lake, Tenaya Canyon, Half Dome, Clouds Rest, North Dome and the Royal Arches.
Retrace your steps to return to the starting point, or make it a loop hike by continuing on a further 8.5 miles on the Panorama Trail to Nevada Fall, following the Mist Trail to Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. The trail is closed in winter.
Best hike for families
2-5 miles round trip, around 2 hours, easy
Get up close to the base of Half Dome on this relaxing hike through peaceful forests, crossing Tenaya Creek to Mirror Lake – one of the few swimming holes in the park. Mirror Lake’s teardrop-shaped bowl formed as a result of landslides in the area, thought to be caused by a historic earthquake; it refills each year when the Tenaya Creek floods, trapping water in the basin.
The Ahwahneechee indigenous peoples enjoyed the place too, naming it Ahwiyah, meaning “quiet water.” But these relaxing pools won’t be here forever – sand from Tenaya Creek is building, and the accumulation of sediment means the area will eventually become a meadow. Note that the pool itself is seasonal and gets crowded in early summer, though it’s too dry for swimming during the peak of summer.
Hikers in spring, however, are rewarded with dogwoods in bloom and reflections of Half Dome and Mt Watkins on the water’s surface – a photo opportunity too irresistible to miss. Go in winter if you’re in search of isolation.
6. Yosemite Falls
Best hard hike
6.8 miles (10.9km) round trip, 5-6 hours, strenuous
Built between 1873 and 1877, this switchback-heavy, thigh-burning, sweat-inducing 3000ft elevation-gain hike leads you up stone steps to the tallest waterfall in North America, which drops some 2425ft. The epic views on this historic trail start from 1000ft, around a mile in, at 5031ft-high Columbia Rock, where you can see Half Dome in the distance.
The path snakes through oaks to Lower Yosemite Fall, where the mist cools you down in spring whether you want it to or not. At 6936ft-high Yosemite Point, you’ll get “it was all worth it” views of Half Dome, North Dome, Clouds Rest, Glacier Point, Cathedral Rocks and the Lost Arrow formation.
Tips for hiking in Yosemite National Park
Pick up a park map at the entrance and drop by the visitor center for up-to-date trail information – weather, landslides, river flows, fallen trees, fires and more can make hikes inaccessible.
Be bear-aware, especially in the backcountry. Use a bell on hikes so bears know you are approaching, bring bear canisters if camping in the wild and use bear lockers in campsites. Don’t leave food in your car overnight.
Don’t forget to enter the permit lottery if you hope to climb Half Dome or leave the park via the John Muir Trail. You’ll likely need a permit for backcountry treks as well, so check your route’s regulations in advance.
Use the shuttles when possible to help reduce traffic in the park.
Hike early for fewer crowds. Book campsites in advance where possible.
If you’re doing multi-day hikes, plan your water consumption: check where you can fill up your water bottles on the route, and use sterilizing tablets or a water filter when filling up from a river.
Don’t rely on your cell phone – the signal is patchy and almost non-existent in the backcountry. Instead, download offline maps before you enter the park.
It’s been a turbulent couple of years for travelers. So, once again, nothing makes us happier than having our next trip to look forward to. Whether you’re traveling to learn something new, giving back in a meaningful way or simply immersing yourself in the beauty of the world, here are 10 travel ideas we’re excited about for 2023.
1. Stays in low impact huts surrounded by nature
Thanks to improved solar technology, modern waterless toilets and small-but-luxurious, easy-to-assemble kit houses, off-grid living has gotten a whole lot better in recent years. The upshot? You can now book accommodation in the middle of a forest or field, bringing you even closer to incredible natural landscapes – and wildlife. Many of these remote huts, cabins and pods are both rustic and aesthetic. From bubble domes in Ireland to glass pods in New Zealand and tree houses in Norway, book an escape in 2023 that will allow you to really disconnect from the world – and everyone else.
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2. Learning more on an Indigenous-led tour
A new year brings a new opportunity for a truly transformative travel experience: learning firsthand from Indigenous peoples. Not only will you enrich your understanding of places you visit, a First Nations guide can enlarge your worldview and help you see the land, the sky and human history from a new perspective From the northern reaches of Canada to the outback of Australia, the variety of tours catering to travelers hungry for deeper knowledge and connection continues to grow. In 2023, you can learn from centuries-old wisdom passed through the generations by story and song while traveling by river canoe in Canada, or go “Camping with Custodians” in Western Australia at an Aboriginal community campground featuring tours from the keepers of the world’s oldest continuous culture.
Another “no-fly” development that makes us happy to travel: getting there by sailboat. The innovative, environmentally conscious transport group SailLink has been testing a transport route between Europe and England that relies on the power of the wind and makes sailing accessible to the general public. After a successful trial in 2022 that proved there is indeed a market for low-impact travel alternatives, plans are afoot to launch a daily service between the British mainland and the north coast of France in spring 2023. Passengers can also bring their own bikes on these Channel crossings to continue their sustainable journey after disembarking. Which turns a zero-emissions trip into a real possibility.
Thanks to impressive action by local communities, vulnerable animal species are making a comeback in various pockets of the world. In the Caribbean, the tiny Union Island gecko (each about the size of a paper clip) has almost doubled its population in four years, from 10,000 to 18,000. That’s thanks to the hard work of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ residents, government and local conservation groups such as Flora & Fauna International and Re:wild, who joined forces to put a stop to the poaching of this rare gem–like lizard. At the other end of the size spectrum, European bison are roaming free in Romania’s southern Carpathian Mountains again as part of a partnership between WWF Romania and Rewilding Europe. African cheetahs have been brought to India after the local Asiatic population was declared extinct in 1952. And in the USA, plans to reintroduce grizzly bears to North Cascades National Park are back on the agenda.
Could your next trip also have a positive long-lasting impact on the globe? Beyond the mission to “do no harm,” travelers are seeking opportunities to make things better. On a trip with Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), trekkers in India and Nepal install solar technology in remote villages, bringing clean energy for lights and hot water. A portion of expedition fees pays for capital costs such as hardware and transportation, and these solar micro-grids are then owned and run by the community. In Madagascar, you can volunteer time planting trees with Planeterra’s Soa Zara on its “energy tree” project. Helping locals plant trees for firewood thus protecting pre-existing forests, which are also the habitat for endangered lemurs: could a 2023 trip deliver more than just wonderful memories?
7. Going on solar-powered safaris
Chobe Game Lodge launched the first “e-safaris” – with solar-powered boats and electric vehicles – in Botswana a decade ago. Now, electric-powered safaris are coming to other Southern African countries. In Sabi Sands Game Reserve, bordering Kruger National Park, the exclusive Cheetah Plains lodge has converted its vehicle fleet to electric, charged via solar panels. In Kenya, Lewa Wildlife camp and Emboo River Camp run solar-powered safaris with vehicles retrofitted by Kenya-based Swedish start-up Roam. The switch to electric is not just good for the environment. It has changed the experience of wildlife viewing by cutting out noise and pollution, allowing visitors to quietly creep up on wildlife and enjoy proper conversations while traveling together.
Another travel experience that makes us happy is learning how to live sustainably from those who have done it – and applying that knowledge back home. Take Soil and Sea, a permaculture farm in Portugal’s incredible Azores archipelago that runs one- or two-week retreats with courses covering everything from getting into solar power and food waste reduction to composting and regenerative farming. Combine this with surfing and socializing, and you’ve got a holiday that will nourish the mind, body and soul. In Australia, the farm-based cooking school One Table Farm also hosts sustainability-based farm tours with tips on keeping chickens, making kefir (a fermented milk drink) and sourcing higher-welfare food from supermarkets. And in Wales, the Centre for Alternative Technology offers short residential courses on organic gardening, bee keeping and building a tiny house, with accommodation nearby.
Why not take your love affair with wild swimming to the next level in 2023 with a swimming holiday? Get booking in January if you want to swim between Sweden and Finland at the Swimac (Swim the Arctic Circle) race in July. On this 3000m (9840ft) swim, you’ll be crossing the Arctic Circle and swimming between time zones. Registrations also open in January for the 35th Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race in Turkey. Held in August, entrants swim 6.5km (4 miles) across the Bosporus strait from the European to Asian side of Istanbul. For something less competitive, check out tours with SwimTrek. You may find yourself swimming in a desert oasis, or with dolphins in a wild fjord in Oman, or circumnavigating karst islands in the emerald green waters of Vietnam this time next year.
10. Relaxing completely on an all-inclusive break
Years of tumultuous political and social change – not to mention the cost-of-living crisis hitting many of us – have made a sure thing even more appealing than ever. That’s why an all-inclusive holiday is looking a lot more attractive in 2023. Knowing how much money you need makes managing a budget a lot simpler, and you lose all the time-sucking stress spent comparing flights, accommodation, transfers, tours and entertainment options. All-inclusives are no longer the preserve of the bargain fly-and-flop vacationer. Top-notch accommodations from St Lucia’s luxury East Winds to the Marriot Bonvoy collection offer all-inclusive deals. And British Airways offers attractive all-inclusive holidays around the Mediterranean for different budgets. Select your criteria – then let someone else make it all happen. You deserve a break.
Visitors to Canada are equally as wowed by the wildlife and wilderness, as they are by the cultural and culinary offerings found in the cities that speckle the sprawling nation. Peruse for polar bears on the open arctic tundra of Churchill or cruise Vancouver’s curvy coastline in a canoe while gawking at the city skyline. Feast on five-star fusion cuisine in Toronto, or take in a street-side jazz jam session in Montreal.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or returning to experience something new, these are the 15 best places to see in Canada. But plan ahead because as the world’s second-largest country, you won’t be able to do it all in one trip.
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The sawtooth, white-topped mountains straddling the British Columbia–Alberta border inspire both awe and action. Five national parks – Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, Waterton Lakes and Jasper – offer countless opportunities to delve into the lush wilderness, with ribbons of hiking trails, rushing white-water and powdery ski slopes to satisfy travelers looking for mountain thrills.
This is one of the best places to visit in Canada in winter, but there is outdoor adventure aplenty during the summer months too.
Planning tip: For a different perspective, take the train and experience the grandeur from the comfort of your seat: luminous lakes, jumbles of wildflowers and glistening glaciers glide by as the steel cars chug up mountain passes and down river valleys en route to points east or west.
In Vancouver, sea-to-sky beauty surrounds the laid-back, cocktail-loving metropolis. With skiable mountains on the outskirts, beaches fringing the coast and Stanley Park‘s thick rainforest just steps from downtown’s sparkling skyscrapers, you’ll fine a harmonic convergence of city and nature.
For the best of both worlds, pick up provisions and a cold beer and picnic at one of the amazing city parks (during the summer months drinking alcohol is legal at most city parks).
Shop and stroll through the diverse and charming neighborhoods – you may even spot a celebrity along the way. Known as “Hollywood North”, Vancouver is the filming location for many TV and film productions shot throughout the year.
Planning tip: With its mild climate and beautiful beaches, Vancouver is definitely one of the best places in Canada to visit in summer.
3. Manitoulin Island
Best for celebrating Canada’s First Nations cultures
The largest freshwater island in the world, floating right in Lake Huron’s midst, Manitoulin is a slowpoke place of beaches and summery cottages. Jagged expanses of white quartzite and granite outcroppings edge the shoreline and lead to shimmering vistas. First Nations culture pervades, and the island’s eight communities collaborate to offer local foods (wild rice, corn soup) and eco-adventures (canoeing, horseback riding, hiking). Powwows add drumming, dancing and storytelling to the mix for cultural-immersive experiences that connect you with the people and the land of the country that we now know as Canada.
Picture-postcard Victoria is the heart of Vancouver Island, beating with bohemian shops, wood-floored coffee bars and an English past steeped in tea culture since the 1840s.
British Columbia’s capital city is full of charm, but it’s only the kick-off point to an island that has a bounty of natural wonders to explore.
Brooding Pacific Rim National Park Reserve includes the West Coast Trail, where the wind-bashed ocean meets a mist-shrouded wilderness, and surfers line up for Tofino’s waves. With so many outdoor adventures to try, this is one of the best places in Canada for nature lovers.
Detour: Wandering foodies will want to head to the Cowichan Valley, studded with welcoming small farms and boutique wineries.
This alpine village and 2010 Winter Olympics venue is one of the world’s largest, best-equipped and most popular ski resorts, and it’s only a 90-minute drive from downtown Vancouver. Featuring over 200 marked runs winding down two towering mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb – this destination is paradise for skiers of all levels.
Skiing may be Whistler’s raison d’être, but summer visitors with their downhill mountain bikes and stand-up paddleboards outnumber their ski-season equivalents, making the resort a year-round hot spot for locals and visitors alike.
Adding more diversity, Whistler has recently developed a thriving arts and culture scene, with highlights like the Audain Art Museum and Squamish Li’lwat Cultural Centre taking the stage as equally appealing attractions to the famed slopes.
The forlorn, rugged landscape of Baffin Island is home to cloud-scraping mountains and a third of Nunavut’s human population. It’s Canada’s largest island (the fifth biggest in the world), and the ideal place for an arctic safari, where you can spot narwhals, belugas and bears in their natural habitat.
The island’s crown jewel is Auyuittuq National Park – its name means “the land that never melts” – and indeed glaciers, fjords and vertiginous cliffs fill the eastern expanse. The park is a siren call for hardcore hikers and climbers, and more than a few polar bears.
Baffin Island is also a center for Inuit art; studios for high-quality carving, printmaking and weaving can be found in many of the small towns that speckle the area.
As Canada’s second-largest city and the country’s cultural heart, Montréal is a marvel for music lovers. Watch the best jazz-influenced musicians in the world amongst over two million, equally-jazzed spectators at the Montréal International Jazz Festival. There are over 500 performances and shows to enjoy (and countless are free).
BB King, Prince and Astor Piazzolla are among those who’ve performed at the 11-day, late-June music festival. You may even get to join in on the fun with free drumming lessons and street-side jam sessions, as the good times roll day and night.
Local tip: Not into jazz? Montréal has a wide musical palate. You’ll find indie, folk, classical and opera performances around the city. For live-music venues and events, big and small, throughout the city.
Québec’s capital is more than 400 years old, and its ancient stone walls, glinting spired cathedrals and jazz-filled corner cafes suffuse it with atmosphere, romance, melancholy, eccentricity and intrigue on par with any European city. The best way to soak it all up is to walk the old town’s labyrinth of lanes and get lost amid the street performers and cozy inns, stopping every so often for a café au lait and flaky pastry.
The city is also home to Québec’s scenic highway, Rte 132. Circling the Gaspé Peninsula, this road winds past the sea and the mountains, as well as charming towns; more than 700,000 people drive this tarmac each summer.
Of course, it has yet to approach the romantic popularity of Canada’s “Honeymoon Capital,” Niagara Falls, a region that draws more than 14 million annual visitors. But head for the La Gaspésie, instead, young lovers. Because if you’re on your honeymoon, you don’t need 14 million other people hanging around.
A hyperactive stew of cultures and neighborhoods, Toronto strikes you with sheer urban awe and cultural diversity. Will you have dinner in Chinatown or Greektown? Five-star fusion or a peameal bacon sandwich?
In Ontario‘s coolest city, designer shoes from Bloor-Yorkville are accessorized with tattoos in Queen West, while mod-art galleries, theater par excellence, rocking band rooms and hockey mania add to the megalopolis. It is far and away Canada’s largest city, as well as its most diverse – about half of the city’s residents were born in another country. Be sure to snap a photo of the CN Tower, considered one of the best places to visit in Toronto, and for an added thrill, check out the Edgewalk, where you can walk around the tower’s perimeter while taking in unparalleled city views.
This 185-year-old, 200km-long (124 miles) waterway – consisting of canals, rivers and lakes – connects Ottawa and Kingston via 47 locks. The Rideau Canal is at its finest in wintry Ottawa, where a stretch of its waters become the Rideau Canal Skateway – the world’s largest skating rink.
People swoosh by on the 7.8km (4.8 miles) of groomed ice, pausing for hot chocolate and scrumptious slabs of fried dough called beavertails (a quintessentially Canadian treat). February’s Winterlude festival kicks it up a notch when townsfolk build massive ice sculptures.
Local tip: Once the canal thaws, it becomes a boater’s paradise, meaning you can appreciate it whatever time of year you visit.
Niagara Falls may be relatively short (it doesn’t even crack the top 500 worldwide for height), but when those great muscular bands of water arc over the precipice like liquid glass, roaring into the void below, and when you sail toward it in a mist-shrouded boat – the falls never fail to impress.
While you’re there, extend your stay and head beyond the falls with a two-wheel biking adventure along the Greater Niagara Circle Route, or take a go at the Wildplay Zipline to the Falls, a pulse-pounding rush of a ride that offers unparalleled views of the falls below as you zoom through the sky.
Solitude reigns in Canada’s middle ground. Driving through the flatlands of Manitoba and Saskatchewan turns up uninterrupted fields of golden wheat that stretch to the horizon, eventually melting into the sunshine. When the wind blows, the wheat sways like waves on the ocean, punctuated by the occasional grain elevator rising up like a tall ship.
Big skies mean big storms that drop like an anvil, visible on the skyline for miles. Far-flung towns include arty Winnipeg, boozy Moose Jaw and Mountie-filled Regina, interspersed with Ukrainian and Scandinavian villages.
Not your average Canadian bay, though lighthouses, boats and trawlers, fishing villages and other maritime scenery surround it, with frequent landward sightings of deer and moose. The unique geography of Fundy results in the most extreme tides in the world, reaching 16m (56ft), about the height of a five-story building.
They stir up serious whale food, with krill and other plankton attracting fin, humpback and blue whales here to feast, as well as endangered North Atlantic right whales, making a whale watch here an extraordinary must-do.
Dinosaur lovers get weak-kneed in dust-blown Drumheller, where paleontological civic pride runs high thanks to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, one of the planet’s pre-eminent fossil collections. The area’s focus on dinosaur fossils definitely makes this one of the most unique places to visit in Canada.
The world’s largest dinosaur is here, too – a giant fiberglass T-rex that visitors can climb and peer out of (through its mouth). Beyond the dino-hoopla, the area offers classic Badlands scenery and eerie, mushroom-like rock columns called hoodoos.
Planning tip: Follow the scenic driving loops, these take you past all the good stuff.
The first polar bear you see up close will take your breath away, and there’s no better place for an encounter than the open arctic tundra of Churchill, Manitoba, which happens to be right on the bears’ migration path. From late September to early November, tundra vehicles head out in search of the razor-clawed beasts, sometimes getting you close enough to lock eyes with the beautiful bears. Summer lets you kayak or stand-up paddleboard with beluga whales.
Belize is the perfect road-trip country. In fact, renting a car and driving yourself is by far the best way to get around when there is so much to see within such short distances. You can stop when and where you want to admire the scenery and take as much time as you’d like at each destination.
And providing you drive carefully, the roads in Belize are safe. Speed bumps are plentiful, so go slow, and be aware that, in some areas, the rules of the road are seen as suggestions instead. Slowing down gives you more opportunities to spot unusual road signs like tapir crossings too – watch out for animals that may wander into the road.
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Car hire isn’t too expensive in Belize – you can get deals for less than $50 a day for economy cars. The five major highways are paved and a regular economy car is sufficient on those. However, the rest of Belize’s roads are mostly dirt or gravel that can get very muddy in the rainy season from around May to November and may only be accessible by 4WD.
Here are our picks for the five best road trips in Belize.
1. Hire a 4WD to drive from Belmopan to Caracol
Best road trip for a mountain drive Belmopan to Caracol Natural Monument Reservation via Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve; 64 miles
It’s about 50 miles from Belize City to Belmopan along the George Price Highway, also known as the Western Highway. From Belize’s capital city, head west to Georgeville, where you’ll turn south. A 4WD is recommended for this road trip since road conditions can be rough once you turn off the highway.
This route will take you through Mountain Ridge Pine Forest Reserve where the tropical jungle makes way for a rocky, pine-covered landscape. Attractions along the way include Barton Creek Cave, Big Rock Falls, the Rio On Pools and the Río Frio Cave. If you don’t stop along the way, it will take you about two and a half hours to reach the Mayan site of Caracol. However, make this at least a day trip so you can spend some time dipping your toes in the cool mountain streams.
Detour: If you’d like to see more Mayan sites on this trip, turn west when you’re back in Georgeville and drive to San Ignacio, where you’ll find Cahal Pech. Then continue on towards the Guatemalan border for the Xunantunich site. You can even pop across the border into Guatemala for the big one, Tikal. Just be sure to arrange this beforehand with the car rental agency so that the paperwork can be prepared.
Best nature road trip in Belize Belmopan to Dangriga; 54 miles
The Hummingbird Highway is a favorite among visitors and Belizeans alike, and for good reason. This is arguably the most scenic road trip in Belize, meandering through countless little villages and farmland and across the Maya Mountains. You can do it in less than two hours but why would you? After all, this is the gateway to some of the country’s best natural attractions.
In Belmopan, there’s Guanacaste National Park with its hiking trails and birdwatching opportunities. As you head southwest and into the mountains, you’ll get to St Herman’s Blue Hole National Park, home to St Herman’s Cave with its underground river and, just off the highway, the crystalline swimming spot known as the (Inland) Blue Hole. Next up is Billy Barquedier National Park with its tropical forest and a beautiful little waterfall.
Just south of the village of Alta Vista are Davis Falls, the country’s second highest at an estimated 500ft. The rest of the road to Dangriga is mainly citrus country – watch out for those citrus trucks. Also be on the lookout for the bridges crossing streams along the Hummingbird Highway – quite a few of them are just wide enough for one vehicle and guardrails seem to be optional. Just before you hit Dangriga, you can stock up on some heat at Marie Sharp’s hot-sauce factory.
3. Pass forests and wildlife reserves on the TV Ramos Highway
Best road trip for jungle adventures Dangriga to Punta Gorda; 98 miles
The Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway, also known as the TV Ramos Highway or the Southern Highway, is the one to take if you want a jungle road trip in Belize. The road itself doesn’t go through the jungle but along the way, you’ll find several forested parks and reserves filled with wildlife.
First up is Mayflower Bocawina National Park, with its hiking trails through dense jungle, waterfalls and swimming holes, and off-the-beaten-track Mayan ruins. Next is the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, which offers more jungle hiking, as well as an above-average chance to spot a jaguar in its natural habitat. The access roads to these parks are dirt roads that may require a 4WD in the rainy season.
Once you’ve crossed into the Toledo District, the highway traverses the Swasey Bladen Forest Reserve and the Deep River Forest Reserve. You’ll also pass Belize Spice Farm and Botanical Gardens and the Mayan ruins of Nim Li Punit. Where the highway kinks southeast towards Punta Gorda at the community of Dump, it passes the Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary with its extensive wetlands.
Detour: Punta Gorda is a great introduction to Garifuna culture. From here, make a pilgrimage south to the coastal village of Barranco, the birthplace of the most famous Garifuna musician, Andy Palacio. You can travel by road or, to cut your travel time in half to about 20 minutes, take a boat.
You can then turn the drive back to Dangriga into the best coastal road trip in Belize. First, take the turnoff to Monkey River Town, a purely Belizean Creole seaside village from where you can take a guided trip upriver. At Santa Cruz, turn right and head back south to Placencia for fancier beach resorts and Garifuna drumming. Get more beach time and Garifuna culture in Hopkins.
4. Visit the Mayan villages of Toledo
Best road trip for living Mayan culture TV Ramos Highway to Pueblo Viejo; 30 miles
Close to the Guatemalan border in Southern Belize, you can see how the Maya live today. A little past the Nim Li Punit ruins, turn right onto the gravel road for Silver Creek. From here, you’ll find a string of Q’eqchi’ and Mopan villages, some complete with thatched houses. Along the way, you can visit the Lubaantun and Uchben’Kaj Mayan ruins, the Columbia Forest Reserve and the Río Blanco National Park with the lovely Río Blanco Falls. You can also go on jungle hikes and explore caves and sinkholes. The terrain is hilly and you may need a 4WD for this trip, especially during the rainy season.
Detour: On the way back from Pueblo Viejo, turn right just after San Antonio and head to Blue Creek, which, as the name suggests, features a stream of clear blue water. The inhabitants are a mix of Mopan and Q’eqchi’ heritage. Keep an eye out for the otters living in the stream.
5. Slow down for potholes on the Old Northern Highway
Best road trip for Mayan ruins Belize City to Corozal; 95 miles
Sure, you can get from Belize City to Corozal faster via the Philip Goldson Highway – also known as the Northern Highway – but then you’d miss out on one of the country’s most famous Mayan sites. Instead, check your shock absorbers and brace yourself for the bumpy ride along the pothole-filled Old Northern Highway. This highway turns off from the Philip Goldson Highway just past the community of Sand Hill and takes you through a landscape of mostly farmland.
At Lucky Strike, you’ll find the turnoff for Altun Ha, the largest structure that you may recognize from the Belikin beer label. Some of the houses in the nearby village of Rockstone Pond were built using stones from Altun Ha. Just before Orange Walk, the road joins the Philip Goldson Highway again. In Orange Walk Town, the Latin influences become more pronounced due to the proximity to Mexico and you’ll also meet more people of Yucatec Mayan descent. The trip ends in Corozal, with its distinctly Spanish colonial feel.
In town, you’ll find the Mayan ruins of Santa Rita while a 13-mile drive around the bay will take you to the Cerros Mayan ruins. If you’ve arranged this with the car-rental agency, you may be able to drop off your car in Corozal and either take a boat to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, from where you can sail back to Belize City or move on to Chetumal just across the border in Mexico.
Detour: There are two ways to visit the Lamanai Mayan ruins from Orange Walk – you can take a boat down the New River or you can drive down. While a boat ride is fun, the drive down allows you to also explore the nearby Mennonite communities of Shipyard, Indian Creek and Blue Creek.
