The Five Best Places Our Readers Want to Go in 2024

Wonderful people, an active volcano, beautiful ocean waters, and marine life.
Gobi Desert, Mongolia ❘ SinghaphanAllB/Getty Images

If you 've felt it, then you know.

Last month we announced our first-ever Wanderlist, a collection of destinations we’re eager to explore right now. And because we know that our readers have lists of their own, we asked about your wanderlust, too: the mountains you want to climb, cities you want to amble through, and shorelines you’re eager to explore. After receiving more than 1,700 submissions, we’ve selected the recommendations that most inspire us and best speak to our Wanderlist criteria: places that are low on crowds and high on wonder, and where tourism is most likely to benefit local communities.

Just one of these lucky readers, chosen at random, has won our grand prize, an Atlas Obscura Japan adventure—congratulations, Elizabeth Calora!—though all are going to receive some swag, as well as the knowledge that they are shaping the travel dreams for thousands of people in 2024 and beyond. Here are those top remarkable places.

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Travel is not about personal growth or bragging rights. Travel is transformative not because it changes us, but because it makes connections that can change the world. People who see the complexity of the world—at home and abroad—see better. We reject the cynicism that can hang over tourism because we believe that deeper connections are possible, that meaningful experiences can happen anywhere at any time, and that the world is big enough that it still holds lots of surprises.

This is what inspires us at Atlas Obscura, and this is why we have created something new: The Wanderlist. For 2024, we’ve selected 24 remarkable destinations that demonstrate why travel and exploration are important to us. Each of the places we’ve selected for this list are sure to evoke a sense of surprise and curiosity. They’re places where you’re less likely to encounter crowds. And they’re places where, we feel, your travel dollars benefit local communities and help preserve the places you’re visiting. We sourced the destinations on this list from our own travels and our network of guides, writers, and travel experts around the world. We’ll be releasing the first-ever Wanderlist next month, and are so excited that you will be joining us on this journey in 2024 and beyond.


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Mongolia

Explore sprawling landscapes and nomadic cultures.
"For a destination without big crowds, look no further than the world’s most sparsely populated country."

For those looking to escape crowded tourist hubs, says David Koppers, “look no further than the world’s most sparsely populated country.” With just 2.17 residents per square kilometer, Mongolia offers sweeping desert landscapes, soaring mountain ranges, and vast steppes. “Once you reach the countryside,” David says, “you may notice that animals outnumber humans.”

Any trip to Mongolia should begin in its capital, Ulaanbaatar: Home to a puzzle museum, communist-era murals, a monastery-turned-museum, and an enormous statue of national hero Genghis Khan, it’s an excellent way to familiarize yourself with Mongolia’s epic history. Then, “to get a taste of the traditional nomadic lifestyle, head in any direction outside of the capital,” David says.

The nomadic lifestyle is still alive and well in Mongolia’s countryside. About a quarter of the country’s 3.2 million residents live this way, traveling with their herds of cattle, sheep, goats, camels, or horses. The traditional nomadic home is the ger, a sort of yurt made from felt, and many camps of them are available for visits. While tour companies abound (and are multiplying as interest in Mongolia grows), many visitors choose self-guided tours and drive rental cars across the country. A trip might take you up to Khuvsgul Lake, a popular spot for nomads to bring their animals in summer, or Khustain Nuruu National Park, home to a rare population of wild horses. In Mongolia, wide open spaces are easy to come by.

Bisbee, Arizona

Small-town charm in mile-high mountains.

Greenland

In Greenland, empty landscapes and wild nature are the main attraction.

There are few destinations more far-off than Greenland. The island in the North Atlantic—technically part of Denmark, though it has autonomy over most domestic issues—reaches well into the Arctic Circle. Getting there requires long flights for most people, but the rewards are endless: northern lights, white mountains, and whales breaching among icebergs. As with Mongolia, part of Greenland’s appeal are quiet, sprawling landscapes: fjords full of ice, southern hills that come alive with greenery come summer, and an ice sheet larger than some countries. “It is sparsely inhabited, and human presence and activities are very limited,” says recommender Luca Costa. ‍

Summer and winter on the island offer vastly different opportunities. Summer visitors can scuba dive among icebergs, hike or bike through the rolling hills of southern Greenland, or paddleboard; in the winter, visitors can go ice fishing or dog sledding during the day and watch the aurora borealis at night. Natural hot springs are open throughout the year, as is the Sarfaq Ittuk ferry, one of the best ways to see the diverse landscapes of Greenland’s coast. The Greenlandic Inuit people have inhabited the island since 1200, when their ancestors, the Thule people, arrived from northern Canada. You can explore Inuit history in the small capital city of Nuuk, at the Greenland National Museum & Archives and the Nuutoqaq/Nuuk Lokalmuseum, which doubles as a gallery for Greenlandic art and craft.

Tourist crowds are minimal here, though that may shift in years to come, as the country invests in tourism as a more sustainable industry than mining or fossil fuels. Given the unpredictable future of climate change, Luca says, “this is a place to see before it changes significantly.”

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Sassuma Arnaa sculpture in Nuuk ❘ REDA&CO/Getty Images
"In Greenland, empty landscapes and wild nature are the main attraction."

Vanuatu

Snorkel through pristine reefs—and down to an underwater post office.
"Wonderful people, an active volcano, beautiful ocean waters, and marine life."

On top of its beautiful waters and volcanoes, says Sandie Hill, Vanuatu is home to “wonderful people,” who are consistently kind and welcoming. Various cultural villages across the isles can introduce visitors to the traditional ways of life on the islands. The cuisine is fresh and vibrant, with plenty of fresh-caught fish and tropical fruit. In the evenings, you might pair your fish curry with a cup of kava, the nonalcoholic psychoactive drink popular on the islands.

La Paz, Bolivia

A mountain city unlike any other.
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Get ready for an adventure! Delta Airlines and Atlas Obscura will soon unveil the top 24 destinations for 2024. Stay tuned!

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Spain

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Sabah
Market in Kota Kinabalu ❘ Peter Adams/Getty Images
Malaysia

Sabah

Cosmopolitan

Lush

Savory

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Kigali
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Rwanda

Kigali

Reinvented

Supportive

Spicy

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Boardman Scenic Corridor
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Oregon

Boardman Scenic Corridor

Secret

Fried

Immersive

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Los Ríos
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Chile

Los Ríos

Volcanic

Arboreal

Serpentine

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Taipei
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Taiwan

Taipei

Steamy

Sleek

Sacral

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Oklahoma City
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Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

Inclusive

Reborn

Proud

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Tsingy de Bemaraha
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Madagascar

Tsingy de Bemaraha

Sharp

Rare

Earthy

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Tallinn
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Estonia

Tallinn

Medieval

Creative

Brutalist

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North Island
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New Zealand

North Island

Whakamere

Geothermal

Conscious

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Pune
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India

Pune

Collegiate

Bustling

Engulfed

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Namibia
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Namibia

Sere

Haunting

Easy

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Aguascalientes
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Mexico

Aguascalientes

Macabre

Artsy

Braised

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Iquitos
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Peru

Iquitos

Evolving

Complex

Insular

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Sado Island
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Japan

Sado Island

Isolated

Dramatic

Crafty

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Mesabi Iron Range
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Minnesota

Mesabi Iron Range

Ferrous

Friendly

Full

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Constanța
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Romania

Constanța

Slithering

Sunny

Classical

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Castlemaine
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Australia

Castlemaine

Resilient

Dreamy

Syncretic

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North Coast
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Scotland

North Coast

Lithic

Isolated

Maritime

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Tozeur
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Tunisia

Tozeur

Illusory

Galactic

Sticky

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Newfoundland
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Canada

Newfoundland

Windy

Pristine

Crusty

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Khujand
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Tajikistan

Khujand

Intricate

Soviet

Pungent

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Saint-Malo
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France

Saint-Malo

Buttery

Tidal

Cobblestoned

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Asturias
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Spain

Asturias

Well Aged

Aerated

intimate

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Chapada Diamantina
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Brazil

Chapada Diamantina

Stony

Tumbling

Refreshing

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