The Best Adventure Travel Destinations for 2025: the Places That Didn't Win

For all of our awards, nominations are gathered from Matador’s team of editors, videographers, content managers, and travel pros. The list is then narrowed down based on a points system before being shared with readers. The votes are then tallied, and the winner gets the top slot. However, Matador staff are only a tiny fraction of people who travel, so we always leave space for readers to write in suggestions of the places they feel deserve national attention.

Chiang Mai, Thailand, scored several write-in votes from readers. Photo: Take photos/Shutterstock

And our readers did not disappoint. In 2024’s survey, readers wrote in nearly 100 alternate suggestions for the best adventure travel destinations of 2025. Some destinations received multiple write-in votes, like the tiny Caribbean island of Saba, Chang Mai in northern Thailand, and the entirety of Costa Rica.

While none of the write-in picks of the best adventure travel destinations garnered enough votes to win — that honor went to Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands — our editors did enjoy looking through the picks and learning what destinations our readers are most interested in.

Here are some of the picks of the best adventure travel destinations suggested by Matador Network readers that didn’t make the cut — but did inspire us to start planning next year’s travel.

Lipari Island, Sicily. Photo: silky/Shutterstock

The Aeolian Islands, off the northeastern coast of Sicily, Italy, are an intriguing adventure travel destination for 2025. The volcanic, seven-island archipelago has plenty of unique hiking opportunities where visitors can see volcanic action firsthand, as well as no shortage of beaches, sailing trips, dive sites, snorkeling tours, and plenty more for travelers who like spending time outdoors. As you may expect from the landscape, there are also gorgeous black sand beaches and several thermal springs. Some of the more unique activities on the islands include public mud baths, opportunities to night-hike Mount Stromboli, and snorkeling over underwater fumaroles.

The Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund helps ensure tourism is both managed and benefits the natural environment, and the lack of air service helps keep crowds low. The islands see usually around 200,000 tourists per year, compared to the 15 million arrivals to Sicily in 2023. From Sicily, you’ll need to take a ferry from Milazzo, Messina, or Palermo; the trip is between one and four hours, depending on where you’re going. From the mainland, you can take a ferry from Naples. The quickest trip is about five hours, via the SNAV high-speed ferry.

A diver on a Saba reef. Photo: timsimages.uk/Shutterstock

The volcanic island Saba is just five square miles and has one of the scariest (but totally safe) airports in the world (though it’s also accessible by ferry from St. Maarten). It’s sometimes called “The Unspoiled Queen” as it’s still quite undeveloped, owing partially to the difficulties of building on such a steep and small island. The island is world-famous for exceptional year-round scuba diving, as well as high-elevation hiking through various landscapes around the Mount Scenery trail network.

While the island does have luxury resorts, they’re not your usual all-inclusives. There are no large chain hotels or resorts like those found in more commercial tourist destinations in the Caribbean. It also has plenty of cottage-style accommodations set on cliff sides and in gardens, giving the island a wilder, more natural feel that’s getting harder and harder to find as tourism economies grow in the region.

Boats on Phewa Lake, Pokhara, Nepal. Photo: FS11/Shutterstock

Pokhara is definitely one of the best adventure travel destinations of 2025 — at least if you ask the country of Nepal, as it officially designated the city as the country’s tourism capital in March 2024. The city sits close to the Annapurna Range, making it a hub for hiking and climbing tours, as well as a popular place to stay before or after starting the famous Annapurna Circuit Trek. Paragliding is also popular, as is “ultralight flying” in small, open-air planes. Both allow visitors to experience the famous mountain range without the need for a multi-week hike. There are also opportunities for spelunking, mountain biking, and even visiting with monks or learning traditional skills from local Indigenous groups, for people not interested in trekking.

Pokhara is accessible via a quick flight to the brand new Pokhara International Airport, or on the daily tourist bus from from Kathmandu. There are several new hotels that just opened or are opening soon, including the luxury lakeside Glacier Hotel Pokhara, the family-run Blue Planet Lodge, and the mountain-view New Hotel Elia. Lodging is extremely affordable, and mid-range rooms can usually be found between $20 and $30 per night. The Nepalese government is currently investing in infrastructure to make travel easier and more accessible in the area, and the new Shanti Banbatika Botanical Garden, complete with meditation areas and an herbal garden, is also underway.

Autumn views from the Akechidaira Observatory, Lake Chuzenji, Nikko, Japan. Photo: Taweep Tang/Shutterstock

Nikko is a natural and cultural draw that has managed to preserve its ancient character, despite being one of Japan’s most significant historical sites. The town serves as a gateway to Nikko National Park, where dramatic volcanic landscapes are a wilderness playground for guests who don’t mind exploring on foot. The area is famous for its historic Toshogu Shrine complex, but venture beyond that, and you’ll find a year’s worth of mountain hiking trails trails, thundering waterfalls, and steaming hot springs.

The region’s extensive trail network winds through old-growth forests and past ancient shrines, while Lake Chuzenji, formed 20,000 years ago by volcanic activity, is a stunning place for kayaking and lakeside walks. And in Nikko, it’s easy to combine adventure activities,  whether you want to hike to hot springs or kayak between beaches for a point-to-point outdoor trip.

You won’t find large international hotel chains in Nikko. Instead, it’s mostly historic ryokans and boutique hotels tucked away in the mountains. Many are family run and have been for generations, offering a taste of old-school Japanese hospitality that can be increasingly difficult to find in more touristed areas. Though Nikko is just two hours by bullet train from Tokyo, making it doable as a day trip, it feels worlds apart — and far less crowded.

A small boat in the Blue Lagoon, Tarapoto, Peru. Photo: SPHOTODR/Shutterstock

Tarapoto, Peru, is an interesting contender among nominees for the best adventure travel destinations of 2025, with a blend of natural beauty, cultural richness, and diverse activities. It’s in Peru’s northern jungles and is the unofficial gateway to the high Amazon region. It sits at the foot of the Cordillera Escalera, a natural conservation area teeming with dense tropical forests and impressive waterfalls. That makes it appealing for birdwatchers and anyone keen on staying in eco-lodges among the trees. Rappelling and canyoneering tours are also growing in popularity.

In addition to exploring the conservation area, visitors can go rafting and canoeing on the Mayo and Huallaga rivers, or hike to sites like Ahuashiyacu Falls or Palestine Cave. Tarapota is also big into cocoa cultivation and farming, creating lots of opportunities to tour farms and even learn traditional chocolate making skills.