1. Hegra, Saudi Arabia

The Saudi answer to Petra is smaller, less crowded and largely in better condition. Yet, along with the rest of Saudi Arabia, the hidden city of Hegra remained almost entirely off-limits to international tourists until 2019. Now this 2000-year-old city built by the Nabataean Kingdom is on the radar and, like Petra in neighbouring Jordan, it’s the tombs painstakingly carved into the rocks that steal the show – only here many are inscribed with curses, adding to the intrigue. This year, Wendy Wu Tours has launched its first Saudi venture, with a visit to Hegra a highlight of the 11-day Secrets of Saudi Arabia itinerary.

2. Rapa Nui (Easter  Island), Chile

One of the most remote islands on Earth, Rapa Nui is home to some of the world’s most enigmatic landmarks – its enormous “walking” moai statues. Hundreds of these statues, cut from volcanic rock and up to 10m high, are scattered across the island, dating back some 600 years. Researchers have shed new light on the society that built them, finding the island’s small, resilient population could hold the key to humanity’s future. New expedition ship Seabourn Pursuit’s Marooned, Moai and Mutineers itinerary includes a two-day visit to the island, along with visits to its nearest inhabited neighbour, the Pitcairn Islands, almost 2000km away.

3. Caral-Supe, Peru

Just a few hundred kilometres away from Peru’s famous Incan city of Machu Picchu is another even older, arguably more remarkable archaeological site. The Sacred City of Caral-Supe was built by an advanced, pre-Incan civilisation, featuring pyramids built at the same time as Egypt’s. Recognised as a World Heritage site in 2009, it’s remained off the beaten tourist path, but now Intrepid Travel is helping shine a spotlight on the area. Its 12-day Great Inca Road trekking trip explores Caral-Supe and more of Peru’s less-touristed ancient sites, following ancient paths and even using the traditional method to carry your pack – llama caravan.

4. Gedi, Kenya

A visit to East Africa is typically all about the wildlife – but now history is on the agenda, too. The mysterious city of Gedi, dating back to the 11th century, was added to the Unesco World Heritage list last month. Well ahead of its time with running water and flushing toilets, the city was abruptly abandoned in the 17th century for unknown reasons. Located near Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, the Gedi ruins can be visited on a daytrip from Mombasa, which is conveniently the departure port for Emerald Cruises’ luxury Discover Seychelles, Tanzania and Kenya itinerary.

5. Lake Mungo, Australia

You don’t need to travel the world to find evidence of extraordinary ancient history – some of the most incredible sites are in our own backyard. Like Lake Mungo in outback New South Wales. The now dry lake is the site of Australia’s oldest known human remains – Mungo Man and Woman – and has one of the longest continuous records of Aboriginal life. The visually stunning Mungo lunette (Walls of China) landscape is also home to many archaeologically significant artefacts, such as fireplaces and stone tools. It’s a highlight of a 10-day From the Edge of the Outback tour with Academy Travel in May 2025, led by archaeologist Chris Carter.

6. Tikal, Guatemala

Hidden in the jungle of Guatemala, the ancient Mayan pyramids of Tikal receive fewer tourists than their popular Mexican counterpart, Chichén Itzá, but are no less special. Tikal National Park houses the remnants of a vast city, comprising 3000 buildings dating as far back as 600BC but abandoned from the ninth century AD. It’s not only the man-made structures that are the drawcard at Tikal, but also the tropical rainforest and its wildlife, such as monkeys, armadillos and deer. G Adventures’ 12-day Mayan Encounter tour features a visit to Tikal as well as Mayan sites in Belize and Mexico.

7. Kaymakli Underground City, Türkiye (Turkey)

Türkiye is so overrun with ancient ruins that it’s been described as “the biggest outdoor museum in the world”. Among the most intriguing of them are the vast underground cities of Cappadocia, some 2000 years old, used as hideouts for centuries before being rediscovered in the 1960s. While most tour groups head for the largest complex, Derinkuyu, less-crowded Kaymakli is just as mind-boggling. It’s on World Expeditions’ 16-day Wellness, Wine and Wisdom tour, led by Escape’s own Doc Holiday, Dilvin Yasa, in April 2025.

8. Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Dubbed the Angkor Wat of Sri Lanka, the medieval city of Polonnaruwa was once the thriving capital of the island. The ruins of the royal garden city are among the country’s best preserved, with palaces, temples and sculptures dating back to the 11th century. Archaeologists are still working on the site, uncovering evidence of an even earlier time. It’s the ideal spot to work up an appetite during an 11-day Luxury Escapes food tour of Sri Lanka with Escape columnist Matt Preston and his former MasterChef co-host Gary Mehigan in April 2025.

9. Mesa Verde National Park, USA

More than 600 breathtaking, centuries-old cliff dwellings are built in the walls of the rocky canyon at Mesa Verde National Park. The USA’s biggest archaeological site is a place where myths and mysteries abound. For years, archaeologists believed the Ancestral Puebloans who once lived at Mesa Verde had suddenly “vanished” about 700 years ago. Now their descendants are sharing their stories, as you’ll learn on Globus’s nine-day Western Rails and Canyons with Rocky Mountaineer itinerary, which includes visits to Mesa Verde and more national parks, along with a luxury train ride.

10. Calanais Standing Stones, Scotland

Stonehenge hogs the limelight, but the Calanais Standing Stones are even older. The ring of towering, ancient stones – up to 5m high – on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides is considered the most striking of the mysterious stone circles found across Scotland. The 5000-year-old stones were all but buried in bog when, in 1857, the landowner decided to excavate. Get up close to learn how and why they got there on Holland America Line’s 14-day Wild British Isles cruise.

See also: 

Historic hotspots that blew expert travellers' minds

10 things you never knew about the Colosseum

7 things that surprised me at Machu Picchu