Ten incredible destinations that aren’t on any ‘hot’ list

I like this idea. We’re coming to the time of year now when everyone starts writing their lists of places to go in 2025, the hot destinations, the ones every traveller will want to visit.

It’s obvious, but it’s fine. People like to know which places will be particularly good. Everyone loves a list.

Greenland’s Disko Island is on Intrepid Travel’s “Not Hot” list for 2025.Credit: iStock

But each year since 2018, the Australia-based tour company Intrepid Travel has taken that idea and given it a little flip, coming up with its list of “Not Hot” destinations – as in, the places that are not going to be popular next year, but yet the company sees as worthy of promotion and love.

This helps to spread the word about little-known destinations, but also, hopefully, helps to spread tourists’ money around, and lessen the impact of over-tourism in the destinations that typically make the lists of places to go.

For 2025, the company has included the likes of mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, Disko Island in Greenland, Cape York in Australia, and the Anti-Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

Clearly, these destinations are not going to hit the mainstream. They’re not going to be hot in 2025. But they are objectively amazing, and if just a few people decide to visit a few of them instead of adding to the crowds in Barcelona or Kyoto, then that has to be a good thing.

As I said, I like this idea. So I’ve come up with a few destinations to add to the list, not quite as far-flung as Intrepid’s picks, but still, places that won’t be hot next year, and provide no particular reason for you to visit in 2025 – other than the fact you will really enjoy yourself.

Tunis, Tunisia

Roman ruins of the Baths of Antoninus in Carthage, Tunisia.Credit: Getty Images

Where would you find one of the world’s great museums, soaring Roman ruins, a thriving food culture, and Mediterranean beaches? The unlikely answer is Tunisia. In its capital, Tunis, you’ll find the Bardo Museum, filled with Roman mosaics, plus a historic medina. In nearby El Jem, find an incredible Roman amphitheatre; at Sousse, go to the beach.

Bougainville, PNG

A peaceful lagoon on the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

This is not an easy place to visit. It’s not comfortable, it’s not close, and it’s not always safe. But it is rewarding. Once the site of a bloody civil war, Bougainville (accessible via Port Moresby), now attracts a modest number of visitors keen to experience its trekking, surfing, diving and cultural experiences.

Lake Malawi, Malawi

Sunset over Lake Malawi.Credit: iStock

There may not be a more enjoyably relaxed place to spend some time in east Africa than the shores of Lake Malawi. On water, the lake offers the chance to sail, scuba-dive and kayak. On land, meanwhile, you can hang out at myriad no-frills lakeside accommodation options, or go hiking or horse-riding.

Badajoz, Spain

Torre Espantaperros, Badajoz’s famous tower in the Moorish fortified castle Alcazaba.Credit: iStock

Catalonia, Andalusia, the Basque Country… Extremadura? OK, this region of Spain isn’t exactly hot property for overseas tourists. It lacks the big attractions, the global fame. What it does have, however, is famously friendly locals, low prices, low crowds, and in Badajoz, a Moorish castle, a unique cathedral, and access to Portugal just next door.

Phonsavan, Laos

The UNESCO-listed Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang Province, Laos.Credit: iStock

Last year, more than 28 million overseas visitors entered Thailand. That number was 12.6 million for Vietnam. And in Laos? Just over 3 million. This remains an underrated and under-visited country, in particular remote cities such as Phonsavan, despite it being the home of the UNESCO-listed Plain of Jars, and the epicentre of Hmong cowboy culture.

Wells Gray Provincial Park, Canada

The Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park, Canada.Credit: iStock

Here is another underrated attraction that sits within an otherwise very popular destination. Wells Gray Provincial Park doesn’t roll off the tongue like Jasper National Park or Banff National Park, but it is astonishingly beautiful, a British Columbia wilderness reserve with lakes, rivers, waterfalls, cedar forests, and a sense that you have the whole thing to yourself.

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna in Sri Lanka is worth visiting for the food alone.Credit: Getty Images

Like Bougainville, Jaffna was once hit hard by civil war, and in many ways is still recovering. Still, this coastal city in the far north of Sri Lanka is well worth visiting, for the food alone. The Tamil-Sri Lankan cuisine here is unique and absolutely delicious, with everything from turmeric-laced dosas to eggplant curries to signature crab curries.

Kakum National Park, Ghana

The canopy walk above the rainforest in Kakum National Park, Ghana.Credit: iStock

How many of your friends are headed to Ghana for a holiday next year? Exactly. So why not break free from the pack and enjoy another vastly underrated destination, with plenty of natural attractions – Kakum National Park being one of them. This area is very accessible to Accra, and has a spectacular canopy walk, a pathway suspended high up in the top of the rainforest.

Orkney, UK

The spectacular coastline of the Orkney Islands.Credit: Getty Images

Plenty of cruise ships stop in Orkney now for a few hours, to allow passengers to see historical sites such as Skara Brae and the Stones of Stenness. The real attraction here, however, is the gentle rhythm of the islands, and the pastel beauty of the evening light – something you will never appreciate with such a short stay.

Cochabamba, Bolivia

The world’s largest Jesus Christ statue in Cochabamba, Bolivia.Credit: Getty Images

There’s much to see and do in Bolivia – so much so, in fact, that with La Paz, Lake Uyuni, Lake Titicaca and Potosi, many visitors don’t have time for Cochabamba. That’s a shame, because Bolivia’s fourth-largest city has plenty to offer, including the largest open-air market in South America, and a statue of Jesus larger than Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.