This mountainous archipelago offers magnificent views of stark white glaciers and snowfields, which cover a vast stretch of the region. Arctic flora and fauna fascinate; catch a glimpse of polar bears, reindeer, arctic foxes, and walruses amongst the mossy tundra and icy coasts. In the summer, visitors will witness the rare splendor of Svalbard’s midnight sun.
Punakha sits in one of Bhutan’s most fertile valleys, cradled where the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu rivers meet. For centuries it served as the kingdom’s capital and remains a place rich with stories woven through its fields, temples, and riverbanks. The city’s low elevation brings warmer weather than much of Bhutan’s highland regions, and rice paddies fill the landscape with vivid green during planting and golden hues at harvest.
Tucked between Jordan's sandstone cliffs in the southwestern desert, Petra was carved directly into rose-colored rock more than 2,000 years ago. Visitors approaching through the narrow gorge known as the Siq are rewarded with their first glimpse of Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, a towering facade that seems to appear from another world.
Replete with windmills and old-world charm, the village of Kinderdijk lies east of Rotterdam on the Lek River and is a popular stop for European river cruises. Home to the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands, Kinderdijk was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Boracay, a small island in the central Philippines, is famous for its white-sand beaches and clear turquoise waters. Despite its size, the island offers a wide range of activities, from swimming and snorkeling to paddleboarding and sailing.