I have done some trips where the main focus was to look at attractions and land marks and get a glipse of the local lifestyle. But I am thinking of planning trip which is more experienced based - so instead of arriving at a destination and then racing around trying to see all the guide books sites, I would be seeking out amazing one off experiences.

I am thinking things that might cost extra but give you kind of 'once in a life time' memories, such as:
* swiming with Whale Sharks
* staying in an old English Castle
* A ballon ride over the Serengeti

I am looking for those "WOW" moments, so I am asking -
What travel experiences do you think should not be missed?

Thanks
M

Here are a few of my favorites:

• The Lake Mývatn and Krafla Volcano area in northeast Iceland.
  
• Visiting Indian pueblos in Arizona and New Mexico, especially: Hopi, Taos, and Acoma.
  
• Seeing the Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá and Uxmal in Yucatán.
  
• Traveling to the prehistoric ruins on the Orkney Mainland north of Scotland.

I hope to add a few to this list with my upcoming visit to Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego in November.

Jim Paris

Some things that come to mind that I've done and felt were very special:

* hiking from hut to hut in the high Tatra mountains, and climbing mount Rysy on the Slovak-Polish border (not really once-in-a-lifetime, as I've done that several times)
* staying in a family ger in Mongolia
* taking a boat trip in Istanbul
* shopping at flea markets and second-hand clothing shops in Berlin
* spending the night in the Sahara
* taking the trans-siberian (or any long-distance Russian train, really)
* celebrating the European victory of the national basketball team on the street of Belgrade (they seem to win most years)
* swimming in the Ob sea in Siberia (in summer)

There have been a couple of really amazing things that I have done:

1) Climb up Mt Sinai to the very top and sit there and watch the Sunrise - Incredible feeling of being close to nature.

2) Going to the top of the Empire State Building - I know, very hokey, but actually it was a pivotal moment for me.

3) Seeing Petra in Jordan - Absolutely incredible, that moment when you finally see the ruins themselves through the gap in the rocks...amazing!!

I had many amazing experiences, but freshest in my mind is Disko Bay in Greenland.

It has to be seen to be believed.

Take a boat trip to nearby Qeqertarsuaq ('the Big Island') and watch humpback whales and seals, with icebergs as the backdrop.

I want to go back in winter to do a dog sled tour and see he nothern lights

Kayaking with the orcas in British Columbia, off Vancouver Island. That was very special. Though you have to know that you're not guaranteed to see them during the trip of course. We happened to be incredibly lucky in not just seeing them swim by our campsite, but having them escort us back to base when we left. There is something euphoric & hard to describe about seeing those fins approaching you in the water, getting close, and realizing they have disappeared because they're now underneath your kayak.

They like to congregate around Robson's Bight, and I think you have to wait for warm-ish weather... so plan for next summer if you want to do that. I did a tour with Wildheart Adventures and really liked them.

I haven't done this and don't exactly have $5,000 just lying around to do it with, but there is one kayaking tour of the Galapagos Islands I would LOVE to do if I had the money. Low impact on the environment, and there is really something special to entering the environment of the creatures more closely on their terms, as opposed to being on a boat.

machu picchu. finally seeing the site after the hike. not the train
summiting a mountain, any mountain
ankor wat at sunset
full moon party in thailand - so many people


things that i havent done but your post has me thinking
the gorrillas in uganda
hiring a really fast car in germany
antactica

quote:

Originally posted by christina-in-brooklyn:
Kayaking with the orcas in British Columbia, off Vancouver Island. That was very special. Though you have to know that you're not guaranteed to see them during the trip of course. We happened to be incredibly lucky in not just seeing them swim by our campsite, but having them escort us back to base when we left. There is something euphoric & hard to describe about seeing those fins approaching you in the water, getting close, and realizing they have disappeared because they're now underneath your kayak.

Envy!!

I once tried to get my hubby to sell his soul to Microsoft, just so I can be close to the orcas and grey whales, but they didn't take him

I would say Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia. I would say unmissable because it is within reach of even averagely fit people and the sunrise view is simply unforgettable!

* Watching Humpbacks young suckle their Mother--in the water, from about 200' away (Hawaii, Tonga, NZ);
* The grace of a whale shark as it swims in a warm lagoon (Belize);
* The sun breaking through the clouds at Torres del Paine after four days of rain and wind (and backlit by the sun, a Guanaca bursting from the scrub being pursued by a Puma;
* A full moon rising over Lord Howe Island;
* Snorkeling Manihiki Lagoon in the northern Cook atolls (and being the first US visitor in three years);
* Sleeping in the NW Territories and awakening to a small earthquake, only to discover it was a herd of Cabibou being pursued by a wolf pack;
* Introducing fly fishing to Pacific islanders whose culture has fished for centuries, and who think you are completely insane (until it works),
* LISTENING to the elders of Pacific peoples, reflecting on the way things were, and how they are changing;
* A dawn watch on a sailboat in the Vava'u Group of Tonga;
* Walking the preserved and eerie Pacific battlefield island of Peliliu in the Palau Group (and getting their via deck passage on a tramp steamer, surrounded by betel nut chewing women nursing babies;
* Sampling local cuisine wherever you travel: magnificent Curanto and Pisco Sours in Chile, whitebait and champagne on a train in NZ, dog in Tonga, fresh Wahoo with spiced, grated coconut and taro in Yap, Conch chowder and a Kalik in the Caribbean, rack of elk with a great Pinot in the US west, a wild fruit lunch collected from the bush and eaten on a tiny beach where Captain Cook landed on Atui in the Cooks, an asado with a great Malbec in Argentina, and the many kinds of ceviche around the world (aka poisson cru, Ika mata, cuolia, ika lolo, Kokoda and many more) all of which require the local beer, as cold as possible.
* Snorkeling with 12' Manta rays off Ulithi in Yap.

Taking a vespa ride in Rome with a really hot Italian.

Watching a lightening shower in South Dakota while camping.

* sleeping on a petrified forest beach in NZ
* crazy night of dancing at night club in the gambia (w. africa) on Korite (big celebration after Ramadan)
* hitchiking.. anywhere!
* music festivals.. anywhere!
* local cuisine ... anywhere, everywhere, always!! fishheads, unrecognizable fruits, mystery sauces.. bring it on!!

Hanging out with locals in their homes like you're one of the family.

Riding Animals (I know sounds strange)

• Emu
  
• Elephant
  
• Camel
  
• ??? thats all I can think of