The ultimate five eye-opening adventures for your bucket list

Planet Earth has some pretty phenomenal sights to offer, and when it comes to having an adventure the globe is yours to explore. But there’s more to it than flocking to standard tourist sites that attract crowds like moths to a flame. Whether you’re planning a bromantic travelling rampage or searching for the perfect destination for a couple’s expedition, we bring you our ultimate bucket list of global locations to explore. We’re rather confident that some of these will be completely new to you…

A world heritage site, Plitvice Lakes National Park is Croatia’s gem. Sixteen glistening lakes are interconnected by waterfalls over a distance of eight kilometres. Surrounding these is a dense woodland wherein wolves, bears and wild boars can be found roaming. With stunning scenery all year round and an explosion of colour in autumn, this is one for the ramblers. It’ll blow your previous expeditions out of the water – just be sure to stick to the designated walks so as not to stumble upon a pack of wolves…

Rivalling the likes of the infamous yet tourist-filled Machu Picchu with its outstanding ruins, Bagan is an archeological site well worth a visit. With hundreds upon hundreds of exquisite temples soaring into the sky amidst palms and tamarinds as far as the eye can see, the site is situated in central Burma and remains unspoiled by hoards of tourists and hawkers. Explore the ruins and take a balloon ride as the sun is setting: the breathtaking silhouettes are gloriously mystical. Without a doubt, this one is for the culture-hungry explorer.

Ideal for those who are phenomenon-curious, the Northern Lights are a popular tourist attraction. Named one of the seven wonders of the natural world, this natural light display was once considered to be a ‘Dance of the Spirits’ by native Inuit people: the lights can be seen dancing across the sky at night. Iceland is a popular destination for those wanting to experience the aurora; whilst you are there, skiing, whale watching and seeking out Game of Thrones sets will undoubtedly keep you out of trouble.

The largest salt flat on the globe, Salar de Uyuni can be found stretching more than 10,000 square kilometres across Bolivia. Blindingly white during the dry season, the salt runs metres deep and creates an extraordinarily smooth terrain. During the wet season this white plain becomes covered with a thin sheet of water, which creates the illusion of a mirror’s image as it reflects the light. Teamed with the fact that the water is so thin it can be walked upon, this really is otherworldly.

Set at the base of Coyote Buttes in Arizona, this stunning sandstone formation is called the Wave. It is just one of many formations, and the vivid colours demonstrate the various pigmented layers of rock. The stone in the area is so old that a dinosaur trackway can be found nearby: these densely packed dino footprints are around 190 million years old. This one is ideal for hikers and photographers alike: the track is rough and you need a special hiking permit to gain access, but the striking sights simply demand to be captured in photographs.