Top Travel Destinations 2023: Three countries that should not be missing from your bucket list
Where do you want to travel this year? We present three countries that have an above-average amount to offer in terms of landscape and culture and are among the top destinations in 2023 according to “Lonely Planet”.
The most famous travel guide in the world, ”
LonelyPlanet
“, publishes a list of the trendiest travel destinations every year. We present three countries and show what makes them so special and why they belong on your 2023 bucket list.
1. Jamaica
:
Reggae, rum, beach and adventure
Mountainous island in the middle of the Caribbean: Jamaica attracts with its tropical climate and year-round daytime temperatures of 26 to 32 degrees. The best time to travel is from December to April, as the rainy season runs from May to June and September to November. In the 17th century, pirates had their quarters in the capital, Kingston Town. Today you can visit the Bob Marley Museum, the classicist mansion “Devon House” of the first black millionaire George Stiebel, the botanical garden or the “Emancipation Park” with naked bronze sculptures. On the other side of the island is the second largest city, Montego Bay. It not only scores with dreamy Caribbean beaches, but also with old stone and wooden houses in the Gregorian style.
Seven Mile Beach on Negril’s west coast is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – with more than eleven kilometers of white sand. In the evenings there are reggae parties with lots of rum. At Halfmoon Beach, which is not far away, you can enjoy the relaxed Caribbean feeling in hammocks. If you like it lonely, go to Treasure Beach on the south coast. The best dive sites are considered to be Throne Room, Gallery, Sands Club and Shark’s Reef, where you can see nurse sharks, stingrays and turtles at a depth of 18 meters. In the mood for adventure: rent an off-road vehicle and explore the Blue Mountains.
2. Malta: Mini republic in the Mediterranean
Between Sicily and North Africa: In the southeastern Mediterranean Sea lies the small Republic of Malta with its three inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. The capital Valletta, situated on a promontory, is the smallest metropolis within the European Union and is on the Unesco World Heritage List. In the 16th century, it was the Crusaders of the Order of Malta and a student of Michelangelo who created the then ideal of a city at the drawing board – with straight streets that offer breathtaking views of the sea and monumental fortress walls. Everything is made of the golden-yellow Maltese limestone, which gives the magnificent palaces, arcades and many steps their special charm.
Later came the strong men of the Order of St. John and Valletta became a playground for knights, seafarers and mafia bosses. Today it is the mix of antiquity and modernity, of oriental and British influences and the Mediterranean lifestyle that makes Malta so special. You can enjoy the lively life in cafés, pubs and restaurants, cool boutiques and in the gardens around the Grand Master’s Palace. It is much quieter and greener on the neighboring island of Gozo, which is about half an hour away and can be reached by car ferry. It is considered Europe’s top wreck diving destination.
3. South Africa: Safari, Cape Town, Wine and Good Food
Safari with lions, elephants and giraffes or would you prefer whale watching in the Indian Ocean? Adrenaline rush with bungee jumping or surfing or how about shark diving? Explore deserts and spectacular coastlines, swim with penguins or get stuck in one of the trendiest cities in the world – Cape Town? Yes, and there’s wine and good food at low prices too.
The country at the Cape is huge and has just as much variety of highlights to offer. An animal safari in one of the 20 national parks, for example, is just as much a part of it as a road trip on the famous Garden Route. In our summer, the South African winter, this turns into a sea of blossoms. A perfect destination for young people is Cape Town, in the extreme south of the country.
Not only Table Mountain awaits here, but also a hip lifestyle with healthy and creative kitchen, casual bars, cool cafés as a home office location, lots of shopping opportunities and yoga studios on every street corner. Night owls can let off steam in the wild party scene. If the body allows it the next day, a wine tasting could follow. Because Cape Town itself is a well-known wine region. Around 50 kilometers to the east are famous wineries such as Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, where some of the highest quality red and white wines in South Africa are grown.