top of page
Georgina Golding

5 Places to Visit Before You Turn 18

Updated: Jul 16, 2022

Are you ready to travel the globe, to get out of your comfort zone and find your place in the world?

Here are the top 5 places to go before you turn 18.


1. Maasai Mara Kenya

Maasai Mara National Reserve is an area of preserved savanna wilderness in south Kenya, along the border. Its animals include lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and hippos. The landscape has grassy plains and rolling hills, and is crossed by the Mara and Talek rivers. Annually, over one million wildebeest travel from the Serengeti into the nature reserve by crossing the Mara River. Nile crocodiles and other predators are constantly waiting to make the wildebeest their prey.

If you want to see this wonder of the world, you’ll need to make sure that you arrive at the correct time. Most people go a few weeks before the migration is scheduled to begin to make sure they don’t miss it. While you wait, you can spend your time enjoying the rest of the wildlife that frequent the park. People come from all over the world to see this impressive feat of nature.


2. Cloud Forests of Monteverde, Costa Rica

There are a number of cloud forests in Costa Rica with the most famous being Monteverde. The Monteverde Cloud Forest initially covered 328 hectares when it was discovered, and today it’s approximately 10,500 hectares. Costa Rica sits between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which creates what we know as the Great Divide. National Geographic described the Monteverde Cloud Forest as a ‘jewel in the crown of Cloud Forest Reserves’, and it is the most famous of its type. There are roughly 9,000 species of plants in Costa Rica, with approximately 3,000 growing in the Monteverde Forest. The complex ecosystem is also home to over 100 mammal species, 400 types of bird and thousands of insect species 400 species of birds, and 1,200 species of amphibians and reptiles. The highest trails in this forest reserve sit at an elevation of 1,250 metres. There are approximately 9,000 different plant species in Costa Rica; 3,000 out of which are grown in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. It is one of the easiest places to observe exotic birds like toucans, trogons, bellbirds and hummingbirds. This region gets an average annual rainfall of about 118 inches; dry season starts in December and ends in March. The average temperature in the forest reserve ranges from 61°C to 64°C. Once, the golden toad also called the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve home but it has become extinct now.


3. Rainbow Mountain, Peru


  • Rainbow Mountain is at an altitude of more than half of Mount Everest.

  • It is also known as Vinicunca, a word originating from Peru’s native tongue Quechua, which translates to “coloured mountain”.

  • The mountain is made up of 14 different, colourful minerals.

  • Just 4 years ago it was entirely covered in snow, making it impossible to fully witness the beauty of the mountain.

  • Temperatures still drop below 0 at night – good to know for anyone visiting Rainbow Mountain on a multi-day Ausangate trek.


4. Northern Thailand


Chiang Mai is a Northern Thailand province located 700km away from Bangkok, Thailand’s capital. The locals refer to Chiang Mai as the Northern Capital and it is Thailand’s second city, with a population of about half a million. Thailand is an interesting and colourful place. There's never a dull moment, and that's why so many flock here every year for a holiday, and why so many choose the kingdom as their home. 69.43 million people live in Thailand, of which 22 million live in the north-eastern region of Isaan. 75% of the population are Thai, 14% Chinese and 11% are made up of other nationalities. The official number of residents in Bangkok is estimated at 10.5 million, though it is thought to be as high as 12 million. Thailand is 514,000 square kilometres in size.


5. The Beaches of Belize


Belize is a nation on the eastern coast of Central America, with Caribbean Sea shorelines to the east and a dense jungle to the west. Offshore, the massive Belize Barrier Reef, dotted with hundreds of low-lying islands called Cayes, hosts rich marine life. Belize’s jungle areas are home to Mayan ruins like Caracol, renowned for its towering pyramid; lagoon-side Lamanai; and Altun Ha, just outside Belize City.




By Georgina Golding








Commentaires


bottom of page