In a world where 80 per cent of travellers visit just 10 per cent of destinations, Intrepid Travel is steering adventurers elsewhere. The company’s 2026 Not Hot List, developed with trend forecasters Globetrender, spotlights 10 places often overlooked but poised to welcome visitors—from Central Asia’s vast mountain ranges to North America’s least-visited national park.
Among the highlights is Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone, newly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2025. Here, travellers can overnight in rainforest lodges and embark on river cruises while supporting local communities that reinvest tourism revenues into conservation and development.
In Kyrgyzstan’s Tien Shan Mountains, the Kyrgyz Nomad Trail—a grassroots trekking network expanded to 2,000 km—opens up alpine valleys and glacial lakes. Trekkers stay in yurts and share meals with nomadic families, offering a rare glimpse into a way of life largely unchanged for generations.
Closer to home, Great Basin National Park in Nevada remains one of the United States’ quietest parks, drawing just over 150,000 visitors in 2024. With expanded campgrounds and new programming planned, a visit here is both a retreat into solitude and a statement of support for preserving fragile landscapes.
Other destinations on the list include:
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Sierra Norte, Mexico, where Zapotec villages operate under a pioneering community-led tourism model.
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Vis Island, Croatia, an antidote to overtourism with no airports or cruise stops.
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Southeastern Anatolia (pictured in feature image), Türkiye, home to UNESCO sites and renowned culinary traditions.
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Arunachal Pradesh, India, celebrating its first Sunrise Festival in 2026.
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Via Transilvanica, Romania, a 1,400 km trail dubbed the “Camino of the East.”
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Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador, a highland route famed for coffee and culture.
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Oulu, Finland, the European Capital of Culture 2026, merging Arctic gastronomy with bold climate programming.
“While some places receive millions of visitors each year, many others go virtually unnoticed,” said Erica Kritikides, Intrepid’s General Manager of Experiences. “Our Not Hot List reflects an approach to tourism we’ve long championed: better tourism, not less tourism.”
For the curious and conscientious, the 2026 Not Hot List is an invitation to take the road less travelled—and to leave a positive impact along the way.
