Back in April Lonely Planet had an interesting article online that I wanted to share.
The article is about top tourist hot spots worth the crowds. The list is made up of an interesting and amazing group of sites/ places. Odds are, if a site is overly crowded it must be worth visiting for one reason or another…
Here is the list:
- Angkor Wat, Cambodia
- Prague’s Old Town, Czech Republic
- Eiffel Tower, France
- Florence, Italy
- Grand Canyon, USA
- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia
- Pyramids, Egypt
- Taj Mahal, India
- Machu Picchu, Peru
- Uluru, Australia
From the list above, I’ve been to 8 of 10 sites. I found all of them to be well worth visiting and some weren’t even so busy or crowded! The sites I have not visited are Victoria Falls and the Taj Mahal. Both are high on my list of places to visit in the future. I almost went to Vic Falls on each of my trips to Africa but it just did not fit into our itineraries. When I visited the Grand Canyon, I went to the area known as Grand Canyon West, home of the Skywalk. I would also love to visit the sections of the Grand Canyon that make up the National Park someday.
Find out more about the tourist hot spots listed above in the full Lonely Planet article HERE
Why is Uluru, I assume for Ayers Rock, worth the visit? Even if you’re already in Australia, it seems like a long way to go to see what appears to be an rather unimpressive hill.
I am guessing that you have little interest in natural sites. Would you also consider the Grand Canyon unimpressive?
I just hiked the Grand Canyon last year and much of my travel revolves around natural sites, Uluru just doesn’t look THAT impressive in pictures to me. This is a pretty short list and I’m wondering why Uluru made it but…say…Angel Falls or Lalibela didn’t, those are on my short list. So, I am speaking from ignorance here, but if I were to make it down under one day on my incredibly valuable vacation time, tell me why I would want to drive/fly that far into the outback to see it? I’m not being sarcastic, just hoping to learn something.
This article is about “hot spots” worth the crowds. I haven’t been to Angel Falls or Lalibela. Maybe they don’t draw big crowds.
In regards to Uluru, it is an amazing site to see in person from both up close and far away. It is not just a big hill. You can hike all around it and there are many different & interesting rock formations within it. It is especially impressive at sunrise as it appears to change colors as the sun comes up. It is also culturally significant. We had an aborigine guide give us a tour and it was interesting to learn about it’s importance to their culture.
During your visit you can also check out the Olgas, another rock formation which we really enjoyed. There is also an Aborigine cultural center that is worth a visit.