
In-depth guides to the places worth the trip, and an Adventure Score for every US town: 0 to 100 for how much quality outdoor sport is close by.
Spots, seasons, travel and budget. Highest Adventure Score first.
Every guide and every US place we score, highest Adventure Score first. Switch to “Guides first” to see the in-depth guides on top.
27 places
TZ · Water
Zanzibar: tropical Indian Ocean archipelago with water sports, Swahili culture, and spice plantation heritage.
Destination guide →Morocco · Water
Morocco's adventure epicenter: trekking in North Africa's highest peak, desert riding, and world-class surfing.
Destination guide →South Africa · Forest
Winelands with mountains: Stellenbosch routes rise over vineyards; mountain biking, trail running, and wine hiking combine.
Destination guide →Kilimanjaro, TZ · Alpine
Africa's rooftop awaits — trek through five climate zones to the summit
Destination guide →CV · Water
Windswept Atlantic island: kiteboarding and windsurfing lagoons, volcanic hiking, minimal crowds.
Destination guide →EG · Water
Sinai Peninsula beach town: world-class diving, reef snorkeling, desert trekking, and laid-back Bedouin culture.
Destination guide →Morocco · Water
Western Sahara lagoon: world-class flat-water kiteboarding and windsurfing on Africa's coast.
Destination guide →MG · Forest
Earth's most unique island: 90% endemic wildlife, otherworldly landscapes, raw wilderness adventure.
Destination guide →RE · Water
Volcanic island adventure in the Indian Ocean—trails, beaches, and indigenous culture.
Destination guide →ET · Alpine
Simien Mountains & Lalibela: Ethiopia's dramatic UNESCO highlands with Africa's 4th highest peak and ancient rock churches.
Destination guide →TZ · Forest
Africa's highest peak is a non-technical trek with route options for every fitness level.
Destination guide →Western Cape, South Africa · Water
Where Table Mountain meets the Atlantic — world-class climbing, kiteboarding, and trail running at the tip of Africa.
Destination guide →Rocklands, South Africa · Forest
Rocklands bouldering: Cederberg sandstone sectors from Fields of Joy to Roadcrew and De Pakhuy's
Destination guide →KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa · Alpine
Southern Africa's great basalt escarpment: Tugela Falls, San rock art and the 200-plus km Grand Traverse along the Lesotho border.
Destination guide →Red Sea, EG · Water
A purpose-built Red Sea lagoon town where shallow, warm, side-shore kitesurfing meets reef and wreck diving 30 minutes from Hurghada airport.
Destination guide →Marrakesh-Safi, Morocco · Water
Windy Atlantic walled port city: UNESCO medina, flat-water kite bay and reef waves up the coast
Destination guide →Eastern Cape, South Africa · Water
Home of Supertubes, one of the world's best right-hand point breaks, on South Africa's Eastern Cape coast
Destination guide →Jinja, UG · Water
East Africa's adventure capital, where the White Nile leaves Lake Victoria and runs warm, big-water rapids you can raft or kayak all year.
Destination guide →Western Cape, South Africa · Water
South Africa's flat-water kiteboarding lagoon, beside a national park of birds, flowers and calm turquoise water.
Destination guide →Red Sea, EG · Water
Gateway to the southern Red Sea's open-ocean reefs: hammerheads at Daedalus, oceanic whitetips and wrecks at the Brothers, and dugongs and dolphins on the Marsa Alam coast.
Destination guide →Seychelles, SC · Water
Granite-boulder reefs, wrecks and a shark-patrolled pinnacle in the Indian Ocean, with jungle ridge hikes between the beaches
Destination guide →South Sinai, EG · Water
Red Sea reef diving at the southern tip of Sinai: Ras Mohammed's Shark and Yolanda Reef, the Tiran reefs and the Thistlegorm wreck.
Destination guide →Amhara, ET · Alpine
Ethiopia's roof: a 412 km2 UNESCO park of cliff-edge escarpments, gelada troops and the 4,553 m summit of Ras Dashen.
Destination guide →Anti-Atlas, Morocco · Desert
Pink granite and quartzite in Morocco's Anti-Atlas: hundreds of trad routes, granite boulders and village-to-village walking above the Ameln Valley.
Destination guide →