The top travel bucket list experiences, ranked

With so many 'must-do' experiences to tick off, where should you start? Here are our rankings, including what's simply not worth the hype - or the risk of death

The salt flat at Uyuni, Bolivia, is the world's largest salt desert (Francisco Javier Garcia Orts)

The Independent's Head of Travel Nicola Trup and Deputy Head of Travel Laura Chubb tell you which bucket list experiences should top your to-do list, and which ones can wait.

1. Witnessing the Great Migration

Laura: Going on safari is easily one of the most the most thrilling travel experiences you will ever have. My first, in South Africa, saw me snag up-close views of a lion hunting and killing a buffalo, an impala giving birth and the baby taking its first steps, and I even got to track a huge rhino bull on foot. There’s no feeling quite like being so thoroughly plonked in the wild, so imagine just how unforgettable it must be to add in the spectacle of the Great Migration – when 1.5 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras move together across the Serengeti in Tanzania and Kenya, and the latter’s Maasai Mara, in search of rain.

Our tip: When you’re dealing with nature, best not to be squeamish – crocodiles lay in wait as the animals cross the Grumeti River, which has been known to lead to the game “log or leg?” when gazing into its waters.

The Great Migration sees 1.5 million wildebeest surge across the Serengeti (Shutterstock)

2. Tracking gorillas

Nicola: Spending an hour with these incredible creatures in the wilds of Rwanda or Uganda is unforgettable. Most travel companies will tell you to keep around seven metres away, but on my trip to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the gorillas came much closer, giving us plenty of opportunity to take some amazing snaps and look at their weirdly human features.

Our tip: Research the gorilla groups before you go; you may be able to request to see a particular family – great if you particularly want to see baby gorillas, for example.

3. Driving across Bolivia’s salt flats

Laura: The three-night 4x4 odyssey from Tupiza to Uyuni is nothing short of exceptional. Starting in the Wild West town of Tupiza – where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are said to have met their demise – you drive through scenery that changes from red-rock moonscape to eerie sandy expanses by way of pink and green lagoons, smoking volcanoes, hot springs, and bubbling mud pots. And it all ends at the Uyuni salt flat, the world’s largest salt desert, an unearthly 11,000 sq km of dazzling white salt plain. It’s a journey like no other on Earth.

Our tip: September and November offer the most comfortable temperatures – with much of the trip taking place between 4,000 and 5,000 metres, it gets incredibly cold at night and lodgings are basic.

4. Spending a night in the Amazon

Laura: The Amazon rainforest isn’t a place meant for people – among the very wildest places on the planet, anything from giant anacondas to piranhas, poison dart frogs and electric eels could make you feel most unwelcome. So obviously you’re going to want to check in for the night. There are plenty of places from which to take tours, though many will opt for the quickest and easiest route from big city Manaus in Brazil. An evening or two in the Amazon – whether within a lodge, a tent, or, for the super-brave, a hammock - is, of course, well worth the paranoia. Brimming with otherworldly sights and sounds, there’s nothing else like it.

Our tip: Don’t make our mistake and leave any food out in your lodgings – creatures will find a way inside to get hold of it.

5. Taking a coast-to-coast US road trip

Nicola: I’m a big fan of an American road trip, but the ultimate US driving experience has to be going from coast to coast. If you start in New York City and make your way to LA, there are plenty of routes you could take; head north to see Chicago and the Great Lakes, followed by the mountainous landscapes of Utah and Colorado, or bear south and stop off at Nashville and the Grand Canyon.

Our tip: The non-stop drive time (in good traffic) would be around 40 hours, but unless you’re a machine, allow yourself two or three weeks, driving a few hours each day and allowing time for spontaneous stops – they’re what will really make the trip.

6. Hiking to Tiger’s Nest Monastery

Laura: Bhutan should be high on any serious traveller’s bucket list – the country’s policy of encouraging only sustainable tourism sees it charge visitors an average of US$250 a day to be there, making it one of the most expensive places in the world to visit, and resultantly one of the most elusive and desirable. The big ticket attraction, of course, is Tiger’s Nest Monastery, the Buddhist temple complex clinging precariously to a cliffside in the Paro Valley. The steep trek is notoriously knackering but totally worth it for that picture.

Our tip: Try to get an early start as it takes about 3.5 hours to hike up to Tiger’s Nest and temperatures are far more forgiving in the morning. However, very early mornings can be foggy, so try to time your arrival for around midday.

Tiger's Nest Monastery is the most holy Buddhist site in Bhutan (Getty Images) (Getty)

7. Spotting polar bears in Churchill

Laura: While the polar bears are the main reason to visit Churchill - the “polar bear capital of the world” - seeing first-hand the strange fate of this little town perched on Canada’s Hudson Bay is an attraction in itself. Between July and November, around 1,000 of Earth’s largest land predators migrate here to hunt for seals on the frozen water while waiting for winter. While you can watch the animals from the safety of a raised tundra buggy, the phenomenon poses some interesting challenges for local residents – including drafting in an army reserve unit so the kids can enjoy trick or treating un-mauled on Halloween.

Our tip: Go in the summer months and you can catch beluga whales as well as polar bears on most tundra buggy tours.

8. Camping in the Sahara

Laura: Everyone should make camp in a desert at least once in their life and experience the special silence of a night spent among the dunes. An evening under the sort of starry night sky you only get when this far from civilisation is always going to be memorable – but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’ll be hot. Deserts can get very cold at night because once the sun has set, all the heat escapes without cloud cover to keep it in.

Our tip: While the Sahara is the most famous desert in the popular imagination, you needn’t actually splash out on one of the many luxury camps here for a bucket list experience. You could just as easily pitch your own tent in the emirate of Abu Dhabi’s Liwa (part of the Empty Quarter, a desert larger than France) or sleep under the stars on a cheap camel trek across Rajasthan’s Thar Desert.

9. Exploring Vietnam by motorbike

Laura: Vietnam is an extraordinarily gorgeous country, offering vast romantic vistas across green rice paddies and towering rice terraces, thick jungles, far-off hills and river deltas. Motorbike is the most common form of transport in the country, and is undoubtedly an exhilarating way to experience the landscape – and buying one of these mean machines in Vietnam can cost as little as US$250. The problem with that, of course, is that you can expect to break down. A lot. So the journey is beautiful, but can also be frustrating and a mite dangerous.

Our tip: Don’t be a dummy – make sure you wear proper gear. Scores of dopey travellers are hideously injured every year after coming off their bikes in Vietnam with little more than shorts and flip-flops to protect them.

10. Going to a full moon party

Nicola: Anyone who’s been to the island of Koh Pha Ngan will know it’s the home of the full moon party, but the all-night crazy beach party concept has now spread to other parts of Thailand and beyond. If you’re going to do it, do it right, and head to Haad Rin beach for the original event, which now attracts around 20,000 revellers each month. Expect body paint, fire and some serious dancing.

Our tip: Take some basic precautions; just take as much cash as you need, leave the valuables behind and keep an eye on your drink.

Party on in Haad Rin (Joe Stump/Flickr)

11. Taking the Trans-Siberian railway

Nicola: The Trans-Siberian gets mixed reviews, but if you’re into epic landscapes, Soviet architecture and a bit of adventure, it’ll tick all your boxes. Accommodation is “a bit like a travelling youth hostel”, according to our Travel Correspondent, Simon Calder, with most people sharing a compartment with three others – but that all adds to the experience.

Our tip: Okay, this one isn’t our own tip, but according to The Man in Seat Sixty One you can make up for the fact the Trans-Siberian isn’t hop-on hop-off by pre-booking separate tickets for the different legs of your journey, giving yourself more time to explore off the train.

12. Catching the northern lights

Nicola: At their dazzling best, the northern lights in, say, Northern Norway or Canada can put on an amazing display of green, pink, red and blue. The only time I’ve seen the northern lights, in Iceland, was a bit of a disappointment, but with the right conditions, an expert guide, and a few days for trial and error, you could catch the light show of a lifetime.

Our tip: Let’s be honest, the northern lights don’t look as good as they do in photos – and that’s because your eyes don’t have the equivalent of a long exposure. So, for the best of both worlds try a photography tour; The Aurora Zone runs a few in Scandinavia and Canada.

13. Riding the Darjeeling Himalayan railway

Laura: Darjeeling, India’s famed tea town in the Himalayan foothills, is 100 per cent worth a visit – but the much-touted Himalayan railway journey to get there isn’t quite all it’s cracked up to be. First of all, the full route between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling takes a painfully slow 7.5 hours and is hauled by boring diesel instead of romantic steam engine – plus, it often gets cancelled. However, in high season, you can do a two-hour “joy ride” on a steam engine between Darjeeling and Ghum, which is fun, but views depend on the weather. Better to stay a good few days in Darjeeling and spend them enjoying the Himalayan air (not to mention vistas) rather than fretting too much about the train.

Our tip: One thing you shouldn’t miss is seeing sunrise at Tiger Hill, where you’ll watch dawn break over several Himalayan peaks, including Everest. Share jeeps leave the centre of town around 4am.

14. Raising a glass at Oktoberfest

Laura: This bawdy Bavarian beer festival is just as raucous as you might imagine an event that pours more than six million litres of barley pop over a period of just two weeks to be. Essentially, it’s just a fairground with a number of overstuffed beer tents, a fair few piles of sick and lots of fancy dress. Good luck finding a seat, and bear in mind that those who do are then very reluctant to get up when they need the toilet. Need we say more?

Our tip: Recover from the frothy mayhem with a trip to the nearby Neuschwanstein Castle – a fairy tale retreat in the Bavarian hills that was home to “Mad King Ludwig II” and inspired Disney’s very own.

Oktoberfest in Munich is a less-than-wise pairing of fairground rides and beer (Getty)

15. Eating deadly fugu in Japan

Nicola: Pufferfish, or fugu, can be lethal if the poisonous parts aren’t taken out correctly (we’ve all seen that episode of The Simpsons, right?), and only chefs with at least three years of special training are allowed to prepare it in Japan. Is it worth it? Well, it is meant to be tasty, but we’re not sure the risk of death really enhances a meal.

Our tip: If you are determined to give it a go, Tora-fugu Tei is one of Tokyo’s best-reviewed fugu restaurants.

16. Mountain biking down Death Road

Laura: Okay, mountain biking down Bolivia’s North Yungas Road – pretty much just a narrow dirt path with two-way traffic and a sheer 2,000-metre drop on one side, and no guard rail – isn’t the brightest idea. Nevertheless, tens of thousands of tourists ride the popular 64km downhill stretch from La Paz to Coroico. I did it as a young idiot, and I have to say the views – the route has gorgeous rainforest on all sides – were spectacular. Like fugu, it's not worth dying for, though.

Our tip: Many cyclists have met their end on this journey, which is why it appears towards the bottom of the list – it’s really dangerous. If you must do it, go with one of the more expensive, reputable companies, which will at the very least provide good guides and bikes. Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking is widely considered the best.

17. Chucking some tomatoes at La Tomatina

Laura: No one is entirely sure why the people in the teeny Valencian town of Buñol insist on pelting each other with tomatoes one day in August every year, but it’s been happening since the mid-1940s; one theory is that it stems from angry locals turning on city councilmen with the fruit, and enjoying themselves so much that it fast became annual tradition. As many as 50,000 people have crushed into the town centre to participate in this food fight in the past, which was less than ideal – the festival has now introduced a ticketing system with space for just 20,000 tomato chuckers (still twice the size of Buñol’s population).

Our tip: Wear goggles. The fight lasts an hour and, in this time, about 140,000kg of squashed tomatoes are thrown around – imagine taking all that straight in the eye. Women would be well advised to wear several layers – various lovely men are apt to try and whip off their shirts in the melee.

18. Cruising the Norwegian fjords

Nicola: Norway’s crinkle-cut coastline is spectacular, whether you see it at its lush best in summer, or in its icy finery in winter. A cruise is a great way to see the fjords, but perhaps save it for your retirement and head off on a hike or a road trip instead.

Our tip: Temperatures may be chilly in winter, but you’ll miss the crowds of the peak summer season.

19. Visiting North Korea

Nicola: Yes, there’s the attraction of visiting one of the world’s most secretive states, and the kudos of visiting somewhere none of your friends have been, but you will - as your parents might say - have to be on your best bahaviour. Tourists have been shot for straying into restricted military areas and jailed for attempting to steal a propaganda banner from a hotel.

Our tip: Book with a reputable tour operator who will be able to advise you on a few dos and don’ts. Koryo Tours – a British company based in Beijing – runs group trips that depart from the Chinese capital.

Behave yourself in Pyongyang (Getty Images)

20. Diving with great white sharks

Nicola: The only way you can do this – unless you just happen to stumble across a great white while diving – is in a cage. It sounds thrilling – and you’re in a cage, separated from the animal, so what’s the harm, right? Well, in order to get great whites to come close you usually have to throw “chum” (a mix of blood and mashed fish) into the water, which teaches the sharks that humans are a source of food – potentially leading to a rise in the number of shark attacks. Florida takes the issue so seriously it has banned “chumming”.

Our tip: Try swimming with a different kind of shark instead, in an ethically responsible way. Natural World Safaris offers the chance to free dive with whale sharks in Djibouti, for example.

21. Running with the bulls in Pamplona

Nicola: What is it with Spain and weird festivals? Each year, the northern Spanish city of Pamplona sees huge crowds of people run through the cobbled streets, chased by a herd of bulls. The San Fermin festival may sound exhilerating, but we wouldn’t recommend it; the bulls are injured as they crash into walls or are hit by stick-wielding spectators, and dozens go on to be killed in the gory bull fights that take place afterwards.

Our tip: Forget San Fermin and try Las Fallas instead - a huge festival (complete with extravagant parade) that takes place in Valencia every March.

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