Flickr/Konrad Summers

"Petra is known as the ancient rose city and it's easy to see why once you visit," Hie said. "Everything here is rose-colored due to the color of the stone from which its architectures are carved out of."

Flickr/Juanedc

"Lviv is the historical center of Ukraine, and there's a lot to see and learn here," Hie said. "Of course, it also helps that they have [some] of the best chocolate in the world."

Shutterstock/Jung Hsuan

Srin Madipalli, CEO and Co-Founder of travel website Accomable which specialises in disabled travel, told Business Insider: "Before I started Accomable I was working as a City lawyer and took six months out to go travelling. One of the most exciting things I did was go diving in Bali."

"I have SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) which means I have very little muscle function and need a motorized wheelchair to get around. With the help of Bali's best accessible stay I was able to do some full-on open water dives in some of the quieter, less visited parts of the island.

"For the best sites, we drove north east across Bali to Tulamben, a small fishing village which stands out for its unusual black rocky beaches, verdant volcano views and incredible marine life."

Flickr/Joe Turco

"Waking up before dawn to hear hyenas cackling before setting out into the bush and seeing families of elephants, great prides of lions and the occasional, elusive leopard in the early morning light is a one-of-a-kind experience," Madipalli said. "It's also something that's really fun to do in a group."

Shutterstock/anushreetravels

"Barcelona is hardly off the tourist trail but I absolutely love it there," Madipalli said. "The city, with all its grand architecture and atmospheric passageways, is surprisingly and brilliantly accessible. While most tourists make a beeline for the Gothic Quarter, I always head to Barceloneta, a little tangle of streets just behind the city beach, which has the best tapas bars and a great vibe for a cheeky, just-off-the-plane caña (small beer)."

Flickr/Bert Heymans

"With Accomable I'm lucky to be able to discover some unusual places for our customers in the name of work," Madipalli said. "One of my favourites was buzzy Mechelen in the north of Belgium, with its imposing cathedral and colourful townhouses. Being Belgium, they obviously had great beer, but this area is also known for its whisky distilleries."

Flickr/-5m

"I've always thought that you don't have to travel far to do something that takes you out of your comfort zone," Madipalli said. "A few years ago I was able to prove it while sat in the cockpit of a Shadow glider cruising over the Wiltshire countryside."

Lost With Purpose

Sebaastian Rijntjes, Co-Founder of travel blog Lost With Purpose, told Business Insider that in Bamiyan, "crumbling Silk Road caravanserais and towering fortresses high in the Hindu Kush Mountain and hundreds of Buddhist monastic caves punctuate the surrounding sandstone cliffs. No need to worry about crowds of tourists here — it is in Afghanistan, after all."

Source -- http://www.thisisinsider.com/1...miyan-afghanistan-45

Lost With Purpose

"Locals like to joke 'one man's roof is another man's garden' in the stepped villages of Iran," Rijntjes said. "Head to Palangan in Iranian Kurdistan to see how true this really is!"

Lost With Purpose

"Touted as 'the last Shangri La,' the Buddhist town in Arunachal Pradesh, India lies low in a green valley ringed by snow-capped peaks," Rijntjes said. "The vistas should attract more tourists, but Arunachal Pradesh is one of India's least visited states."

Lost With Purpose

"Stands selling sizzling kebabs and frothy lassis lean against majestic Mughal-era buildings in Lahore's old city," Rijntjes said. "But unlike its Indian counterpart, Delhi, Lahore sees few tourists. Visitors are guaranteed to a warm welcome from the hospitable Punjabi population."

Lost With Purpose

Rijntjes said: "Cappadocia gets all the credit regarding rocky spires, rolling hills, and cave houses, but Goris, Armenia ticks all those boxes — minus the hordes."

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Lloyd and Yaya of travel blog Hand Luggage Only said: "Although it's a challenging hike (due to the altitude), it was a once in a lifetime experience to catch a glimpse of this incredible mountain range."

Flickr/Stig Nygaard

"It's only a one hour flight from Scotland but feels like a million miles away," said Lloyd and Yaya. "Imagine towering waterfalls, vast glacial landscapes, and an island nation that is amazing to explore."

Flickr/sunriseOdyssey

"Most people think of Nepal and head straight to the Himalayas, but the country is so much more than this," said Lloyd and Yaya. "Head to the very southern border with India and explore the unspoilt beauty of Chitwan National Park. You'll find tigers [and] rhinos amongst many other endangered species that call this region home."

Flickr/Andrei Dimofte

"This might sound like an obvious choice to visit from the UK, but head into the deep mountain ranges and visit the volcanic landscape that's an hour or so from Funchal and you'll feel like you're in another world," according to Lloyd and Yaya.

Flickr/Guillaume Speurt

"The Arctic Circle is a very special region to visit, especially around Tromso in northern Norway," Lloyd and Yaya said. "Head out into the icy tundra, go dog sledging in the forest, and jump into the freezing Arctic Ocean."

Flickr/halbag

Gizem Toker, a community member of travel website Passion Passport, told Business Insider: "In Bozcaada, time passes slowly and nostalgically. It's easy to understand why it's known as one of the most relaxed islands in the area."

Avery Stolte

Passion Passport study abroad correspondent Avery Stolte said: "I was only an insignificant speck in the vast rainforst around me. And yet, never before have I been part of something so significant."

Zach Murphy

"Tunisia is difficult as a tourist, but also highly rewarding," said Passion Passport community member Zach Murphy. "Each frustrating bus ride leads to huge ruins of past civilisations waiting to be explored."

Flickr/Andrew Moore

"As you walk the streets, you can't help but notice the diversity of its residents," said Dan Clarke, another community member at Passion Passport. "With an ever-growing international community, the food, stores, and clothing shift from street to street. It feels safe and welcoming for a capital city. The smiles appear friendly, not forced."

Shutterstock/Pfeiffer

"Venice is still the only place I've traveled where I've frozen in my tracks, unwilling to blink for fear I might lose a moment forever," said Passion Passport community member Deb Fong.

Shutterstock/Vera KL82

Moscow-based photographer Murad Osmann is famous for his "Follow Me To" series on Instagram. He told Business Insider: "Kamchatka is a place where volcanoes sleep side by side with the vast Pacific Ocean. Go to Khalaktyrsky Beach to try your hand at surfing, rent a boat in Avacha Bay and sail to Cape Kekurny to look at the rockery of sea lions. Also be sure to hike to the famous volcanoes of Kamchatka."

Murad Osmann/followmeto

"Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma) are our favourite countries for New Year's celebrations," Osmann said. "The Shwegugi Pagoda temple in Bagan is one of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth, in our opinion."

Murad Osmann/muradosmann

Osmann said: "Japan isn't just a country, it's a whole new universe! As well as Tokyo's bustling and vibrant Akinabara District, visitors must see Shibuya Crossing and Senso-ji Temple."

Nataly Osmann

"We revisited China recently — we barely slept because we wanted to see the most unique hidden places and catch the best light which appears at sunrise," Osmann said. "Some days we didn't have any mobile or network connection. However, we had a great tour guide, who helped us to see the 'true face' of the country."

Murad Osmann/muradosmann

"The things you see with your eyes are completely different from what you see through the lens of the camera — thus Havana must be experienced to be understood, or even believed," Osmann said. "But national dances, narrow streets and retro cars, when experienced in the flesh, make this city feel like a magical myth transported from the 60s or 70s."

Source -- http://www.thisisinsider.com/1...as-capital-havana-64