Intrepid Travel just unveiled its 2027 Not Hot List, an annual list of destinations designed to encourage travelers to make better choices that benefit local communities and help ease pressure on overcrowded places. As you plan your 2027 travels, these under-the-radar destinations are worth checking out. Travelers are encouraged to explore lesser-known destinations and go beyond crowded parks and islands to support Indigenous tourism and community-led development.
The list showcases destinations that offer compelling alternatives to some of travel’s most popular experiences. Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, for example, represents a nationwide effort to combat overtourism in some of East Africa’s busiest national parks. Chile’s Carretera Austral provides an alternative to some of the well-trodden routes of Patagonia.
“If we want tourism to continue to be a force for good, we need to constantly rethink how and where we travel. The Not Hot List isn’t just about surfacing lesser-known places; it aims to shift the conversation and help travelers to discover new destinations where their visit can make a meaningful contribution to local communities and economies.”
The top 10 list
- Samburu National Reserve, Kenya: Samburu National Reserve offers intimate wildlife experiences where community-led tourism supports conservation and local livelihoods.
- Mestia, Georgia: Mestia is becoming more accessible with a new airport investment, offering a gateway for travelers to the Caucasus, where UNESCO-listed landscapes, medieval tower villages, and trekking routes on the Transcaucasian Way remain relatively uncrowded.
- Northern Highlands, Jordan: Focusing on expanding tourism beyond Wadi Rum and Petra, Northern Highlands is emerging as a greener, less-visited region of the Roman ruins, forest reserves, and community-based travel experiences.
- Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada: This region offers a unique opportunity for travelers to learn about Yukon First Nations history and explore wilderness, wildlife, and Indigenous culture.
- Alonnisos, Greece: Greece is seeking to diversify tourism beyond its overcrowded islands, and Alonnisos is the perfect solution.
- Dili, Timor-Leste: Dili is entering a new era of tourism, with new flights, upgraded infrastructure, and community-led experiences making it easier than ever to explore one of Southeast Asia’s least-visited destinations.
- Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka: New flight routes make it easier to visit the Pekoe Trail through the island’s green central highlands, encompassing tea estates, cloud forests, mountains, rivers, remote villages, and World Heritage landscapes.
- Liepāja, Latvia: Diversifying tourism beyond Riga, Liepāja offers tourists white-sand beaches, cultural heritage, and a chance to explore the Baltic coast.
- Carretera Austral, Chile: The Carretera Austral is a remote road trip through Northern Patagonia, featuring fjords, glaciers, and rainforest landscapes and offering an alternative to the more visited southern parks.
- Dalarna, Sweden: Positioning itself as “Europe’s Nearest Wilderness”, offering lakes, forests, and gravel cycling routes that remain far less visited than Scandinavia’s better-known outdoor hubs.
