3. Greenland
Why it’s hot? It’s the wild Arctic adventure you’ve always dreamed of
While Iceland is now justly cemented on most travelers’ bucket lists, next door to it sits a huge country-shaped wallflower. Greenland has seen little tourism growth over the past few years, with visitor numbers regularly peaking around a Iowly 15,000 (international flight passengers) in summer; an astonishing figure given the wild possibilities of this often desolate, frequently beautiful frozen land.
But it’s only a matter of time before travelers catch on. The now annual early melting of the Northwest Passage means the arrival of ever-larger cruise ships (the first 1,000+ liner made the trip in 2016), and its ports are getting busier. But inland there is so much to explore. In summer, trek the stunning west, walking the 164km Arctic Circle Trail across back country to Kanglussuaq, where more than 10,000 musk oxen graze. In winter, catch the northern lights rippling across an ink-black sky (Nov-Mar).
Whether kayaking the UNESCO-listed icefjords of llulissat, heading south to the Uunartoq island hot springs, or whale-spotting off the coast of capital Nuuk, 2017 is time for travelers to ask this shy partner for a spin. Iceland should start looking over its shoulder now.
4. Jordan
Why it’s hot? A new world-class hike has just opened
Jordan has pulled out all the stops for 2017. No, it’s not built another Petra (although the recent discovery of new sites within that ancient Nabataean city does give the travel icon an added buzz of excitement). Instead, it has joined up existing routes across its north-west quarter to form the Jordan Trail, a new 600km trek.
The route takes 36 days to hike in its entirety, but can handily be broken up into eight bite-sized sections. The pick of the bunch is arguably the headline-grabbing Petra-to-Wadi Rum trail (111km), a week-long hike that starts from the 2,000-year-old ancient city and then meanders through sandstone ‘islands’ en route to the otherworldly sight of Jordan’s famed orange desert.
There are plenty of other highlights, though, from the trail’s opening stretch, negotiating the Roman ruins, green canyons and oak forests of Umm Qais and beyond, to the final procession over the Aqaba Mountains, as they part to reveal the vast expanse of the Red Sea. With temperatures pretty cool (highs of 17°C) north of the New Year, head there in spring if you want to camp along the way.
