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  • What's up guys, my name is Ryan, and with almost all countries open for tourism, I think we're all excited to travel to some new destinations this year.

  • So here's my top 10 places to visit in 2024.

  • With tourism almost completely back to normal, 2024 is going to be a year full of travel.

  • Whether you explore the dramatic landscapes of the Faroe Islands, or go on an African safari in Tanzania, I hope you can all safely visit some new places this year.

  • Let's start this video off in Croatia.

  • I was able to go to Croatia last summer, and it quickly became one of my favorite countries.

  • From the incredible scenery of the Dalmatian coast, to medieval seaside towns, Croatia is one of Europe's hidden gems.

  • One of the most iconic places in Croatia is Dubrovnik.

  • Located in the southernmost part of Croatia, Dubrovnik is this incredible medieval city built right on the Adriatic Sea.

  • One of my favorite things that I did during my time in Dubrovnik, was walking on top of the city walls.

  • You're able to loop the entire city and experience Dubrovnik from a new perspective.

  • Another impressive place in Croatia is Plutvice Lakes National Park.

  • I remember seeing pictures of this place years ago, and I've been wanting to see them in person ever since.

  • The area is renowned for its crystal clear, terraced lakes that are connected by beautiful waterfalls.

  • If you want to experience one of Croatia's unique islands, I really enjoyed Duji Otok.

  • It's one of Croatia's longest islands, and it's home to the tallest lighthouse in the Adriatic Sea.

  • One of my favorite features of the island was the Teliscica Nature Park.

  • The area had a bay full of islands, and then there were these impressive sea cliffs.

  • I mean, just such a unique place.

  • After, we're going to head over to the country of Iceland.

  • Known as the land of fire and ice, Iceland is easily one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and the world.

  • With volcanic landscapes, endless waterfalls, and gigantic glaciers, Iceland is home to some of the most incredible places on Earth.

  • Probably the most well-known region in the country is southern Iceland.

  • It takes about two to three hours to get here from Reykjavik, and there's just so many attractions and beautiful places.

  • One of the most well-known spots is Skokofoss.

  • It's probably the most iconic waterfall in the country.

  • Its drop is 60 meters high, and the power of the falls is insane.

  • Now, one of my favorite destinations in the area is Reynisfjörður Black Sand Beach.

  • It's this incredible coastline that stretches a few kilometers to the west.

  • The sand is so black and unique.

  • My favorite feature of the beach is the Reynisfjörður rock formations.

  • There are these jagged sea stacks that jut out of the sea with constant waves pounding on them.

  • One of my personal favorite places in Iceland is its highlands.

  • It's located in the interior of the country, and it's an extremely unique region home to other worldly landscapes.

  • One of the most impressive places is Landmadalugur.

  • It's home to rainbow-colored mountains, and there's a good amount of volcanic activity in the area, with tons of formolias shooting out steam.

  • I mean, Iceland just has so many incredible places to explore.

  • While we're still in the Nordics, we're going to visit the Faroe Islands.

  • I visited these incredible islands last year, and it became one of my favorite places I've ever been.

  • The Faroe Islands are located between Iceland and Norway, and they're home to some of the most dramatic and epic landscapes in the world.

  • One of the main reasons I wanted to go here was to see the Drangonir Sea Stack.

  • You can either get there by taking a guided six-hour hike, or you can also go on a boat ride.

  • I decided to take the quick boat ride, and I had an incredible time exploring the area and marveling at the one-of-a-kind sea stack.

  • Nearby is the Mulefossur Waterfall.

  • It's one of the most scenic waterfalls I've ever seen as it cascades down into the sea.

  • Another incredible place is Kalsoy.

  • It's this narrow island, and I had to take a ferry to get onto it.

  • At the end of Kalsoy, there's this lighthouse perched on these massive sea cliffs.

  • It was easily one of the most epic places I've ever been.

  • Nothing quite matches the landscapes of the Faroe Islands.

  • After, we're going to get a change of scenery and head over to the country of Oman.

  • Located on the easternmost region of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is easily one of the most beautiful countries in the Middle East.

  • It's home to endless sand dunes, historical forts, and idyllic beaches.

  • The capital city is Musqat, and it's a great starting point to explore Oman.

  • If you like the mountains, you can visit Jebel Shams.

  • It's the highest peak in the country with an elevation of 3,009 meters.

  • One of my favorite regions in Oman is the southern part of the country near Salalah.

  • Now in the area, there's the Darbat Waterfall, and it's also home to some of Oman's best beaches.

  • One of my favorites is Eftalquot Beach.

  • It's a pristine area with rolling waves, white sand, and an impressive rocky cliff as a backdrop.

  • I mean, what more could you ask for?

  • Oman truly is an amazing country.

  • After, we're going to visit the nearby island of Socotra.

  • Located in the Arabian Sea, Socotra is one of the most mystical and beautiful islands in the world.

  • Now, to travel to Socotra, it's best to go with a tour company.

  • They will help guide you around the island, and get you the proper visas, and also schedule your flights out of the UAE to get there.

  • Now, one of my favorite features of Socotra is its dragon tree.

  • It's one of the most unique looking trees I've seen, and it has a red sap that looks like blood.

  • Now the coastline of Socotra is also amazing.

  • It has crystal clear water and white sand beaches.

  • I particularly like Arhar Beach with its sand dunes that are sandwiched between the cliffs and the coast.

  • Socotra's scenery is truly on another level.

  • Now after, we're going to head to Africa to visit Morocco.

  • Located in northern Africa, Morocco was one of the most diverse and historical countries.

  • It's home to snow-capped mountains, a mesmerizing coastline, and also the Sahara Desert.

  • One of my favorite places is Aït Benhaddou.

  • It's a historic clay brick village that dates back to the 11th century.

  • It's been a popular filming site for movies and TV shows such as Game of Thrones.

  • Another impressive place in Morocco is the Atlas Mountains.

  • I mean, you wouldn't expect to find much snow in Morocco, but the Atlas Mountains are an exception.

  • The highest peak is Toubkal with an elevation of 4,167 meters.

  • Now when it comes to Morocco's cities, Casablanca is the largest.

  • My favorite feature of the city is the Hassan II Mosque.

  • It was built in 1993 and its minaret stands 210 meters tall.

  • Now, as for Morocco's beaches, one of the most unique ones is Legzira beach.

  • It's located in southern Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean.

  • It has red rock and this very peculiar arch.

  • I mean there's just so much to see in this incredible country.

  • After, we're going to visit Sri Lanka.

  • Located right below India, Sri Lanka is an incredibly lush island country and it's one of the places I want to visit most this year.

  • It has an incredible coastline and offers some of the best places to go on a safari in Asia.

  • One of the most recognizable places on Sri Lanka is Sigiriya or Lion Rock.

  • It's this massive monolith that sticks out of the landscape and on top of it, there's an ancient fortress that was built here in the 5th century AD.

  • Another iconic attraction in Sri Lanka is its trains.

  • The Nine Arches Bridge is one of the most famous spots.

  • It reminds me of the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland.

  • Sri Lanka is such an underrated country.

  • After, we're going to head back to Europe to visit the island of Corsica.

  • Located in the Mediterranean, Corsica is easily one of Europe's most beautiful and diverse islands.

  • It's home to idyllic beaches, jagged mountains, and historical cities.

  • One of my favorite places I've visited on the island is Bonifacio.

  • It's this medieval town that's built upon these sea cliffs.

  • I mean it seriously looks like it's going to fall into the ocean.

  • I really enjoyed exploring the town and there's also a picturesque harbor that was really nice to walk through.

  • As for the beaches, I really love St. Anthony Beach.

  • It's located just a few minutes drive from Bonifacio and it took about 30 minutes of hiking to reach the beach.

  • There was a massive rock formation that made for the most epic backdrop.

  • While I was there, I noticed this cave in the rock so I swam over to it and to my surprise, it was a tunnel that connected to the other side.

  • It was such a fun place to explore.

  • If you want more of a chill beach experience, you can visit the area around Palmombagia.

  • It's home to crystal clear calm waters perfect for relaxing on the Mediterranean.

  • Another one of my favorite places in Corsica is the Torre de Turquio.

  • It's this medieval watchtower that's perched upon these cliffs.

  • It was a somewhat demanding hike and took us an hour to reach the tower but we were rewarded with some insane 360 views of Corsica's coast.

  • It would be a perfect place to spot incoming pirates back in the day.

  • After we're going to head to the South Pacific to visit the islands of French Polynesia.

  • Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, French Polynesia is the definition of tropical paradise.

  • It's home to pristine beaches, lush mountains, and the clearest water you've ever seen.

  • If you come to French Polynesia, you're first flying to Tahiti.

  • It's the biggest island in the country and it's home to one of the most famous waves in the world that is located just off the coast of the small village of Teahupo'o.

  • Now one of my favorite islands in French Polynesia is Mo'orea.

  • It's located right next to Tahiti and you can get there by either flying or taking a ferry.

  • It's known as the pearl of the sea and it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

  • I particularly like Mo'orea's mountains. They are so jagged and unique looking.

  • If you're more into beaches, there's some amazing ones such as Ta'ahiamanu.

  • It's this really relaxing beach with sailboats and amazing scenery.

  • It's also a spectacular place to watch the sunset.

  • While we're still in French Polynesia, we're going to head to Bora Bora.

  • Of all the islands in French Polynesia, Bora Bora is probably the most famous and after visiting it, I totally understand why.

  • The geography of Bora Bora is pure perfection.

  • There's the main island with its towering dormant volcano and then it's surrounded by this reef that protects the island from the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

  • Inside the reef, there's a lagoon which is home to some of the world's clearest water and it's full of wildlife such as sharks and rays.

  • One of my favorite places in Bora Bora is its southwest lagoon.

  • There's this sandbar there that creates one of the most epic scenes with Mount Otemanu in the back.

  • There was also some great snorkeling in the area.

  • We went out on a little boat and we were able to swim with some sharks.

  • If you want to experience tropical paradise this year, you got to give French Polynesia a visit.

  • For our final destination, we're going to head back to Africa to experience Tanzania.

  • I went to Tanzania about 10 months ago and it was one of the most memorable trips of my life.

  • From witnessing herds of millions of wildebeest row in the savanna to Africa's highest mountain, Tanzania is one of the world's greatest wonders.

  • One of the most iconic places in Tanzania is the Serengeti.

  • It's one of the best places on earth to see Africa's wildlife.

  • From leopards chilling in trees to cheetahs roaming the savanna, the Serengeti is the lion king in real life.

  • When we were there, we went on game drives every day.

  • We were able to witness so many incredible moments, whether it was watching two lionesses enjoying the sunset or witnessing the endless herds of wildebeest.

  • The most memorable moment was when we escaped a massive thunderstorm and we were able to watch these zebras grazing accompanied by massive thunderbolts in the craziest sunset I've ever seen in my life.

  • Now, besides the Serengeti, my other favorite place in Tanzania is Ol Doinyo Lengai.

  • It's located near Lake Natron and it's an active volcano with a height just under 3,000 meters and it's known by the local tribes as the mountain of God.

  • And after scaling it, I totally understand why it has that name.

  • So we decided we wanted to climb the volcano.

  • So we started at midnight and I honestly didn't know what I was getting myself into, but it ended up being the hardest hike of my life.

  • But right around 6am, we made it to the top and the sun started to climb over the horizon and I just couldn't believe my eyes.

  • I was standing on the volcano's rim and the crater was absolutely huge.

  • It had this black bubbling lava inside and it's said to be some of the coldest lava in the world.

  • The volcano was just so loud, you could hear the earth groaning and it sounded like a thunderstorm.

  • As I walked to the other side, I got one of my all-time favorite shots as I was standing on the volcano's rim overlooking the scenery below.

  • It reminded me of the quote in Lion King where Mufasa says to Simba, everything the light touches is our kingdom.

  • It was one of the most powerful views I've ever seen in my life.

  • Our guide Elijah recommended that we headed back after spending about two hours on the top to avoid the midday sun.

  • The trek was beautiful on the way down.

  • When we reached our car, it was about noon so it took us 12 hours in total.

  • Even though it was one of the hardest physical challenges I've ever done, it was hands down one of my all-time favorite travel experiences.

  • Well, that is it for my 2024 top 10.

  • Let me know where you want to travel this year in the comments below.

  • You can follow me on Instagram and TikTok at shirley.films.

  • It's Ryan and we will see you later.

What's up guys, my name is Ryan, and with almost all countries open for tourism, I think we're all excited to travel to some new destinations this year.

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