Rotorua was named in fourth place for its geysers, white water rafting, zip-lining through its forest and zooming along in jet boats. Photo / Getty Images
Rotorua was named in fourth place for its geysers, white water rafting, zip-lining through its forest and zooming along in jet boats. Photo / Getty Images
The best places in the world for travel experiences has been named by TripAdvisor, with Rotorua and Queenstown making the list.
The travel site has revealed the places – countries, and specific cities, towns and regions, grouped under 'destinations' – that are best for local tours, activities and experiences, based on the combined average destination ratings and reviews for bookable experiences. And the Costa Rican of La Fortuna town ranks No1 in the 'destination' list.
The second-best destination is Kauai, Hawaii, while Tromso in Norway comes third and Rotorua in New Zealand is fourth. Ireland and Scotland, meanwhile, come fourth and fifth respectively in the country list – which Costa Rica tops, too.
The best place in the world for travel experiences has been named by TripAdvisor as La Fortuna de San Carlos (pictured) in Costa Rica. Photo / Getty Images
The top-rated experiences in La Fortuna – at least, that's according to booking data from TripAdvisor – are white water river rafting, guided sloth seeing tours and canyoning in the Lost Canyon.
In second-place Kauai the top experiences are a half-day history and ecology trek at the Makauwahi Cave Reserve, a sightseeing flight and the Koloa Zipline.
The best-rated experiences in third-place Tromso are apparently fjord tours, reindeer feeding and Northern Lights viewing, while in fourth-place Rotorua visitors love white water rafting, zip-lining through its forest and zooming through the Tutukau Gorge on a jet boat the best.
In Kauai, Hawaii, the top experiences are a history and ecology trek at the Makauwahi Cave Reserve, a sightseeing flight and the Koloa Zipline. Photo / Getty Images
The rest of the top 10 destinations list is made up of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico (5th), Sedona in Arizona (6th), Queenstown in New Zealand (7th), St Petersburg in Russia (8th), Santorini in Greece (9th) and Key West in Florida (10th).
New Zealand was named second on the best countries list for parasailing over the Bay of Islands, followed by Vietnam (3rd), Australia (6th), Portugal (7th), Mexico (8th), the U.S (9th) and Iceland (10th).
In seventh-place is Queenstown, where visitors love to bungee jump. Photo / Getty Images
TripAdvisor said that Scotland's variety of scenic experiences for travellers, like the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Tour and a four-day tour of the West Highlands and Isle of Skye, propelled the country into the list of top five countries worldwide for experiences.
Costa Rica topped the countries and destinations lists, it said, thanks to its combination of experiences amid rainforests, volcanoes and beaches.
Tromso, pictured, ranks third on the destinations list. There, fjord tours and reindeer feeding are popular activities. Photo / Getty Images
TripAdvisor also produced a ranking of European destinations.
In this Belfast came fourth, thanks to its Troubles Historical Walking Tour and Titanic Walking Tour, and Edinburgh came ninth, with a private half-day tour of Edinburgh in a Mini one of the best-rated experiences.
Best places in the world for travel experiences according to TripAdvisor
Best destinations
1. La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica
Top-rated experiences include - white-water rafting, sloth seeing tours, canyoning in the Lost Canyon
2. Kauai, Hawaii, USA
History and ecology trek at the Makauwahi Cave Reserve, sightseeing flight and koloa zipline
