Tag your travel buddy ✈️ Where to go in #2016: Top 5 up-and-coming #destinations for #nextyear’s travel #bucketlist:
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1. #Mongolia
Sandwiched between #Russia & #China, the land that birthed #GenghisKhan, the #SilkRoad & the giant sand dunes of the magical #GobiDesert is one of the most sparsely populated nations in the #world. Mongolia's mystique lies in its #primal #lifestyle.
When to go: May to September. #Naadam, the national #festival of "three games of #men" - wrestling, #horse-racing & #archery - takes place in mid-July.
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2. #Palau
Palau #archipelago is a #natural beauty of emerald outcrops & light lagoons. Called the ”#Serengeti of the Sea," it's one of the world's premier dive spots.
When to go: October to May.
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3. The #Arctic: #Iceland, #Greenland & #Norway
#Northernlights celestial spectacular pierces polar nights with intense dancing greens, polar bears hunt for blubbery bearded seals atop large floes of ice while blue, bowhead & beluga whales tumble below. Dogsledding, snowmobiling & skiing are legitimate modes of transport.
When to go: May to September.
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4. #Madagascar
Undeveloped & raw, Madagascar's got 8,000 species of #animals found nowhere else on the planet - that's 5% of the world's biodiversity. A land where dinosaurs once roamed, this prehistoric evolutionary cauldron is a playground for naturalists.
When to go: April to November. Famadihana, a dramatic "turning of the bones" ritual held in honor of passed ancestors, takes place every year between July & October. Skygazers should #visit during the annular solar eclipse on September 1.
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5. Papua New Guinea
Pristine reefs, smouldering volcanoes & steaming tracts of #jungle envelop a #travel destination that was once mostly banished to legend & lore. Much of the region remains a #secret.
When to go: May to October. It's worth visiting during one of several annual festivals, when vibrant tribes paint their faces & don elaborate headdresses. Hypnotic performances involve boisterous dances & chanting.
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-From edition.cnn.com #Travel #Tuesday
