Scottish Highlands named one of the 25 best travel destinations in 2023 by National Geographic

National Geographic has listed the 25 best destinations for people to travel to next year - here’s a full breakdown of the locations.

The Scottish Highlands have been included in National Geographic’s 25 breathtaking travel destinations for 2023 alongside locations like Manchester, Canada, and Botswana. The list has been ranking places by five categories; community, nature, culture, family and adventure.

The Scottish Highlands were included in ‘5 wildly underrated natural escapes for 2023’ list alongside the Azores, Big Bend National Park in Texas, Botswana, and Slovenia. The Highlands are known for their incredible opportunities for adventure, stunning views and secret coves.

Millions of people have visited throughout the years, and it has only continued to grow in popularity following the Coronavirus pandemic which saw people from all over the UK use the Highlands as a staycation destination. The entry for the location sings the praises of the stunning location and reads: “The windswept Scottish Highlands are celebrated for their austere beauty, but the sheep-scoured landscapes are in fact the result of human interference.

“In ancient times, Scotland’s glens and hills were covered by the great Caledonian Forest. Pine, rowan, and oak trees sheltered all kinds of now vanished wildlife, including wolves, bears, aurochs, and wild oxen. But centuries of logging and overgrazing devastated the ecosystem.

“Now a move to return the Highlands to its original woodlands, by reintroducing former flora and fauna in a process called ‘rewilding,’ is gathering steam—with major strides to come in 2023.” So, what are the top 25 best destinations to travel to in 2023? Here’s the full breakdown of places named by National Geographic.

Full list of best destinations for travellers according to National Geographic

• Karpathos, Greece
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
• Alberta, Canada
• Laos
• Accra, Ghana
• Botswana
• Slovenia
• Scottish Highlands, Scotland
• Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
• Azores, Portugal
• Cairo, Egypt
• Busan, South Korea
• Appian Way, Italy
• Charleston, South Carolina, USA
• Longmen Grottoes, Henan Province, China
• Switzerland
• Trinidad & Tobago
• San Francisco, California, USA
• Colombia
• Manchester, England
• Choquequirao, Peru
• New Zealand
• Utah, USA
• Austria
• Revillagigedo National Park, Mexico