Lonely Planet 2020 – Best in Travel

Lonely Planet 2020 – Best in Travel

It’s that time of year again. Evenings are getting longer and colder, trees are ablaze in hues of yellow and orange, and everyone’s pulling on their favourite cosy sweaters. With 2019 coming to its end, autumn is the perfect time to look to the year ahead, and this one is particularly exciting as we enter a whole new decade. What’s more, just this week Lonely Planet released their Best in Travel 2020 List, collated by the top writers, editors, movers and shakers in tourism. There are some fantastic and intriguing destinations on the Lonely Planet 2020 Best in Travel List, including a few wonderful South American entries that we highly approve of. Scroll down to read the full list of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2020 and start looking forward to next year’s amazing travel opportunities.

Top 10 Countries 2020

1. Bhutan
2. England
3. North Macedonia
4. Aruba
5. eSwatini (Swaziland)
6. Costa Rica
7. The Netherlands
8. Liberia
9. Morocco
10. Uruguay

Bhutan has been voted the top country to visit in 2020, owed to its beautiful, monastery-dotted hills that are prime for hiking and spiritual journeys. What’s more, Bhutan is the only country in the world that can call itself carbon-negative, and is on its way to becoming fully organic by 2020. With these sustainability credentials, added to its Buddhist population and bucolic landscapes, it’s easy to see why Lonely Planet has named Bhutan the top country to visit in 2020.

In addition, Lonely Planet places one of our beloved South American nations on the top ten list. Uruguay is a gem of a place with so much to beguile travellers, from fine wine to surf beaches, tango shows to gaucho communities, picturesque pampas to glamorous coastal resorts. We are thrilled that Lonely Planet recognises Uruguay’s unique offer, including its forward-thinking attitude to LGBTQ+ rights and sustainability. Read more about travel to Uruguay here and consider making 2020 the year you visit.

Top 10 Cities 2020

1. Salzburg, Austria
2. Washington DC, USA
3. Cairo, Egypt
4. Galway, Ireland
5. Bonn, Germany
6. La Paz, Bolivia
7. Kochi, India
8. Vancouver, Canada
9. Dubai, UAE
10. Denver, USA

According to Lonely Planet, the number 1 city to visit in 2020 is Salzburg. This gorgeous Austrian city is set to celebrate the centenary of its famous Salzburg Festival, and will be hosting a dizzying array of events. If you love classical music, opera and theatre, then 2020 is the year to visit Salzburg!

Also on the top ten cities list for 2020 is La Paz, a positively up-and-coming Bolivian town that is drawing in more and more visitors each year. Lonely Planet points towards La Paz’s boom in entrepreneurial business and a surging pride in its indigenous cultures, translating to richer travel experiences for tourists. What’s more, there will be a total of 11 cable cars crisscrossing above the city by 2020, so you can discover more of La Paz as other barrios are opened up via this new transport network. However, there are so many other reasons to visit La Paz – see our blog post on things to do in La Paz here.

Top 10 Regions 2020

1. Central Asian Silk Road
2. Le Marche, Italy
3. Tohuku, Japan
4. Maine, USA
5. Lord Howe Island, Australia
6. Guizhou Province, China
7. Cadiz Province, Spain
8. Northeast Argentina
9. Kvarner Gulf, Croatia
10. Brazilian Amazon

There are some excellent picks when it comes to the Top 10 Regions for 2020, with destinations that span the globe; from the Central Asian Silk Road at the top spot, to Lord Howe Island in Australia and China’s Guizhou Province. Moreover, South America bags two of the top ten regions to visit in 2020: Northeast Argentina and the Brazilian Amazon.

Northeast Argentina is renowned for the majestic Iguazu Falls – a natural wonder of the world, no less – which is a bucket list destination for nature lovers, and that’s no overstatement. Not only does the Iguazu National Park play host to these awe-inspiring waterfalls, it’s also carpeted in Atlantic Forest that teems with wildlife, and offers many adventure activities too. Beyond Iguazu, visitors to Northeast Argentina can explore the Ibera National Park, getting up close to even more wildlife across the recently regenerated wetlands. This regeneration has seen native wildlife return to the region, including Green-winged Macaws, Pampas Deer and Jaguars, making it an incredibly exciting region to visit in 2020.

Then there’s the Brazilian Amazon, a fragile region that has experienced terrible atrocities since the summer of 2019 with outbreaks of fire ravaging the rainforest. However, Lonely Planet promotes visiting the Brazilian Amazon in order to help the local communities: ‘In 2020, thoughtful and well-planned travel to the most important forest on earth will support sustainable travel efforts, simultaneously benefiting local communities and the national economy, and highlighting the cultural and monetary value in preservation.’

Top 10 Best Value Destinations 2020

1. East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
2. Budapest, Hungary
3. Madhya Pradesh, India
4. Buffalo, USA
5. Azerbaijan
6. Serbia
7. Tunisia
8. Cape Winelands, South Africa
9. Athens, Greece
10. Zanzibar, Tanzania

The Best Value list incorporates some of the most affordable but experiential destinations in the world for 2020, starring the lesser-visited islands of East Nusa Tenggara; the eclectic city of Athens; beautiful, beachy Zanzibar in Tanzania; and the vine-clad Cape Winelands in South Africa. However, if you’re looking for a trip that is excellent value, South America has plenty of options to choose from – and we can help. Your experiential holiday doesn’t have to cost the earth to be unforgettable!

Try out our free online trip-builder to plan your South American holiday for 2020. Handpick the hotels and activities you want, adjust the durations depending on how long you want to stay in each place, and have fun in the process! Surtrek is always at hand to help out. Call us on 1 866 978 7398 (Canada and USA) or 080 8189 0438 (UK) to talk to an expert, and Discover Your South America with Surtrek!