Ranked: best countries for adventure travel

The best countries for adventure travel have been ranked by a panel of experts. We review the results below

The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) has named Iceland the best country for adventure travel for the third year in a row. The small Nordic island nation, famed for its geysers, volcanoes, geothermal lagoons and cinematic landscapes, remains an attractive destination for adventure seekers, particularly those concerned with sustainability.

Switzerland, with its long history of Alpine tourism, was ranked second, while New Zealand, one of the world’s best hiking countries for hiking, took third place. Germany, Canada and Australia also performed well, as did the other Nordic countries.

Established in 1990, the ATTA is the largest global network of adventure travel leaders. With the help of its 30,000-strong community of people involved in adventure tourism, the ATTA produces the Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI), a global ranking of adventure travel around the globe.

The ATDI uses a panel of 360 industry experts as well as data such as gross domestic product (GDP), population density, protected areas, the Environmental Performance Index, the World Resources Institute and travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Experts must have over five years of experience in the adventure travel industry to be considered for the panel. On average, those selected have 15 years of experience in tourism and 12 years in adventure travel.

10 best countries for adventure travel

1. Iceland
2. Switzerland
3. New Zealand
4. Germany
5. Norway
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Canada
9. Denmark
10. Australia

Key findings

As the world faces unprecedented challenges in the form of climate change and a global pandemic, the report also highlights the need for the world’s leading adventure travel destinations to build back more sustainably.

Iceland, which topped the ranking of the best countries for adventure travel, scored particularly well in the Adventure Activity Resources category. Switzerland, in second place overall, was highest ranked in the Sustainable Development category and consistently performed well across most other categories.

In general, countries around the world are increasing the amount of protected marine and terrestrial areas which, in turn, protect the habitats of many endangered species.

Island nations typically performed well in the Sustainable Development Policy categories. Barbados and Seychelles have led the way in implementing policies designed to mitigate and adapt to climate change and, as such, have seen positive results in their Environmental Performance Index scores.

Overall, the worst-performing countries tend to be developing nations and are often in a post-conflict or conflict situation, such as Sudan and Somalia. While tourism is not a priority for these countries, it is worth noting that many popular adventure tourism destinations, such as Rwanda, Croatia and Slovenia, have had relatively recent civil wars and used adventure tourism as a vehicle for economic development, job creation and rebuilding post-conflict.

“The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates the urgent need for a sustainable leadership approach — one that focuses on resiliency, resourcefulness and efficiency.”

– Adventure Tourism Development Index

The UK slipped out of the top 10 due to a weak score in the Natural Resources and Adventure Activity Resources categories. The country was recently named one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world with one in seven native species facing extinction and more than 40% in decline.

The USA dropped three places due to lower scores in the Natural Resources and Cultural Resources categories. This is likely due to recently downgrading or downsizing protected areas during the Trump administration (although some are beginning to be restored). Additionally, the Everglades National Park in the USA remains on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Complete ranking

The best countries for adventure travel ranking is based on the ATDI, produced by the ATTA in conjunction with the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies.

The index does not capture visitor numbers and is not a ranking for the volume of tourists.

Rank	Country	Score
1	Iceland	10
2	Switzerland	11
3	New Zealand	19
4	Germany	24
5	Norway	24
6	Finland	29
7	Sweden	31
8	Canada	35
9	Denmark	36
10	Australia	37
11	Austria	37
12	Monaco	37
13	UK	38
14	Ireland	39
15	Czech Rep	39
16	France	40
17	Netherlands	42
18	Japan	44
19	Chile	44
20	Luxembourg	47
21	Slovakia	50
22	Slovenia	50
23	Spain	54
24	Israel	54
25	Malta	56
26	Estonia	57
27	Belgium	59
28	Italy	59
29	USA	59
30	Poland	60
31	Bulgaria	60
32	Portugal	63
33	Romania	65
34	Cyprus	69
35	Greece	70
36	Liechtenstein	71
37	Andorra	78
38	Costa Rica	84
39	Croatia	84
40	Korea, Rep	87
41	Dominica	90
42	Bhutan	91
43	Hungary	93
44	Latvia	96
45	Uruguay	96
46	Georgia	101
47	Montenegro	106
48	Jordan	113
49	Barbados	115
50	UAE	116

51	Turkey	121
52	Lithuania	122
53	Botswana	128
54	Serbia	129
55	Albania	145
56	Morocco	145
57	Peru	146
58	Seychelles	146
59	Panama	150
60	Mongolia	153
61	Qatar	154
62	Singapore	155
63	Thailand	155
64	Armenia	156
65	Fiji	159
66	Argentina	162
67	Kyrgyzstan	163
68	Azerbaijan	163
69	Kuwait	164
70	Bahamas	167
71	Micronesia	171
72	Palau	171
73	Russia	172
74	Belize	176
75	Philippines	177
76	Mauritius	177
77	Bahrain	178
78	Mexico	180
79	Ukraine	180
80	St Vincent & Gren	180
81	Kazakhstan	181
82	Brazil	182
83	Rwanda	188
84	Oman	188
85	North Macedonia	190
86	Belarus	196
87	Brunei Darussalam	197
88	Cape Verde	200
89	Saudi Arabia	204
90	Dominican Rep	204
91	Colombia	207
92	St Lucia	207
93	China	208
94	Namibia	210
95	Nepal	212
96	Zambia	214
97	Tunisia	215
98	Samoa	215
99	Laos	217
100	Vietnam	221

101	Moldova	224
102	Senegal	228
103	El Salvador	229
104	South Africa	230
105	San Marino	230
106	Uzbekistan	231
107	Guatemala	233
108	St Kitts & Nevis	234
109	Cuba	237
110	Maldives	240
111	Tajikistan	244
112	Trinidad & Tobago	245
113	Vanuatu	248
114	Egypt	250
115	Jamaica	250
116	Algeria	250
117	Ghana	251
118	Ecuador	251
119	Iran	254
120	Bosnia & Herz	257
121	Marshall Islands	258
122	Guyana	260
123	Nicaragua	261
124	India	263
125	Sri Lanka	263
126	Malaysia	266
127	Lebanon	268
128	Kiribati	268
129	Indonesia	270
130	Gabon	272
131	Kenya	274
132	Suriname	275
133	Antigua & Barbuda	276
134	Grenada	276
135	Tanzania	279
136	Cambodia	292
137	Solomon Islands	295
138	Bolivia	298
139	Pakistan	302
140	Sao Tome & Prin	303
141	Ethiopia	304
142	Malawi	306
143	Venezuela	307
144	Papua New Guinea	312
145	Swaziland	315
146	Paraguay	320
147	Uganda	322
148	Cote d’Ivoire	323
149	Comoros	325
150	Bangladesh	327

151	Turkmenistan	328
152	Zimbabwe	333
153	Gambia	334
154	Burundi	335
155	Lesotho	341
156	Tonga	350
157	Burkina Faso	352
158	Cameroon	353
159	Myanmar	353
160	Benin	354
161	Mali	354
162	Honduras	357
163	Timor-Leste	362
164	Yemen	379
165	Madagascar	380
166	Equatorial Guinea	380
167	Guinea	380
168	Mauritania	382
169	Guinea-Bissau	389
170	Sudan	391
171	Mozambique	395
172	Afghanistan	397
173	Niger	398
174	Togo	405
175	Palestinian Territories	405
176	Sierra Leone	408
177	Liberia	408
178	Eritrea	410
179	North Korea	413
180	Libya	416
181	Syrian Arab Rep	417
182	Haiti	419
183	Angola	420
184	DR Congo	423
185	Central African Rep	424
186	Nigeria	433
187	Djibouti	438
188	Chad	440
189	Congo	448
190	Iraq	459
191	Somalia	487

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Lead image: Zhukova Valentyna/Shutterstock