Idaho’s state capital is increasingly considered a booming trendy hotspot in the US, but it doesn’t usually rank among the world’s top travel destinations.
Now, National Geographic has selected Boise as one of the planet’s 25 must-see bucket list locations for 2025.
The mountain home to 236,000 people is scored alongside much more exotic locales — from South Africa’s Kwazulu-Natal safari area to the 200 Cenobitic monasteries scattered across Italy.
Nathan Lump, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, said the selection reflects a yearning among travelers to get off the beaten path and visit more quirky and unusual destinations.
‘There’s still so much to be excited about,’ says Lump.
Idaho’s state capital, Boise, can look majestic, with its mountain backdrop, but seldom makes it on travel bucket lists
Boise has one of the world’s largest populations of Basque people outside of Spain, bringing character to the Basque block downtown
He urged travelers to ‘get out and explore for yourself the incredible diversity of places and experiences around the world.’
Boise can look majestic, set against its backdrop of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
But it seldom even makes it on to travel itineraries for those touring just the Pacific Northwest.
National Geographic says that could change next year when visitors come and ‘party with the Basques.’
Boise is home to one of the largest populations of members of the Basque ethnic group outside Spain, with as many as 15,000 living there.
A Basque block in downtown Boise features ethnic taverns, restaurants, bars, and a heritage museum.
It’s set to come alive during the Jaialdi festival in July 2025, with street parties, dancing, wood chopping and wagon lifting.
Boise is one of only three US destinations to on the list.
The others are north-central Florida’s Ocala National Forest, and a much better-known US hub: Los Angeles, California.
The Mail presents here some highlights from the selection:
Ocala National Forest, Florida
Researchers described Ocala as a ‘green oasis’ that’s home to manatees, black bears, rare plants and natural springs.
The National Forest Foundation works hard to improve the 673 square mile expanse of pine scrub, lakes, and canoe trails.
That includes conserving its crystal clear 72-degree, alkaline natural springs, says Clayton Coates, an aquatic ecologist.
‘From native plants to catadromous fish species, our freshwater springs are part of the foundation for life itself here in Florida,’ says Coates.
Conservationists have worked hard to protect the 673 square mile expanse of pine scrub, lakes, and canoe trails.
Los Angeles, California
Destination Crenshaw has revived a downtrodden 1.3-mile stretch of LA’s Crenshaw Boulevard with more than 100 artworks from black artists.
Though Los Angeles already has a global reputation, it made it on the list thanks to a ‘jolt of new energy’ in the form of new cultural projects, researchers said.
This includes Destination Crenshaw, a landscaped 1.3-mile stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard with more than 100 artworks from black artists.
Other boxes to tick on an LA culture tour include the renovated LA County Museum of Art and an upcoming display of works collected by Star Wars creator George Lucas in Exposition Park.
Adam Burke, president of LA Tourism recently talked up the city’s ‘vibrant, ever-evolving nature and its endless array of activities.’
Senegal
Visitors to Senegal should try some ceebu jën, the national dish of fish, rice, and vegetables.
Researchers recommend a culinary tour of the French and local Wolof influences in this West African country.
They suggest sampling ceebu jën, the national dish of fish, rice, and vegetables, and soupe kanja, a Senegalese gumbo.
Senegalese-American actress and producer Issa Rae is set to highlight the cuisine in the forthcoming National Geographic series No Taste Like Home.
She visited the country of some 17 million people with culinary star Antoni Porowski to make the show.
‘This is such a beautifully welcoming country, you know I’m so proud of my family lineage,’ says Rae.
Greenland
Overlooked Greenland will open to tourists next year with its first direct flight to New York City.
Starting in June 2025, New Yorkers will be able to fly directly to Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, for the first time.
Once there, they’ll have access to the world’s largest island, with its colossal burgs, a unique indigenous Inuit culture, and stunning ice fjords
The twice-weekly flights will be operated by United Airlines, and will take a little more than four hours.
By one count, the new route could double the number of visitors to Greenland from the US.
Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports, says he does not want to boost numbers so much that the island gets overwhelmed by tourists.
‘Like in Barcelona, you get tired of tourists because it’s too much, and it pushes out the locals,’ says Lauridsen.
‘It’s finding this balance of showing the love for Greenland and showing the amazing possibilities, but not getting too much too fast.’
Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
The ‘Galápagos of the North’ is an ideal place to roam remote rainforests and spot humpbacks and dolphins.
This archipelago of some 150 misty islands off the northern Pacific coast of British Columbia is also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The ancestral home of the Haida people is developing its infrastructure for tourism, following a 2023 agreement with the government for local indigenous autonomy.
It is set to become an ideal place to roam remote rainforests and spot humpbacks and dolphins on whale-watching excursions.
Its abundance of verdant beauty has led to comparisons to another island chain as the ‘Galápagos of the North.’
National Geographic also recommends meeting Haida artists who make traditional totem poles in the village of Old Massett.
Northland, New Zealand
Wildlife spotters will enjoy warm water diving and sightings of unusual species in the Poor Knights marine reserve.
International travelers to New Zealand typically land in Auckland and head south for their adventures.
National Geographic suggests an itinerary switch, and a journey northward to the little-visited Northland region.
Wildlife spotters will enjoy warm water diving and sightings of mosaic moray and other unusual species in the Poor Knights marine reserve, they add.
On dry land, sightings of the national bird are plentiful, thanks to the Kiwi Coast, a conservation project for the flightless animal.
Ngaire Sullivan, a coordinator for the project, promises visitors a ‘gorgeous and wonderful’ experience.
‘The fact that you can come up here and hear kiwi screeching through the night… it’s just incredible,’ she said.
To find out more about National Geographic’s Best of the World 2025 list, visit Natgeo.com/BestoftheWorld