8 experiences travel experts believe everyone should have in their lifetime

No two travellers are alike – and these trips shouldn’t be either.

Some moments just can’t be bought off the rack. You might have been dreaming about the leathery creases of an elephant’s skin since you were a kid. That feeling of icy rain hitting your cheeks as you approach a mass of ice across the Arctic waves. The warmth of rocks beneath your boots as you clamber towards a volcano rim.

That’s why the specialists at Eclipse Travel tailor a trip just for you. And why we thought we’d ask these experts for their insider picks on where we should be travelling next.

1. Antarctic Peninsula

See penguins in their natural habitat.

As the long Antarctic night lifts, so does life on the Peninsula. Crossing the Drake Passage, where black-browed albatrosses skim the Southern Ocean swells, you see glacier-lined channels appear in the frozen distance. Gentoo and chinstrap penguins dodge leopard seals; the trills of their chicks echo across the ice. Minke whales, orcas and humpbacks hunt offshore, and you glide among them all.

“Kayaking here with nothing but the sound of your paddle in the water is an experience like no other,” says Daniel from Eclipse Travel, describing his most vivid travel memory from his small ship expedition cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula.

2. Machu Picchu

Eclipse Travel can help you find a path to Machu Picchu that suits you.

There’s more than one way to reach Machu Picchu. For those who prefer to travel with ease and style, hop aboard the luxury Hiram Bingham train. But even trekkers have options – beyond the Inca Trail lie quieter routes from Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

After acclimatising among markets, colonial streets and ruins, walk the Salkantay route through Quechua lands, traditional Andean communities and mountain lodges. Having walked these paths herself, Meike of Eclipse Travel swears it’s that combination of comfort and challenge that heightens the finale: arriving at the Incan archaeological site as the sun rises. Discover the best Machu Picchu tour for you.

3. Madagascar

Wander the Avenue of Baobabs. (Image: Yasmine Arfaoui)

Separated from the eastern African landmass for 160 million years, the island of Madagascar is the real deal Galápagos of Africa, with baobabs, lemurs and other species found nowhere else on Earth.

Travelling between its rainforests, waterholes and semi-arid plains takes time and plenty of cherry-picked stops, including the silhouettes along the Avenue of the Baobabs and the haunting night forests of Andasibe-Mantadia. There, explains Lyndal from Eclipse Travel who offer a range of Madagascar tours, you’ll hear something unforgettable: the eerie echoes of Indri lemur cries as dawn breaks.

4. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Meeting mountain gorillas is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In the misty hills of southwestern Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest lives up to its name. It will take you hours, led by guides, to trek along steep, muddy trails before reaching one of the mountain gorilla families. Half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population lives here, and while numbers are creeping up, expert timing is still essential.

Eclipse Travel’s Hilary has journeyed to the rainforests herself, and says the second a mountain gorilla met her eyes it was “as if time paused” – making the planning all worth it. Meet the mountain gorillas yourself with a Uganda tour.

5. Torres del Paine National Park

Soak in the Torres del Paine National Park landscapes. (Image: Parsing Eye)

This is Patagonia at its best – don that fleece jacket and dig deep for stamina to traverse granite peaks, wind-torn valleys and ice hikes across glaciers that fall into lakes. It’s important to keep an active eye out, as spotting guanacos, condors, foxes and pumas is magic.

But Tim from Eclipse Travel, who has done many hikes throughout the Torres del Paine National Park, claims the real reward is the stillness. “I could sit and stare at the Paine Massif for hours. No agenda, just taking it all in,” he says.

6. Greenland

Watch “the private show of the universe”. (Image: Federico Di Dio Photography)

When summer approaches, Greenland’s ice begins to break. Its fjords open wide and, like the humpback, minke and fin whales who follow the meltwater, you arrive. Wildlife picks up: tusked walrus on floes, nesting seabirds crowding the cliffs in their millions, and Arctic foxes spying from the edges. The day never ends, with icebergs the size of cities and Inuit settlement summer celebrations lighting up.

By late August, it’s close to last call. But first, the aurora makes her appearance, dancing in what Lara from Eclipse Travel calls “the private show of the universe”.

7. Guatemala

Step into pre-Columbian heritage. (Image: Scott Umstattd)

In Guatemala, pre-Columbian heritage shapes every minute. When you hike the peaks around Lake Atitlán, smoke drifts from the volcanoes as the black bass-hunting fishermen below speak Mayan languages. The temples of Tikal still cast you into cold shadows, even though the jungle city was abandoned a millennium ago. In Antigua, colonial facades collide with incense rituals in Chichicastenango Market. It’s an intoxicating hit.

“I once organised a trip for a solo traveller who ended up dancing in a local fiesta,” says Mauricio of Eclipse Travel. “She said it was the most alive she’d felt in years.”

8. Okavango Delta

Enjoy sundowners with elephants just metres away.

When the floodwaters arrive from Angola, the Okavango Delta floods like a giant inland tide, drawing animal life. Elephants wade through reed beds, red lechwe antelope kick up water, and fish eagles plummet, talons extended. Each day brings drives in the Moremi Game Reserve and mokoro canoe rides steering through lily-lined channels, waiting for the hippos to emerge and the firelight dinners come out.

“I remember organising a trip for a honeymooning couple who had sundowners while elephants bathed metres away,” recalls Eclipse Travel’s Cathy. “They still send me photos every anniversary.”

Start working with the experts to plan your ultimate getaway with Eclipse Travel at eclipsetravel.com.au.