Mountain hiking and whitewater rafting in the Rockies. Slipping through slot canyons and canyoneering in the Desert Southwest. Fly-in wilderness lodges and wildlife watching in Alaska. Sea kayaking through a puzzle of islands in the Pacific Northwest. Birding in Texas. Snorkeling with sea turtles in Hawaii. Learning about Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellers at Mesa Verde and Civil War Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis. The U.S. and Canada are full of special, off the beaten path destinations and unique adventures and experiences. Allow us to pose our favorite multiple choice question: What’ll it be for you this year?

We are currently building up our park entries in this section, but most of our guided trips include at least one national parkland. Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Denali, Death Valley, Zion, Crater Lake, Acadia, and the Everglades are all in Off the Beaten Path’s travel reach. And because we mean it when we say “off the beaten path,” we love making sure you experience the lesser traveled parks as well, like Big Bend, Capitol Reef, Chaco Canyon, Tallgrass Prairie—and the list goes beautifully on. So if you don’t see the park you’re interested in here, be sure to look under the relevant region (trips that include the Grand Canyon will be in Desert Southwest, trips featuring Acadia will be in New England and the Maritimes…you get the drift.)

Europe is filled with fascinating history, diverse cultures, and awe-inspiring landscapes with rich cuisine to match. A new discovery is around every corner! The landscape changes dramatically as you travel around the continent, allowing you to immerse yourself in both iconic and off the beaten path destinations. Both are worthy of exploration!

OBP invites you to explore the wild landscapes of Croatia and Italy – coastline to ridgeline, and everything in between. Visit darling villages along the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia or enjoy lunch in a Rifugio tucked beneath the towering Dolomite Mountains. Visit iconic cities and towns to enjoy history and culture, then deeply explore the pristine natural places that Europe has to offer.

Come with Off the Beaten Path to some of Europe’s most compelling and beautiful destinations!

Experience the wildlife, culture, and romance of Africa with Off the Beaten Path, from the markets, historic cities, and Saharan camps of Morocco, to safari experiences that get you out to where the wildlife roams. 

Africa offers unparalleled travel experiences with a truly Off the Beaten Path focus. Immerse yourself in Morocco’s rich culture, from the labyrinthine souks of Fes and Marrakech to the majestic Atlas Mountains and the Sahara’s enchanting Erg Chegaga dunes. Revel in luxurious riads, ancient Roman ruins, and gourmet Moroccan cuisine.

In Botswana, embark on an off-the-beaten-path African safari, wandering the Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Encounter abundant wildlife, unique lodges, and cultural experiences, all meticulously designed for an extraordinary journey.

Our distinctive accommodations and introduction to authentic cuisine promise a seamless blend of luxury and adventure. Discover the magic of Africa with us, where each destination unfolds as a unique chapter in this continent’s captivating story.

They’re often referred to in one breath, but Australia and New Zealand could hardly be more different. Australia is 2,500 miles across, with the great monolith Uluru rising like a ghost ship over the continent’s flat Red Centre. New Zealand is 990 miles long and 280 miles wide, comprised of head-to-toe islands backboned by volcanic peaks and the snowy Southern Alps.

Australia has koalas, wombats, the Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania, ancient rock art, and the vast Kimberley wilderness. New Zealand has kiwis, glowworms, glaciers, and the stunning fjords of Milford Sound. Polynesian ancestors of the Maori landed in New Zealand about 800 years ago. Aboriginal people arrived in Australia more than 40,000 years ago, descendants of the earliest migrants out of Africa and possibly the oldest surviving culture on the planet.

Now. The greatest commonality between the nation-continent of Australia and island-nation of New Zealand? They are unlike any other place on earth and you have to explore them, off the beaten path.

Central America is the beckoning hammock slung between North America and South America. It’s a place of clear turquoise waters, shimmering green jungles, mysterious Maya ruins, and vibrant, deeply rooted culture.

We warmly invite you to experience Central America off the beaten path: sip your morning coffee with hummingbirds, hike lush rain forest trails as howler monkeys call overhead, snorkel one of the world’s greatest coral reef systems, canoe into an ancient ceremonial cave, and get the bird’s-eye view from treetop hanging bridges. Cap each day’s adventures and explorations with relaxing evenings at perfectly situated beach, boutique, and ecolodge accommodations. Let it snow back home in North America—it’s baby turtles in the moonlight for you.

The Galapagos Islands. Machu Picchu. Torres del Paine National Park. Each of these world-renowned travel destinations deserves its place as the cornerstone for your South American sojourn—but while you’re there, we’d hate for you to miss the Mindo Cloud Forest. Or Lake Titicaca. Or an up-and-coming vineyard.

We will help you cover your bucket list goals, then whisk you off the tourist trail to round out your itinerary with off the beaten path sorts of destinations and experiences. In Ecuador, shop the markets of Otavalo, hike in Cotopaxi National Park, and explore the Andean cloud forest. In Peru, paddle out to the floating reed islands of Lake Titicaca, follow the food trail to Lima, and plunge into Peru’s astonishingly biodiverse Amazon. In Argentina and Chile, anchor your adventure with wine tasting, glaciers, fabled fly fishing, and top-ten-list hiking. All along the way enjoy asados, tango shows, artisan studios, cooking and pottery classes, out-of-the-way Incan ruins, rafting, surfing, biking, and hiking. You’re definitely going to need a bigger bucket.

If you just go by the travel posters, Mexico might seem to be comprised entirely of margaritas, beaches, blue skies, and Chichen Itza. But when you venture off the beaten path, Mexico becomes a sojourn for the soul and senses—a magical place where you can find whales, lush jungles, waterfalls, cactus-laden deserts, rich arts and culture, multi-sport adventure, and Maya history stretching back through time. We can get you connected to a Mexico that bears no resemblance to Señor Frog’s, but instead opens up a land (and the Sea of Cortez!) of delightful surprise, compelling contrast, and vivid experiences. And yes, the best margaritas and beaches, for real.

Yes, there are white sand beaches and exquisite resorts where all you might hear is the breeze rustling your palapa’s thatched roof. We’re all for that, and we can get you right there. But the Pacific Islands are also a fascinating and rewarding travel destination for active adventurers interested in history, culture, and nature.

The Pacific Ocean holds three major island groups: Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Among them you can behold the moai on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), explore the coral reefs, cloud forests, and beaches of the National Park of American Samoa (which encompasses parts of three different islands), swim with stingless golden jellyfish in Palau, learn traditional sailing-canoe navigation in Yap, and paddle a narrow whitewater gorge of black volcanic rock in Fiji. It’s off the beaten path in paradise—authentic, exciting, and unforgettable.