There are so many wonderful experiences to have in this world, but maybe you’ve seen one too many temples? Can’t handle another museum? Are you looking for something a little more unique? Something that can only be done in one place on Earth? We’ve got you covered with this list of awesomely unique experiences around the world!
The best thing about these experiences is that a lot of them are free! The ones that aren’t can definitely be done on a budget. There’s at least one on each continent, so no matter where you are in the world, you can give one a try!
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World – Africa
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 1 – Tea On a Two Kilometre Long Freight Train in Mauritania
It runs hundreds of kilometres, full of ore, from Zouerat in the north to Nouadhibou on the coast, then returns empty. You can hitch a ride in a freight car, from any station going in either direction. You’re certain to make new friends who will insist you drink tea with them. Mauritanians always have tea on hand!
Where: Noudhibou – Choum – Zouerat, Mauritania
Price: free
When: all year round
Related post – Mauritanian Adventure
Squeeze Into An Intercity Shared Taxi – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 2
When you need to get somewhere in West and Central Africa, you take a shared taxi. When they say shared, they really mean shared. You will be sharing your personal space with a stranger. They will squeeze 7 people into a 5 seater car, or 9 people into a 6 seater. Who needs personal space anyway? The ride will be over within 5-10 hours! Or maybe 3 days with unexpected stops.
Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but that’s everyday life for people in the region.
This is a real local experience that just can’t be had anywhere else in the world.
It may just make you appreciate what you have back at home more than you ever have before.
Where: West and Central Africa
Price: varies depending on the country and the distance travelled. Probably ranging between €5-15.
When: all year round
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 3 – Ride a Disco Bus in Kenya
Kenyans love their music and they love it loud! All of the local buses, or Matatus, are equipped with beefy sound systems to ensure that your ears are ringing once you reach your destination.
They’ll have flashing disco lights too. Most will also have the video to go with the sound, or just some pretty swirly lines to look at. It’s possibly the most fun public transport in the world.
Where: Nairobi, Kenya
Price: 40KES/US$0.40
When: all year round during operating hours
Related post – Kindness in Kenya
Float Down the Nile on a Felucca – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 4
So everyone goes to Egypt to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx right? Some may even venture a little further afield and see temples like the Valley of the Kings.
Sure, these are all great things to do, (yes, I’ve done them too!) but for a more unique experience in Egypt, float down the Nile in a felucca!
A felucca is a small, traditional Egyptian boat without a motor that has the entire deck turned in to a sleeping area.
That means you lay down as you float down the Nile for a few days.
You might even visit some Nubian villages for a meal and a dance on the way.
Where: Aswan or Luxor, Egypt
Price: depends on your negotiating skills, the length of time you spend on the felucca and the company you go with
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World – Asia
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 5 – Stay in a Kibbutz near the Dead Sea
Never heard of a Kibbutz? It’s basically the name for a small, self-sufficient collective community in Israel. These communities were founded on utopian ideals of equality. They were traditionally agricultural but many have become more industrialised in recent years. Most have hotels these days too.
Though they have moved into the 21st century, the people living in these communities still try to hold true to their founding principles of communal living. It’s a refreshing take on life that can’t be found outside Israel.
Where: Ein Gedi, Israel
Price: free if you hop on Couchsurfing to find your host. Or around US$45/night on booking sites.
When: all year round, but hurry as the Dead Sea’s shore recedes about a metre a year. It has moved 3 kilometres since 1990!
Experience a Ramadan ‘Break Fast’ Meal – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 6
As you may know, Ramadan is a special time of year for everyone in the Muslim world. People fast during the daylight hours, then break the fast at a huge family gathering after sunset. What you might not know about Palestinians is that they are a super friendly bunch! They are eager to share their food and homes with visitors.
In fact, they’ll try their hardest to fatten you up by urging you to eat more. This is an experience you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else!
Where: Nablus, Palestine
Price: Free and you’ll make some awesome new friends!
When: after sunset during Ramadan
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 7 – The Gate to Hell
In the middle of the desert in Turkmenistan, Lucifer punched a hole in the earth to allow all dammed souls easy entry to hell. Not really, I just made that up. The truth is much scarier!
Back in the 1970s, Soviet scientists accidentally collapsed an underground cavern full of natural gas. They then decided to set the escaping gas on fire, thinking they could burn up the supply in a few weeks. But here we are, 45 years later. This is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience that’s as hot as hell!
Where: Darvaza, Turkmenistan
Price: free to view, but a taxi to the crater from Koneurgench is about US$10
When: all year round
Related Post – Turkmenistan Frontier to Fire
Drink Horse Milk in a Yurt on the Silk Road – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 8
Drink Horse Milk in a Yurt on the Silk Road – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 8
Kyrgyzstan is a stop on the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road. Kyrgyz people love their horse milk. It’s available everywhere and they just can’t get enough of it!
The Kyrgyz Silk Road is also dotted with yurts, where locals live. Many of these locals love inviting weary travellers into their yurts for a drink of horse milk. While horse milk is an acquired taste, the experience is one you won’t find outside of Central Asia!
Where: the Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan
Price: less than US$1
When: all year round, but the best months are April to October
Related post – Silk Road to Southwestern Kyrgyzstan
Europe
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 9 – Snow Castle in Lapland
Every year a team of hundreds of architects and engineers come together to build the world’s biggest snow fort in Finnish Lapland. It’s constructed completely with hand compacted snow made from seawater and it takes five weeks to build.
There is a different architectural theme each year but it always has ice sculptures, a chapel, hotel and bar. As you can imagine, it gets cold in there! Sometimes it can actually get colder inside the castle than it is outside!
Perhaps the most unique thing about the Snow Castle is that it’s never the same, so each year it’s a new experience!
Related post – Kemi Snow Castle
Where: Kemi, Finland
Price: Free to enter, guided tours and the 365 experience start at €28
When: January to April
Sedlac Ossuary AKA the Bone Church in the Czech Republic – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 10
The Sedlac Ossuary, about 1 hour from Prague, became the storage space for exhumed human remains in the 16th century. This happened to make way for new corpses to be buried when the nearby cemetery ran out of room.
Fast forward to the 19th century, when someone decided to decorate the church with the bones instead of having them piled haphazardly. The Bone Church is said to contain a minimum of 40,000 human bones shaped into everything from a coat of arms, a signature and a chandelier. The later is said to contain every bone in the human body at least once.
The Bone Church still functions as a catholic place of worship and is not in any way associated with satanic rituals. As macabre as you think it sounds, you might be surprised at how peaceful it actually is.
Where: Sedlac, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
Price: 90CZK/€3.30 to enter
When: all year round during opening hours which vary depending on season.
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 11 – The World of the Ice Giants – The World’s Largest Ice Cave in Austria
Around 30km from Salzburg, you’ll find Eisriesenwelt or the World of the Ice Giants in the Tennengebirge section of the Alps. It is the world largest ice cave and goes 42 kilometres deep into the mountain.
The first kilometre is open to the public and is full of natural ice sculptures that will enchant you. Don’t forget to spare a moment to take in the amazing view over the alps on the way out!
Where: Eisriesenwelt, Werfen, Austria
Price: €14 to enter the cave or €28 for return cable car and cave entrance. The view over the alps is free!
When: all year round, but May to August is the best time
See Modern History in Berlin – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 12
For 68 years, until 1989, the Berliner Mauer, otherwise known as the Berlin Wall, formed a physical and idealogical barrier between East and West Germany.
What’s so poignant about the Berlin Wall is that it is referenced several times in popular culture becuase it’s fall was quite recent, in the big scheme of things. I remember watching news of sections coming down as a kid on the other side of the world.
It’s always more of an experience to see the proof of an historic event that has occured in your life time, even if you don’t normally care for history. Seeing the Berlin Wall is a sombre experience, but I think we all need to be reminded that history wasn’t perfect.
Where: Berlin, Germany
Price: free or you can join a walking or biking tour which takes in the Wall along with other historical sites in the city.
When: all year
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World – North America
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 13 – Icebergs in Summer
Where could such a magical thing happen? In Canada, of course! Oh Canada!
Stories of Canada’s beauty spread so far and wide that these ‘bergs just had to separate themselves from their glacial home in Greenland to come down and check it out. True story. Once the ‘bergs break away, they ride the Labrador current from Davis Strait down to Iceberg Alley.
Probably one of the most intriguing things about them is that they are over 10,000 years old.
Where: Twillingate, Newfoundland, Canada
Price: free to see, but Twillingate is a 5 hour drive from the nearest airport/port.
When: May to July
The Panama Canal – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 14
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Panama Canal. While it may be a major tourist attraction, it is unique in that it is the only lock system that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is a true engineering feat.
It’s original lock gates have been in continuous use since they were built over 100 years ago. In that time over a million ships have passed through. Even if you have no interest in ships, that’s still pretty awe-inspiring!
Where: Minaflores Lock, Panama City, Panama
Price: US$15 entry to the canal museum and viewing area
When: all year round from 8am to 4pm, ships go through between 10am and 2pm
South America
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 15 – Street Art in Colombia
Street art isn’t particularly unique, it can be found in many cities around the world. What is unique in Colombia is that it is completely legal. In fact, it is encouraged! It’s amazing the difference that can make to the street art scene.
Colombia’s scene is world-famous and attracts artists from all around the world to leave their mark on the country.
What’s even better is that there is an unspoken rule between artists never to deface another’s work.
That means there is new and wonderful art waiting for you around every corner.
Where: any Colombian city, especially Bogota
Price: free
When: all year round
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 16 – Middle of the World
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo or City in the Middle of the World lies 26 kilometres north of the Ecuadorian capital, Quito. What’s interesting is that there is some argument as to where the true middle of the world is. The city built a monument to the middle of the world, including an Ethnographic Museum (Museo Etnográfico Mitad del Mundo) at the original latitude 0 indicated in the 18th century.
Modern instruments have recorded the true middle of the world 240 metres north of the monument.
That is where the Intiñan Museum is located. At the ‘real’ middle of the world.
Both sites are cheesy and a bit touristy, but there’s only one middle of the world, right? Or maybe two.. but you get what I mean.
Where: San Antonio de Pichincha, Ecuador
Price: US$3 – $8 entrance, depending on which ‘Mitad del Mundo’ you visit and how much you want to see. US$0.50 bus fare from Quito.
When: all year round between 9am and 6pm
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World – Oceania
Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 17 – UFO Capital of Australia
If you’re looking for a quirky experience that’s sure to make you giggle like a little kid, Australia has you covered.
In a remote area of the outback lies a small settlement or ‘roadhouse’, as the Aussies say.
There have been several documented UFO sitings in the area since 1945.
So many, in fact, that it is ranked fifth in the world for UFO activity.
Take me to your leader!
Where: Wycliffe Well, Northern Territory, Australia
Price: free for the hilarity of it all, but the drive to get there from the closest airport is 4 hours
When: all year round
Fishing Pigs – Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World, Number 18
Yes, you read that right! “But pigs can’t fish!”, you say. While you may have a vaild point, the pigs in Tonga are a little bit different. These pigs are allowed to wander pretty freely around the island and locals will often leave food out for them.
Over time, the pigs learnt that the water was also full of food if they only walked into it. They’ve lost their natural fear of water and they go fishing at low tide!
See them in action here.
Where: beaches in Nuku’alofa, Tonga
Price: free but you may have to sit around on a beach with awesome ocean views for a while
When: all year round at low tide
I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of awesomely unique experiences around the world as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you. Do you have any awesomely unique experiences around the world to add to the list? I’d love to hear about them below! :o)
Let’s share these awesome experiences with others who would love them too! Click a picture below to Pin it for later!
10 Replies to “Awesomely Unique Experiences Around the World”
What a unique read! I would really love to see the largest ice cave in Austria!
It was quite impressive. Although only a fraction of it is open to the public.
Hey, great list! I love that most of it are off the beaten path. My favorite is the felucca on the Nile. Would love to do that one day! :)
I love the path less travelled. It’s where all the cool stuff is!
This is such an inspiring list! I really like the idea of the felucca and being able to see the Nile River at a much slower pace than most visitors probably do. The Gate to Hell in Turkmenistan also looks cool, but that backstory is crazy! Even if they never tried to burn it all up, a steady flow of natural gas coming out of a cave sounds sort of dangerous, but it’s wild to me that it’s just burned for decades.
The west and central africa trip sounds amazing! these are all experiences that sound so rich and i would love to do.
It was amazing. It’s so different to every other region on earth!
Really fascinating list! I’ve done a number of them, want to do a few, and opted out of a couple… like the Middle of the World outside Quito as I heard it was just a tourist trap. Now I’m rethinking that one!
I wouldn’t really call it a tourist trap seeing as it only costs a few dollars. It’s more cheesy than anything else.
This is an amazing list of unique experiences! I would love to try some of these in the future.