Seeing the penguins of Antarctica will require a tour and guide. Photo / Unsplash
Seeing the penguins of Antarctica will require a tour and guide. Photo / Unsplash
From providing crucial equipment to offering insider advice on itineraries, there are many benefits to travelling with a tour company or guide.
However, in certain places, they aren't just a nice-to-have but a mandatory requirement. Here are 10 places you'll need someone to show you the way.
Antarctica
Considering Antarctica's −60C temperatures, polar storms, wild creatures, and otherwise challenging conditions, it makes sense that tourists are required to visit with a qualified travel agency. Plus, travelling with an expedition cruise company means you can see the White Continent's incredible sights from the comfort of a ship equipped with all the gear you need to make the most of your time.
Depending on the cruise you choose, travellers can get up close to penguins and explore scientific bases, ride Zodiacs around giant icebergs and trek across icy tundra. Since the area is environmentally fragile, tours and ships are held to strict regulations and continue to improve the way they travel around this magical place.
Of all the walking trails in the world, few are as famous as the Inca Trail. Wedged between the Andes mountains, the track meanders between cloud forests, ancient ruins and alpine tundra before reaching the infamous Incan citadel known as Machu Picchu.
Given its popularity, the Peruvian Government only distributes 500 walking permits each day and travellers must hike it with a registered guide. Visitors can choose one of three overlapping trails; Mollenpata, Classic and One Day. The first two trails can take up to five days, and ascend 3660m above sea level while the latter is a gentler, single-day affair, which still treats you to incredible views of the surrounding mountains and Machu Picchu.
You may meet a woolly mate while walking to Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail. Photo / Unsplash
Bhutan
An expensive daily tourist tax and tour guide requirement hasn't seemed to stop demand for visits to this nation famed for its dedication to happiness (which involves measuring the country's Gross National Happiness). In fact, it's cultivated an air of exclusivity that inspires travellers every year. Unless you have an Indian, Bangladeshi or Maldivian passport, visitors must hold a visa and book through a local tour operator.
Once there, you'll pay $260-450 per day, which covers a tour guide, driver, all meals, and a hotel with a minimum of three stars. Popular trips within the country include the Tiger's Nest (a cliffside temple with stunning views) and trying archery at Changlimithang Stadium, as well as dozens of hiking trails. Licensed tour operators are listed on Bhutan's tourism website.
For a unique island experience, one should head to Niihau; Hawaii's most remote inhabited island. Assuming you have an invitation from the family who owns the island or one of the few full-time Native Hawaiian residents, of course. In absence of that, you can still visit "The Forbidden Isle" by joining a tour run by Niihau's owners, the Robinson family.
Several low-impact tourism options are available, including a half-day helicopter tour. This takes visitors on an aerial tour of the island before landing on one of the many pristine beaches, leaving you free to explore, swim, snorkel and enjoy a packed picnic. Naturally, exclusive islands don't come cheap, and a half-day heli-tour can be $780 per person with a 5-person minimum or chartered for a flat rate of $4400.
Mount Tarawera
Aotearoa
Much closer to home, Mount Tarawera is just a 15-minute drive from Rotorua and draws many tourists with its incredible views and stunning lake. Famous for its eruption in 1886, which destroyed the Pink and White Terraces, the mountain is not only an incredible sight to behold but has deep spiritual significance for Ngāti Rangitihi, who are the kaitiaki of Te Maunga ō Tarawera.
Several walking tracks surround Lake Tarawera, but those who want to climb the maunga itself must go with a local guide. Kaitiaki Adventures run guided walking experiences, which take around 4.5 hours and treat people to the maunga's stunning vistas.
The view of Mount Tarawera in Rotorua. Photo / Cameron Mackenzie
Corcovado National Park
Costa Rica
Many places are described as remote and untouched but few live up to the title as well as Corcovado National Park. Located on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, this highly protected park is considered one of the world's most biodiverse regions and boasts 13 different ecosystem types, from coastal beaches to misty cloud forests.
Where there is vibrant flora, gorgeous creatures aren't far behind, and visitors can get up close with thousands of species from sloths and eagles to sea turtles or jaguars. Guides have been mandatory since 2014, but several tour companies run in the area and offer hiking or boat trips around the unique environment.
You may be able to visit Australia's Lord Howe Island solo but if you want to conquer its spectacular 875m-high Mount Gower, you'll need to find a professional guide. Considered one of the country's best day hikes, the climb is technically straightforward but requires sturdy shoes, moderate fitness and a spare eight to 10 hours.
Unmarked and arduous, the climb must be done with a licensed guide who can keep you heading in the right direction. Along the way, they'll offer interesting insights about the area's plant and animal life. Both Island Tours and Environmental Tours offer day trips up the mountain.
Views of Blinky Beach towards Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird on Lord Howe Island. Photo / Visit NSW
For the truly adventurous traveller...
ATM Caves
Belize
Deep in the jungle of Belize, on the east coast of Central America is where you'll find the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Caves; an ancient archaeological site famous for its breathtaking beauty and ancient artefacts including human skeletons of Maya sacrifices. But don't expect entry unless you're with a licensed guide.
Only 125 people can visit each day with official tour groups like MayaWalk Tours or Pacz Tours and after seeing how difficult the caves are to find and navigate, you'll be glad you're with an expert.
An hour-long hike through the dense jungle gets you to the cave's entrance. From there, visitors must wade 800 metres through a subterranean river to reach several gigantic caverns. The journey is worth it though, as you enter a fantasy-like world with towering cave walls, ancient stone altars and the calcified skeletons of human sacrifices.
An unlucky sacrifice deep in the ATM Caves. Photo / Peter Andersen
Chernobyl
Ukraine
Thanks to the HBO show of the same name, pre-pandemic, Chernobyl experienced a wave of popularity among tourists interested in the 1986 nuclear explosion site. Because of radioactive risk, much of the area was closed to the public until 2011. Even now, visitors must be accompanied by a guide when touring certain areas.
Such tours will take you around the now-abandoned towns of Prypiat, Zalissya, and Leliv, as well as powerplants that are still operational today. Luckily, the reactor that caused the world's largest nuclear explosion is securely locked away. Due to its location, in Northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, we may not be booking tickets anytime soon but the historical site is certainly one for the bucket list for those interested in "dark tourism".
Korean Demilitarised Zone
Running 250 km long and just 4 km wide, the Korean Demilitarised Zone splits the Korean Peninsula cleanly in half and is a fascinating destination for history and war buffs. Formed in 1953, the zone was created to be a buffer and meeting point for North Korea and South Korea.
Ironically, while the area itself is demilitarised, the border beyond it is allegedly one of the most heavily militarised borders in the world. For this reason, travellers must visit with an organised tour such as Koridoor or Cosmojin. Once there, you can walk around the Joint Security Area as well as visit the Nuri Peace Park, Mount Odu Observatory and "Bridge of No Return", where prisoners were exchanged at the end of the Korean Armistice in 1953.
