New Zealand has 13 of the world’s best travel experiences, with our top offering in 29th place on the list, according to Lonely Planet.

At the top of the list of 500 “unmissable global travel experiences” is Petra in Jordan, the ancient city carved in stone.

New Zealand’s best experience, according to the authors, is Fiordland National Park, ranked 29th, while Queenstown is right near the bottom of the global list, ranked 496th.

Fiordland National Park is a “landscape of giants”, Lonely Planet says.

DOC

Fiordland National Park is a “landscape of giants”, Lonely Planet says.

The list describes Fiordland as a “landscape of giants” and likens it to stepping back into the Jurassic period where “the heart of the wild” beckons.

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“The rugged land offers some of the world’s most mind-blowing kayaking and hiking,” Lonely Planet said.

New Zealand locations in the list are:

29. Fiordland National Park

72 . Abel Tasman National Park

80. Aoraki/ Mt Cook National Park

122. Kaikoura

151. Waiheke Island

189. Bay of Islands

207. Waitomo Caves

209. Lake Wanaka

261. Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula

327. Whakarewarewa

355. Great Barrier Island

419. Stewart Island

496. Queenstown

Petra in Jordan is the top “unmissable” global travel experience, according to Lonely Planet.

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Petra in Jordan is the top “unmissable” global travel experience, according to Lonely Planet.

The top 10 places worldwide are:

1. Petra, Jordan

2. The Galápagos Islands

3. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia

4. Okavango Delta, Botswana

5. Yellowstone National Park, USA

6. Lake Bled, Slovenia

7. Iguazú Falls, Argentina-Brazil

8. Temples of Angkor, Cambodia

9. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

10. Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Lake Bled in Slovenia is 6th on the list.

AP

Lake Bled in Slovenia is 6th on the list.

The list of the 500 “most thrilling, memorable and interesting travel experiences in the world” appears in the second edition of Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List coffee table book.

With border restrictions imposed by many countries in response to Covid-19, Lonely Planet suggested the book would help “satisfy your wanderlust from the safety of an armchair”.

The way the list was calculated had changed since the first edition of the book, with extra points for places managing tourism sustainably, Lonely Planet’s Chris Zeiher said.

Aoraki/Mt Cook is the third highest-ranked New Zealand place and 80th overall.

JOHN BISSET/STUFF

Aoraki/Mt Cook is the third highest-ranked New Zealand place and 80th overall.

The second edition had 200 new entries.

While Australia had the third top-rated entrant overall, it had just nine entries in the list, compared to New Zealand’s 13.