World’s Greatest Places

Each year, TIME makes a list of the World’s Greatest Places. TIME for Kids picks its favorites. This year’s list will take you all over the globe. There are giant sculptures in North America. There is a tree house in the Amazon. There are giraffes and zebras in an African desert. And there are whales in the South Pacific. It is a big world out there. Where would you go first?

Amazon Escape

Wake up to the sounds of howler monkeys and tree frogs at Alta Sanctuary. It is a tree house resort in Peru. The tree house is perched high in the Amazon rainforest. Below, animals gather along the Las Piedras River. The area is home to a wide variety of them. Giant otters live there. Jaguars do too. —By AnneLise Sorensen

Towering Cliffs

The New Mexico’s Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument was formed by volcanic eruptions. Wind and water shaped the landscape over time. Some of the cone-shaped rocks are 90 feet tall. People hike in the park’s canyons. —By Erin Gifford

Game On!

Mario and Luigi would love the Nintendo Museum, in Uji, Japan. The museum celebrates the 135-year-old gaming company. You can play on a giant controller. You can try classic games. And you can eat at the Hatena Burger café. —By Jessica Shaw

Larger than Life

Giant trolls and magic portals await at Alexa’s Elixir. It is a giant sculpture exhibit near Detroit, Michigan. It stretches for miles. All of the sculptures are made from recycled materials. But there is a catch. The huge sculptures are hidden. Visitors can solve riddles to find them. —By Ashlea Halpern

Deep Blue Sea

Niue Blue is a scuba diving center. It is located on the tiny island of Niue. That is in the South Pacific Ocean. Divers can see fish, sharks, and sea snakes. Between June and October, they might even see humpback whales and their babies. —By Terry Ward

National Treasure

Notre-Dame is a cathedral in Paris, France. It was built in 1163. It is a popular place for tourists to visit. In 2019, a fire damaged the building. It had to close. Now it is open again. Visitors can see many historical objects there. —By Richard Morgan

Peaceful Dunes

The NamiBrand Nature Reserve is peaceful. It covers 730 square miles in the Namib Desert, in Namibia. That is in Africa. Visitors can roam the sand dunes. But they have to be quiet. Loud noises disturb the giraffes, leopards, and zebras. —By AnneLise Sorensen

Flurries of Fun

No mountain? No problem. Skiers of all levels can enjoy Shanghai L*Snow Indoor Skiing Theme Resort, in China. It is the largest indoor skiing facility in the world. The resort also offers sledding, tubing, and ice-skating. —By Devorah Lev-Tov