Skip to main content

World’s Greatest Places

WESTEND61/ GETTY IMAGES

Each year, TIME makes a list of the World’s Greatest Places. TIME for Kids picks its favorites. This year’s list takes you up high, down low, and everywhere in between—from a luxurious jungle tree house to a hushed African desert.

Whether you like animals, history, or classic video games, these destinations represent a world of wonders. Let us know: Where would you go first?

Amazon Escape

COURTESY ALTA SANCTUARY

Wake up to the sounds of howler monkeys and tree frogs at Alta Sanctuary, a tree house resort in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. The house is perched 110 feet above the ground. Below, giant otters and jaguars gather along the Las Piedras River. —By AnneLise Sorensen

Towering Cliffs

FERRAN TRAITÉ—GETTY IMAGES

Formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, New Mexico’s Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument has been shaped by centuries of wind and water. Some of the cone-shaped hoodoos hoodoo a tall, skinny spire of rock formed by erosion (noun) are 90 feet tall. People hike through the park’s canyons.  —By Erin Gifford

Game On!

THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/AP

Calling all Super Mario fans: Even Bowser would love the Nintendo Museum, located in Uji, Japan. The museum celebrates the 135-year-old gaming company behind Mario and Luigi. You can try classic games, play on a giant controller, and eat at the Hatena Burger café. —By Jessica Shaw

Saving History

AMITH NAG PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES

Built in 1163, Notre-Dame cathedral cathedral a church that’s presided over by a bishop (noun) draws countless tourists to Paris, France. In 2019, a fire forced the cathedral to close. Now this national treasure is open again, after a huge restoration effort. —By Richard Morgan

Peaceful Dunes

MELANIE VAN ZYL—COURTESY WOLWEDANS COLLECTION

The Namibrand Nature Reserve covers 730 square miles in the Namib Desert, in Namibia, Africa. Visitors have to be quiet as they roam the dunes: Loud noises disturb the zebras and giraffes. —AS