Top 10 natural wonders travellers from Canada want to see

From eclipses to northern lights — interest in natural phenomena has grown and a new list presents some of the top wonders around the world.

The total solar eclipse in April drew thousands of travellers. Hot spot Niagara Falls had hotel rooms listed at $10,000 a night at one point.

“Droves of travellers booked private vacation homes along the path of totality to see the total solar eclipse in 2024, proving people will travel great distances to see natural phenomena in real life,” a new travel trends report from Expedia Group stated this month.

The Unpack ’25: The trends in travel from Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo found people are interested in travelling to see natural wonders.

Survey data found 61 per cent of travellers name the northern lights as their top phenomena to see, followed by geological phenomena (30 per cent) like volcanos, geysers and hot springs.

Eighty percent of travellers say it’s important to stay in a place that offers prime viewing for these natural wonders.

Vrbo’s list of 10 natural phenomena for travellers in 2025: 

• Highest tides in the world, walk on the ocean floor – Bay of Fundy, Canada
• International Dark Sky Park – Arches National Park, Utah
• Synchronous firefly season – Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, TN
• Penguin parade – Phillip Island near Melbourne, Australia
• Bioluminescent plankton – Vero Beach, Florida
• “Black Sun” starlings’ migration – Wadden Sea National Park, Denmark
• Ballet of Japanese cranes – Hokkaido, Japan
• Starling murmurations – Somerset, U.K.
• Volcanoes, lava fields and black sand beaches – Reykjavík, Iceland
• Northern lights – Lapland region, Finland

Lead photo of northern lights in Finland: Frans van Heerden