If one of your goals is to participate in a wide variety of rich cultural experiences around the world and are looking for a bit of inspiration, continue reading to discover some of the best destinations in the world for a meaningful cultural experience. Which you’ll remember for a lifetime.
The Best Destinations for a Cultural Experience:
1. Fiji
If you’re interested in exploring the South Pacific, it’s well worth visiting Fiji, where almost every local will greet you with Bula, which is the Fijian equivalent of saying hello. If you’re looking to participate in a traditional Fijian cultural experience, it’s well worth attending a cava ceremony.
What is a cava ceremony, you may be wondering. A kava ceremony is a traditional cultural ceremony in which participants drink from a wooden bowl which contains kava, a potent drink which is created using the powdered root of Fiji’s pepper plant. Just be careful not to drink too much kava, as it’s classed as a mild hallucinogenic.
2. Australia
Indigenous Australians or the traditional owners of the land are the oldest living culture on the planet. Australia is a big country with varying landscapes, each of which helped mould the culture, language and practices of the indigenous population that lived there. For example, tourists that go sailing the Whitsunday can immerse themselves in the traditional home of the Ngaro people for at least the last 9,000 years. The Ngaro people where skilled navigators, builders and fishers that travelled from island to island utilising the natural resources available to them. While the Pitjantjatjara community in the central Australian desert (near Uluru), lived a very different lifestyle. Traditional this nomadic community travelled far and have over 40 sacred sites that hold spiritual and ceremonial significance for the Anangu across 103,000 km2.
3. Hawaii
It’s well worth visiting Hawaii to experience Hawaii’s world-famous Aloha spirit. If you are tempted to visit Hawaii make sure to attend a traditional luau, such as luaus in Kauai, which will give you a chance to enjoy traditional Hawaiian food such as Poi and to watch a variety of traditional cultural performances, including Hawaii’s most popular cultural dance, the hula.
4. Mongolia
If you’re not afraid of veering off the beaten tourist track and are looking to participate in a rich, cultural experience which you’ll remember for the rest of your life, you may want to book a homestay experience in Mongolia. Where you’ll get to stay a night in a traditional Mongolian yurt tent and will have a chance to listen to the cultural stories of the nomadic Mongolian tribes.
5. Brazil
If you’re keen on experiencing one of the world’s largest cultural events, it’s well worth heading to Brazil’s capital city Rio de Janeiro, to attend the Carnival of Brazil. An annual event which takes part between February and March each year and features hundreds of brightly decorated floats and thousands of samba dancers. So if you’re interested in experiencing a bit of Brazilian culture, it’s well worth heading to Brazil, to attend the Carnival of Brazil.
So what are you waiting for? If one of your major life goals is to experience as many cultural experiences as you can, it’s well worth adding all five of the destinations listed above onto your bucket list.
