At its best, travel provides moments that remain etched in your memory for a lifetime. This could include occasions when you’ve experienced pure, unfettered peace or joy while traveling or perhaps moments filled with the thrill of a high-octane adventure.
Natural phenomena explorations offer another avenue to create unforgettable travel memories. And thanks to the wild and wonderful beauty of this planet we call home, there is no shortage of opportunities.
A heightened interest in natural phenomena trips is being driven by a variety of factors, not the least of which is 2024’s total solar eclipse path of totality. But that’s not the only reason travelers are focused on such experiences this year.
“There’s a growing trend for unique and memorable experiences and a desire to be surrounded by nature,” Kendra Guild, vice president of North America for travel company Solos Holidays tells TravelPulse. “Post-COVID in particular, people have realized that life is short and is about making memories.”
Natural phenomena trips may also be uniquely soul-nourishing for travelers, Ben Bressler, founder and CEO of Natural Habitat Adventures said.
“Natural phenomena embody the grandeur and mystery of nature, something apart from the ordinary routines of our daily lives,” Bressler said.
“Our naturalist expedition leaders tell us that our guests are enthralled by wondrous experiences — they find the feeling of awe, which often accompanies witnessing natural phenomena, to be uplifting, connecting them to something greater than themselves,” Bressler said.
Some of the most well-known natural phenomena experiences include witnessing the great migration in Africa, taking in the northern lights or viewing bioluminescent ocean waters.
Here are some not-to-miss trips and opportunities being offered in 2025.
Monarch migration, Mexico’s central highlands
Faced with myriad threats to their existence, including climate change and habitat loss, monarch butterflies have an especially uncertain future. That’s just one of the reasons why you might want to put Natural Habitat Adventure’s Kingdom of the Monarch itinerary on your to-do list this year.
Witnessing the annual migration of these delicate creatures to Mexico’s forested central highlands is also simply astounding.
Each fall, millions of monarchs make an extraordinary 3,000-mile flight from the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada to their ancestral breeding grounds in Mexico. Here, they spend the winter and mate before eventually taking flight on their return journey northward in March.
Observing this enormous gathering in person is a one-of-a-kind travel experience, Nat Hab Expedition Leader and Chief Sustainability Officer Court Whelan said.
“When we think of wildlife migrations, ‘charismatic megafauna’ may spring first to mind, like Africa’s annual circuit of 2 million wildebeest and zebra traversing the Serengeti or the 5,000-mile journey gray whales make from Alaska to Baja each winter to breed and birth their young,” Whelan told TravelPulse. “Yet the monarch migration, while it involves far smaller creatures that weigh a mere half a gram, is no less wondrous.”
Monarch arrive in Mexico’s central highlands like clockwork between the end of October and the first of November, right around the Day of the Dead — prompting locals who have witnessed the migration over centuries to suggest the butterfly are the returning spirits of their departed ancestors.
During this annual event, several hundred million monarchs cluster on groves of oyamel trees (a species of fir) in a compact area that’s only about 12 square miles, Whelan explained. “Watching the butterflies, standing in their midst, is a truly awe-inducing experience.
“When the temperatures are cool and clouds cover the sun, the butterflies cluster to stay warm, blanketing the trees like thick, rust-colored leaves,” he added.
Even more incredible, there are typically so many monarchs gathered in the region’s protected sanctuaries that visitors can hear the butterfly’s wings humming.
It’s a remarkable phenomenon that still mystifies scientists, as it’s not yet fully understood how the butterflies manage to even find the Mexican central highlands location, as they are flying here for the first time. The migrating butterflies are born in the U.S. and Canada and have never been here before, Whelan pointed out. “That element alone of this natural phenomenon is amazing,” Whelan said.
Koyo season, Japan
Japan’s Koyo season is an annual autumn event that has quickly become its second most popular natural attraction behind the country’s legendary spring cherry blooms. During Koyo, tree leaves turn intensely bright colors with the Japanese maple turning a brilliant red and the ginkgo tree transforming to a vibrant yellow.
This special show starts off in September and peaks in November, when Kyoto and Tokyo are most vibrant.
“For the Japanese, Koyo is not just a visual phenomenon but also an opportunity for quiet contemplation and reflection, and this is something we encourage our guests to embrace also,” Kendra Guild, vice president of North America with the travel company Solos (which just expanded into the United States), told TravelPulse.
Solos is offering a late November departure for travelers who want to take in Koyo in 2025. And because of rising demand for this natural phenomena experience (the first November 2025 Koyo itinerary to be released quickly sold out), the company recently announced a second tour in November.
Travelers who take part in the multistop journey will be able to witness how the Koyo season impacts landscapes across Japan, from Tokyo to more rural settings such as the Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama.
Synchronous fireflies, Southeast Asia
For those who grew up in certain parts of the country (or the world), fireflies are practically synonymous with summer. And witnessing their sparkle on a warm summer evening can be a magical experience that stays with you for years to come.
It’s the kind of moment that G Adventures is hoping to tap into with two of its newest itinerary offerings for 2025: Philippines Solo-ish journey and Bali Solo-ish trip. Though not labeled natural phenomena trips, both itineraries include a surprise opportunity to take in fireflies.
As G Adventures Vice President of Product, Yves Marceau, explained to TravelPulse, there’s a limited number of places in the world where you can take in the firefly phenomena and G Adventures will be taking travelers to two of them this year.
“People want to have an experience that’s a little less than just the regular kind of get on a bus and travel and see places and listen to guides talking,” Marceau said of the growing demand for natural phenomena experiences. “They want to experience the world. Natural phenomena offers a chance to experience things that maybe you have read about a child or heard about as a child.”
