Exotic Holiday Destinations from the UK 2026

This guide covers eight exotic holidays from the UK, from the Galápagos to Bali. Each one is a package we sell, priced from real departure dates, with the entry rules and local fees that UK passport holders need to know.

What makes a holiday exotic?

There is no official definition, so here is the working one we use. An exotic holiday is long-haul, takes you somewhere culturally or ecologically unlike Europe, and needs more planning than a beach week in Spain.

That rules out a lot of places that appear on other lists of exotic holiday destinations. Fuerteventura and Florida are warm, but they are not a different world. The Galápagos, home to species found nowhere else, clearly is. So is a rainforest lodge reached by boat from Manaus, or a gorilla trek in Rwanda.

The planning part matters as much as the scenery. Exotic trips tend to involve internal flights and park fees that a resort holiday never does. For five-star beaches and resorts without the logistics, see our guide to luxury holiday destinations instead.

Exotic holidays 2026 compared

Prices are per person, based on two sharing in Economy, for the cheapest future departure month. Dates, airport and room type change the price.

How to choose between them

Start with the one thing you most want to see, then check the time and budget you have against the table.

• Wildlife close up. The Galápagos and Rwanda are the two trips built around animals you can stand near on foot. Kenya is the pick if you prefer classic game drives from a vehicle to trekking on foot.
• Culture and history. Peru and the Indochina route are the strongest here, with Inca sites, Buddhist temples in Luang Prabang and the Angkor complex. Colombia adds colonial cities and coffee farms.
• Rainforest. Peru and Brazil both reach the Amazon, so decide on the rest of the trip: Peru if Inca sites appeal, Brazil if Rio and the Iguaçu Falls do.
• A slower pace. Bali suits anyone who wants to unpack properly and skip internal flights, which six of the other seven trips need.

Physical fitness narrows the choice more than budget does. Rwanda’s gorilla treks run from 30 minutes to over four hours, on steep, muddy slopes at 2,500–4,000 metres. Cusco and the Sacred Valley sit at high altitude, so anyone with heart or lung conditions should speak to their GP before booking Peru.

The exotic destinations, one by one

These exotic holiday locations run west to east, from South America through East Africa to South-East Asia. Each entry covers what you actually do, the stay that sets the package apart, and who should pick something else.

Galápagos & Ecuador

The islands are the reason to go: giant tortoises, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies at close range. The package starts in Quito, Ecuador’s colonial capital, before a 4-night cruise on the M/Y Grand Majestic, a five-star yacht taking a maximum of 16 guests. Every foreign visitor aged 12 and over pays a US$200 entrance tribute. The US$20 transit control card is bought at Quito airport before check-in. Anyone prone to seasickness should choose a land-based trip instead.

Peru

The trip covers three Perus: Lima’s food scene, the Sacred Valley near Cusco, and the Amazon near Puerto Maldonado. The standout is the Inkaterra pairing, with Hacienda Urubamba in the valley and Reserva Amazónica on the river. The Andes are driest from April to October, with sunny days and cold nights, while rain falls from November to March. Peru records arrivals digitally at the airport and normally allows British visitors up to 90 days in any 180.

Brazil

This route links three very different Brazils: Rio, the Iguaçu Falls and the Amazon around Manaus. Hotels are the Belmond Copacabana Palace, the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas beside the falls, and Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge. Current prices cover October to December 2026 departures only. Check your passport is stamped when you land, as a missing entry stamp can mean a fine on the way out. This is not a relaxing beach trip. For a longer look at routes and lodges, read our guide to Brazil tours in depth.

Colombia

In Colombia the routing does the work. You fly into Bogotá and home from Cartagena, so there is no backtracking. It starts at the Sofitel Bogotá Victoria Regia, then moves to the Coffee Region and Hotel Boutique Sazagua. Cartagena’s walled old city is the finale, from the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara. Prices run to December 2026 departures. Colombia’s optional Check-MIG migration form can be completed online between 72 hours and 1 hour before your flight, which speeds up the arrival queue. The pace is brisk, so this is not for anyone who wants to unpack once.

Rwanda

Rwanda’s draw is time on a volcano slope with a mountain gorilla family. The package bases you at Bisate Lodge on the edge of Volcanoes National Park, with a night in Kigali at each end. You travel by road throughout, and the days after the trek include the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s research centre. A day trip goes to Lake Kivu at Rubavu in the north. That is well away from Rusizi District, where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel near the DRC border. Our luxury safari holidays guide compares Rwanda with East African game drives.

Kenya & Zanzibar

This trip splits its time between the Masai Mara and a Zanzibar beach, starting at Hemingways Nairobi. In the Mara you stay at Mara Plains Camp, then continue to Mora Zanzibar on the coast. The wildebeest herds cross the Mara River into the reserve from July to October. Zanzibar adds one cost that is easy to miss: compulsory inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation. It costs US$44 per adult for up to 92 days, and without it entry can be refused. Skip this one if early starts and bumpy game drives sound more tiring than exciting.

Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia

The route runs from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay on an Indochine cruise, then to Luang Prabang in Laos. Next come the temples of Angkor from Siem Reap, and Ho Chi Minh City. You then fly to Phu Quoc for a beach stay at the Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach, before ending back in Ho Chi Minh City. The Laos leg, at Le Bel Air Luang Prabang, is what sets it apart from standard Vietnam and Cambodia tours. Laos issues single-entry visas on arrival at Luang Prabang airport, and its digital immigration form must be completed in the 3 days before you land and again before you leave. Northern Vietnam is cold from December to March, so pack layers for Hanoi.

Bali

You spend 4 nights in Ubud at the Mesari Hotel in a Rice Terrace Suite, then move to Away Bali Legian Camakila near the beach. The island’s dry season runs from April to October. Every foreign tourist also pays the Bali tourist levy of IDR 150,000, and the All Indonesia arrival card is due in the 72 hours before landing. Bali is busy, and Legian is lively rather than secluded, so look elsewhere for an empty beach. Our guide to Bali holidays from the UK compares other areas and hotels.

What exotic trips need before you fly

These rules apply across most of the list, so they sit here once rather than under each destination.

• Passport validity. Most of these countries want at least six months left on your passport from the day you arrive. Kenya and Indonesia also ask for two blank pages, Rwanda and Tanzania for one.
• Yellow fever. Vaccination is recommended for Rio, Iguaçu, the Brazilian Amazon and the Masai Mara. Brazil does not ask for a certificate on entry. Kenya is itself a yellow fever risk country, so Tanzania requires a vaccination certificate when you fly on from Kenya to Zanzibar. Check TravelHealthPro for your exact route well before you travel.
• Travel insurance and FCDO advice. Travelling to an area the FCDO advises against can invalidate your cover, so check the advice for every country on the route, not just the first stop.
• Gorilla permits sell out. Rwanda issues only 96 a day, so fix the Rwanda dates first and plan the rest of the trip around them.

Other exotic ideas

Sri Lanka is the obvious gap, as there is no fixed-price package for it in this list. UK visitors need a free online ETA before travel, and our guide to Sri Lanka luxury holidays covers routes and seasons.

For Asia with three or more stops, such as Singapore, Bali and Bangkok, see our guide to multi-centre holidays.