7 Out-of-This-World Experiences to Get Grounded

Sometimes it can take a truly exceptional — perhaps far-flung — travel experience to bring you back to yourself, right where your feet find you in the present moment.

From the whispering plains of the South African bush to the elusive place where the Pacific Ocean meets the Indian Ocean in Raja Ampat, we’re taking you by land and by sea — plus, for the not-so-faint-at-heart, by helicopter — to reach some of the most remote Smartie-approved spots around the globe. While the destinations, lodges, villas, and private boat charters featured throughout this roundup are each unique in their own right, they’re each tethered to nature. Based on our boots-on-the-ground research, we’ve found that each place and out-of-this-world experience featured inspires a grounding effect, in turn allowing you to reconnect with what matters most.

Sleep Beneath the Stars Amidst a Dark Sky Reserve

Kwessi Dunes: Namibrand Nature Reserve, Namibia

How far would you travel to reach one of the least light-polluted places in the world? In the case of travelers visiting Namibia, the answer is…essentially to the end of the Earth. At least, that’s what it felt like to us on a recent scouting trip where the vastly changing Namibian landscapes mimicked what we could only imagine the surface of the moon would look like. Arrival at Kswessi Dunes in the Namibrand Nature Reserve only amplifies that feeling of otherworldliness thanks to its proximity to Big Daddy Dune — the tallest in the Soussuslvei region. After you’ve conquered the 325-meter trek (we recommend preparing to be barefoot for this) to the top of Big Daddy, let your childlike enthusiasm come out to play and slide your way down to Deadvlei. Whether you opt for the “stop, drop, and roll” method, or prefer a more traditional feet-first approach, we promise this grounding experience will elicit euphoric reactions post-hike.

Once you’ve reached the dune’s base, take time to observe 900-year-old bare, dead acacia erioloba trees twisting out of cracked white clay before retreating to creature comforts at Kswessi Dunes. Come nightfall, you’ll convene with your fellow explorers for a boma dinner beneath the twinkling sky. But your galaxy-gazing doesn’t have to end there. The lodge has outdoor “star gazer beds” built into each accommodation that are completely open to the sky — meaning, you can quite literally sleep beneath the stars! With NamibRand boasting Africa’s first designated International Dark Sky Reserve status, you’re sure to be reminded just how vast the universe is from this very special vantage point.

Leave Tracking the Big Five to the Littles

Lion Sands: Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park, South Africa

In case you haven’t already caught on, we’re pretty big fans of safari. We’ve scouted lodges across Northern Laikipia in Kenya, snaked through the tall grasses surrounding some of the gems of Tanzania’s Serengeti, and paddled on mokorus through Botswana’s vast Okavango Delta, but the evergreen appeal of South Africa never fades. South Africa’s Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park offer some of the most diverse concentrations of wildlife in the southern hemisphere. In Sabi Sands, while staying at River Lodge or Ivory Lodge, your safari within Lion Sand’s private concession begins. While spending time with your knowledgeable Lion Sands guide, you’ll learn more about the impressive conservation efforts being taken up here, which your stay helps to support.

While safari is often thought of as a “once in a lifetime” trip to be taken in retirement, travelers who prioritize safari with kids in tow cite it as a transformative experience it is for the entire family. At Lion Sands, young explorers are at the forefront thanks to its Mack and Madi Kids Adventure Programme inspired by the owner’s children and designed to bring families together through discovery, learning, creating, and pure fun! Think: milkshake sundowners, scavenger hunts, baking, and beading to help spark a sense of adventure. Children also receive a backpack or cap, games, gifts, and child-friendly meals throughout safari. But what we love best about Lion Sand’s approach is how guides bring children into the art of tracking, eliciting interactive involvement from your littlest travelers, including having them get out of the game vehicle to pour molds into animal tracks.

Go on a Spa Safari

NIHI Sumba: Sumba, Indonesia

While we could easily dedicate this entire roundup to safari, we’re moving from Africa to Asia to detail a different kind of safari, specifically, a “Spa Safari.” NIHI Sumba is located on Indonesia’s Nihiwatu Beach, or as they refer to it: the Edge of Wildness. This property is truly one of a kind in the way it approaches rugged luxury created for the curious. A stay at NIHI Sumba is not an escape from everyday life but is meant to be a return to a life well lived where you arrive with an open heart and leave forever changed. While opportunities to connect with nature are limitless in this twenty-seven-villa property, it’s their one-of-a-kind Spa Safari that will have you on the fast track to reconnecting with yourself.

The Spa Safari experience starts just a short distance from NIHI with your choice to arrive via horseback, safari jeep, or with a spirited sunrise trek through the rolling hills and rice paddies. Once you reach the treatment Bales perched where the emerald green cliffs meet the sea, opt for a swim in the ocean followed by breakfast cooked on an open fire, or, dive right into a selection of treatments crafted just for you. This wellness experience can last a half or full day and is meant to bring you in sync with the rhythm of the waves and swaying palm trees, warmed by Sumba smiles and Indonesia’s rich healing history.

Disconnect from More than the WiFi

Rascal Voyages: Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Our next out-of-this-world experience to get grounded will keep you in Indonesia, but this unique offering will find you out at sea. In fact, if you want to combine this multi-day charter with a stay NIHI Sumba so as not to miss out on your Spa Safari, Rascal Voyages acts as the perfect pairing. Rascal Voyages is a revolutionary adventure product where traditional handmade phinisi yachts accommodate up to ten guests. Due to their small size, you’re able to reach waterways larger vessels cannot because, on a Rascal Voyage, luxury means having the chance to access the otherwise inaccessible. While on a Rascal Voyages charter, you can gain access to unspoiled beaches and the very best that Southeast Asia has to offer.

While there is internet access for some parts of Rascal Voyage’s Raja Ampat itinerary, one of the things we love most about these private charter trips are the way they forces you to be present during the moments when the WiFi connection is weak, if not non-existent. But trust us, you won’t need internet here, you’re going to be far too busy taking in the spectacular sights of Komodo National Park, Mount Rinjani, Gili Moyo, the Gili Islands, and Mount Agung. Imagine days spent surfing, snorkeling, trekking, and diving before evenings unfold with delectable dinners cooked up right in the sand.

Bliss Out and Reconnect with Your Crew, Panamanian-Style

Sweet Bocas: Bocas del Toro, Panama

The only recommendation on our list in the Caribbean, this family-run private estate down in Panama is built on unparalleled privacy. Sweet Bocas is a uniquely all-inclusive property where the dedicated team provides personalized service to guests of its seven-room villa at the highest level. For the purpose of all-out bliss, we’re going to dive into what a stay at this one-of-a-kind villa would look like in your pursuit of deep, authentic connection with your nearest and dearest.

Ideal for a group trip with family or your group of friends, Sweet Bocas Villa is an architectural wonder with its overwater location, ensuring you and your crew feel like you really are in your own world. Here, social spaces are designed to inspire conversation and bring your people together. You can soak up the sweeping vistas from the wraparound decks (“porch” just doesn’t quite suffice!) while you turn up the Sonos as the sun sets. Replish your body and in turn, soul, with true farm-to-table meals prepared daily by Sweet Boca’s private chef using organic ingredients grown on the private estate.

Choose Your Own Patagonian Adventure

Tierra Patagonia: Torres del Paine, Chile

Holding down our South America category, Patagonia’s allure hardly needs explaining, but we’ll gush a bit anyway. Ideal for travelers seeking complete immersion into contrasting landscapes, this remote region of Chile is said to humble travelers in the best of ways. Here, wandering the barren yet beautiful expanses of Torres del Paine provides a rejuvenating reset for the soul. While most Chile itineraries include multiple stops, we’re spotlighting, Tierra Patagonia, a boutique, family-run lodge we adore.

One of the most unique things about Tierra lodges is how they include all experiences, food, and beverages into the lodge rate. Even better, activities can be planned based on your mood that day, so there’s no pressure to pre-book your days out, allowing you to instead tune into what your body is craving. For us, a perfect day at Tierra Patagonia involves waking up to see sunrise with your coffee in hand on your balcony, watching the colors of the Torres del Paine mountains turn the rosiest shade of pink. Let your morning unfold with a horseback ride across the Patagonia steppe before meeting locals who live and work in the glaciers, or opt for a full-day mountain hike. Either way, you have the magnificent light-filled lodge awaiting your return. Cap off the day with a book by the roaring fireplace and a drink in hand recounting your new memories made in Patagonia.

Soak up Pure New Zealand by Helicopter

Minaret Station, New Zealand

For the ultimate adventure and outdoors enthusiast, a stay at Minaret Station Alpine Lodge is the key to New Zealand nature at its finest. Even amongst the most well-traveled SmartFlyer advisors, scouting trips to this remote corner of the world yield the widely shared viewpoint that there are few (if any!) places quite like Minaret Station in the world. Located on rugged South Island, the property is set on a remote glacial valley surrounded by towering peaks accessible only by helicopter. Alas, this one is really only for those comfortable hopping in the chopper!

With just four chalets, Minaret Station Alpine Lodge provides the chance for guests to enjoy some of life’s most precious elements: time, fresh air, and open space. Via helicopter excursions, your guide will take you past well-trodden paths to discover the beauty of Fiordland, Milford Sound, Dusky Sounds, Aoraki Mt Cook as well as National Parks. Or if you prefer other methods to get grounded, backcountry fly fishing, heli-skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and guided hunting are available during your stay. There truly are few better places to reconnect with nature and ultimately, yourself.