25 Best Destinations for Topside Fun

Whether traveling with nondivers or just looking for a break from the big blue, these locales offer topside excitement to match nearby underwater thrills.

1. Big Five Safari
South Africa
The classic African safari — with lions, elephants, leopards, Cape buffaloes and rhinos on the checklist — makes nearly every traveler’s bucket list.
Dive South Africa

2. Komodo Dragons
Komodo, Indonesia
It’s eerie to be watched by these prey-stalking lizards that grow to be 10 feet long. And yet, the photo ops of this forked-tongued hunter are irresistible — just stay behind your stick-toting guide.
Dive Indonesia

3. Kayaking
Vancouver Island, Canada
The best reason to kayak off Vancouver Island is that you’ll enjoy views of mountains and thousand-year-old cedars while interacting with Pacific harbor seals and California sea lions.
Dive Canada

4. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Alabama
This collection of 26 pristine golf courses features a total of 468 holes spread among 11 sites that span from the northern to southern tip of the state, where you can dive the Gulf of Mexico.
Dive Alabama

5. Arenal Volcano
Costa Rica
The drive from the capital of San Jose to the still-active Arenal Volcano is spectacular on its own. Around the volcano, outdoorsy types will relish the waterfall rappelling and hiking; less-active travelers will enjoy the art galleries and coffeehouses.
Dive Costa Rica

6. Swimming Pigs
Bahamas
As soon as they hear the hum of a boat engine, these chubby spotted pigs leave the white sand of the otherwise uninhabited Big Major Cay, their home in the Exumas.
Dive Bahamas

7. Wildlife Tours
Galapagos
Charles Darwin was transfixed by the birds of these islands, and you would be too. The magnificent frigate birds and blue-footed boobies are worth the closer look gained by a hike among the island Scalesia trees and tide pools.
Dive Galapagos

8. Swimming in the Baths
British Virgin Islands
No spot in the Virgin Islands is more picturesque than this Virgin Gorda collection of basalt boulders leaning to create light-filled grottoes.
Dive BVI

9. Hike to Penemu Lookout Point
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
This high point overlooks Indonesia’s grouping of mushroom islands. The scramble up isn’t well-marked, but is well worth it for the photo ops.
Dive Indonesia

10. Kava Ceremony
Fiji
Elsewhere in the world, happy hour looks like a cold beer, but in Fiji, the tradition is to circle up and pass the bowl of kava, a drink made from the roots of a sedative plant. Try it not for the taste, but for the experience.
Dive Fiji

11. Nassau 
Straw Market
New Providence Island, Bahamas
Too often, goods sold in island markets are imports. Not so with this market: Much of the hats, purses, place mats and more are made on the islands.
Dive Bahamas

12. Da Conch Shack
Provo, Turks and Caicos Islands
This open-air, on-the-water beach bar is a local favorite for plates of fried conch served with a strong rum punch that fuels the party Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon.
Dive Turks and Caicos

13. Soggy 
Dollar Bar
Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
Everyone befriends everyone after their second painkiller cocktail — a mix of rums, pineapple and orange juices, and cream of coconut.
Dive BVI

14. Coba Maya Ruins
Riviera Maya, Mexico
These ruins, 27 miles northwest of Tulum, stand as a well-preserved collection of raised stone pathways and temples, including the 137-foot Nohoch Mul pyramid — an excellent viewing spot of the region.
Dive Mexico

15. Caving
Bonaire
The second-best way to drop in on Bonaire is into its caves — a system 400 strong. Some rooms contain fossilized corals, giving guests on the guided tours a feeling of walking under an ancient reef.
Dive Bonaire

16. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
Philippines
Start with spearmint-colored water and enter the blackness cutting into a vine-covered cliff. This cave system is explorable by boat, making it easy to check out the limestone formations.
Dive Philippines

17. Surfing
New South Wales, Australia
The Pass at Byron Bay’s Clarkes Beach is easily this region’s hottest surf spot. But if this break looks too big, hike up the surfer’s lookout and scout the entire bay, picking out what might be your speed.
Dive Australia

18. Yoga Class
Bali
Known as the island of the gods and home to thousands of temples, Bali is one of the top destinations for the spiritually inclined. Here, anyone can practice alongside masters and take in the energy of the destination itself.
Dive Bali

19. Canal 
Boat Tour
Bangkok, Thailand
These open-air boat tours putter past temples with gold Buddhas, busy markets and overwater shack-and-shanty communities. Next to a just-cut coconut, this is one of the best ways to cool off in the city.
Dive Thailand

20. Dune Buggy Tour
La Paz, Mexico
You can rent and DIY, or opt for guided half-day tours, covering as much as 60 miles of desert ridgelines and views of the Sea 
of Cortez.
Dive Mexico

21. Old Havana
Cuba
The warren of cobblestone and dirt streets of Old Havana wind between old favorites and new finds. At night, the sound of rumba music guides you to the bars where the dance party is well underway.
Dive Cuba

22. Haleakala Crater
Maui, Hawaii
Try the sunrise bike tour to reach Maui's highest point. The 2 a.m. wake-up time is rough, but the red dawn is unforgettable, followed by a screaming downhill ride, some 26 miles, back to Paia Bay.
Dive Hawaii

23. Hemingway House
Key West, Florida
The well-kept Spanish colonial is an all-access pass into a decade of the writer’s personal history. Of course, the 50-some six-toed cats are a fun attraction as well.
Dive Florida Keys

24. Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga
Maldives
Sure, a lot of tropical destinations offer SUP yoga, but few offer waters this calm and clear, allowing you to spy on stingrays. And the look back at low-lying white-sand atolls dotted with palm trees isn’t bad.
Dive Maldives

25. Seven 
Sisters Falls
Grenada
Nobody goes to Grenada without hiking to a waterfall — and this is one of the biggest scenic rewards for minimal effort. Hike 1  miles before reaching the cascade that spills to a turquoise natural pool.
Dive Grenada