A Welsh national park has been named as a must-visit destination in 2025 by one of the world’s top travel guides. Lonely Planet have outlined their top ten travel trends for this year and visiting underrated parks has been put at number seven.
As well as predicting the trends, Lonely Planet’s new Best in Travel guide for 2025 has recommended 10 destinations as “shining examples of where to experience” for each activity. For underrated parks, they have told travellers to visit the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park in Wales.
The key themes across the trends relate to music, nature , culinary interests and slow travel, so the experts are recommending that visitors “breathe in the beautiful bleakness” of the Bannau Brycheiniog. As of 2018, the park was visited by 4.4 million people annually and this is only set to rise as it continues to get more recognition for its beauty globally.
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Their tip off for underrated national park reads: ” Avoid the crowds and take the trail less travelled to explore alternative national parks around the world, equally deserving of their NP status offering beauty, splendour and wonder. Marvel at the vast Canyonlands of Utah, USA, spot a tiger in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore, India. Breathe in the beautiful bleakness of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park in Wales or soak up the jungle sounds at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize.”
As well as beautiful peaks such as Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn which make stunning walks and hikes, the National Park is also home to nearby lively market towns such as Brecon and Hay-on-Wye, a tiny town home to over 20 bookshops and the host of the largest annual book festival in the world. There are also brooding ruins of castles and forts to be explored in the area which was designated as a national park in 1957.
-Credit:Paul Tarrant
There are plenty of scenic walks and hikes to enjoy -Credit:Portia Jones
On their website, Lonely Planet’s description of the Bannau Brycheiniog reads: “Rippling dramatically for 45 miles from near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire all the way to the English border, Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly Brecon Beacons National Park) encompasses some of the finest scenery in southern Wales. High mountain plateaus of grass and heather, their northern rims scalloped with glacier-scoured hollows, rise above wooded, waterfall-splashed valleys and swooningly gorgeous rural landscapes.”
While the park is popular with tourists, its vast expanse means there is plenty of space, making crowds rare. If you venture beyond the most popular trails, you’ll soon find yourself in countryside that feels peaceful and remote.
The Bannau Brycheiniog is also less than 30 miles from Cardiff so is easy to reach. You can drive here from central London in under three hours. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter
This is also not the first time that the Bannau Brycheiniog has been recognised as one of the top places to visit globally. Last year, the national park made the New York Times list of the 52 best places in the world to visit in 2024.
For the park’s 66th anniversary in 2023, the national park’s authority decided to scrap its English name – Brecon Beacons, and officially call it by its Welsh name only – Bannau Brycheiniog. Its authority said that the announcement was to reflect its commitment to Welsh culture, language and heritage. You can read more about this here.
Jon Pimm, a warden at the park, said: “Each area of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park has its own uniqueness, its own features. After working here for over ten years I’m still finding new places and seeing wonderful views I’ve not seen before.”
Lonely Planet’s full list of the top 10 travel trends for 2025 are:
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Train-Hopping: From cross-continental epics to slow travel branch lines, rail adventures make the journey an experience in-itself.
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Taking it Easy: Slow down, get closer to nature clear the mind of the gunk of modern life.
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Following the Music
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Extreme Birdwatching: Birders are becoming more adventurous, travelling to see the most remarkable feathered friends in extraordinary environments.
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Marvellous Markets: The best way to get to know a place and its people is to experience first-hand customs, delicacies and wares by shopping the local market.
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What a Drag: More than just RuPaul and her queen coven. Drag is an art form celebrated in major cities around the world.
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Underrated Parks: Avoid the crowds and take the trail less travelled to explore alternative national parks around the world, equally deserving of their NP status offering beauty, splendour and wonder.
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Local Flavours
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Arboreal Adventures: Also known as Forest Bathing, the need to reconnect with nature, and enjoy mindful exploration of woodlands is rapidly on the rise.
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Best Beaches: The dream of finding the perfect beach continues to inspire and motivate travellers.
The trends can be found in the Best in Travel guide for 2025 which can be purchased from shop.lonelyplanet.com or where all good books are sold. RRP £14.99. For more information on Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025 visit: lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel