A remote and spectacular destination in South Australia’s far north has made a prestigious list of the world’s top 25 places for travel.

The state’s Ikara-Flinders Ranges and outback took out fourth spot on the Lonely Planet list, revealed on Thursday.

It is the only Australian destination to make the cut for 2026.

“There’s an otherworldly beauty to the Ikara-Flinders Ranges that is unlike anywhere else in the Australian outback,” the travel publisher writes in its new Best of Travel 2026 guide.

It points out that the region five hours north of Adelaide is often bypassed in favour of the better known Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park or Western Australia’s Kimberly.

“Located at the heart of this treasured national park, the impressive Ikara (Wilpena Pound) – a vast natural amphitheatre of mountains, with a cratered rim measuring a staggering eight times the size of Uluru – begs to be explored by air or on foot,” the publisher writes.

Lonely Planet goes on to describe the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park as a “patch of South Australia [that] delivers drama and awe in equal measure”.

“Emus and kangaroos outnumber humans here, and sunrises and sunsets hit differently as pink, red and purple hues dance and skip across the dramatic landscape, creating an incredible intensity of shape and colour,” the guide says.

Wilpena Pound is a magnificent natural amphitheatre and the centrepiece of the Flinders Ranges National Park. Photo: Getty

The Flinders Ranges is indeed a jewel in SA’s crown. In 2022, it was nominated for a tentative listing as a World Heritage site, on behalf of the South Australian government and the area’s traditional owners, the Adnyamathanha people.

It is home to significant fossil deposits, and was dubbed “one great outdoor museum” by 20th-century explorer and geologist Douglas Mawson.

“More than 600 million years old, the Flinders Ranges is one of Australia’s magnificent landscapes,” SA environment minister Susan Close said in 2022.

“The fossils and geology of the region are particularly fascinating, displaying the history of our planet and the evolution of life on Earth.

“Some of this critical evidence includes the world’s finest example of the Ediacaran explosion of life when the earliest forms of complex multicellular animal life evolved.”

The traditional owners, the Adnyamathanha people, tell stories of how the area’s ancient landscape was created through their strong ties to the land. More recent history includes its oldest town, Melrose, and the Prairie Hotel at Parachilna.

“[It] offers the Aussie outback on a plate – literally. The feral and native bush food (kangaroo, camel and goat) are spun into wild outback pub classics that can be washed down with a cold one from their onsite brewery,” Lonely Planet writes.

The wider region is also home to the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, an official International Dark Sky Sanctuary.

“Other stargazers travel by 4WD to Streitberg Range, where they’re guided through the night sky by telescope before falling asleep under the stars in swags, uniquely Australian tents,” Lonely Planet says.

Top spot on the annual list went to Botswana, which the travel publisher said promised “dramatic wildlife sightings that serve as your own personal theatrical event”.

“You’ll see tonnes of wildlife no matter what time of year you choose to visit,” it writes.

“The Okavango Delta is often touted as Botswana’s must-see attraction – and it is an awesome natural spectacle to be present during the annual flooding of the world’s largest inland delta … a huge part of the appeal is the sheer wonder and beauty of the delta, though there’s plenty of game here, too.”

Botswana’s Okavango Delta is a haven for wildlife. Photo: Pexels

Peru – described as “ancient ruins and modern cities; it is deep traditions and pioneering cuisines” – rounded out the top three.

“No place in South America seems to be racing so fast toward the future while also carving out space and time to honour its illustrious past quite like Peru,” Lonely Planet says.

“Visit in 2026 to appreciate updated infrastructure, mind-bending meals, time-warping citadels and newly protected wild-lands.”

While the SA destination is the only Australian spot on the annual list, there are plenty of other Aussie favourites in Asia and the Pacific.

They include Phuket in Thailand, Siem Reap in Cambodia and Qui Nhon in Vietnam. Others that don’t require a marathon flight to reach include the Solomon Islands and the entire North Island of New Zealand.

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 is out now