UFO Tourism Is Taking Off: 15 Must-Visit Hotspots for Alien Enthusiasts

 A new report details that the number of sightings of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena is increasing as enthusiasts are searching for a chance to connect with the outrageous mysteries of the universe.

Two unidentified flying objects - UFO, flying over the sunny desert.

I often find myself searching the night skies, wondering if we are alone in the universe. I have had multiple experiences spotting what appeared to be cigar-shaped objects hovering in place. Others would usually discount them as balloons or planes, but I always believed.

For as long as I can remember, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) or UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena), as they are now officially called, have captivated our imaginations. Growing up watching television shows like Lost in Space or The Jetsons, searching for life in another galaxy has always opened our fantasies of mysterious worlds. I am not alone in this dream, as I have compiled the world’s most popular UFO hotspots considered gateways to the unknown, where visitors can explore infinite possibilities.

UFO tourism is booming as UAP sightings are now more commonly featured in mainstream media. There are countless silly Alien festivals and conventions around the world, as well as serious gatherings of thought-provoking individuals providing the UFO community with further information.

Here are 15 UFO hotspots and attractions around the world for dreamers, seekers, and believers to explore the unknown and have some fun at the same time.

Illustration of a UFO over an empty desert road in California

CALIFORNIA

The annual Contact in the Desert event takes place the last week of May in Joshua Tree and is touted as “the world’s largest UFO and UAP conference. Dedicated to exploring the frontiers of knowledge in UAP, Artificial Intelligence, the future of technology and space travel, non-human intelligence, spirituality, and health & wellness.” Speakers this year include Television adventurer Josh Gates.

Shilinxia UFO Glass Viewing Platform

CHINA

The Shilinxia UFO Glass Viewing Platform is perched high on a cliff and offers visitors a thrilling experience of standing 250 feet above the ground with breathtaking 360-degree views. Its unique design resembles a flying disk or UFO, with an actual flying saucer piloted by a couple of aliens parked right in the middle of the glass platform.

UFO Watchtower attraction in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.

COLORADO

The UFO Watchtower is Colorado's most unique roadside attraction. It invites extraterrestrial seekers and aficionados to the watchtower for a chance to spot an alien or UFO for themselves. This location has hosted numerous UFO sightings over the years, which could be possible thanks to the vast and unfiltered view of the night sky.

UFO trail sign at Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England

ENGLAND

The UFO Trail in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, was created after United States Air Force (USAF) security personnel stationed at nearby RAF Woodbridge reported seeing strange lights in the surrounding forest. The mystery of the sighting has continued ever since, and the three-mile trail was built to accommodate curiosity seekers.

Giant of the Atacama. Large petroglyph on a rocky outcrop in the Atacama Desert in the Tarapaca Region of northern Chile.

CHILE

In Atacama, Chile, the Mars-like landscape gives way to the “Atacama Giant,” a massive alien-looking prehistoric artwork that stands 30 feet longer than a football field and is 390 feet tall. With more than 5,000 geoglyphs in the area, ancient astronaut theorists believe it was meant to signal extraterrestrial visitors similar to marks or on a runway.

A national UFO trail was created in San Clemente, Chile, leading to a unique formation known as El Enladrillado. There, 233 massive megaliths weighing ten tons apiece were erected like giant platforms in ancient times. Following a significant increase in sightings in 1997, the Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena was created. The official body of the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, DGAC, studies anomalous aerial phenomena in Chilean airspace.

View of the Peña de Bernal, and the small 'magical town' of Bernal, in the Mexican state of Querétaro.

MEXICO

Since 2022, La Rumorosa has been promoted as the “World Capital of the UFO Phenomenon.” A sign proudly announces this as you enter this Martian landscape because many sightings have occurred there. There is even an annual international festival — the World UFO Fest in March for UFO aficionados, which includes talks and seminars with “bioenergetic practices to facilitate contact with the beings of light” or “testing and vibrational balancing,” according to the website.

In San Sebastián Bernal, a gigantic monolith called Peña de Bernal towers over the town in the Mexican state of Querétaro. The area has reported UFO sightings and mysterious lights. Some believe that Chaneques (a small race of elves) call the monolith their home and must be kept happy by offering small gifts. Modern-day visitors have claimed that they have also seen “little people” on or around this gigantic rock in connection with UFO sightings.

Little A'le'inn in Rachel, Nevada. The Little A'le'inn is a small bar, restaurant and motel on the Extraterrestrial Highway.

NEVADA

Area 51 and the Extraterrestrial Highway, in Nevada is a U.S. military installation located north of Las Vegas and is commonly known to UFO conspiracy theorists as a location the U.S. government refused to acknowledge. They believe that the area is a storage facility for the examination of a crashed alien spacecraft including its occupants both living and dead as well as materials recovered at Roswell. They also believe the area is used to manufacture aircraft based on alien technology.

Some UFOlogists are now claiming a secret underground facility has been discovered in the base of the Papoose Mountains, in Lincoln County, Nevada, where recovered alien space crafts and extraterrestrial beings are kept hidden away and no longer at Area 51.

UFO fans often congregate at the popular Little A’Le’Inn bar and restaurant, the original Area 51 restaurant / bar / motel and take one of their popular tours along the route to Area 51 to see Indian Petroglyphs that resemble aliens; the mysterious dry lake where recent sightings of UFO’s have been observed, and the Black Mailbox, a sacred meeting place for UFO enthusiasts.

A welcom sign at the entry point of Roswell

NEW MEXICO

Roswell, New Mexico, is synonymous with UFOs thanks to many historical UFO mysteries that allegedly occurred in 1948. In the northwestern part of the state near the Colorado border, there are well-known reports of a strange craft that crashed in Hart Canyon, followed by the military quickly descending upon the scene to remove the craft and the bodies of its crew away. The popular Alien Run Mountain Bike Trail was created to accommodate the Aztec Alien Run, which takes place annually in May, as bike riders descend on the region.

The area also offers the International UFO Museum and Research Center and the Roswell UFO Festival, which takes place in July every year and features otherworldly events, including the renowned Roswell Galacticon, the AlienFest, and the Roswell Film Festival.

A couple wearing silver alien costumes walk down McMinnville Oregon's mainstreet in the parade of the annual UFO Festival.

OREGON

Seventy-five years ago, the tiny town of McMinnville, Oregon, was struck with UFO fever when a local couple spotted a flying disc over their farm, making national news. The McMinnville UFO Festival celebrates its 25th year with speakers, parties, an outrageous costumed parade, and even an Alien Abduction 5k Race.

The Spiral. Peru Nasca desert South America

PERU

One of the most famous sites in the world is the Nasca Lines in Peru. The group of large carved geoglyphs located in Peru's Nasca Desert was believed to have been made by extraterrestrial visitors as landing spots, but they were more likely created by a pre-Incan civilization. Scientists using AI recently discovered 303 new geoglyphs, including abstract humanoid figures and ancient ceremonies. The best way to see the Nasca Lines is from the air. There are multiple daily flights, lasting about 75 minutes each, that depart from Pisco Airport.

3d illustration of UFO in the forest

ROMANIA

In the famed region of Transylvania lies the Hoia-Baciu Forest. Aside from popular Dracula tourism in the area, the forest is filled with unexplained phenomena that thrill alien hunters. The area is known as "Romania's Bermuda Triangle" and "World's Most Haunted Forest." The so-called "dead zone," a circular area without vegetation, adds to the creepy forest surroundings and is also a hotbed for reported paranormal activity.

Rendering of being lost inside Molybka Triangle in Russia

RUSSIA

The famous Perm Anomalous Zone is in a remote area near the Ural Mountains in Russia. The M Triangle is one of the most mysterious places in the world and was discovered in the 1980s. Witnesses report that their watches stop working, and there are sightings of bright, glowing colored lights in the sky. Ufologists consider this a sign of "underground fractures where intense energy is emitted. This wave duct for electromagnetic energy usually results in color, sound, and other phenomena."

Danger road sign warning of possible UFO, in Scotland

SCOTLAND

Bonnybridge, Falkirk, is considered the UFO Capital of Scotland where numerous residents and UFO enthusiasts have come forward to share their personal experiences. With over 300 sightings of suspicious and unidentifiable flying objects each year, Bonnybridge has been nicknamed the ‘Scottish Roswell.’ Sightings of strange hovering lights, cigar-shaped flying objects, and UFOs have regularly frightened motorists. Some have even claimed to have been kidnapped by alien entities in the Falkirk Triangle before being whisked away onto flying saucers for further examination.

View from Marfa, Texas Observatory on the edge of Highway 90.

TEXAS

For more than 135 years, mysterious glowing orbs have appeared here in the night sky. Known as the Marfa Lights, these strange lights are one of the most unexplained mysteries in the world. The Marfa Ghost Lights, date back to the 19th century, when indigenous tribes told stories of the phenomena. The lights have many colors and appear to hover or bob erratically. The popular music-filled Marfa Lights Festival also takes place in August.

Skinwalker Ranch

UTAH

Vernal is historically known for its strange sightings and dinosaur fossils. An area filled with ghost towns, and otherworldly rock features. It is located near Skinwalker Ranch, a 500-acre ranch so strange it inspired its own television series. The ranch owners have reported tales of UFOs, Bigfoot-like creatures, strange orbs, creatures with glowing eyes, and other paranormal activities. It is now privately owned and not open to the public.

On the north side of ranch and its popular UFO Alley is Blind Frog Ranch. It’s the subject of the Discovery Channel’s "The Mystery of Blind Frog Ranch," another show searching for answers about the alien desert landscape.

The Utah desert has long been a hotspot for UFO encounters for many years, and the Utah UFO Festival attracts fans every June to participate in lectures, costume contests, and extraterrestrial movies.

A small drone flies in front of the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building.

With thousands of UFO sightings in North America over the past year, Christian Stepien, Chief Technology Officer of the National UFO Reporting Center, does not think there is a specific hotspot that is the most prolific. He tells me, "In its 50 years of collecting UFO reports, NUFORC has seen several waves, where UFO sightings seem to increase in a certain location over a certain period. The latest, of course, is the mysterious drone flap occurring around New Jersey and other parts of the country. However, there doesn't seem to be a single location that UFOs frequent consistently over the years. Instead, they are seen literally everywhere, with a greater probability of sighting one occurring in areas that have a wide, clear view of the sky."

The National UFO Reporting Center, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization where people can file reports of unusual phenomena, lists the U.S. destinations that recorded the most UFO-reported sightings in 2024 with California leading the pack.

NUFORC also lists civilian reports around the world. For the past year, the United Kingdom tops the list of most UFO sightings in Europe (120), followed by Brazil (59), Ontario, Canada (49), Australia (31), and India (31). However, Mexico lists a dramatic increase, with 33 reported sightings already taking place in 2025.

New U.S. Government Research blames many UFO sightings on Starlink Satellites and Birds

While much of its UFO research is still highly classified, the U.S. Department of Defense released its Annual Report on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena in 2024. “Many reported cases included Unidentified lights and round/spherical/orb-shaped objects made up the bulk of cases in which reports provided distinct visual characteristics. Objects include unique descriptions such as “green fireball,” “a jellyfish with [multicolored] flashing lights,” and a “silver rocket approximately six feet long.” They concluded that most reported cases were resolved to prosaic objects, including balloons, birds, UAS, satellites, and aircraft. They also added they discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology.”

The report also adds, “Many reported cases are related to the Starlink satellite constellation. AARO is investigating if other unresolved cases may be attributed to the expansion of Starlink and other mega-constellations in low earth orbit. Starlink gives the appearance of one or more luminous white dots (1 to 4) of varying intensity with very brief flashes. The apparitions follow one another, and the movements vary in speed and direction, greatly confusing the witnesses. This phenomenon is due to a brief illumination by the Sun of the Starlink satellites when they are stationed and operational.”

In many other cases, birds are commonly misidentified as UAP/UFOs the report said, “due to sensor artifacts resulting from compression and pixilation that often render the object as an amorphous blob or orb. Electro-optical/infrared sensor glare can also cause distorted pixilation of the object’s true shape. Moreover, full-motion video (FMV) analysis, consistent with other confirmed examples of birds in flight, commonly displays birds as “flickering” objects. This phenomenon captured by FMV is indicative of flapping wings.”

In March 2024, the government released an unclassified Historical Record Report Volume I to explain “historical documents relating to KONA BLUE, a Prospective and not approved Special Access Program that was brought to AARO’s attention by interviewees who claimed that it was a sensitive Department of Homeland Security compartment to cover up the retrieval and exploitation of “non-human biologics.”