The 10 Most Fun Survivor Locations, Ranked

Survivor is a widely beloved reality show. The reasons for that are many, including the often-brilliant cast of characters, inventive and punishing challenges, and complex gameplay. But above all, it’s a really fun show. And part of that sense of fun stems down to the exotic locations the show often inhabits.

Survivor is a true globe-trotting adventure in every sense of the word, and while it has remained in Fiji for the last couple of years, fans have fond memories of when the show visited different locales. The setting always proved one of the most important aspects of a season, and these were the most fun.

10 Fiji

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Fiji. It’s a gorgeous location, full of crystal clear blue water, brilliant sunlight, lush green forests, and blinding sandy beaches. It’s the prototypical “desert island” location, and it makes for some truly spectacular viewing (especially on a big screen!).

But it’s also starting to get a little old. Survivor has spent nine of its forty seasons in Fiji – eight of them straight since 2016 (spanning Millennials vs. Gen X to Winners at War). Survivor has stayed in place for four years, and it’s time to move on.

9 Kenya

Survivor: Africa is perhaps the most distinctive season in Survivor history, and that’s largely thanks to its unique setting. Having been filmed in Kenya’s Shaba National Reserve, Survivor: Africa is a gorgeous season of Survivor with a poor reputation.

Unfortunately, the dry and barren setting wreaked havoc on the contestants, most of whom were suffering from some degree of dehydration throughout a majority of the season. As such, everyone is very languid and lethargic, resulting in a rather “boring” cast of characters. Still, the setting more than makes up for it.

8 Australia

Survivor has only visited Australia on one occasion, and that was for the second season. Titled The Australian Outback, this season of Survivor is often well-adored within the Survivor community, and its setting is certainly one of the most beautiful and unique.

Perhaps most unique was the season’s Tribal Council location, which was situated on some beautiful rock cliffs alongside Queensland’s Herbert River Falls. It was utterly gorgeous and special.

7 The Amazon

Serving as the sixth season setting of Survivor, Survivor: The Amazon is a gorgeous season that remains lush and beautiful, even to this day (34 seasons later). The Amazon helped revitalize interest in Survivor after a couple of disappointing seasons, and part of its success is undoubtedly bound to the brilliant location.

It was filmed alongside the Rio Negro in Brazil, and the season absolutely popped with dense green jungle foliage and brilliant bright color (including the yellow, blue, and red tribe colors). These are the types of locations that Survivor fans remember.

6 Guatemala

Survivor visited South America on numerous occasions, but none of the locations were as unique and gorgeous as Guatemala. Survivor: Guatemala is known for many things, including winner Danni Boatwright, featuring the first hidden immunity idol, and the brilliant camps inside genuine Mayan ruins.

It looked absolutely incredible, and it helps Guatemala stand out from the pack. The only bad thing is that the season isn’t presented in HD.

5 Gabon

There’s no denying that Survivor: Gabon is a true mess of a season. Often regarded as one of the worst seasons of Survivor owing to its nonsensical gameplay, Survivor: Gabon would be entirely written off if it wasn’t for the gorgeous location.

The second time that Survivor filmed in Africa, Gabon was actually the first season to be shot and aired in HD – a fact that undoubtedly helps with the setting’s positive reception and reputation. The future was here, and Gabon was the perfect place to show it off.

4 Cambodia

Often heralded as a comeback of sorts (following the middling Worlds Apart), Survivor: Cambodia was very positively received when it aired in 2015. The season’s logo is very bright and colorful, full of purples, whites, greens, and yellows.

These gorgeous colors are mirrored in the season’s tribe colors, which contain very bright and “loud” shades of yellow, pink, and blue-green. Filmed on the island of Koh Rong, Survivor: Cambodia is lush, beautiful, and very colorful.

3 Tocantins

Featuring a brilliant cast of characters – many of whom have gone on to become Survivor legends – Survivor: Tocantins originally aired in 2009 and earned instant acclaim for its likable cast and setting.

Filmed in the semi-arid region of Jalapão in Brazil, Tocantins opened in spectacular fashion with a dusty off-road drive and magnificent HD views of lush greenery, beautiful waterfalls, and towering rock structures. The season is very “orange”, and it makes for some thrillingly unique viewing.

2 Palau

Survivor: Palau is often regarded as one of the show’s greatest seasons, and for good reason. Aside from the unique pre-merge and deserving winner, Palau makes for one of the most visually distinctive seasons in Survivor history.

Filmed in the state of Koror, the season contains gorgeous beaches, towering cliffsides, lush greenery, and a unique World War II theme encompassing ruins and weaponry. Jeff Probst once called Palau his favorite location, and it’s not hard to see why.

1 China

Survivor: China may not be the greatest season of Survivor, but it contains what is arguably the greatest setting. Filmed on the Zhelin Reservoir in Jiangxi, China, Survivor: China contains unique camps situated on the edges of a muddy river.

The season also contains a lot of wonderful ideas inspired by Chinese culture, like unique challenges involving various Chinese concepts and a gorgeous tribal council set inside a 100-foot tall historic temple. It was beautiful, it was unique, and it was a lot of fun.

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Nathan Sharp
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Nathan Sharp is a writer from outside Toronto, Ontario. He has a love of movies and television, having enjoyed them for more than twenty years. His preferences include drama, action, and horror, with the former being a particular point of interest and fascination.

He also has a love of video games, particularly those of Rockstar.

Whether it be about film, television, or video games, Nathan loves a good discussion and has written hundreds of articles for Screen Rant.

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