Best Places to Live If You’re a Nature Addict

For the ones who feel more at home under pine trees than city lights — these are the places where nature isn’t a weekend escape, it’s your neighbor.

Jake looking at Norway from Finnish Lapland.

Last update: November 11, 2025

Do you need your daily dose of nature to be happy? Do you dream of spending all your weekends and holidays in the wilderness? Would you enjoy seeing wild animals wandering in your backyard? If your answers are yes, you might consider below locations to establish yourself!

🌲 Thinking About a Recon Trip?

Before trading traffic for treetops, spend a week or two in your dream spot — breathe the air, walk the trails, talk to locals. These are the tools we use for every “what if we lived here?” adventure:

🏕️ Find cabins & cottages on Booking.com
🚗 Rent a car and hit the scenic routes
🧭 Get Heymondo travel & relocation insurance (5–15% off)

Every great move starts with a small trip — go see if the mountains (or ocean) really call you back.

🐋 Stay Connected to the Wild

Love the idea of living closer to nature? Start by helping protect it. We wear Fahlo wildlife tracking bracelets — each one follows a real animal in the wild. Ours track a whale off Iceland and a polar bear near Churchill 🐋🐻‍❄️.

It’s a small way to remind yourself what you’re doing this for — and a great gift for anyone dreaming of mountain cabins and forest mornings. You’ll also get 20% off with our link:
👉 Track your own animal with Fahlo (20% off)

Every bracelet helps fund real wildlife conservation projects. Because loving nature is even better when you give something back. 🌍

Canada

Canadians live and breathe nature. Most Canadian families own a camper van or at least a 4X4 and top-notch camping gear. Their ideal Saturday evening is around a bound fire, on a secluded beach or on the top of a mountain. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

Life alongside polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba

If your thing is remote wilderness, head to the Yukon or the North West Territories. You could also consider living in Churchill, with polar bears as neighbors. Read our story here. If this is too extreme, even big cities offer endless opportunities for outdoor fun, from skating on a frozen river in Ottawa and playing with the friendly squirrels of Mont Royal Park in Montreal, to surfing the Atlantic in Halifax. You could also try ice-fishing or maple syrup tapping in Québec, and you’ll feel like a local in no time.

Penguin Trampoline tip:

The East Coast is too cold for you? Then head west!

South British Columbia boasts the mildest weather in the country, attracting retired people and Canadians in search for warmer latitudes. It does get rainy, but this is the price to pay for such a beautiful rainforest.

Well, actually, there is another price to pay, as Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities in the world.

But if you manage to sustain yourself, this could be your dream place to live. In Vancouver, you can start your day skiing on the Grouse mountain, then have lunch on a sunny terrace by the sea and stroll in the middle of the rainforest in the afternoon. Not bad!

If you’re serious about moving to Canada, take a trial run — a week or two in your dream location. You’ll learn more in one local café than a hundred Reddit threads.

USA

In terms of outdoor possibilities, the USA is unrivalled and caters for all tastes. The nature-addicts will be able to satiate their outdoor thirst in 58 National Parks and thousands of state parks and recreation areas, most of them with excellent facilities for families and easily accessible.

If you’re looking for a tropical paradise, you’ll probably enjoy the Florida Keys and the Everglades, or Hawaii stunning landscapes.

If you don’t mind the extreme heat, Arizona could be a state for you. Picture yourself living in the middle of the Sonoran Desert or watching the sun set daily near National Parks like the Grand Canyon or Monument Valley!

A tree heaven

The Redwood National and State Parks contain 139,000 acres (560 km2) of redwood forests. Can you spot me in there?

For mountain enthusiasts, Colorado is a good option, with some of the best ski slopes in the world.

If solitude is what you’re after, pick one of the less populated states, such as Montana or even Alaska! How nice would it be to find an elk or a moose in your garden when you wake up?

If you’re really thinking about moving, spend a week there first. A single sunrise and small-talk at the bakery will tell you more than a month of Google searches.

New Zealand

For city lovers, New Zealand probably sounds a bit boring… For nature enthusiasts, though, it’s the perfect place to live.

Everyone there live in harmony with nature, just like the first Maori settlers. Even the largest cities like Auckland or Wellington offer hundreds of hiking trails and beautiful beaches. Beach lovers might prefer the North Island, where the weather is warmer, while mountain fans will find happiness on the South Island. You’ll enjoy a relaxed, outdoor lifestyle, and cheaper than in neighboring Australia.

I took this picture of a glacier, on the South Island, less than a 30 minutes drive from the beach!

Before you pack your life into boxes, do a test run. Nothing reveals a place’s soul faster than sitting in its coffee shops and watching how people talk to each other.

Australia

And speaking of Australia, it might be expensive, but it offers a high quality of life in some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Most cities are on the coast and nearly all of them offer beautiful beaches. Northern Australia enjoys a tropical climate with lush rainforest, paradise islands and of course the Great Barrier. Southern Australia is home to wild landscapes and even some ski resorts, without forgetting the remote Tasman Island. In the middle, thousands of miles of outback, and your nearest neighbor could live… 200 miles away!

Did you know?

Australia counts between 287,830 and 628,010 koalas, and about 2,156,550 kangaroos.

Cool neighbors!

If you love animals, you’ll never be bored in Australia. The country is home to some of the strangest species on the planet, most of them endemic, such as kangaroos, koalas, platypus, Tasmanian devils….

Dreaming’s free, but reality takes a plane ticket. Go stay a week, breathe the air, and chat with the locals — it’ll teach you more than any “Top 10 Places to Move” list ever could.

Costa Rica

Many visitors, especially Americans, fall in love with Costa Rica while on holidays and decide to retire there. Unlike many Central American countries, Costa Rica is extremely safe and stable, and it has been this way for decades. Did you know that it’s one of the few countries in the world with no army? Costa Ricans (or “ticos”) are among the friendliest people in the world (in our humble opinion), and they love and respect their natural surroundings.

This sweet Capuchin monkey, near Manuel Antonio National Park, could be your neighbor!

Find your dream home with expansive views over the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea or the dense rainforest. How nice would it be to sip a coffee on the porch while observing some playful monkeys or a funny sloth?

You could join a volunteer program to preserve the wildlife and live with rangers in a National Park, or work on a dairy farm in the lush farmlands of Monteverde. Check things to do in Costa Rica.

You can’t know a place from a blog post. Spend a week living there like a local — grocery runs, rainy walks, small chats — that’s where the truth hides.

Northern Europe

Oversea, Europe is mostly famous for its big cities such as Paris, London, Rome or Barcelona.

Unfortunately, (and fortunately at the same time), most visitors ignore Northern Europe. Some of the old continent’s best kept secrets are to be found in Fenoscandia and Iceland, especially for nature enthusiasts!

Nordic countries have been eco-friendly for decades, giving priority to sustainable energies and a green way of life, even in cities. With thousands of miles of pristine forests, mountains, lakes and beaches, they’re home to the last true wilderness of Europe.

You could live in a house heated with solar panels, or even with geothermic power in Iceland! Explore Iceland here.

Jake embracing the sauna and cold plunge culture in Norway

Take your fantasy for a test drive. One week in your maybe-new hometown will tell you more than a thousand Reddit opinions ever will.

🌿 FAQ: Living close to nature

What makes a place good for nature lovers?
Clean air, quick access to trails or water, and a community that actually cares about sustainability. It’s less about postcard views, more about daily connection to the outdoors.

Is it expensive to live in nature-heavy regions?
Not always. Remote regions can be cheaper, but essentials like food and fuel can cost more. Balance scenery with practicality — smaller eco-towns near bigger cities often hit the sweet spot.

Can I work remotely from these places?
Yes — many nature towns now have solid internet and co-working spaces. But check broadband availability before committing; mountains are beautiful, Wi-Fi isn’t always.

How do I test if I’d enjoy living somewhere rural?
Spend at least a few weeks there in different seasons. Visit markets, join a hiking group, volunteer. If you still love it in the rain or snow, you’ve probably found your place.

What’s the biggest mistake people make when moving for nature?
Romanticizing isolation. Nature heals, but connection matters. Find a place that feeds both your soul and your social life.

So, are you ready to change your life and add a breath of fresh air to your daily routine?

More you might love

🌌 Best Time to See the Northern Lights
🧊 Greenland by Ferry
🏔️ Southern Catalonia Off the Beaten Path
🌊 The Wild Coast: Best Underrated Beaches in Portugal
🏕️ Off the Beaten Path in Formentera, Sardinia & Costa Brava
🌲 Piatra Craiului National Park: Măgura & Zărnești, Romania’s Wild Heart