Steven Spielberg took his crew to some of the most exotic locations around the world while filming the 'Indiana Jones' movie franchise. Here are just a few you can still visit today.
Harrison Ford has portrayed many famous movie characters, but perhaps the most iconic is Indiana Jones. Ford expertly molded the ruggedly handsome (and ophidiophobic) character that starred in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). With rumors that Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Guardians of the Galaxy) is being groomed as Ford's replacement in a reboot, we're taking a look at the original series' most exotic filming locations, which you can still travel to today.
1. Hule'ia National Wildlife Refuge
(AF archive / Alamy)
Kauai, Hawaii
Those iconic jungle-treasure-hunting scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark were supposed to be taking place in the wilds of Peru. They were actually shot on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, with the famed rolling-boulder scene shot in and around the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge.
2. Sidi Bouhlel Canyon
(Tommy Trenchard/Demotix/Corbis)
Tozeur, Tunisia
If you were tricked into believing that the snake-hating and Nazi-face-melting in Raiders took place in Egypt, the film crew did their job well: Those scenes were actually shot in the desert landscapes of Tunisia, with the showdown between Indy and the Nazis taking place near Sidi Bouhlel canyon, just outside of Tozeur. (Fun fact: The Star Wars series has also used Tozeur as a locale.)
3. La Pallice Port U-boat Pens
(Keith Poynton / Alamy)
La Rochelle, France
Director Steven Spielberg tore this next location directly from the history books. The port of La Pallice in La Rochelle, France, was used by the Nazis during World War II as a U-boat base, so Spielberg cast the real-life location as just that in Raiders. Those eerie, hulking, concrete U-boat "pens" are still visible from the port, but no longer in use.
4. Rope-bridge Climax
(AF archive / Alamy)
Kandy, Sri Lanka
When Indy faces adversity, he gets creative; that's also what director Steven Spielberg and his crew did with the rope-bridge scene at the climactic ending of Temple of Doom. Unable to film on location in north India where they had originally wanted to, they ended up shooting many scenes, including this one, near Kandy, Sri Lanka.
5. Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro
(age fotostock / Alamy)
Macau
The bustling, cosmopolitan streets of Shanghai, China, in the 1930s must've been a sight to behold—and one that Temple of Doom director Steven Spielberg was unable to fully capture in the Chinese city. Instead, Macau's Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro stood in for the street scenes in 1935 Shanghai.
Check out more beautiful Indy-approved travel destinations.
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