South America
Angel Falls
Venezuela
A jungle-and-river journey to the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall, involving flights, canoes, weather windows, and local guides.
- Remote access
- Political instability
- Few reliable transport options
Destination library
Remote places, difficult logistics, unforgettable rewards.
Browse practical travel briefs for destinations where access, timing, safety, permits, and infrastructure shape the whole experience.
Central Asia
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Bamyan's empty Buddha niches, the Band-e-Amir lakes, the Minaret of Jam, the blue-tile shrines of Mazar and Herat, the bazaars of Kabul, the Wakhan corridor in the far north-east. Almost nothing in tourism has been built in 30 years.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Atlantic
Bermuda
Bermuda
Pink-sand beaches (Horseshoe Bay, Elbow, Warwick Long Bay), Crystal and Fantasy Caves, the Royal Naval Dockyard, Hamilton's pastel-stripe colonial centre, wreck diving. A British Overseas Territory with Caribbean warmth.
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
South Asia
Bhutan
Bhutan
Tiger's Nest (Paro Taktsang), the dzongs of Paro/Thimphu/Punakha, the Punakha suspension bridge, mountain trekking, the Tshechu festivals (Paro April, Thimphu September). Deliberately slow tourism.
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
"365 beaches, one for every day of the year" is the marketing line and not far off. English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard (UNESCO), Shirley Heights for the Sunday sundowner with steel band, Half Moon Bay's pink sand crescent, the deserted Barbuda beaches (a 90-minute ferry).
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
Southeast Asia
Brunei
Brunei
Kampong Ayer - the world's largest stilt-village water settlement (30,000 people live on the river). Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Africa
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
SIAO contemporary African art biennale in Ouagadougou (held every two years in late October), Sindou peaks, the rock-built villages of the Lobi country, Tiebele painted mud architecture, and the spectacular Sahel cultural belt that bleeds into Mali and Niger. Pair it with Niger and Mali on a single overland.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Africa
Cameroon
Cameroon
"Africa in miniature": the Mandara Mountains in the north, equatorial forest in the east (Dja Reserve), Mount Cameroon (4,095 m, West Africa's highest), Atlantic coast (Kribi, Limbe), volcanic crater lakes, pygmy communities in the east, and Foumban's royal palace. Pair it with Chad or Equatorial Guinea/Gabon overland.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Africa
Central African Republic
Central African Republic
Dzanga-Sangha and Dzanga-Bai for forest elephants and lowland gorillas; the Boali Falls; Bangui's riverside markets; one of the rarest passport stamps in the world. Most visitors are doing every-country circuits; some are wildlife specialists going specifically for the BaAka (pygmy) community guided forest walks.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Africa
Ennedi Plateau
Chad
A remote Saharan sandstone world of arches, gueltas, rock art, desert camps, and expedition-scale overland logistics.
- Remote access
- Expensive logistics
- Harsh climate
Africa
Chad
Chad
Ennedi Plateau - Saharan rock arches, prehistoric rock art, the Guelta d'Archei oasis with desert crocodiles. Zakouma National Park - one of Africa's great elephant comeback stories.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
North Atlantic
Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
Saksun and Tjrnuvik villages, Mulafossur waterfall, Kalsoy and the "Lake above the ocean" Srvagsvatn illusion, Viareii (the northernmost town), Mykines for puffins, Mulberg hike. Wet, dramatic, almost no other tourists outside July-August.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Southeast Asia
East Timor (Timor-Leste)
East Timor (Timor-Leste)
Atauro Island - world's highest reef biodiversity per Conservation International. Mount Ramelau (2,963 m) sunrise hike.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
South America
Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
Marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, wild giant tortoises, equatorial penguins, hammerhead schools, sea lions on park benches. Three habitable islands plus uninhabited islands via day-tour or cruise.
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
Africa
Danakil Depression
Ethiopia
A furnace-hot volcanic lowland of salt caravans, sulfur fields, lava landscapes, and long desert drives.
- Harsh climate
- Remote access
- Health or safety concerns
Africa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Virunga National Park: mountain gorilla trekking (when open) and Mount Nyiragongo, the world's largest lava lake. Kinshasa for the African mega-city experience, Boyoma Falls and Congo River boats, Mbandaka rainforest.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Caribbean
Haiti
Haiti
Cap-Haitien, the Citadelle Laferriere (the largest fortress in the Americas), Bassin Bleu near Jacmel (when accessible), the painted tap-tap art scene, Vodou heritage, the Caribbean north coast that almost no tourists see. Travel here is a deliberate choice with significant friction.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Middle East
Iran
Iran
Isfahan (Naqsh-e Jahan Square, one of the largest public squares on earth), Persepolis, Yazd's desert architecture and qanat system, Shiraz gardens and the Pink Mosque, Tehran's contemporary art scene, the Lut Desert, the rose festival in Kashan, ski resorts in the Alborz, and a hospitality culture (taarof) that is genuinely uncommon elsewhere.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Middle East
Iraq
Iraq
Mosul (now partially reopened post-ISIS), Erbil citadel, the Marsh Arabs, the ziggurat of Ur, Babylon, Karbala and Najaf shrines (with permission), the Malwiya Minaret at Samarra, and Iraqi Kurdistan mountain trekking. The hospitality culture is famously generous.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Eurasia
Kamchatka (Russia)
Kamchatka (Russia)
300 volcanoes (29 active), the lava lakes and geyser valley of Kronotsky, killer whales and Steller's sea lions in Avacha Bay, brown bears at Kuril Lake (when helicopter access permits), Russian Arctic in summer. From the archive: "Russia begins here" reads the monument at the airport - paradoxically, since geographically this is Asia.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Pacific
Kiribati
Kiribati
Tarawa - World War II battle sites at Betio (some of the most haunting WWII memorials in the Pacific; Japanese guns and pillboxes still on the beach). Christmas Island (Kiritimati) - bonefishing, surfing, the world's largest coral atoll.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Africa
Libya
Libya
Leptis Magna and Sabratha - among the most complete Roman ruins anywhere. Ghadames - the white "pearl of the desert", a UNESCO oasis caravan town.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Indian Ocean
Maldives
Maldives
Whale sharks, manta rays, reef sharks, hammerheads, vibrant coral away from Male. The water-villa experience.
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
Africa
Mali
Mali
Historically: Djenne mosque, Timbuktu manuscripts, Dogon country cliff villages, Niger River pinasse trips between Mopti and Timbuktu. In 2026, the realistic accessible list shrinks to Bamako, Segou and selected day trips.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Indian Ocean
Mayotte
Mayotte
One of the world's largest coral lagoons, mangroves, snorkelling with humpback whales (July-October), Mont Choungui hike, traditional Mahorais villages on Petite-Terre, the Lac Dziani crater lake. French stamp from a place very few visit.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Africa
Mozambique
Mozambique
Bazaruto Archipelago and Quirimbas (when accessible) - some of the best diving in the Indian Ocean. Tofo for whale shark snorkelling.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Southeast Asia
Myanmar
Myanmar
Bagan's temple plain (still magnificent, still mostly empty in 2026), Mandalay's monastic quarter, the Shwedagon Pagoda, Inle Lake stilt villages, the Mergui Archipelago (mostly inaccessible), and a country whose hospitality remains remarkable in spite of the politics.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Pacific
Nauru
Nauru
The interior - a moon-like landscape of phosphate-mining "pinnacles" after the island was effectively strip-mined for fertiliser. Buada Lagoon, the only freshwater body.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Pacific
Micronesia (FSM)
Micronesia (FSM)
Nan Madol - abandoned megalithic basalt city built on artificial coral islands in Pohnpei, one of the most underrated archaeological sites on earth. Yap's stone money and traditional manyaap meeting houses.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Africa
Niger
Niger
Gerewol - the Wodaabe Fulani men's beauty competition, one of the most photographed cultural festivals on earth, normally September-October near Ingall or in the Tahoua region. Agadez old city (UNESCO).
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Africa
Nigeria
Nigeria
Lagos - the African mega-city: Lekki, Victoria Island, Yoruba art and Afrobeats. Calabar Carnival in December.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
East Asia
North Korea
North Korea
The destination is unlike anywhere on earth: Pyongyang monuments, the Juche Tower, the metro, the DMZ from the north side, Mount Paektu, Wonsan. It is a deeply curated experience - about 90% of what you see is choreographed, but the people-meeting moments are real.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
South Asia
Pakistan
Pakistan
K2 Basecamp and the Karakoram. Hunza Valley and the Karakoram Highway.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Europe
Norway
Norway
Sognefjord and Nryfjord, Flam railway, Lofoten's fishing villages, North Cape, midnight sun in summer, northern lights Oct-March, Bergen's Hanseatic wharf, Oslo, Stavanger and Preikestolen, Troms, Svalbard. Per the archive (Rick Steves): "Sognefjord is Norway's most spectacular fjord.
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
Pacific
Palau
Palau
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (UNESCO) - among the most photographed seascapes in the Pacific. Jellyfish Lake (golden jellyfish, numbers recovered after a near-collapse).
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Central Asia
Pamir Highway
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
A high-altitude road journey through thin air, huge valleys, border zones, and some of Central Asia's most dramatic mountain scenery.
- Remote access
- Difficult permits
- Limited accommodation
Pacific
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Mount Hagen Show or Goroka Show - vast Highland-tribe sing-sing festivals, hundreds of dressed clans in face paint, headdresses, feathers (Aug each year). Kokoda Track - WWII trek over the Owen Stanley Range.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Eurasia
Russia
Russia
St Petersburg and Moscow remain among the great European cities. Kamchatka and the Trans-Siberian remain unique.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Pacific
Pitcairn Island
British Overseas Territory
One of the world's most isolated inhabited islands, reached by sea after flights, transfers, and a great deal of calendar patience.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Expensive logistics
Caribbean
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Brimstone Hill Fortress (UNESCO) - "the Gibraltar of the Caribbean". Timothy Hill Overlook (the single best photo in the country).
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
Pacific
Samoa
Samoa
To Sua Ocean Trench - the most photographed swimming hole in the Pacific (a deep, vine-draped pool reached by ladder). Lalomanu Beach.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Pacific
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Roderick Bay - wreck of MS World Discoverer reef and bungalows. Savo Island volcano hike and dolphins.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Africa
Somalia
Somalia
Laas Geel - Neolithic rock art, ~5,000+ years old, among the best-preserved on the continent. Hargeisa's livestock market and qat culture.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Africa
South Sudan
South Sudan
Boma-Badingilo annual antelope migration (mid-2024 discovery that this may rival the Serengeti). Pari Mountains.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Middle East
Socotra
Yemen
An isolated Arabian Sea island where alien-looking dragon blood trees, limestone plateaus, and empty beaches reward careful logistics.
- Remote access
- Political instability
- Few reliable transport options
Africa
Sudan
Sudan
Sudan rewards careful travelers with complex history, distinctive landscapes, and routes that need serious preparation.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
South America
Suriname / French Guyana
Suriname / French Guyana
Paramaribo's Dutch colonial centre (UNESCO). Central Suriname Nature Reserve and Brownsberg jungle.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Pacific
Tahiti (French Polynesia)
Tahiti (French Polynesia)
Moorea - the better-value sister to Bora Bora and (per the archive) preferred by most who've done both. Swim with humpback whales (July-November).
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Middle East
Syria
Syria
Damascus old city (one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth) - Umayyad Mosque, Bait al-Mamlouk, Azem Palace. Aleppo - old souk and citadel (now in slow reconstruction).
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Central Asia
Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Pamir Highway (M41) - 1,200 km from Osh (Kyrgyzstan) to Dushanbe via the Wakhan Corridor, the world's second-highest international road. Iskanderkul Lake.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Asia
Tibet
Tibet
Lhasa (Potala, Jokhang, Barkhor), the 4,000m+ plateau, Everest North Base Camp (Rongbuk), Mt Kailash kora, Friendship Highway to Nepal, Yamdrok and Namtso lakes. Permits You need TWO things to enter TAR: Chinese visa AND Tibet Travel Permit.
- Expensive logistics
- Limited accommodation
- Remote access
Pacific
Tonga
Tonga
Whale-swimming season (July-November) - Vava'u group is one of the very few places in the world where you can legally swim alongside humpbacks. Eua Island's sea cliffs and limestone caves.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Central Asia
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Darvaza Gas Crater ("Door to Hell") - burning gas pit in the Karakum desert. Ashgabat - possibly the world's most surreal capital, vast white marble buildings, gold statues, empty boulevards.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Pacific
Tuvalu
Tuvalu
To see one of the most remote and lowest-lying nations on earth. Funafuti Conservation Area on the leeward side.
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
Europe
Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine rewards careful travelers with complex history, distinctive landscapes, and routes that need serious preparation.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Pacific
Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Mount Yasur on Tanna - possibly the most accessible active volcano in the world, you can stand 100 m from its lava-spitting crater. Land diving (Naghol) on Pentecost (April-June).
- Remote access
- Few reliable transport options
- Limited infrastructure
South America
Venezuela
Venezuela
Angel Falls (Salto Angel) - the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall, in Canaima National Park; the tepui plateaus (Roraima); Los Roques archipelago for diving and beaches; Merida and the Andes; the Orinoco delta. See also the Angel Falls chapter in the Ten Destination Guides for full detail; this is the lean planning page.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits
Middle East
Yemen
Yemen
Socotra - UNESCO-listed island with endemic species (dragon's blood trees, bottle trees), turquoise lagoons (Detwah), pristine beaches. Mainland: Old Sana'a (when accessible) was one of the most photogenic cities on earth; Wadi Hadramaut and Shibam (the "Manhattan of the desert"); Aden as a working port city with Ottoman ruins.
- Political instability
- Health or safety concerns
- Difficult permits