World’s Most Remote Places

For many, traveling is the ultimate way to escape from the bustle of cities and disconnect from the world. Work and daily life can be so overwhelming for some people that the only way to leave it all behind is by heading to completely secluded corners where internet and other modern comforts are miles away. If you’re looking for the ultimate way to unplug yourself from society for a while, consider visiting one of these most remote places in the world.

1.   La Rinconada, Peru

Nestled in the Peruvian Andes, La Rinconada is 17,000 feet above sea level. Home to approximately 30,000 gold miners, it takes days of mountain-road driving and a high risk of altitude sickness to reach the town, which is located on a glacier. If you make it to the top, however, enjoy the view: you’re standing in the world’s highest city.

Wikimedia Common photo by Hildegard Willer 

2.    Cape York, Australia

At the northern edge of Australia, you’ll find Cape York, the blissfully unspoilt home of several aboriginal tribes.  Located in far north Queensland, this is one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth. The flat lands here are punctuated with savannas and tropical rainforests, which are home to several types of endemic wildlife. To get there, be prepared to face flooded, unpaved roads and cross croc-friendly creeks.

Flickr photo by John Benwell

3.    Pitcairn Island

In the middle of the southern Pacific Ocean lies an island with only 50 residents, whose ancestors – crew on the HMS Bounty – were so taken with the island that they mutinied and burned their own ship. Their postage stamps are rare and expensive since collectors have to hop on a boat from New Zealand for a ten-day voyage in order to buy them.

Wikimedia Commons Photo by Makemake

4.    Alert, Canada

Only five people live in Alert year-round, and it’s easy to see why: the town shifts between 24-hour sunlight and 24-hour darkness due to its location only 500 miles from the North Pole. If you manage to get there, you’ve got bragging rights that you’ve stood close to the top of the world.

Flickr photo by US Mission Canada

5.   Bouvet Island

If inhabited areas aren’t remote enough for you, try Bouvet Island. This volcanic chunk of land, found in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, is mostly covered by a glacier, explaining why the island is completely uninhabited. As a volcanic island dependent on Norway, this isle lies at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, with an ice-filled volcanic crater in the center of the isle.

Wikimedia Commons Photo by François Guerraz

6.    Motuo, China

Reachable only by a suspension cable dangling 100 meters in the air, Motuo is a county completely surrounded by an untameable jungle. Considered Tibet’s holiest land, it holds a tenth of all Chinese flora and if you can reach it, consider yourself lucky: to even get to the suspension bridge, travelers must cross the Himalayas first. 

Wikimedia commons photo by Dhilung

7.    Pripyat, Ukraine

This abandoned city is likely one of the world’s most remote places – and it will stay that way for several hundred more years. Once home to 50,000 people, it immediately cleared out after the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Those looking to experience its remote emptiness without also immersing themselves in its nuclear fallout can find video tours and pictures of Pripyat online.

Flickr photo by gpjt