With planes, trains, and highways you can now explore the world very quickly. At least many tourist places can be reached very fast. But there are also places that are anything but easily accessible.
We have created a list of the 12 most isolated places in the world.
Perhaps you will still get inspired because these places are something other than a trip to South Africa.
Number 12: Palmerston Island, New Zealand
Palmerston Island is 2,000 kilometers off the coast of New Zealand.
62 people live on this beautiful white sandy beach, all grandchildren and great-grandchildren of William Marsters, who built this place.
There are no shops or markets, as there is no money on the island. That is only used for purchases abroad.
Twice a year, a ship comes here to sell supplies on the island.
It takes 8 days from Tahiti Island to get here by boat.
There are no hotels here, but you can sleep at the home of the residents.
Number 11: Supai Village, Arizona
Supai Village is located in the middle of the Arizona desert, near the Grand Canyon.
This is the home of the Havasupai tribe.
Tourists are welcome in this sheltered area, but they must pay for it.
To get there, you first have to walk 20 kilometers or ride on horseback through the hot sun.
The hike is not boring as you pass 4 beautiful waterfalls of Havasu Creek, one of which can be seen in the picture.
208 people live in this village, they receive their mail and supplies on donkeys.
Number 10: St. Helena
Saint Helena is the island where Napoleon had been imprisoned.
It is located in the middle of the Atlantic and can only be reached by boat from Cape Town, which runs every two weeks. It takes a week for the boat to arrive.
4534 people live here, most of them in the town of Jamestown.
It is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, which therefore supplies the island.
Number 9: Oymyakon, Russia
This is the coldest inhabited place in the world.
It has an average of -58 degrees and only 3 hours of light per day.
To get here, you need to take a flight from Moscow to Magadan, from where you have to drive to Oymyakon on the “Road of Bones”.
Because of the cold, there is no running water here. If you are thirsty, you need to warm up the snow.
Since it is dark here for so long, you have good chances to see the northern lights.
If you can handle the cold well, this could be a good alternative for a visit to Lapland.
Just do not expect the 500 Russians living here to speak English.
Number 8: Pitcairn Island, British Overseas Territory
Pitcairn Island is an island discovered in 1790 by pirates who lived there.
Today, the descendants of these pirates still live here.
In total, 50 people live here. They are looking for new people to come and live on the island, but the tourists who come by are leaving the place every time.
All in all, it is not even a bad place to live at, since temperatures always reach above 20 degrees Celsius, the land is free to live on, nature is beautiful and one gets lots of rest.
What holds most people back, perhaps, is the fact that is it located about 5500 kilometers from New Zealand and that there are only small uninhabited islands nearby.
Number 7: Siwa Oasis, Egypt
The Siwa Oasis is the historic site of Cleopatra’s Bath. However, no tourists come here as it is located in the middle of the desert next to Cairo.
Due to the isolation, the traditional Siwi culture has been preserved in its original form.
It’s a terribly hot and bumpy 6-hour bus ride that is done by a few people.
If you do make the journey by bus, you will be rewarded with the chance to swim in Cleopatra’s Bath, a luxurious mineral spring, and you will get to taste delicious local olives and dates.
The 600 inhabitants are happy about visitors because they do not get to see many of those.
Number 6: Island of Socotra, Yemen
This particular island has 40,000 inhabitants, but the first road on the island was only built in 2011.
The place is famous for its beautiful and rare plants and trees.
It is also on the World Heritage list, as there are beautiful trees to see.
The island is located about 400 kilometers from the capital of Yemen and is occasionally reached by a passenger plane.
Number 5: Tristan da Cunha
About 260 people live on this isolated volcanic island.
For a small island such as this one, it does enjoy a lot of luxuries such as shops, schools, hospitals, and churches.
However, there is no electricity on the island.
To get to the place, you have to plan ahead carefully and the boat should not be missed, because it only runs nine times a year.
It is a 1733 kilometer boat trip from Cape Town.
Number 4: Utqiagvik, Alaska
This ice-cold city has two names in Alaska. Since the year 500 people live here.
The indigenous population calls the city Utqiagvik, but the rest of the world calls it the city of Barrow.
In winter it is completely dark on 65 days one after the other, but 4,429 people are living here.
They heat their homes with natural gas and have water and sewerage services as well as telephones, a post office, radio, cable, and internet.
There are even hotels and restaurants, but they are almost always empty.
Number 3: La Rinconada, Peru
La Rinconada is the highest village people live at.
It is located at an altitude of almost 5 kilometers and is located in the Andes.
There are even 50,000 people living here. These people have lived here since gold was found in the area around the year 2000.
Due to the altitude, tourists often suffer from headaches, nausea, and shortage of breath.
The majority of residents live below the poverty line in a community without any facilities, infrastructure or sanitation.
There are no official roads, but a 6-hour drive from the nearest town will bring you closer to the trail. This is not just a walk, as you still have to walk more than 2 kilometers up the hill.
Number 2: Bantam, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos Islands are situated about 2700 kilometers from Australia.
The isolation has preserved the traditional language and culture entirely.
According to ancient traditions, about 600 people live here.
However, tourism is still accepted. The residents are hospitable and offer activities for tourists such as snorkeling, surfing, kitesurfing and bird watching.
There is a very small runway from which flights depart from Perth twice a week.
Number 1: Changtang, Tibet
Changtang in Tibet is also called “the roof of the world” because it is a large, flat platform between 1500 and 2500 meters.
It is inhabited by nomadic tribes only, the Changpa, as well as by wildlife such as the endangered snow leopard and the yak.
You can get here by car from Manali, which is a pretty long trip.
You also need a permit to come up here, and it will cost you thousands of euros.
