Untouched Tourist Places
Seeking to get away to a new place? Tired of the known tourist trails? Offer an awesome experience. There is certainly no shortage of “Hot Travel Destinations” or “Best Places to Visit in 2019” lists circulating these days. But, we find that most of these lists include many of the usual or well-known travel destinations.
Nowadays, more people are looking for charted routes destinations to avoid crowds, explore raw natural beauty and unusual cultures, and get to experience a plethora of new things.
As we field questions about our own favorite destinations, most memorable experiences and where we recommend people to travel, we thought we’d add a twist to the traditional travel destination lists and share some unusual, lesser-known or unconventional destinations that might not be on your travel radar — but maybe should be.
They are the sort of destinations that push you emotionally, sometimes physically, and always challenge you mentally.
These places are not for everyone; they are not a universal fit for travel goals and style. They are the sorts of destinations in which things may not always go as planned; hotels and transport can even be a bit rough. Much time is spent outside the proverbial comfort zone in attempts to immerse yourself in a new culture, comprehend challenging socio-economic circumstances and process the stimuli swirling about you. Some days can even feel difficult.
Iran
travel to Iran country for its most impressive historical sites what we've ever seen (including 19 UNESCO sites) Iran's Big Three (Shiraz, Esfahan and Yazd), expand your sense of the country with a visit to the northwestern part of Iran for even more surprises like fairy chimney villages, Armenian monasteries and the world's largest covered market in Tabriz. Then, close out your adventure by taking the train from Iran to Istanbul.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan a country that is over 90% mountainous and littered with stunning landscapes and it is filled with stunning mountain views like this one of Peak Lenin. First snow of the season at a shepherd's village near Song Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan. Add to that a taste of traditional nomadic culture with a bit of a Soviet hangover, and you have the makings of a unique yet approachable destination. This makes Kyrgyzstan a great fit for trekkers and outdoor types, as well as those interested in culture and off-beat experiences.
Republic of Georgia
Despite all the history and remarkable mountain landscapes, the Republic of Georgia, at its very best, comes back to the Georgian people. Cross hospitality-obsessed with crazy gregarious and you’ve got a sense of the Georgian people. Add to these beautiful mountain ranges, a culturally and architecturally eclectic capital city, some of the most spiritual churches we’ve experienced, and incredible food. A ride into the high Caucasus Mountains (Svaneti) turns into an adventure. Tbilisi reveals itself in layers, both architecturally and culturally.
Bolivia
Stunning and often surreal landscapes blended with a strong indigenous culture. For various reasons, travelers often skip Bolivia in favor of its neighbors — Peru, Argentina, Chile — when making their way through South America. For Americans, some say it’s because of the visa fees and paperwork, but Bolivia is more than worth the extra spend and brief bit of bureaucracy. The Salar de Uyuni and in particular the journey from Tupiza features some of the world’s most beautiful and otherworldly landscapes with green lakes, Dali-esque rock formations and the mind-bending salt flats. And although around the Salar you'll see tourists much less throughout the rest of the country.
Stopping by Lake Titicaca and taking a hike around Isla del Sol, Tarija in the south for a taste of the Bolivian wine scene, Potosi to understand the realities of mining on people and communities, Sucre for a beautiful colonial city and La Paz for the capital with the most dramatic mountain backdrop. You would love to return to Bolivia to take on some of these treks.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia surprised us in so many ways, especially with its depth of history and culture dating back over 2,000 years to the Aksumite civilization and the adoption of Christianity in 330 A.D. (the 2nd Christian nation in the world). Ancient rock-hewn churches carved from below ground, remarkable mountain landscapes, castles, ridiculously large plates of delicious local food. Need we say more?
One could feel a direct connection between Ethiopia's past and present through its adherence to ritual. We also weren't expecting to be awed by its mountains and trekking options available in the Simien and Gheralta Mountains.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is funky to immerse yourself in a sea of humanity and truly get off the tourist path.. It’s the intense country actually offers more diversity in sights and experiences that you might first expect, from UNESCO pre-Moghul mosques and cycling through tea estates to tracking tigers in mangrove forests and visiting ethnic minority areas. We're certain there are more tourists now, but during our five-week visit there a couple of years ago, we saw a total of five tourists. Yes, five.
But it's the human interactions — and boy, are there a lot of them — that make visiting Bangladesh such a unique and fun experience.
Colombia
The size and diversity of experiences in Colombia are far beyond what you may have ever imagined (or, at least what we had known about).To enjoy three branches of the Andean Mountain Range and the Sierra Nevadas, the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, with rain forests, indigenous ruins, coffee plantations and colonial cities along the way. Not too long ago Colombia was known for drugs, FARC rebels, Pablo Escobar, and violence. But, the country has been experiencing stability these last years and more areas have opened up to travelers to explore.
And then there are the Colombian people – friendly, fun and open – are also remarkably diverse from one corner of the country to the other. We visited for a month and left with an even longer wish list of places we'd like to visit.
Albania
Albania has some incredible landscapes and experiences for both types of travelers, whether you are a beach buff or want to immerse yourself in dramatic mountains or, you can combine both into one trip as we did.
For decades this southern European country was closed off to the rest of the world, but no longer. If you enjoy trekking and the outdoors, Albania offers some challenging climbs and stunning views through the Accursed Mountains (also known as the Albanian Alps) through the villages of Theth and Valbona. Mt Talijanka and the granite peaks of the Karanfil Mountains on the border with Montenegro offer even more incredible panoramas. Our modified Peaks of the Balkan Trektook us through these mountains while staying with local families and shepherds along the way.
The impressive UNESCO site of Butrintwith Greek and Roman ruins reminds us of the layers of civilizations in this region over millennia.
