Least visited countries in the world

[Steven_Draker]

Least visited countries in the world

 

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The few who visit Turkmenistan can see this flaming crater.

 

 

For some travelers, getting off the beaten path is a point of pride, a way to see the parts of the world that don’t make it into glossy guidebooks.

But how many of those same adventurous travelers would be willing to visit, say, Somalia?

 

About 500, it turns out. At least, that’s how many tourists found their way to the war-torn east African nation last year.

 

That makes Somalia the second-least visited country in the world, after the tiny pacific island nation Nauru, according to a recent list compiled by travel writer Gunnar Garfors from UN statistics.

 

Little Nauru – 8.1 square miles in size, population 9,378 – got just 200 visitors last year, and it’s pretty clear why.

 

“There is almost nothing to see there,” writes Garfors, “as most of the island … is a large open phosphate mine.”

 

 

The 12th-century Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan.

Indeed, most of the world’s least visited countries seem to fall in one of two categories. There are the Naurus, where you’ll puzzle over what to do, and the Somalias, where it’s simply too dangerous to do much of anything at all. (As Somalia’s Wikitravel page aptly notes, “the easiest method for staying safe in Somalia is not to go in the first place.”)

 

Most of the “nothing to do” countries are the crumbs that dust a map of the Pacific Ocean: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu. The latter shares with the Maldives the dubious distinction of having "highest elevation points" that are the lowest on earth – 15 feet above sea level. Visit while you can, as rising sea levels could make the island uninhabitable within a century.

 

As for the “too dangerous” countries, the list reads like a global primer in political conflict. For instance, despite its pristine national parks full of wild gorillas and elephants, the perpetually ungovernable Central African Republic (#23) is an unpopular destination for tourists. And its stock will likely continue to plummet – last week a rebel alliance seized the capital, Bangui, and the president fled to neighboring Cameroon.

 

Afghanistan (#10) also suffers from tourism-deflating instability, which keeps visitors away from its rugged peaks, ancient Buddhist monuments, and Islamic holy sites, including the 12th-century Minaret of Jam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

“The Taliban have a message for foreign tourists who come to Afghanistan, especially if they are from any of the 50 countries that are part of the NATO-led coalition supporting the government: Big mistake,” writes The New York Times.

 

Other countries on the list, like Guinea Bissau (#14), Libya (#15), and East Timor (#18), have seen their reputations – and infrastructure – hobbled by recent wars or uprisings.

 

North Korea's repressive tourism laws help make it No. 16 least visited.

But not every country on the list is too dangerous or boring to visit. A few are simply effectively sealed off to the outside world.

 

All foreign visitors to North Korea (#16) are limited to a state-curated itinerary and must have an official government “minder” by their side at all times. But for the few Western tourists who venture into the country, that’s part of the appeal. “You will rarely get to see propaganda done more explicitly,” Garfors writes.

 

Except, perhaps, in Turkmenistan (#7), where visitors who brave the onerous Soviet-esque visa application process are rewarded with sites like a 50-foot golden statue of former dictator Saparmurat Niyazov in the capital Ashgabat, which rotates throughout the day to face the sun. But the country’s most indisputably impressive site is a massive flaming crater deep in the Karakum Desert. Measuring 230 feet across and almost 70 feet deep, the so-called “Door to Hell” has been burning continuously since Soviet scientists lit it on fire in 1971.

 

Obscure? Yes. But that's part of the charm.

[Steven_Draker]

http://wheresidewalksend.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/The-Road-Not-Taken.jpg

 

 

The Road Not Taken

U.S. Poem

 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

 

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

Robert Frost

[Phil_musc]

Let's go - I can be ready in, oh say about, 5 minutes or less. We can buy what we need when we get there.

 

I was always intrigued with the idea of going to Afghanistan - so remote and removed from everything. Then later in life while I was eating at an Afghani restaurant, the menu cover was an incredibly beautiful picture. I asked if it was real and if it was in Afghanistan. The waiter assured me it was real and it was in Afghanistan. I've always been kinda fascinated with the off-the-beaten path destinations. But then too, there's nothing inherently wrong with visiting more traditional places. Guess I just like to see what is out there.

[Decatur Guy]

It's really a shame about Afghanistan's situation. In photos and videos, it has a rugged, austere beauty akin to Mongolia. I think it would be an appealing place to visit if it weren't so dangerous.

[Decatur Guy]

I"m also a fan of off-the-beaten path kind of places. I tend to be drawn to places that are in a middle zone -- not the very popular, first-choice places, but not the least-visited, dangerous spots either.

 

For instance, my first trip to Europe wasn't England or France or Italy. I went to Portugal (which I loved). Now it's hardly an isolated backwater, but I saw very few Americans there. It definitely wouldn't rank as a top choice for most Americans going the first time to Europe.

 

A few other "kinda"-off-the-beaten-path places (from an American traveler perspective) that have intrigued me:

 

1. Slovenia.

2. Uruguay.

3. The Black Sea coast of Turkey.

4. Taiwan.

5. Southern India.

6. Poland.

7. Sicily.

8. Madeira.

9. Suriname (this one is probably genuine off-the-beaten path).

10. Bolivia (same thing).

[EZEtoGRU]

I"m also a fan of off-the-beaten path kind of places. I tend to be drawn to places that are in a middle zone -- not the very popular, first-choice places, but not the least-visited, dangerous spots either.

 

A few other "kinda"-off-the-beaten-path places (from an American traveler perspective) that have intrigued me:

 

1. Slovenia.

2. Uruguay.

3. The Black Sea coast of Turkey.

4. Taiwan.

5. Southern India.

6. Poland.

7. Sicily.

8. Madeira.

9. Suriname (this one is probably genuine off-the-beaten path).

10. Bolivia (same thing).

 

I've been to both Bolivia and Uruguay (many times) and recommend both as places to visit. La Paz ( the capital of Bolivia) is quite odd as its in a crater and very high (12.000 feet). I felt like I was on the moon in LaPaz. Uruguay is a nice, simple, and tranquil country. It's one of my retirement location considerations. Even though it is not a large country, one is quite close to Brazil and Argentina from most points in Uruguay. Montevideo is only a 3 hour ferry ride (or 35 minute flight) from Buenos Aires and only a 1 hour flight from Porto Alegre Brazil.

[Decatur Guy]

I've been to both Bolivia and Uruguay (many times) and recommend both as places to visit. La Paz ( the capital of Bolivia) is quite odd as its in a crater and very high (12.000 feet). I felt like I was on the moon in LaPaz. Uruguay is a nice, simple, and tranquil country. It's one of my retirement location considerations. Even though it is not a large country, one is quite close to Brazil and Argentina from most points in Uruguay. Montevideo is only a 3 hour ferry ride (or 35 minute flight) from Buenos Aires and only a 1 hour flight from Porto Alegre Brazil.

 

I will consult you if/when I'm at a point I can plan a trip like that.

[+ Charlie]

I"m also a fan of off-the-beaten path kind of places. I tend to be drawn to places that are in a middle zone -- not the very popular, first-choice places, but not the least-visited, dangerous spots either.

 

For instance, my first trip to Europe wasn't England or France or Italy. I went to Portugal (which I loved). Now it's hardly an isolated backwater, but I saw very few Americans there. It definitely wouldn't rank as a top choice for most Americans going the first time to Europe.

 

A few other "kinda"-off-the-beaten-path places (from an American traveler perspective) that have intrigued me:

 

1. Slovenia.

2. Uruguay.

3. The Black Sea coast of Turkey.

4. Taiwan.

5. Southern India.

6. Poland.

7. Sicily.

8. Madeira.

9. Suriname (this one is probably genuine off-the-beaten path).

10. Bolivia (same thing).

 

I can strongly recommend Slovenia and southern India, both of which I have been to a few times, as well as Sicily, which I visited for the first time three years ago and really loved.

[Phil_musc]

It's really a shame about Afghanistan's situation. In photos and videos, it has a rugged, austere beauty akin to Mongolia. I think it would be an appealing place to visit if it weren't so dangerous.

 

Were we separated at birth? Mongolia is right up there for me also - same reasons as Afghanistan. When can we go?

[EZEtoGRU]

I will consult you if/when I'm at a point I can plan a trip like that.

 

Yes please do. I am in Uruguay every year. Bolivia I havn't been to in some years.

[fedssocr1]

I"m also a fan of off-the-beaten path kind of places. I tend to be drawn to places that are in a middle zone -- not the very popular, first-choice places, but not the least-visited, dangerous spots either.

 

For instance, my first trip to Europe wasn't England or France or Italy. I went to Portugal (which I loved). Now it's hardly an isolated backwater, but I saw very few Americans there. It definitely wouldn't rank as a top choice for most Americans going the first time to Europe.

 

A few other "kinda"-off-the-beaten-path places (from an American traveler perspective) that have intrigued me:

 

1. Slovenia.

2. Uruguay.

3. The Black Sea coast of Turkey.

4. Taiwan.

5. Southern India.

6. Poland.

7. Sicily.

8. Madeira.

9. Suriname (this one is probably genuine off-the-beaten path).

10. Bolivia (same thing).

 

Taiwan is great. I am headed back there later this year for Taipei Pride and to see more of the country. Lots of cute guys in speedos in their parade.

[+ WilliamM]

I am visiting Slovenia in May, Charlie (post upthread) and most everyone who has been there likes the country very much. I would add Sweden to the list. It took me many years to finally visit the country, and I felt at home right away. I spent two weeks in Stockholm, and wish it could have been two months (in the summer, of course).

[bomerrang]

Least visited? Central African Republic

[Guest boiworship08]

I've been to Chile and Argentina but never to La Republica Oriental de Uruguay. I loved my side visit to Tallinn, Estonia. It has to be the blondest country I've ever visited.