Stunning photos of Earth's most remote and wild corners
Lottie Gross
20 January 2022
Off the radar
Humans have explored huge amounts of this Earth over the centuries. With technological advancement we have charted the oceans, scaled mountains and seen the world from the skies. But even though travel is back on the cards, there are vast areas of the globe you'll likely never visit – expanses of wilderness so remote that only a few have been and only a few will ever endeavor to reach them. Here are some of the planet's most incredible under-explored places...
The ocean floor
More than 80% of the oceans on this planet are yet to be explored, and it's estimated that 99% of the sea floor has yet to be discovered. It took until 2012 for humans to reach the deepest point in the ocean – an area called the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific.
The ocean floor
Curious, alien-like animals – like this luminous jellyfish – thrive in the underwater wilderness, but it's likely we'll never get to see the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. Instead we can make do with glimpses of the seabed in documentaries by the likes of David Attenborough.
Sakha, Russia
Tucked away in far northeast Russia, Sakha's 1.2 million square miles (3.1m sq km) of land is home to around one million people, most of whom live along the Lena River. This republic has some of the most extreme seasons on the planet, with January temperatures plummeting to -46°F (-43.5°C) and summer averages reaching 66°F (19°C).
Sakha, Russia
Conditions are harsh economically too, with the region's little industry and farming only viable on the banks of the river. The Sakha people herd reindeer and hunt squirrel, fox and ermine to sustain their life here. They also rely on ice fishing (pictured).
Sakha, Russia
Thanks to its remoteness, Sakha has a bounty of untouched natural wonders, from glassy lakes to glaciers, and it's where many ancient woolly mammoth fossils have been discovered. Caked in sparkling snow for much of the year, the region is at its most spectacular in winter.
Greenland
Part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is still one of the least-visited nations in Europe. Just over 100,000 people explored this stunning land of glaciers and mountains in 2018, compared with well over two million visitors to neighboring Iceland the year before.
Greenland
Greenland has a tiny population too – just 56,000 people. That means there's very little light pollution so, come evening, the Northern Lights are regularly visible dancing above the island.
Greenland
Cruises to Greenland are exceedingly expensive, so most of us will never experience the stunning sunsets off the west coast, where icebergs are illuminated by the sinking sun and whales can be seen breaching the waters. But luckily the country is little stranger to stunning nature documentaries.
The Northwest Passage, Arctic Canada
One of the world's trickiest bodies of water to navigate, the Northwest Passage stretches across the top of Canada, between the North Pole and the far northern reaches of the American continent. The passage was first navigated by explorer Roald Amundsen in the early 20th century.
The Northwest Passage, Arctic Canada
It's considered a perilous crossing due to the large amount of ice floating in the waters, some chunks of which are big enough to cause significant damage to unprepared ships. Most ships that travel through the area are icebreakers: vessels that churn through the ice as they go, in order to make a safe crossing.
The Northwest Passage, Arctic Canada
The Northwest Passage is home to all manner of wildlife, from whales to polar bears. In 2007, though, the area's ice cover was at an all-time low after an incredibly warm summer. Sadly, climate change is now threatening the existence of polar bears here, who use the ice as a refuge.
South Georgia Island
With no airport and a location hundreds of miles east of the tip of South America, this island, stranded out in the Atlantic Ocean, is only accessible by boat. Just over 17,000 people stopped on the shores of South Georgia Island between 2017 and 2018, and that included cruise ship staff and scientific researchers.
South Georgia Island
The small number of human visitors are wildly outnumbered by the millions of penguins who reside here. There are three different species – gentoo, king and macaroni – and plenty of other wildlife, like seals and seabirds. In fact, South Georgia Island is the breeding ground for more than 10 million birds.
South Georgia Island
It's safe to say, most of us will never experience the breeze on these blustery islands, and so all we can do is marvel at photographs like this, depicting the region's stunning blue glaciers and incredible wildlife.
Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska, USA
Alaska, the biggest state by land area in the USA, is home to great swathes of wilderness that remain little explored. Sprawling Wrangell-St Elias National Park is one of them.
Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA
This incredible national preserve – which could fit Yellowstone National Park within its boundaries six times over – sits in the southeast corner of Alaska, right up against the Canadian border. It's a land of soaring mountains, ice fields and glaciers, and much of it remains gloriously pristine and little visited.
Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska, USA
Some areas have been explored though, and more than that, they've been exploited too. This picture shows an abandoned mill where a copper mine once thrived. Around 300 people lived and worked here during its heyday, but today it's empty with the copper reserves gone. Now, with no population and close to zero light pollution, the Northern Lights shine bright overhead come nightfall.
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar
It's hardly surprising that this labyrinth of needle-shaped rock formations remains largely unexplored. Except for a few trails, bridges and viewpoints, much of this national park in Madagascar is untouched by humans.
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar
The formations here are around 200 million years old according to NASA, and the little-disturbed forests, lakes, mangrove swamps and canyons are an ideal habitat for all manner of wildlife. The park is home to 11 different kinds of lemur and 45 endemic species of reptile.
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The Sahara, Africa
The world's largest hot desert, the Sahara stretches across much of northern Africa. Entire cities are located within the yellow sands of this barren landscape, but beyond them there are entire swathes of the region that are yet to be explored.
The Sahara, Africa
It's not all just sand dunes, either. There are salt flats (pictured), mountains, gravel plains and even rivers running through this landscape. The Sahara is expanding too. With climate change making rains less frequent in the region, the area classified as desert is getting bigger each year and valuable arable land is drying up.
The Sahara, Africa
This lonely landscape has a derelict beauty about it though and, come nightfall, millions of stars glitter in the sky. Hardy species living in the desert include addax, fennec foxes and reptiles such as snakes and lizards.
Torngat Mountains National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Located in the far reaches of Newfoundland and Labrador on the Labrador Peninsula, Torngat Mountains National Park is one of the least-visited parks in Canada. It's over 3,745 square miles (9,700sq km) of total wilderness, spreading out from the stunning Saglek Fjord, with the Torngat Mountains at its heart.
Torngat Mountains National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Unlike most other Canadian parks, this one has no permanent roads, no trails, no campgrounds and no signage. Few Canadians and even fewer foreigners will ever make the journey here. That leaves free rein for the park's incredible wildlife to frolic. Its far north location means that icebergs regularly float along its coastline, and polar bears roam the land alongside caribou, wolves and Arctic foxes.
The Suriname Rainforest
This peaceful dawn scene has been captured in the Suriname Rainforest, a vast tract of land cloaked in jungle and teeming with rare wildlife. Most of Suriname's population live on its northern coastline, and while some of the highways stretch inland, there's very little infrastructure in the south part of the country.
The Suriname Rainforest
There are communities of Saramacca people and indigenous Surinamese tribes living within the rainforest, but foreigners rarely make it into the thick of it. The locals are incredibly outnumbered by curious creatures instead, including the likes of this blue poison dart frog.
The Suriname Rainforest
There are also some serious predators, with jaguars like this one roaming the forest floor in search of prey, such as deer or caimans. Scientists are continually discovering new species too, from the cocoa frog to unusual forms of bat and beetle.
Ennedi Plateau, Chad
This desert oasis is a rarely visited natural wonder. The Ennedi Plateau in northeastern Chad is essentially off limits to tourists, and few locals will go there too due to its proximity to Libya and Sudan.
Ennedi Plateau, Chad
The Ennedi Plateau is essentially a natural bulwark, with towering rock buttresses, bridges and arches. Sandstone bluffs here soar above 4,756 feet (1,450m) and the stark, otherworldly landscape looks like something straight from a Star Wars film.
Ennedi Plateau, Chad
The region has come under the management of African Parks in a bid to preserve its natural wonders, the rare wildlife – including a desert-dwelling crocodile – and the unique nomadic communities that traverse the land.
St Helena Island
While there's a modest population of people living on this island off the west coast of Africa, there's very little tourist activity here today. And with just one flight connecting St Helena to Johannesburg, South Africa, that's hardly a surprise.
St Helena Island
At 1,200 miles (1,931km) from the shores of Africa and 2,500 miles (4,023km) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it's one of the world's most remote islands. That means the vast majority of us will never set foot on this volcanic idyll, with its peaks, valleys and cloud forests.
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Lake Turkana, Kenya
Far in the northwestern corner of Kenya, surrounded by desert, Lake Turkana is seriously remote. The roads leading here have no asphalt, and conditions on the rocky tracks are so bad even truck tires can burst on the drive up.
Lake Turkana, Kenya
Few people – including foreigners and Kenyans – venture up this far, aside from the occasional anthropologist, aid worker or Christian missionary. This means Lake Turkana's communities are among the least-explored settlements on the African continent.
Lake Turkana, Kenya
The Turkana people, the predominant tribe in the region, have distinctive haircuts, shaved on the sides and braided on top, and they tend to wear lots of colorful beads. Once a year, tribes from across the region congregate here for a huge festival, celebrating the diversity of the country's varying cultures.
North Korean countryside
The volatile state of North Korea is unlikely to top many bucket lists – and with political uncertainty a serious issue in this region, it's quite possible most of us will never set foot on its shores.
North Korean countryside
The country is probably home to some of the world's quietest coves and beaches, with coastlines on both the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea – but without the major resorts we associate with such stretches of sand.
North Korean countryside
There are also plenty of gorgeous forested areas and some stunning mountain vistas. But these pictures of North Korea's incredible natural landscapes are probably as close as you'll get to exploring the many untouched destinations within its borders.
Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan
This stunning scene could be straight from the Canadian Rockies, but it's actually part of Kolsai Lakes in Kazakhstan. This area of Central Asia remains little visited, leaving its surprising landscapes gloriously unspoiled.
Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan
Spreading out close to the Kyrgyzstan border, the wilderness here is characterized by glassy lakes, green peaks and pastures, with rivers running through thick, untouched forest. It's little wonder that the Kolsai Lakes are often dubbed the "Pearls of Tien Shan".
The Amazon, Brazil
The world's largest rainforest spans more than 2.3 million square miles (6m sq km) across Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, and is one of the greatest wonders on the planet. The sprawling jungle is thought to contain 10% of the world's known species, and there are still parts unexplored by modern society.
The Amazon, Brazil
Entire communities of people live in the rainforest and remain isolated, despite the encroachment of modern man by way of deforestation and tourism in some parts. The Vale do Javari is one of the largest indigenous territories in Brazil, and it hit headlines in 2018 when drone footage caught images of one tribe walking through a clearing in the forest.
The Amazon, Brazil
Some of the worst fires in years devastated parts of the forest in 2019, and had a devastating impact on wildlife and the lives of indigenous communities. Reports indicate that the affected areas could take centuries to recover. But copious amounts of wildlife still thrives within these trees for now. Animals such as golden lion tamarin and capybaras live under the dark cover of the forest canopy and all sorts of fish, including electric eels, swim in the rivers.
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