We all have our own dream destinations and long travel bucket list that we wish to fulfill in our lifetime. France, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, USA, China and Brazil are among the world’s most visited countries in every continent in terms of tourist arrivals. If we visit these touristy countries in a perfect timing, we can surely satisfy our expectations. Otherwise, we might end up being one of those travelers who is suffering amid the crowd just to take a decent photo of an infamous tourist attraction.
Though we know the worth of visiting these indisputably newsworthy destinations, we still ponder exploring those unspoilt places that have been completely overlooked in the tourism map. So if you like the idea of traveling places that are off the beaten track and brag about those unknown destination to your friends, then the list we have here will inspire you more. These are among the world’s least traveled countries that must be in your bucket list.
1. Anguilla (Annual Visitor: 73,000)
Anguilla is a small Island country in the Caribbean. Due to its proximity to the infamous St Martin, this island has never gotten that much attention it deserves. Anguilla has everything that you might expect from other islands in the Caribbean, stunning bays, best white sandy beaches ornated with palm trees and turquoise water around. This setting is perfect for swimming and sunbathing. It also has some beautiful coral reefs off the coast which makes it also a great place for diving and snorkeling.
How to get in:
Cape Air provides two daily non-stop flights to/from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Liat also serves once daily service to St. Thomas, and onwards to other destinations in the Caribbean.
2. Liechtenstein (Annual Visitor: 61,000)
Europe is a favorite travel destination. But who have heard much about the country Liechtenstein? This small European country is one of the two doubly-landlocked countries (Means a landlocked country within landlocked contries) in the world aside from Uzbekistan. It is surrounded by Austria and Switzerland.
Since this country is very mountainous, it offers great hiking, road biking, and mountain biking terrain. You can also experience cheaper skiing and snowboarding in this country compared to Switzerland and Austria. It is also home to many churches and historic castles including the gothic Balzers Castle.
How to get in:
Liechtenstein has no airports due to its small size. You can fly to Zürich Airport which is 115 kms away then take a train or a bus.
3. Guinea (Annual Visitor: 35,000)
The country’s tourism went down low due to Ebola outbreak from 2014 to 2015. However, WHO did declare that Guinea is Ebola free since 2016 and without known cases for over a year.
Guinea offers more than what anyone could have expected. It has beaches, savannas and scenic forests great for hiking. It is also home to Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How to get in:
Royal Air Maroc serves flight from Casablanca to Conakry. Air France flies from Paris, France and SN Brussels from Brussels, Belgium. Air Ivoire also operates to Conakry regularly from Abidjan.
4. Sierra Leone (Annual Visitor: 24,000)
This African country’s tourism also suffered due to the Ebola outbreak. Same as Guinea, Sierra Leone is already safe to travel.
Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources. It has astounding sceneries, rich colonial heritage and home to some of the best beaches in the world. Top-notch beaches can be found in Freetown peninsula.
How to get in:
Lungi International Airport in Freetown is served by Air France from Paris via Conakry, Kenya Airways from Nairobi, Brussels Airlines from Brussels, Royal Air Maroc from Casablanca and Monrovia and Air Côte d’Ivoire from Abidjan. KLM will resume its flight from Amsterdam on March 26.
5. Solomon Islands (Annual Visitor: 22,000)
You may not have heard of this country before but this archipelago is actually located in South Pacific near Papua New Guinea.
Solomon Islands has a rich tropical rain forest that covers most of the archipelago where you can also find over 200 varieties of orchids and 70 species of reptiles.
You can also take a plunge and go diving as it has great beaches and lagoons as well. Diving tours to the numerous WWII wrecks are also possible.
How to get in:
Solomon Airlines flies to Honiara Internation Airport from Sydney and Brisbane while Virgin Australia also operates from Brisbane. Air Nuigini offers flight from Nadi and Port Moresby. Fiji Air serves from Nadi and Port Vila.
6. Montserrat (Annual Visitor: 9,000)
Montserrat used to be a popular resort in the Caribbean until it was devastated by hurricane and volcanic activities during the 80s and 90s. Since then, it has been recovering and slowly popping out in the tourism map. The Soufriere Hills Volcano is one of the highlights of the island that can be best sighted from Jack Boy Hill observation area where the view of the ash flows covering the old airport can be seen.
This British territory is blessed with natural beauty. The land has lush of tropical forests with trails of altering difficulty perfect for free-and-easy and guided hiking. Montserrat is also gifted with quiet beaches that you can enjoy without worrying much of the crowd.
The island is also surrounded by reefs that can be enjoyed thru snorkelling and scuba diving. Redonda, an uninhabited island is the favorite place for scuba diving where you can find six-foot barrel sponges, Eagle Ray, Stingrays and nurse shark.
How to get in:
Fly Montserrat offers multiple daily flights out of Antigua into the John A. Osborne Airport. The planes serving this route are twin engine turbo props that hold a maximum of six people, with limited luggage space. Flying time is approximately 20 minutes with astounding spectacles of Antigua, Montserrat, and other islands nearby
7. Niue (Annual Visitor: 7,000)
Niue is a small island country in Oceania situated in the middle of Cook Islands and Tonga. There are many activities to do in Niue. Kayaking, fishing, snorkeling and diving are among the favorites. The Utuko Reef in Alofi and the reef pools at Hio Beach are some of the famous spots for snorkeling.
Niue is scattered with many caves and limestone arches which make this island also great for sightseeing. There are a lot of ‘sea tracks’ that guide from the road to the coast. Strolling down one and seeing what you can discover at the end is a lot of fun. Dolphins and whales can also be seen off the coast.
How to get in:
All visitors to Niue, irrespective of nationality, are visa exempt for a maximum stay of 30 days. The only way to arrive in Niue is by plane from Auckland via Air New Zealand that flies in and out once a week.
8. Kiribati (Annual Visitor: 6,000)
Kiribati is a group of islands that comprises 33 atolls in Micronesia spanning the equator and the International Date Line. This country has beautiful white sandy beaches and also a great place for boating or yachting. The outer islands of the country offers a very lively traditional culture to its visitors. People from Kiribati are generally friendly and welcoming to the tourists.
The most visited place in Kiribati is the island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island). It is the largest coral atoll in the world and became popular on January 1, 2000 as the first location in the world to experience the new millennium.
Its marine life is one of the best in the world. The tranquil Phoenix Island Marine Protected Area, the world’s largest marine protected area is also located in Kiribati.
Kiribati witness some of the gory fighting during World War II and many of war remnants like tanks, ship wrecks, plane wrecks and amtracs are still around in some of the islands. Taking a guided tour will give you the full story behind the remains.
How to get in:
Fiji Airways serves from Nadi, Fiji with connections from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and the United States including Honolulu (with codeshares on American Airlines, and other ONEWORLD alliance members). Nauru Airlines also connects Tarawa in Kiribati with Nauru and Nadi. While Air Marshall Islands does scheduled flights every 2 weeks from Majuro to Tarawa returning the same day.
9. Marshall Islands (Annual Visitor: 5,000)
The Marshall Islands are a group of atolls and reefs that lying in the Pacific Ocean in between Australia and Hawaii. Its bustling capital Majuro spreads over 64 tiny islands and is the gateway of the country for most visitors. To escape the crowds of the city, visitors can head to one of the many secluded lagoons. The island of Laura is the perfect place to unwind with its calm white-sand beaches and shallow reefs perfect for snorkeling.
Exploring its marine life is one of the things that you can also enjoy in this country. Opportunities for diving include drop-offs, coral heads, black coral and WWII wrecks. Fishing expeditions can be arranged by local hotels or the Marshall’s Billfish Club.
How to get in:
Air Marshall Islands offers regular scheduled domestic flights to 10 of the atolls. International flights are available from Honolulu and Fiji. United Airlines stops in Majuro on its island-hopper service between Guam and Honolulu. It also serves weekly flights to and from Guam and Honolulu.
10. Tuvalu (Annual Visitor: 1,000)
Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world that comprises a group of 9 low-lying islands and atolls in the South Pacific. Though it is not a destination for those in search of impressive sightseeing opportunities, it offers some of the best natural sights such as reefs, lagoons, channel and island habitats. Its diverse marine life makes it a suitable place for scuba diving and snorkeling. Tuvalu’s traditional local culture is also one of the nation’s best assets. You can experience its lively traditional dancing in their local town hall “maneapa”.
How to get in:
Fiji Airways flies from Suva, Fiji to Tuvalu’s gateway Funafuti International Airport. Its airport IATA code is FUN which is really cool.
These countries may be nonpareil to Spain, Maldives, Thailand, Mexico and Australia in terms of popularity. But visiting these god-knows-where destinations is surely a great fulfillment and definitely something that you can be proud about.
Rewrite your travel bucket list now and start planning your outlandish adventures. Which among these countries would you like to go first?
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