Top 10
Remote Destinations
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Feeling the need to escape -- really escape? Then look much further than your usual domestic getaways, and head off on a true adventure across the globe to some truly remote locales. Remote, of course, is what you make of it; but here are our ten favorite spots where you can hide, hibernate, or simply hang out. And yes, you will need that world atlas to acquaint yourself with some of these destinations.
Up Next: Antarctica -
Antarctica
It's the fifth largest continent, yet it boasts no permanent residents -- only field researchers and other hearty types who will brave the coldest, windiest, and driest climate on Earth to conduct their research on everything from plate tectonics to the adaptation and survival of the species which live in this extreme climate. Unless you've got a research grant, the best way to visit is aboard a cruise ship, and we use the term cruise loosely -- there are no Lido decks or casinos on these ships. Rather, they're filled with naturalists and explorers.
Up Next: Attu -
Attu
The westernmost (and largest) of the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands, Attu has the unique claim to fame of being the easternmost point in the United States; it's a hemispheric thing that's a bit technical, frankly. But beyond its unique position, more than 1700 miles from the mainland U.S., Attu is also unique for its history, including the fact it was the site of the only battle on US soil in World War II. Only 20 people live on Attu full time at last count; it is a popular stop for small cruise ships which venture into the icy waters of the Bering Sea.
Up Next: Easter Island -
Easter Island
It's one of the most puzzling questions of all time -- how the heck did primitive man build those giant stone heads on Easter Island? Despite the fact it is located some 2300 miles from the nearest inhabited land (Chile) Easter Island isn't all that difficult to get to, with regular commercial air service from LAN Chile Airlines. Once there, however, there's plenty of space to lose yourself with the moai statues and other ancient ruins and petraglyphs scattered throughout the island -- tour by horseback or mountain bike for a real Robinson Caruso-type adventure.
Up Next: Galapagos -
Galapagos
A visit to the archipelago that is the Galapagos Islands reveals just where Darwin got all those ideas about the origins of evolution. With over 60 named islands -- many just tiny islets, the rich marine and land animal life is what lures visitors from the mother country Ecuador, some 600 miles to the east. Just five of the islands are inhabited, albeit it by 30,000 people; thousands of fur seals, sea lions, giant tortoises, marine iguanas and dozens of bird species endemic to the islands live in harmony with their human neighbors.
Up Next: Machu Picchu -
Machu Picchu
The lost city of the Incas is located almost 8,000 feet above sea level on a mountain ridge in Peru. It was built about 1450 and abandoned just 100 years later. The city contains more than 140 structures, including temples, residences, stone steps and parks. The dry stone walls fit together without mortar, but there's no evidence on how the Incas moved the blocks of stone up the mountain. Either hike, take a train or bus, or spend the night at the lush Sanctuary Lodge and hire a private guide to give you a personal tour of the site.
Up Next: Bhutan -
Bhutan
As countries go, Bhutan is certainly one of the most inaccessible, set in the Himalayas and sandwiched in between China and India. And while the average citizen earns just $1,400 a year in US dollars, Bhutan is considered to be one of the happiest places on Earth, according to studies by economists who examine the link between income and happiness. With stunning mountain vistas, numerous wildlife refuges and the striking architecture of temples and monasteries, there's plenty to fill days of exploration in what some consider a modern-day Shangri-La.
Up Next: Sumba -
Sumba
One of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, Sumba is among the poorest in the archipelago, yet its rich ancient traditions exist today in a truly unspoiled atmosphere. From a spectacular pre-harvest fertility ritual called the Pasola, where hundreds fight on horseback using spears, to the burials in huge rock mausoleums, Suma is an island of enchantment and mystery. Amidst the thatched-roof homes, rice terraces and tropical forests is one resort -- Nihiwatu -- which offers seven bungalows and a few villas handcrafted by the locals.
Up Next: Kiribati -
Kiribati
Looking for a real middle-of-nowhere, sit on the beach and do nothing vacation? Then the Republic of Kiribati (pronounced kir-ree-bas) is just the ticket. A group of island in the western Pacific Ocean that includes Christmas Island, Kiribati is about as laid-back a destination as possible, but with enough services to provide all the essentials yet enough space to spread out and enjoy some alone time. Air flights from Honolulu or Brisbane can require up to 4 stops along the way -- once on land, take in a traditional dance show at one of the meeting houses.
Up Next: St. Helena -
St. Helena
Until recently, getting to the barren British outpost of St. Helena involved a five-day sea voyage from Cape Town, South Africa, on a Royal Mail ship. A new airport is coming in 2012 and St. Helena's governor has unveiled an ambitious new tourism plan for the island, which is a tiny 10.5 x 6.5 miles. The 4,000 permanent residents are the welcoming type and are anxious to show off the rare species of both flora and fauna. If St. Helena rings a bit of a historical bell, then you're quite the history buff -- the island is where Napoleon spent the last years of his life in exile.
Up Next: Space -
Space
Yep, outer space -- that most remote of all destinations, is about to become accessible for all Earthlings. Virgin Galactic, the brainchild of entrepreneur and adventurer Sir Richard Branson, is offering flights to the final frontier for a mere $200,000 ticket. That's round-trip, by the way. The flights aboard the spacecraft are set to begin sometime in 2009, and will initially launch once a week from the Mojave Desert. The six passengers and two astronauts will piggyback aboard a mother ship to 50,000 feet and then launch from that height to 350,000 feet and return to Earth. Already, 100 have signed up.
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