The 10 Most Pristine Places In The World!

Imagine life in a place where only a few people live, or there is absolutely nobody at all, and natural beauty is at its best. From isolated arctic islands to secluded canyons, the Earth still has some unexplored places, where humans have not set foot yet. Many of them are extremely remote and inaccessible. It would either take a huge amount of time and effort to reach them, or they can’t be reached at all, and can only be seen from air. These places are perfect for people who completely want to abandon civilisation.

1) Gangkhar Puensum, Bhutan

This is the highest mountain in the world which has not been conquered by mankind. Literally translating to “Three Mountain Siblings”, it soars 7,570 metres into the sky. It’s located on disputed territory between Bhutan and China, in an area so remote that it even lacked proper mapping until recently.

2) Mariana Trench

No place is as famously unexplored as the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. Reaching an estimated 1580 miles (2550 km) long and a mere 40 miles (60 km) wide with a depth of nearly 7 miles (11 km), the Mariana Trench is truly a window into our deepest curiosities. Exactly what forms of life inhabit the deep sea remains a mystery. The video still below is an animation of the Mariana Trench, courtesy of NOAA.

3) Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Located at the southernmost point of the world, the Amundsen-Scott research station is inhabited by 50 to 200 researchers at any given time. And that’s it! Seated on shifting ice at the Earth’s axis, the research base experiences one 6 month long “day”, where the temperatures can rise up to -15 degrees, and one 6 month long “night” where the temperatures can drop to -100 degrees.

4) Tepui, Venezuela

The word ’Tepui’ means ’home of the gods’ in the language of the indigenous people of Gran Sabana where these incredible natural structures are located.

5) The Amazon Rainforest, South America

This incredible, immense forest sprawls across nine different countries in South America: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. With an estimated 390 billion trees providing plenty of coverage to get lost in, Amazon is so huge that mankind can never hope to explore all of it — or know everything that’s hiding there.

6) Tsingy de Bemaraha, Madagascar

The ‘stone forest’ of Madagascar was formed due to natural phenomena. The rocky projections and canyons were formed over a period of a million years, predominantly under the ground in the form of huge caves. Over the years, monsoon rains washed away the limestone and thick layers of chalky sediment, creating this system of unique, mysterious looking natural bridges, spires and gorges which can reach up to 120 metres in depth.

7) Rock Islands, Palau

At some point over the past few thousand years, it is certain that people have set foot on these islands. We know this because archaeologists have found evidence of so-called ’tiny people’ — an offshoot of humanity which apparently had severely stunted growth — which used to live there. However, for modern human civilisation, the Rock Islands are a remote area of the world we know virtually nothing about.

8) Honokohau Islands, Maui

Drenched in greenery, the waterfall here is said to be the tallest waterfall on Maui as it apparently plunges in two tiers for a total of 1100ft. In order for one to get to this waterfall, a helicopter tour has to be taken since the falls are situated in an inaccessible valley in West Maui. The mere sight of it gives an idea of the exquisite beauty, majesty and mystery of the natural world.

9) Svalbard, Norway

Svalbard is considered one of the safest places on Earth, with no reported crime annually, with a majority of its population a multi-racial mix of researchers, coal miners, and those working in the tourism sector. Formerly known as Spitzbergen, Svalbard stands as the halfway point between Norway and the North Pole. There are 5 types of terrestrial mammals that inhabit it: Svalbard reindeer, polar bears, the arctic fox, the accidentally-introduced southern vole, and humans!

10) The Forest Lake, Russia

The exact location of this mysterious lake is unknown. According to some, it can be found in the Tyumen region of Russia. How did it come to sit deep inside the forest? This indeed is an interesting and intriguing question which remains unanswered.

Don't you just want to find a way to go to all these places, pack your bags and leave?