The experience of locking eyes on one of the world’s most revered sights can often be tainted by hordes of swarming tourists. You know the type: clambering over one another snapping away with their cameras – often with little regard to those around them or the monument in question.
It’s much more rewarding to avoid the crowds and have a little bit of paradise to yourself. And remarkably, it’s easier than you think. Adventure travel specialist Explore, whose knowledge covers every corner of the world, has collated its Top 10 Tourist-Free Destinations. Apart from a few canny travellers, it’ll just be you, your small group tour and the locals…
Winetasting in Georgia
It may come as a surprise, but Georgia boasts a thriving viticulture industry. The Kakheti region is particularly famous for its wine production. Visit a local winery that’s been operating for over 300 years and sample red and white wines.
Tour: Land of the Golden Fleece – 16 days from £1,909 pp*
Asmara, Eritrea
The highest capital in Africa, Asmara boasts a wonderful climate and friendly residents. Although African, the town has retained its distinctly Italian feel – a legacy of its colonial days. Feast your eyes on Art Deco and Italian architecture, a vibrant market, cathedral and mosques.
Tour: Eritrean Highlights – 9 days from £1,514 pp*
Hirado Island, Japan
Tranquil and unspoilt, see rural Japan at its best with towering cliffs and basalt columns along the coast. Cruise through the fabled ‘Ninety Nine Islands’ and learn about old whaling communities and the local way of life.
Tour: Shogun Trail – 14 days from £3,000 pp*
Join a ‘Kora’ at a monastery in Tibet
Join the local Buddhist pilgrims as they walk around the monastery perimeter on a trial known as a ‘kora’. Interact with local Tibetans while earning merit on the path to enlightenment!
Tour: Abode of the God-Kings – 17 days from £1,997 pp*
Kuelap, Peru
The imposing fortress at Kuelap is one of the most outstanding archaeological remains of the little-known Chachapoyas culture. The ruins contain over four hundred buildings and round houses – many decorated with intricate patterns – and are just as impressive as those at Machu Picchu.
Tour: Lost Cities of the Cloud People - 16 days from £2,515 pp*
Sail around the Greek island of Evia
The island the Greeks go to when they want to relax is pleasantly untouched by mass tourism, offering lush mountainous scenery interspersed with quant towns and villages. Sail the Gulf of Evia on a traditional Greek caique, stopping in secluded coves to swim and snorkel in the clear blue waters of the Aegean Sea.
Tour: Greek Caique Cruise – 8 days from £690 pp*
Admire the tallest building in the world (in AD 1127)
Located in the fabled city of Bokhara, Uzbekistan, and standing at 150ft tall, the imposing medieval Kalyan Minaret is built in baked brick, enabling a circular structure that narrows as it rises. Used as a watchtower during periods of war, the minaret was the tallest building on earth in the 12th century.
Tour: Golden Road to Samarkand – 12 days from £1,396 pp*
Ancient Mayan city of Yaxchillan
Hidden deep in the Mexican jungle and only accessible by boat, the remote Mayan ruins hold extensive history, detailed in well preserved carvings. Enter through the labyrinth and climb level upon level of buildings each beholding a unique architectural wonder.
Tour: Indian Mexico – 16 days £1,972 pp*
Hike Europe’s best canyon
The Tara River Canyon in Montenegro is both the deepest (1,300m) and longest (51 miles) canyon in Europe. It’s also arguably its prettiest: linking a mountain massif to a series of 50 breathtaking waterfalls, the canyon takes in steep, pine-clad walls, diverse vegetation and more than 80 large caves along its course.
Tour: On Foot in Montenegro – 9 days from £995 pp*
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in Swaziland
Discover many of Africa’s species of wildlife on foot. The absence of big cats allows for a very different game viewing experience. Take a “foot safari” in search of giraffe, wildebeest, impala and warthog and take the meaning of “close to nature” to a whole new level.
Tour: Zululand and Kruger Wildlife – 11 days from £1,630 pp*