Blame Instagram and TikTok, but some popular holiday destinations just aren’t worth visiting anymore. Big crowds, selfie sticks, and waiting in line can take some of the enjoyment out of being on holiday. But fear not: there are still places in this world you can visit that remain remote, pristine, and untouched. If you’re looking for them, the 10 least visited countries in the world are a good place to start!
10. Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau welcomes just 52,000 visitors each year. Situated on West Africa’s Atlantic coast, it contains a multitude of landscapes, peoples, cultures, and plant and animal life. The country has a vast amount of national parks, and even boasts a population of rare, saltwater hippos. Guinea-Bissau can take a long time (up to 30 hours) to reach from the US, Australia, or the UK, with layovers necessary in Portugal, Cape Verde, and/or Morocco, depending on where you are flying from.
9. Comoros
A beautiful archipelago of volcanic islands, Comoros is situated in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of the African continent. Warm, blissful temperatures and turquoise waters are a year-round feature of Comoros, thanks to its location in the Mozambique Channel.
8. São Tomé and Príncipe
The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe lie on an alignment of dormant volcanoes, located on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea. Just 34,900 tourists visit each year, where they can explore the islands’ beaches and landscapes, and discover numerous species of birds and plants.
7. Solomon Islands
Almost 1,000 tropical islands make up the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is dotted across the southwest Pacific Ocean. Dense, tropical forest and thousands of plant and animal species can be found on the islands, which welcome just 29,000 visitors each year. You can reach the country via Brisbane in Australia, where there are up to five flights per week to the capital, Honiara.
6. Montserrat
A mountainous island in the Caribbean, Montserrat sees just 19,300 tourists visit each year—making it the sixth least visited country in the world. Located to the east of Central America, the pear-shaped island is a British Overseas Territory with a rugged, volcanic landscape. There are no direct flights to Montserrat. To reach it, you must catch a flight or ferry from neighboring Antigua.
5. Micronesia
Comprising more than 600 islands, Micronesia is situated between the Marshall Islands and Palau in the North Pacific Ocean. Micronesia is organized into four island states, which welcome just 18,000 visitors per year to its remote, beautiful land and seascapes. You can fly to Chuuk from Brisbane, or to Guam from Cairns, both in Australia. Prepare for a long journey, with several legs, if you’re arriving from elsewhere.
4. Kiribati
The only country in the world that touches all four hemispheres, stunning Kiribati lies in the Pacific Ocean between Australia and Hawaii. Consisting of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, Kiribati became a sovereign state in 1979. It contains a number of islets separated by causeways.
3. Niue
Niue is the westernmost of the Cook Islands, situated in the South Pacific. It welcomes just 10,000 visitors each year and has a slow pace of life—you don’t have to worry about beating crowds here! This oval-shaped, raised coral island is only reachable from Auckland, New Zealand, where a three-hour flight to Niue International Airport leaves once a week.
2. Marshall Islands
There are at least 160 species of coral to be discovered on the Marshall Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean. Just 6,000 visitors each year make their way to the Marshall Islands, which consist of 29 coral atolls and five single coral islands. Reaching the island can take a while, but there are flights from Guam and Honolulu to the city of Majuro and Kwajalein Island, as well as connecting Australian flights via Nauru in Fiji.
1. Tuvalu
The least visited country in the world, Tuvalu, lies 1,000 km (621 miles) north of Fiji in the west-central Pacific Ocean. It welcomes just 3,700 visitors each year.The island is the fourth smallest country in the world, and is comprised of three coral islands and six atolls, with a total land mass of just 10 square miles. The easiest way to get to Tuvalu is via Fiji, which has connecting flights arriving from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane (taking between three to five hours).
