The Most Remote Places on Earth You Can Actually Visit

Reaching the most remote places on Earth takes more than just a plane ticket—it takes patience, endurance, and often a string of connections that make the arrival feel like an achievement in itself. These are places where airports are rare, ships arrive only a handful of times a year, and the communities you meet are outnumbered by wildlife. What they offer in return is a kind of distance that feels almost impossible in the modern world—skies free of light pollution, landscapes shaped by extremes, and the rare quiet that comes from being far beyond the usual travel circuit.

Why do we seek remoteness?

Journeys to places like these are rarely simple, but that difficulty is part of the allure. They remind us what travel feels like when the destination is hard-won, when the act of arriving carries its own reward. In the Kerguelen Islands, there are no hotels or tour buses, only wind, sea, and wildlife. In Russia’s Oymyakon, for example, just stepping outside is an act of endurance. And on South Georgia, hundreds of thousands of penguins gather on beaches once scarred by whaling.

In a world where so much feels accessible, true remoteness has become rare. These are the most remote places on Earth that shift our sense of scale and remind us that there are still corners of this planet where distance is intact.

An aerial view of the Kerguelen Islands under a cloudy sky

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Kerguelen Islands, Southern Indian Ocean

Nicknamed the “Desolation Islands,” this French territory sits marooned in the southern Indian Ocean, approximately 1,865 miles from Madagascar. Few places feel so utterly cut off. Volcanic cliffs plunge into storm-lashed seas, while king penguins and elephant seals crowd the beaches in their thousands. Nobody lives here permanently—only rotating teams of scientists, engineers, and unconventional travelers. What surrounds you is a world sculpted by wind, sea, and stone, where humanity has left little mark.

How to get there: The French supply vessel Marion Dufresne II sails from Réunion Island several times a year. The voyage takes around six days.

Ellesmere Island mountaintops bathe in light as the sun begins to peak over the horizon.

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