Unbelievable images of the unexplored world you'll only see in photos

Off the radar

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Humans have explored vast amounts of this Earth. With technological advancement we have charted the oceans, scaled mountains and seen the world from the skies. But there are vast areas most of the human race will never visit, expanses of wilderness so remote that only a few have been and only a few will endeavour to reach. Here are some of the globe's most incredible under-explored places...

The ocean floor

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More than 80% of the oceans on this planet are yet to be explored, and it's estimated that 99% of the sea floor has yet to be discovered. It took until 2012 for humans to reach the deepest point in the ocean – an area called the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, located in the western Pacific – so there is still plenty for us to explore.

The ocean floor

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But most of us will never get to see what it's like down there on the seabed, and instead we'll have to make do with underwater photography and documentaries by the likes of David Attenborough.

The ocean floor

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It's likely we'll never get to see the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean where curious, alien-like animals – like this luminous jellyfish – thrive in the underwater wilderness.

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Sakha, Russia

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Tucked away in far northeast Russia, Sakha's 1.8 million square miles of land is home to around a million people, most of whom live along the Lena River. This republic has the most extreme seasons on the planet, with lows of -46°C (-51°F) in winter and highs of 19°C (66°F) in summer, and is rarely visited by foreigners.

Sakha, Russia

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Conditions are harsh economically too, with little industry and farming only viable on the banks of the river. The Sakha people herd reindeer, they hunt squirrel, fox and ermine and go ice fishing (pictured) to sustain their life here.

Sakha, Russia

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Thanks to its remoteness, Sakha has some untouched natural wonders, from glassy lakes to glorious glaciers, and it's where many ancient woolly mammoth fossils were discovered. Caked in sparkling snow for much of the year, the region is at its most spectacular in winter.

The Amazon, Brazil

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The world's largest rainforest, which spans almost 3.5 million square miles across Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, the Amazon is spectacular. And while parts of it are indeed reachable, and plenty of visitors travel to its jungles every year, there are still parts unexplored by modern society.

The Amazon, Brazil

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Entire communities of people live in the rainforest and remain isolated, despite the encroachment of modern man by way of deforestation and tourism in some parts. The Vale do Javari is one of the largest indigenous territories in Brazil, and it hit headlines in 2018 when drone footage caught images of one tribe walking through a clearing in the forest.

The Amazon, Brazil

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The relative lack of human activity in the Amazon, though, means there's a pristine wilderness within these trees. Wildlife such as golden lion tamarin monkeys and capybaras thrive under the dark cover of the forest canopy and all sorts of fish including beluga sturgeon, plus river dolphins, swim in the rivers.

Greenland

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Greenland is still one of the least-visited nations in Europe. Just over 100,000 people explored Greenland's shores in 2018, compared with well over two million visitors to nearby Iceland in the year before. But those who do come, get to enjoy a truly stunning landscape of glaciers and mountains.

Greenland

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With cruises to Greenland starting around £10,000 ($12.7k) per person, most humans will never get to experience the stunning sunsets off the west coast, where icebergs are illuminated by the sinking sun and whales can be seen breaching the waters.

Greenland

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With a population of just 56,000 people, there's very little light pollution, so come evening the Northern Lights can be spotted regularly from all over the island.

Discover other fascinating places that glow in the dark here

The Northwest Passage, Arctic Canada

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One of the world's trickiest bodies of water to navigate, the Northwest Passage stretches across the top of Canada, between the North Pole and the far northern reaches of the American continent. The passage was first navigated by explorer Roald Amundsen and is now being tested by shipping companies as a new route between Asia and Europe.

The Northwest Passage, Arctic Canada

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It's a perilous crossing due to the large amount of ice floating in the waters, some of which is big enough to cause significant damage to unprepared ships. Most vessels travelling through the area now must have icebreakers fitted in order to make a safe crossing.

The Northwest Passage, Arctic Canada

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The Northwest Passage is home to all manner of wildlife, from whales to polar bears who live on the ice. In 2007, though, the area was found almost entirely ice-free after an incredibly warm summer. A result of climate change, this is now threatening the existence of the polar bears who used the ice to move around and stay safe.

South Georgia Island

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With no airport and being 620 miles east of the tip of South America, stranded out in the Atlantic Ocean, this island is only accessible by boat. Just over 17,000 people stopped on the shores of South Georgia Island between 2017 and 2018, and that includes cruise ship staff and scientific researchers.

South Georgia Island

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The small number of human visitors are wildly outnumbered by the millions of penguins who reside here. There are three different species – gentoo, king and macaroni – and plenty of other wildlife, like seals and seabirds. South Georgia Island is the breeding ground for more than 10 million birds.

South Georgia Island

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It's safe to say, most of us will never experience the breeze on these blustery islands, and so all we can do is marvel at photographs like this, depicting the region's stunning blue glaciers and incredible natural wonders.

Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska, USA

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This glorious mountain range can be found in Alaska, right in the southeast corner where Wrangell-St Elias National Park sits up against the Canadian border.

Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska, USA

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This region of the USA is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of destination – cruises here aren't cheap and much of Alaska is only reachable by a small plane. Due to its size – Alaska is the biggest state in the US – much of this land is still yet to be explored.

Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska, USA

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Some areas have been explored though, and more than that, they've been exploited too. This picture shows an abandoned mill where a copper mine once thrived. Over 300 people lived and worked here during its heyday, but today it's empty with the copper reserves gone. Now, with no population and zero light pollution, the Northern Lights shine bright overhead come nightfall.

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar

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It's hardly surprising that this labyrinth of needle-shaped rock formation remains largely unexplored. Except for a few trails, bridges and viewpoints, much of this national park in Madagascar is untouched by humans.

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar

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It's not easy to get here – road conditions are far from optimal – and even getting to Madagascar itself can be a trial for some (all flights stop off on the African continent before arriving on this Indian Ocean isle). But it's certainly worth the journey if you do make the trek.

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar

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The formations are around 200 million years old according to NASA, and its little-disturbed forests, lakes, mangrove swamps and canyons are an ideal habitat for all manner of wildlife. Expect to see 11 different kinds of lemur and 45 endemic species of reptile here.

The Sahara, Africa

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The world's largest hot desert, the Sahara stretches across much of North Africa. Entire cities are located within the yellow sands of this barren landscape, but beyond there are entire swathes of the region that are still yet to be explored.

The Sahara, Africa

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It's not all just sand dunes, either. There are salt flats (pictured), mountains, gravel plains and even rivers running through this landscape. The Sahara is expanding too. With climate change making rains less frequent in the region, the area classified as desert is getting bigger each year and valuable arable land is drying up.

The Sahara, Africa

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This lonely landscape has a derelict beauty about it though, and it's no more impressive than at night when millions of stars can be seen in the sky. Come at the right time of year and the Milky Way will even be visible.

Torngat Mountains National Park, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada

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Located at the far reaches of Newfoundland and Labrador on the Labrador Peninsula, Torngat Mountains National Park is one of the least-visited parks in Canada. It's over 6,000 square miles of total wilderness, with the Torngat Mountains and the stunning Saglek Fjord at its heart.

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Torngat Mountains National Park, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada

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Unlike most other Canadian parks, this one has no roads, no trails, no campgrounds and no signage, so visitors here need good navigation and bush skills to remain safe. While most Canadians will never make the journey here, let alone foreigners, those that do are richly rewarded and it will likely feel as if you're the only ones here.

Torngat Mountains National Park, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada

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Its far north location means that icebergs regularly float along its coastline, and polar bears roam the land alongside caribou, wolves and Arctic foxes.

The Suriname Rainforest

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This peaceful dawn scene has been captured in the Suriname Rainforest, a vast swathe of land cloaked in jungle, teeming with rare wildlife within. Most of Suriname's population live on its northern coastline, and while some of the highways stretch inland, there's very little infrastructure in the south part of the country.

The Suriname Rainforest

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There are communities of Saramacca people and indigenous Surinamese tribes living within the rainforest, but foreigners rarely make it into the thick of it to explore the fascinating world within. The locals are incredibly outnumbered by curious creatures instead, including the likes of this blue poison dart frog.

The Suriname Rainforest

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There are serious predators too. Jaguars like this one roam the forest floor in search of prey, such as deer or caimans.

Ennedi Plateau, Chad

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This desert oasis is a rarely visited natural wonder. The Ennedi Plateau in northeastern Chad is essentially off limits to tourists, and few locals will go there too due to its proximity to Libya and Sudan.

Ennedi Plateau, Chad

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But we're missing out on a stunning, otherworldly landscape that looks straight out of a Star Wars film. The Ennedi Plateau is essentially a natural bulwark, with towering rock buttresses, bridges and arches.

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Ennedi Plateau, Chad

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The region has come under the management of African Parks in a bid to preserve its natural wonders, the rare wildlife – including a desert-dwelling crocodile – and the unique nomadic communities that traverse the land.

St Helena Island

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While there's a modest population of people living on this island off the coast of West Africa, there's very little tourist activity here today. With just one flight connecting St Helena to Johannesburg, South Africa, it's not exactly a simple journey. Though this is much better than what used to be a five-day journey by ship from Cape Town.

St Helena Island

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A volcanic island, it's unsurprisingly mountainous, with plenty of excellent hiking opportunities and viewpoints from peaks and valleys out to the South Atlantic Ocean.

St Helena Island

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Situated 1,200 miles from the coast of Africa and 2,500 miles from Rio in South America, it's one of the world's most remote islands. It's therefore fair to say the vast majority of us will never set foot here.

Lake Turkana, Kenya

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Far in the northwestern reaches of Kenya, surrounded by desert, Lake Turkana is seriously remote. The roads leading here have no asphalt, and conditions on the rocky tracks are so bad even truck tyres can burst on the drive up here.

Lake Turkana, Kenya

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Few people – foreigners and Kenyans – venture up this far, aside from the occasional anthropologist, aid worker or Christian missionary, and so Lake Turkana's communities are one of the least-explored settlements on the African continent.

Lake Turkana, Kenya

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The Turkana people, the predominant tribe in the region, have distinctive haircuts, shaved on the sides and braided on top, and they tend to wear lots of colourful beads. Once a year, tribes from all over Kenya congregate here for a huge cultural festival, celebrating the diversity of the country's varying cultures.

Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan

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This stunning scene looks like it would fit right into the Rocky Mountains in Canada, but it's actually part of Kolsai Lakes in Kazakhstan. This area of Central Asia is incredibly under-visited, and its gorgeous landscapes go unseen by visitors who spend time in the neighbouring Stans instead.

Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan

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Thanks to its relatively small tourist numbers, it's quite the pristine wilderness, with rivers like this one running through thick, untouched forest. Spend a day here and you will likely find yourself alone on many of the trails.

Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan

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Some of this region is off-limits to visitors, too, as the security services deem it too close to the border with Kyrgyzstan, so it's likely travellers may never get to see parts of Kolsai Lakes.

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North Korean countryside

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The volatile state of North Korea is unlikely to top many bucket lists, and with political uncertainty a serious issue in this region, it's unlikely most of us will ever set foot on its shores. These pictures of its gorgeous natural landscapes are probably as close as you'll get to exploring the many untouched and little-visited destinations within its borders.

North Korean countryside

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The country is probably home to some of the world's quietest coves and beaches, with coastlines on both the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, but without the major resorts we associate with such stretches of sand.

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North Korean countryside

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Plus, there is plenty of gorgeous forest and some stunning mountains, ripe for hiking – if only the country was a little more open, this would be an incredible holiday destination. For now, though, travel to North Korea remains highly monitored. Read more about visiting here.