recommend a trip where few toursits go?
 

Hello, I am looking to take a trip and am open to traveling anywhere. Just got back form a trip to Rwanda, it was amazing. I prefer places that are not over run with tourists. Does any one have a recommendation for a destination that is off the beaten path? THANKS!

My brother and his wife went to Isaan in Northeastern Thailand. They ran across almost no tourists. They loved it. Of course, with few tourists, the tourist infrastucure will be skimpy, but it's a trade off.

Ghana...Fabulous.Have been twice. I hope you wrote a trip report on Rwanda. I'm thinking of going there. Happy Travels!

Iran; Northeast Thailand; Central Highlands of Vietnam (not Dalat but places like Pleiku ); Yemen; Karakorum Highway area in Pakistan; Mustang

Sumba island in Indonesia
www.nihiwatu.com

Papua New Guinea. Trobriand Islands.
Amazing.

South Sulawesi
Burma
Ethiopia
many places in central asia

We've visited Mali and Iran which both had amazing historical sites and a great deal of cultural interest but not many tourists. I would love to visit Ethiopia, Yemen and Northern Pakistan.

In April we're heading to Turkmenistan and and Uzbekistan which are increasingly popular!

Agree that Mali is a fascinating destination.

Sagada in the Northern Philippines. If you are into Caving or trekking. The hanging tombs is interesting as well.

Is it safe to travel to YEMEN right now? Has anyone been recently?

safe? It's all a matter of perspective. There have been a number of kidnappings and even deaths of tourists there.

You might want to consider Sir Lanka. Few travelers are going there now even though it's a fabulous destination. Take a look at my trip report from November 2007.

Re: Yemen. I have a friend who went there last year and said it was the best trip of her life. Personally, I probably would not go but plenty do.

I think all of the above reccos are fine in their own way, IMO you don’t really have to go to a country where few tourists go, you can just choose to go to <i>the right places</i> <u>within</u> popular countries where few tourists go, and voila! instant charm and a good tourist infrastructure to boot (and no shots needed and if you are lucky, a non-stop flight.) For example for Switzerland, avoid that overdone Lucerne and the Jungfrau and go to the stunning and untouristed eastern end of the country where there are Romansch-speaking cantons out east of the Engadine (which in itself is pretty much untouristed by Americans, so if you want to meet a handsome Italian, go there in August or the winter….) Great food, nice hotels, incredible scenery, churches that actually have art inside (the Reformation missed these areas they are so remote) and an easy train ride from the air hub of Zurich on the very efficient Swiss Rail system. Or just go to Austria and avoid Vienna and Salzburg and really IMO you are going to find few tourists. In Italy, head all the way down to the toe of the boot and you will have places virtually to yourself, they make Sicily seem crowded (which really isn’t). The “white villages” on the hillsides of Spain are great for touring and walking and while there are tourists, these are not numerious; Portugal has similar ones that I believe would be even less touristed.

Since you have posted this on the Asian board, consider Hong Kong, but by all means avoid Kowloon and go hiking and walking through the lovely little farming and fishing villages in the hills and valleys of the New Territories (there are even some hidden right <u>on</u> Hong Kong Island if you know where to go…) You could stay in a little hotel on Lamma Island (not promising much in the way of luxury but some interesting and fun bits in the town) and hike there too, or take little wooden kaido ferries to outlying islands. You can kayak through some lovely areas of Sai Kung or parasail off of the Dragon’s Back. All while the tourists are shopping for copy watches along the concrete jungle of Nathan Road….plus you can pop back at night for a massage and a good meal. In Singapore, stay in one of the ethnic neighborhoods at a smaller neighborhood hotel, and take cooking lessons, learn about Chinese Opera or take a Mandarin lesson, take walks and hikes in the northern part of the island or bike or sail in East Coast Park. It’s all of matter IMO of seeking out the less touristed paths, not really the less touristed places.

Myanmar (Burma) was a treat. Visit Bagan and see the many temples. Also in the same area is Mt. Popa, a temple on top of a gigantic rock of solidified magma. http://www.ancientbagan.com/mt-popa.htm

I don't think you will find any place worth seeing without a few tourists around, tourist money helps support the upkeep of these attractions.

Way back when I was a kid in the navy we had a port call at Colombo, Sri Lanka. I thought the place was neat, in particular I remember the Siguriya Rock Fortress. http://www.ecotourism-culturaltourism.com/sigiriya.htm

This same area has one of the oldest samples of erotic art found in a cave.

Have fun.

Cicerone is so right that you can get off the beaten track in even the most popular destinations. I use Bangkok as my gateway to other parts of Asia, so am there almost every year. Even in Bangkok it's easy to spend a whole day without seeing another westerner.

The Isaan Region in NE Thailand, where there are Khmer temples (built during the Angkor Wat period) that are in the middle of fields &amp; atop mountains, where you can see temples w/ NO tourists. If you snorkel the Meiruguay (sp?) Archipelago north of the Surin Islands in Burma, you can enter from Thailand north of Khao Lak... There's also great snorkeling &amp; wild life in coastal Mozambique (check out Conde Nast Traveler).

We've been to the remote Tuamotus (the older island group north of Tahiti's Society Islands) &amp; if you want to see the real Polynesia, that is where you will find it. The atoll of Fakarava has excellent diving &amp; the Puamotu live like they did on Bora Bora 50 years ago. Havaiki Pearl Guest House has a website &amp; is a neat place to stay... we loved it. May is a good month. Owner Joachim can take you out deep sea fishing or to remote nearby, unhabited atoll of Toau. Contact the Tahiti Tourism Board &amp; ask them to send you the brochure, there are a few other atolls in the Tuamotus who have lovely little pensions on them, where you can pretend you're Robinson Carusoe.
;-)

Go to Pulau wei off the coast of Banda Ache, Indonesia - be prepared for very basic conditions, but great beauty. A year ago, Burma might have been iffy to most people, but i just cannot even imagine going there now after recent events. i personally like Lombok a lot, altho it may becoming too popular. I also love Yunnan and the Lijiang environs, but it also may becoming too well known.

Ghanna, Benin, and Togo are beautiful and highly recommended. Though, my personal favorite is Malawi. It definitely lives up to its nickname as the 'Warm Heart of Africa!' There were five of us who traveled together and outside of the major cities and one other destination we didn't run into any other travelers. It was amazing. In fact here's a link to my trip that you may find helpful. Enjoy!

http://www.sosauce.com/travel2/trip.do?tripId=285

Hi When I went to Nepal, people kept telling me Bhutan was better because it was less touristic.