South America’s vast Patagonia region is as off-the-beaten-track as it gets. One of the world's last true wildernesses and roughly twice the size of Spain, you can expect deserted beaches and expansive national parks. For road trippers, there are some incredible driving opportunities along the Carretera Austral (Chile’s Route 7) through northern Patagonia – 770 miles (1240k) of wild and remote highway.

The biggest tourist draw in Los Glaciares National Park is the incredibly beautiful Perito Moreno Glacier, famous for the spectacular cracking and crashing of the fracturing ice. 

On the southwestern coast of the African sub-continent, sparsely populated Namibia is a spectacular off-the-beaten-track destination. Its otherworldly landscapes include startling canyons, vast ever-changing sand dunes and Dead Vlei, an eerie “dead marsh” in the central Namib Desert (pictured). 

Visitors keen to spot Africa’s “Big Five” (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and African buffalo) should head off-road to the wilderness of Etosha National Park. Wild Dog Safaris organise guided or self-drive safaris in this stunning wildlife sanctuary.

Discover the world's best wildlife experiences here

For some, the highlight of Oman is the desert and a glimpse of nomadic life. Intrepid’s Discover Oman tour takes in a Wahiba Sands and a dune sunset, before setting up camp around an open fire, under the stars.

While this ancient northern landscape has spanned millennia, it's only been a Canadian territory since 1999. One of Canada's coldest and most sparsely populated areas, Nunavut is home to just under 39,000 people, around 0.1% of the country's population. Yet it's huge – roughly the size of Western Europe – meaning its beautiful lands remains largely untouched.

This wilderness is home to an abundance of wildlife including polar bears, walruses, beluga whales, muskox and packs of Arctic wolves that freely roam the landscape. Adventure Canada offer a range of itineraries that take in the best of the territory including Baffin Island where you'll find the capital, Iqaluit.

Stupendous landscape aside, one of the joys of visiting Albania is taking in its traditional towns. UNESCO World Heritage Site Berat is a wonderfully timeless town in central Albania where Ottoman houses line the hillside beneath the 13th-century castle.

Discover the world's most beautiful small towns

Albania’s craggy Alpine countryside is crying out to be explored and Drive Albania can arrange bespoke tours in a 4x4 to visit remote areas like the picturesque valley of Valbona.

This remote archipelago, made up of 150 islands, is hidden 62 miles (100km) off British Columbia’s mainland. Previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, they are home to miles of empty beaches, gargantuan forests, thousands of sea lions and humpback whales. This place isn't nicknamed the Canadian Galápagos for nothing.

Get back to basics at the All The Beach You Can Eat cabins at Masset. They're accessed via an enchanting secret path, hidden by trees dripping with moss. You’re off grid here, but when it’s light until 11pm in summer, who needs electricity anyway? Wood-burning stoves will keep you toasty and you’ll be provided with kit so you can catch and cook crabs from the shore. 

To experience a slice of nature on steroids, visit Vladimir J. Krajina Ecological Reserve on Graham Island’s mid-west coast. Hike through mossy rainforests among towering trees with nine-foot (2.7m) wide trunks. In a bid to protect this rugged wilderness, activities are strictly limited to walking and photography. To safeguard the fragile marine life, boats need a permit to land.

To get to Graham Island, you’ll need to take a ferry from Prince Rupert on the mainland. There are also daily flights from Prince Rupert and Vancouver. Maple Leaf Adventures offer a nine-day land and sea expedition around the islands. 

For more of nature's bounty, head to magnificent Kaieteur Falls. Some 30,000 gallons of water cascade over the 741-foot (226m) drop making it one of the world’s highest waterfalls. Explore offer an 11-night Guyana expedition, which includes flights, accommodation, most meals and a tour leader.

Dallol's sulphur springs take the eerie lunar landscape a step further. Here, steam spits out from openings in the Earth’s crust and chemicals released by the hot springs colour the rocky mineral deposits yellow, orange and green. Be prepared to swelter, this is one of the hottest places on Earth. Without a well-trodden tourist route, travelling here can be a challenge, but Wild Frontiers offers a 15-day Ethiopia trip (flights to Addis Ababa must be booked on top). 

Until recently the rice fields have only been accessible by a 10-hour bus journey. Now there are hour-long flights from Clark to Bagabag and from there it’s another hour to Banaue. Audley Travel’s 16-day Highlights of the Philippines itinerary includes three nights at Banaue.

Hike into the forest to spot the elusive Bird of Paradise. Crocodiles feature heavily in legends here and, if you’re lucky, you might see one on the river. PNG Frontier specialise in sustainable eco-tourism, offering guided trips on the Sepik and supporting the local communities.

In Rize Valley, you’ll find Five Flower Lake. Its shallow waters are so impossibly clear (you can see for 130 feet/40m underwater) and blue, it isn’t surprising locals consider it to have holy properties. Visit Jiuzhaigou in late September to mid-October to see the stunning autumn colours reflected in the glassy surface. Jiuzhaigou is a 40-minute flight or an eight-hour bus ride from the nearest city, Chengdu.

For more unspoilt places, check out the USA's most remote destinations

There are few roads in this watery expanse, so the area is best explored by boat. Pandaw run delta cruises on traditional Irrawaddy ships, starting at Yangon (formerly Rangoon).

The Antarctic Peninsula is an isolated, virtually uninhabited, frozen landmass and if you’re seeking solitude, you’ve come to the right place. Get in touch with Adventure Life to arrange a remote expedition (and don’t forget that you can only visit in the Antarctic summer between November and March).

Wildlife in the Antarctic Peninsula is most active in the austral summer months, and penguins migrate here to breed and feed on Antarctic krill, fish and squid. Standing in the middle of a crowded penguin colony is certainly an unforgettable experience. Read our guide to the Antarctic vs the Artic here

The region is sadly experiencing the impact of climate change. There's been a major increase in CO2 absorption levels over the summer months in the peninsula due to climate change, a study analysing CO2 levels by the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University discovered. The shift could lead to more CO2 in the air and more global warming worldwide, highlighting the need for tighter monitoring of the area.

Discover other destinations under threat from climate change

Lord Howe is so remote there's no mobile phone reception and visitors have to use a payphone to make a call. But the incredible marine life more than makes up for the lack of instant access to Instagram – with over 500 species of fish swimming about, it's a quiet paradise for snorkellers and scuba divers. If you prefer dry land, you can hike up the magnificent Mount Gower or awe at the huge flocks of seabirds that nest on the island each year.

To visit and camp you need to book well in advance, with camping reservations for a minimum of three nights. Being organised will pay off however, as once you're inside the reservation you'll have access to the pristine year-round waterfalls. There are five in total: Navajo Falls, Fifty Foot Falls, Havasu Falls, Beaver Falls and Mooney Falls, pictured here.

It gets so cold that your saliva and eyelashes will freeze over after just a few minutes of walking outside and it's impossible to grow crops due to the extreme weather. The nearest airport in Yakutsk is a two-day drive away and there are no hotels in Oymyakon itself, travellers must organise home-stays with locals.

Despite being in this remote corner of the Earth it's not as hard to get here as you might assume with flights to Yakutsk taking around seven hours from Moscow. Trips to Siberia offer tours to Oymyakon and the surrounding area along the Kolyma Highway – a magical bucket-list journey itself. 

The Galápagos is an isolated group of islands 605 miles (973k) off the west coast of Ecuador. Famous for being the place that inspired naturalist Charles Darwin’s Origin of the Species, the diversity of wildlife here is mind-blowing.

The archipelago is a harsh and remote land where species have adapted to survive. The Galápagos is home to over 300 different reptile species and birds such as the Blue-Footed Booby; 50% of the world’s breeding pairs live here.

Discover the places where tourists fear to tread

Wildlife is the big draw here and the Galapagos Conservation Trust are the best people to contact about a visit. They organise an annual eco-focused supporter cruise (the next one is in 2020, but if you’re planning to travel sooner, they can advise on cruises with a sustainable focus).

Kamchatka’s 29 active volcanoes are very much alive and kicking – in fact there are more volcanic eruptions here than anywhere else on Earth. Climb the crater of Mutnovsky volcano, where you’ll be able to hear its raw power. 

Discover the world's incredible active volcanoes you can actually visit

The limited infrastructure on the peninsula means it’s worth travelling with an organised tour, and visitors need to apply for a permit beforehand. An expedition cruise is a great way to navigate the area – Wildfoot offer trips that includes bear-spotting, geysers and tundra hiking. The local airport, Yelizovo, has connections to Moscow and St Petersburg.

101 bucket list experiences you should book now