The Most Extreme Destinations on Earth

When people plan their next travel, it usually includes a five-star hotel, spa, beach, and some hideaways to run from the city rush. Who would like to go to extremely dry, or hot, or snowy, or almost inhabited place? Thought such destinations sound creepy, they often become the most memorable and give a start of a new grand adventure.

The Hottest Place on Earth

Everybody knows about California’s Death Valley that is named the hottest place on the planet. But probably nobody knows about a small town in Libya that broke a record (56.67 degrees Celsius) of Death Valley’s temperature rate in 1922, showing the temperature at 58 degrees Celsius. Anyway, the World Meteorological Organization ended the hegemony of El Azizia, claiming that the previous result wasn’t correct and gave back the title of the hottest place on Earth to Death Valley. There’s really hot in summer, at average 49 degrees Celsius in the shade. This extreme destination isn’t lifeless, and here you’ll meet some native plants and animals, including roadrunner and jackrabbit, which managed to survive the extreme temperature. Strange physical phenomena take place here, for example, Eureka Sand Dunes with singing sands or the Racetrack Playa with rocks removing from place to place on the bottom of an ancient lake. Get enough water, and let’s go! 

The World’s Most Remote Inhabited Island

The small volcanic island of Tristan da Cunha is called the most remote inhabitant island because it’s situated in the South Atlantic Ocean 1743 miles east from South Africa. This British Overseas Territory is almost isolated from the whole world with no airports, hotels, restaurants, or a population of 246 people. A 7-hours voyage from Cape Town or cruise is two possible ways to get the island. If you came here, you’ll find much entertainment like volcano hiking, golf, fishing, and rich wildlife admiring. But it’s better to worry about travel to Tristan da Cunha in advance because all tourists require special permission from the Island Council. Only they can prepare apartments, excursions, and guide’s service for you. And don’t forget to save a copy of the shipping schedule that provides rare enough ships to leave the almost inhabitant island without problems.

The Most Electric Place on Earth

Did you think that there’s the most electrified place on the planet? Venezuela offers the world to see Lake Catatumbo that is a witness of nearly 1.2 million flashes of lightning per year. Night storms on this lake may last for 10 hours. Scientists still can’t explain the lightning concentration here, but it attracts many tourists hoping to see the lightning concert. If you are lucky, try to visit the lake in October known the best time for catching a lightening if you book a specialized tour to the extreme destination.

The Wettest Place on Earth

The title of the wettest place worldwide is held in a confident grip by a little Indian village Mawsynram located between Buthan and Bangladesh. Continuous rains give up to 467 inches of rain during the rainy season that lasts for 6 months. It is more, for instance, than in the rainiest states in the USA with 60-70 inches per year.

Mawsynram is rich in rainforests (obviously), waterfalls, rubber tree bridges, and other miracles of post-rain nature. The Mawsynram Botanical Garden is a must-have during the trip as well as the Mawjymbuin Cave showing speleothems that locals suppose to be symbols of the Shiva God. If you came without umbrellas, never mind. Use a knup a special rain shield used by locals. 

The Snowiest City in the World

From rain to snow. The frozen precipitation in Japanese Aomori City falls more than anywhere else on the planet. 26 ft of snow mass every winter from November to April is normal here. It means the at least a two-floor house is supposed to be hidden under snow. Some sections of a national road Hakkoda-Towada Gold Line nearby are closed until spring each winter, while the regional airport is being cleaned from snow eight times per day. 

Developed winter tourism here provides entertainment such as snow trekking, skiing, snowboarding, etc.

The locals arrange the annual Lake Towada Winter Festival in February. The colorful performance with fireworks, snow sculptures, and Japanese cuisine makes everybody forget about difficulties concerned with snow. They also have an interesting tradition of show-walk to celebrate winter-spring season change.

The Cloudiest City in the World

The Faroe Islands stretched in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway have a capital Tórshavn that is called the cloudiest city worldwide. People of Tórshavn see the sun not more than 840 hours (3 months) per year. You’ll be surprised, but the friendly locals provide many options for travelers: cliff jumping, fishing, biking, good shopping centers, and even Michelin-starred restaurant. Airports of Copenhagen, Edinburgh, and Reykjavik have regular flights here, so don’t hesitate to hide from the sun for a few weeks in the extremely cloudy destination.

The Sunniest City in the World

Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is a homeland for Yuma, the sunniest city on the planet thanks to 11 hours of sunlight per day and 4000 hours annually. Also, Yuma gets the least amount of precipitation, approximately 3 inches of rain per year. 

What to do in a place full of the sun? Of course, practice water activities such as kayaking, water skiing, or catch some fish in waters of the Colorado and Gila rivers. Furthermore, take a terrain vehicle, drive around Yuma’s impressive landscapes, and if you’re lucky, meet the locals in the desert tortoise, bobcat, or mule deer. Besides, check the powerful sunscreen cream in your luggage!

The Least Densely Populated Place in the World

Greenland is almost covered with ice that is a sign of life absence and extreme destination. Anyway, 56 671 people live on the western coast of the island. It’s simple to estimate the population density of Greenland if we know the population and its total space, 840 square miles.

The only habited west coast of Greenland happens to be friendly to tourists. Winter is an ideal time for dogsledding and skiing here and certainly plan your trip right to witness Northern Lights. Summer is certainly season when the snow melts, and you’re welcome for hiking, sailing, and biking. Actually, it’s worth visiting in summer to see a phenomenon of Midnight Sun, which shines bright even at midnight as anywhere north of the Arctic Circle.

The Oldest City in Europe

Let’s talk about a city that relived several civilizations since 6000 B.C. Today it’s Plovdiv, a city situated in southern Bulgaria. Plovdiv had different names throughout world history. The most ancient name was in Thracia times – Pulpudeva. Macedonian Greeks changed it into Philippopolis in 341 B.C. While the Romans were conquering Europe, they decided to name the city Trimontium that was later changed to Philibé by the Turks.

All these ethnic communities left something special. The fortress Nebet Tepe is a Thracian heritage, the Romans left an ancient Stadium, and the Dzhumaya Mosque still stays here after the fall of the Ottoman regime. Plovdiv is not a very popular destination, so you may not be afraid of tourists’ crowds and admire all treasures of a multi-cultural city.