Modern travel has made life so convenient that it’s easy to imagine pretty much anywhere on Earth should be accessible within 24 hours. That’s not the case. In fact, there are many places that would take far longer and several others where no one has ever stepped foot at all.
GIF: RealLifeLore
The folks at RealLifeLore have put together a really nice breakdown of the ways that travel has changed over the years as well as what destinations would still require a heroic feat to reach.
The top toughest spots to travel to are several mountain peaks. But non-mountain climbers looking for an adventure could do a lot worse than the island of Pitcairn. Anyone who truly wants to leave the world behind can actually get a free plot of land on the island.
There are only 49 other people living there and the majority of them are descendants of Tahitians and nine of the crew that committed mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. Look at this beautiful place:
Yup, that looks like a chill spot to build a house and just be left alone. But unless you plan on chartering your own boat, it could take weeks to get there. The closest airport is over 500 km away and the only boat that travels to the island from there leaves once every three weeks. So, not only would it be a pain in the arse to travel to Pitcairn but once you’re there, you’ll be staying for a while.
Unless the neighbours are a nightmare, that place seems pleasant. But most of the other most difficult places to travel to are not. Take the mountain peak of Annapurna. Only 191 people have ever been there. And one in four people who have tried it, died.
What’s the toughest place of all to reach? Well, there places that are legally impossible to visit, like the Gangkhar Puensum in Bhutan. But RealLifeLore gives the crown to Muchu Chhish in Pakistan. No person has ever successfully climbed to the summit of the mountain and only two people in recorded history have ever even tried. It’s 24,452 ft tall but the real issue is it’s incredibly steep.
Check out all the other difficult places to get to in the video below: