More than half of the world’s 7 billion people live in urban areas. There are, however, corners of the world that are still cut off from the rest of the world, and here are a few of them.
The 12 small villages featured in this article are unique. Despite the expansion of the big cities, they are still isolated: an isolation that can make many dream.
Bandiagara in Mali
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Martin Wegmann
Bandiagara is a cliff that shelters a small village. The Dogons, an ethnic group, live in this very special place, which can be reached via steep paths. In a traditional hut inhabited by a couple, the man and woman each have a personal attic where they store various belongings. The woman keeps objects and condiments, while the man stores millet, a cereal grown by this people.
Photo credit: Flickr – TREEAID
Photo credit: Flickr – Emilio Labrador
Isortoq in Greenland
Isotorq is a small Greenlandic village with 107 inhabitants in 2009.
Photo credit: Matthieu Paley, National Geographic
Huacachina in Peru
Huacachina is a village in Peru. It is built around a lake, making it the second largest oasis on the continent. It regularly welcomes tourists wishing to sandboard in the dunes.
Monemvasia in Greece
Monemvasia, also known as the « Gilbratar of the East », is a fortified town in Greece. Its cobbled streets, buildings and castle have an important historical past, as the village was already occupied in the Middle Ages.
Photo credit: Joachim Hensel-Losch
Photo credit: Pixabay – JustinW
Sa Pa in Vietnam
The town and market of Sa Pa lie at an altitude of 1,500 meters on a tributary of Vietnam’s Red River.
Photo credit: Flickr – Pedro Alonso
Phuktal Gompa in India
Phuktal Gompa is a Buddhist monastery in India. The structures are built directly into the cliff face. This holy place is home to around 70 monks, with a library and prayer hall.
Mykines, Faroe Islands
Mykines is the westernmost of the Faroe Islands. It is a paradise for seabirds, who use the land to lay their eggs. The main source of income for the inhabitants is agriculture, with large-scale sheep farming.
Photo credit: Flickr – Arne List
Photo credit: Flickr – Arne List
Undredal in Norway
Undredal is a small village in Norway. With a population of around 100 people and 500 goats, there are more animals than people in this unspoiled natural setting. Goat cheese is still traditionally produced here.
Photo credit: Own work – Micha L. Rieser
Uros floating islands in Peru
The Uros are an extinct people who once inhabited the islands of the same name on Peru’s Lake Titicaca. They died out completely in the 1950s, leaving their land of reeds to the natives of Puno. The latter occupy the floating islands for tourism purposes, perpetuating the Uros traditions.
Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic
Tristan da Cunha is a volcanic archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of British territory. It is considered to be the most isolated island in the world. Access to it is particularly difficult due to climatic conditions, its remoteness and the scarcity of boats.
Photo credit: YOUTUBE screenshot
The Verdon gorges in France
The Gorges du Verdon are unique in Europe and one of Provence’s major tourist attractions.
Photo credit: Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Nepomuk
Vallone di Furore in Italy
To get to the houses, you have to climb 3,000 steps from the beach!
Photo credit: Fiore S. Barbato
Living away from city life isn’t so bad, is it?
Main photo credit: Matthieu Paley, National Geographic