Some places on Earth are so remote that only a handful of people have ever laid eyes on them. Take Bouvet Island, a frozen speck in the South Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by icy waters and far from any other land. Then there’s Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland, where only a few hundred people live among polar bears and glaciers—it’s so isolated, supplies come by boat just once a year! Tristan da Cunha, the world’s most remote inhabited island, is over 1,500 miles from the nearest continent, with just 250 residents who rely on their own farming and fishing to survive. Would you want to see these and other places that are so far they seem surreal? Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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00:00When you mention your plans to travel to Tristan de Cunha, the chances are your friends won't even know where this remote island is located.
00:08No wonder. Tristan de Cunha is considered the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, with the nearest populated land, St. Helena, around 1,500 miles away.
00:20There are only 229 people living on Tristan de Cunha now.
00:25In such a close-knit community, everyone is someone's cousin, uncle, or maybe just a friend, but everyone knows each other for sure.
00:33There are as few as 10 last names on the island, representing just 10 families.
00:39Getting there is quite an adventure. There are no airports on the island, which means your journey will be primarily by sea.
00:47Typically, it requires a days-long voyage from South Africa. Only three ships regularly service the island, with fewer than a dozen trips each year.
00:56Some cruise lines may include it in their itineraries, but travel arrangements must be made well in advance, due to limited berths available on the ship from Cape Town.
01:06And you'll also need landing permission.
01:10While Tristan doesn't have traditional hotels, there are several guest houses, and you might also have the chance to stay with a local family.
01:19They will provide you with a place to sleep, three meals a day, and laundry services.
01:2488% of what you pay goes directly to the island family, and only 12% is tax.
01:30By the way, the accommodation is surprisingly affordable. It was around £65 for a full board in 2024.
01:38Yep, they do use sterling, being a part of overseas British territory.
01:43But there's also this local currency called St Helena Pound, used at parity with sterlings.
01:50By the way, it's only been around 80 years since the island started using actual money.
01:55In 1942, the naval station began paying cash wages, and it helped Tristan Islanders to move from a barter economy to a cash-based system,
02:04and allowed them the novelty of making their first cash purchases.
02:09Just a heads up, pack everything you might need before you go, as you definitely won't come across Walmart there.
02:16I mean, don't get me wrong, there's a supermarket and all.
02:19But it's just not the way you're used to, with endless shelves displaying endless oversized mayo jars.
02:25Tristan's Island Store, often referred to as The Supermarket, lacks plate glass windows and flashy advertisements.
02:32And let's be honest, it looks like an abandoned barn from the outside.
02:36Still, it plays a crucial role in providing essential goods to complement locally produced foods and woolens.
02:43If a resident wants to buy something, they must place orders months in advance for items that arrive with incoming ships.
02:50The store operates Monday through Friday.
02:55Today, the islanders continue to cultivate their own crops and raise livestock.
03:00The supermarket has become a vital source for other essentials like flour, sugar,
03:05and a variety of groceries including frozen bread and products typical of the UK or South African supermarkets.
03:12And even though the island's economy relies heavily on fishing, especially rock lobsters, islanders are largely self-sufficient.
03:21Let's move to another destination that's super hard to reach, but this time, it's a level up in difficulty.
03:28I'm talking about the notorious Hypoxia City, the place with the smallest amount of oxygen on the planet.
03:36Sure thing, it's a nickname. The real name is La Riconada.
03:40This place is located in Peru. Getting there means climbing over 16,000 feet up into the mountains.
03:46And what did you expect from the highest city on Earth?
03:50Despite its hard to reach location, it houses way more people than Tristan de Cunha, between 30,000 and 50,000.
03:57And while the island in the middle of nowhere looks idyllic, the Peruvian city of La Riconada has very different looks.
04:05The urban layout features predominantly low-rise residences where essential services are limited.
04:11La Riconada is without a reliable supply of running water and lacks a sewage system.
04:17The community does not have a waste collection service which forces residents to either burn or bury their garbage.
04:24Moreover, up until the early 2000s, La Riconada did not have access to electricity.
04:30Most things, including the most essential foods, must be brought here from outside.
04:35Despite originally being a minor city, right now, it has a wider range of activities to make your living.
04:42Some people are busy with trading, food, clothes, you name it.
04:46Others provide services, and some people even open public restrooms.
04:52Architectural-wise, La Riconada has very, very little to offer.
04:57The pattern is quite predictable, huts made from corrugated metal that are unstable and rusting.
05:03The choice of materials is dictated by practicality.
05:06These metal sheets are the lightest and easiest for miners to transport to the glacier.
05:11Unfortunately, the homes lack proper insulation, leaving residents shivering in the cold even though they have access to wool from local sheep, which is an excellent insulator.
05:21Sturdier rock homes exist but are rare, typically inhabited by wealthier miners.
05:28While the architecture might not be particularly captivating, the vistas certainly are.
05:34In nearly every spot in La Riconada, a glance upward reveals La Bella Dormiente, or Sleeping Beauty, a massive glacier towering over the town.
05:45Getting to La Riconada is very hard.
05:48First, you'll need to fly into Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco, Peru.
05:55Once you're in Cusco, you can catch a train or a bus to Puno, which is right by Lake Titicaca.
06:01Here's where it gets a bit tricky.
06:04The only way to really get up to La Riconada is by hitchhiking or finding a ride into the mountains.
06:10There might be some buses, but they don't run on a set schedule.
06:14If you're up for it, you can rent a car, but be warned, the roads can be pretty rough and tricky to navigate.
06:20So a little extra caution goes a long way on this adventure.
06:25Unlike Tristan de Cunha, where they adopted cashback in the 1940s, La Riconada doesn't rely much on it.
06:33The economy of this place is based mainly on gold mines.
06:37The mines are unguarded, unregulated, and often dangerous.
06:42Miners work for 30 days under a cachorreo system, where, on the 31st day,
06:47they're allowed to take as much ore from the mine as they can carry as a form of payment.
06:52La Riconada has no bank, but it has many storefront fund transfer agencies, which miners use to wire money to their families.
07:01Still, they never know how much they're going to send.
07:04Our next destination is Svalbard, a place that might seem unwelcoming due to its climate.
07:10But locals embrace everyone with open arms.
07:13No visa is required if you want to visit or even work there.
07:17Located near the top of the world, Svalbard offers a unique and remote charm.
07:23The capital, Longyearbyen, is home to a fascinatingly diverse community,
07:28with over 50 nationalities represented among its 2,400 residents.
07:33You might even spot a polar bear wandering into town on occasion.
07:37The living space is compact.
07:39There's just one grocery store, and the streets are numbered instead of named, adding to the town's distinctive feel.
07:46Longyearbyen also boasts a university center with around 300 students.
07:51Interestingly, every student must learn to use firearms for safety in the surrounding wilderness.
07:57Originally, it was founded as a mining town, just like La Riconada, but the focus has shifted mainly to tourism.
08:04However, a quirky tradition remains from its mining days.
08:08Visitors and residents alike take off their shoes when entering hotels and restaurants,
08:13a practice born out of the need to keep coal dust at bay.
08:17The last destination for today is Palmerston Island, a remote coral atoll in the Cook Islands,
08:23located about 290 miles northwest of Rarotonga.
08:29Famous traveler James Cook visited it on June 16, 1774,
08:34and the place was uninhabited at the time, despite ancient graves found there.
08:39Today, the island supports a small population of just 25 residents,
08:43primarily descendants of 19th-century English sailor William Marsters.
08:48Marsters arrived in 1863 with two Polynesian wives and later added a third.
08:54He fathered 23 children.
08:56Fishing is the mainstay of the local economy, resembling subsistence living due to the island's isolation.
09:02Modern amenities and communication services are available.
09:05Although there is no airport, cargo ships visit periodically.
09:09That's it for today!
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