To the Ends of the Earth

Five lonely places

Now that he has investigated 'Desolation Island', Matthew Parris – if he again feels the need for solitude – might want to try one of these places.

Antarctica

Much of Antarctica's land mass, which covers more than six million square miles, has never been explored since, unlike any other continent on Earth, it has no native peoples. These days, getting there is not too tricky: an eight-hour flight from Christchurch, New Zealand takes you to the US McMurdo Station. Exploring is another matter.

Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula extends south for about 1,000 miles from the eastern coast of Siberia in Russia. Cut across by two active volcanic mountain ranges and strewn with steaming geysers, Kamchatka's isolation makes it an ideal home for some of the world's endangered species, including polar bears, seals and sable. In the bad old days of the Soviet Union, Kamchatka's most endangered species were political prisoners in horrific camps.

Mount Kailas

One of the highest and most pristine environments on Earth, Mount Kailas lies in a remote corner of western Tibet. Although largely unexplored by Westerners, Tibet's 'sacred mountain' has, for more than a millennium, been a place of pilgrimage for Hindus and Buddhists.

Patagonian ice cap

Hugely expensive to get to, and rendered virtually inaccessible by foul weather for much of the year, vast swathes of the Patagonian ice cap, on the southernmost tip of Chile, have yet to be explored.

Pamir Mountains

Until recently, the peaks of the eastern Pamirs were indeed lonely, having seen fewer people than the surface of the moon. However, the Pamir range, which straddles the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and China, was explored by a British expedition in 1999. The fact it had remained uncharted for so long was due in part to the difficulty of the terrain, in part to its politically sensitive location.

Matthew's dream

Kerguelen Island

A history of Kerguelen

Five lonely places

Matthew Parris

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