Top 5-Most Unique Countries on Earth

By Lee | March 2nd, 2010 | 13 Comments »

Unique is a matter of opinion but one place that is indisputably the strangest place in the world to visit is North Korea. The Turkmenistan picture is of the mind blowing marble capital city of Ashgabat. I had to sneak the picture of the cathedral in Malabo, EG because photography is illegal. Being in Bhutan is like being in another millenium with nobody there and of course the heartbreak of perhaps the most random place I’ve ever been to in Juba, Southern Sudan. However, these places are all unique and to me stand out above the rest and there are plenty-believe me.

1. North Korea


2. Turkmenistan

3. Equatorial Guinea

4. Bhutan

5. Southern Sudan

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13 Responses to “Top 5-Most Unique Countries on Earth”

1. Denise Says:
   March 2nd, 2010 at 3:47 am

   Mine would be Bolivia. I haven’t been to any you listed though.

2. Michael Says:
   March 2nd, 2010 at 8:27 am

   Interesting topic as many things could maken a place unique. I know you have been to Haiti which I would have on my list or Cuba certainly. I haven’t traveled nearly as extensively but India is pretty unique in my view as well.

3. Ryan Says:
   March 2nd, 2010 at 8:49 am

   I’m planning on going with Koryo Tours to DPRK over Labor Day this Sept, and I really do hope it’s as weird as everyone says it is. Like you telling me at the hotel you stopped on a random floor on the elevator of the high-rise and saw the floor was actually vacant and just for show…That’s Twilight Zone quality right there.

   East Timor has to rank up there in obscurity too, I would think. It’s a totally random country.

   I’m sure Saudi Arabia will make the list too when you go.

4. Lee Says:
   March 2nd, 2010 at 11:13 am

   East Timor and Guinea-Bissau were the next two on my list. Bissau is like walking in a strange dream as there is no electricity at night and no paved roads and Dili is just plain weird but is actually a pretty nice place if they’re not fighting. Yemen is right there too along with Iran and Mongolia. Not necessarily in that order.

5. richard Says:
   March 3rd, 2010 at 2:09 am

   Hello Lee, I think Iran would be the most unique place I’ve been professionally. I work in the Middle East region and agree with Yemen being pretty unique as well.

   I would also have to say that Cuba is a strange and unique place because you don’t see many Yanks and its right in your backyard!

6. Lee Says:
   March 3rd, 2010 at 3:40 am

   Hey Richard, I agree with several places in the Middle East having potential to be on the list, basically any of the non “new gulf” states you could make a case for.

   Cuba is surely unique for that reason and several others but from what I hear there are plenty of “Yanks” for a British bloke like yourself to run into there! Take care.

7. Jess Says:
   March 3rd, 2010 at 8:21 am

   Cambodia for me

8. Ryan Says:
   March 3rd, 2010 at 11:28 am

   What are the top three places that you would like to see the most that you haven’t gotten to yet?

   Mine would be: North Korea (in Sept); Madagascar (Dec 2011, hopefully); and the Marquesas Islands (hopefully on the Aranui, which runs a 14-day cruises from Papeete that also visits the Tuamotu Islands on the way there and back. I’ve heard it’s one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth and a couple of the most traveled people said that is one of the best trips you can ever go on.

9. Evan Says:
   March 4th, 2010 at 11:15 am

   My most unique place had to be Colombia. It is so pretty and exciting there, I loved it. I haven’t been that many places but that was my most unique.

10. Lee Says:
    March 4th, 2010 at 11:16 am

    Antarctica (South Pole-where 6 regions meet), Galapagos, and Libya probably would be my top three but there’s so many cool places left…also the Pitcairn Islands

11. gavinmac Says:
    March 28th, 2010 at 10:05 pm

    I did the Koryo Tours trip to Pyongyang in 2008. It was fantastic. Bought a cool hand-painted propaganda poster whihc I then carried it around Asia for ten days before somehow losing it in the Phnom Penh airport just before my flight back to the US.

12. Lee Says:
    March 29th, 2010 at 7:26 am

    That’s exactly why I never buy anything but T-shirts! Those propoganda posters were pretty cool though.

13. Jordy Says:
    August 8th, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    It’s really not that hard to get to, but whenever I tell someone I’ve been to Mongolia, it elicits some pretty interesting reactions. I think that’s because it is large, cold, far north, and everyone has heard of it, but few have been.

    Surely countries in inner-Africa and the ’stans are more remote/challenging to get to, but for whatever reason I don’t think they have the “name brand recognition” that Mongolia does…and surely not as much as North Korea : ) I photographed/wrote about Mongolia quite a bit on site, check out the link above!

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