DUBAI: Calling all avid explorers, if you feel like you’ve been there and done that, this is the travel list for you.
There is a litany of locations across the world that are not recognized as nation states but claim autonomy or are culturally unique and many are easily accessible.
So, if North Korea isn’t daring enough or Bhutan sounds boring, give these destinations a try on your next trip abroad.
Tuva
Tuva, which is in the heartland of Central Asia, was once an independent nation but tilted toward the Soviet sphere of influence in the 1930s and 40s.
Eventually, Tuva sought admittance into the Soviet Union and is today part of Russia but the area retains unique cultural practices and is a popular holiday jaunt for the likes of President Vladimir Putin.
Wildlife spotting is popular and the region is home to lynx, ibex and wolverine.
Christiania
This plot of land is a social experiment started by hippies in central Copenhagen in 1971.
They declared the 0.34-kilometer-square former military barracks the Freetown of Christiania and within a year the Danish government granted them use of the land on the condition that they paid their utility bills.
Members of the highly democratic community were known to dabble in hard drugs and now face a dilemma – they must either pay the government for the land by 2018 or face eviction.
Somaliland
The 3.1 million people of Somaliland, located in the Horn of Africa, have sought independence from Somalia since 1991.
The self-declared borders reflect those of the former British Protectorate of Somaliland and the capital is called Hargeisa.
The area can be accessed via direct flights from Nairobi.
There are beaches aplenty and 5,000-year-old cave paintings just 50 kilometers from the capital.
Seborga
Close to the Italian border with Monaco, Seborga was headed by Giorgio Carbone, the former head of a flower-growers’ cooperative who titled himself His Tremendousness during his tenure as prince.
Carbone discovered that the town was not mentioned in the documents that outlined the formation of Italy and became prince after a 1995 referendum, until his death in 2009.
Mayotte
Mayotte in the Comoros Islands rebuffed decolonization and opted to stay under French control in 1975.
The island is administered by France as though it were a territory in Europe and it is a regular stop on the French presidential campaign trail.
Visitors can hike up Mont Choungui or scuba dive in crystal-clear waters.
