Exotic Destinations Around the World

1. Cook Islands

The island nation of the Cook Islands is located in the South Pacific Ocean, and as a vacation destination it is often compared to the Hawaii of 50 years ago, before it was discovered by the masses of tourists who frequent it today.

The 15 islands of this nation are largely untouched, with impossibly blue lagoons, stunning green tropical mountain ranges, and white sandy beaches.

Visitors to the Cook Islands can stay at a resort on the island of Rarotonga and spend their days exploring the forests and landscapes of the islands or discovering just why the Cook Islands are a world-renowned spot for snorkeling and diving.

2. Fiji

Imagine climbing down into a cave and diving into the clear blue water at the bottom or cooling off in the spray of a jungle waterfall after a long hike. Fiji, an island nation comprising over 300 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, has all of this and more. It's a country personified by the swaying palms on its white sand beaches, the colorful coral reefs just off the coast from its blue lagoons, and the rugged landscape of jungles, mountains, and more which dominate the islands.

National parks, resorts, spas, watersports, and more await visitors to Fiji.

3. French Polynesia

The South Pacific country of French Polynesia includes over 100 islands in five distinct archipelagos, only about half of which are actually inhabited.

French Polynesia is a popular tourist destination, with islands like Tahiti and Bora Bora taking the lead when it comes to popularity due to the all-inclusive resorts, sandy beaches, and wide variety of activities these islands have to offer.

But there's so much more to French Polynesia, and its many islands are full of green mountain peaks, sparkling turquoise waters, and a beautiful jungle landscape that is simply begging to be explored.

4. Seychelles

The Seychelles is located off the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, and it is an archipelago of over 100 islands.

These stunning islands are home to beaches and resorts where visitors can go snorkeling and diving amongst the coral reefs, and perhaps even see a native giant Aldabra tortoise.

On land, the Seychelles offers lovely nature reserves filled with tropical forests, waterfalls, and rugged green mountains as well as the mountainous rainforest of Morne Seychellois National Park, where visitors can explore on their own or take a tour through the wilderness.

5. Antarctica

The word exotic usually evokes images of sandy beaches and palm trees, but when looking for a truly unique destination for a trip, Antarctica is truly about as exotic as it gets.

The southernmost continent on the planet, which is pretty much entirely uninhabited, is a beautiful - albeit very, very cold - landscape of snow and ice.

Visitors can reach Antarctica via plane or on a cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina, which will take them onto the continent's fringes, but for a more intense Antarctica experience, travelers may need to devote weeks, and sometimes over a month, of their time to visit the southernmost reaches of the world via chartered ship or on skis.

Watch this incredible video of Fin Whales in Antarctica.

6. Borneo

The island of Borneo , in the Southeast Asian Malay Archipelago, belongs to three countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

The island is rimmed with gorgeous tropical beaches perfect for diving, boating, or a day spent sunbathing in the sand.

Inland, Borneo is famous for the stunning green rainforests that sprawl over the land, teeming with diverse wildlife such as clouded leopards and orangutans.

Visitors to Borneo can see these rainforests and even more of the beautiful nature that the island of Borneo has to offer, including caves, cliffs, and breathtaking rock formations, or dive offshore to see some diverse marine life beneath the waves.

7. Corn Islands

The Corn Islands are a pair of islands located just off the coast of Nicaragua, in the Caribbean Sea.

Visitors to the Corn Islands can stay in Nicaragua and take a boat ride to the islands for a day trip or choose to stay on the islands in a beachside cabana.

Largely free from the swarms of tourists that dwell elsewhere in the Caribbean, the Corn Islands are very rustic, with few cars or roads on the islands, and a shoes-optional policy that many of the locals seem to permanently abide by.

Fresh-caught seafood, untouched natural beaches, and some of the friendliest locals to be found anywhere in the Caribbean are just some of the other draws to the Corn Islands.

8. Ecuador

The South American country of Ecuador, named for its geographic position straddling the equator, is a warm and lovely place.

The country boasts a diverse landscape, including the South Pacific Coast, the highlands of the Andes mountain range, the breathtaking beauty of the Amazon jungle and, offshore, the tropical paradise that is the Galapagos Islands.

At Galapagos National Park, visitors can see Galapagos green turtles, while on the island of Fernandina the volcanic landscapes are absolutely stunning.

Local Ecuadorian food varies throughout the country but includes lots of seafood dishes like ceviche and encocado.

9. Greenland

The country of Greenland comprises a massive island (the world's largest, in fact!) in the Northern Atlantic Ocean where it meets the Arctic Ocean.

Most of Greenland is covered in a thick permanent layer of ice, and its small population is concentrated along the rocky fjords of the coast.

Visitors to Greenland can learn about Inuit culture and history at any of the country's fascinating museums, and they can also look for a massive array of wildlife there, including whales, polar bears, walruses, and reindeer.

These animals, as well as many more natural sights, can be seen on boat tours or while diving, skiing, snowshoeing, or mountaineering through Greenland's rugged landscapes.

10. Madagascar

Madagascar is an island nation located just off the eastern coast of Africa.

The island was isolated for almost 90 million years of its history, and so its landscape and wildlife are incredibly unique from the rest of the world.

Roughly 90% of the plants and animals found in Madagascar are endemic and cannot be found naturally in any other part of the world.

Animals such as the lemur, which can often be seen leaping through the trees of Madagascar's jungle, are iconic of the country, and visitors will love exploring the exotic nature that is truly one of a kind.