The 25 most underrated countries in the world (I've been to all of them)
I've been to 122 countries, and some of the best ones are the ones nobody talks about. No queues, no tour buses, prices that haven't caught up, and people who are genuinely surprised you've turned up.
These are the 25 I'd send you to before they get discovered. Some take a bit more effort to reach, and a few need you to check your government's travel advice first, but every one of them is worth it.
25 of 25 ticked off
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1 São Tomé and Príncipe
Gulf of Guinea, Central Africa✓ Been: February 2019
One of the least-visited countries in Africa. Two volcanic islands covered in rainforest, with beaches you'll have to yourself.
- Don't miss
- Empty beaches, cocoa plantations, rainforest waterfalls, nesting turtles
- When to go
- June to September, the drier season. November to February for nesting turtles.
- Getting there
- Fly via Lisbon, or via Libreville or Accra.
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2 Albania
The Balkans✓ Been: April 2017
Mediterranean beaches and mountain villages at a fraction of the price of its neighbours.
- Don't miss
- Riviera beaches, Berat and Gjirokastër, the Accursed Mountains, Dajti above Tirana
- When to go
- June to September for the coast; May and September for hiking.
- Getting there
- Direct flights from London to Tirana, or cross from Corfu to Sarandë by ferry.
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3 Rwanda
East Africa✓ Been: September 2019
Gorillas, volcanoes and green hills everywhere, in a small, safe and spotless country.
- Don't miss
- Mountain gorillas, Lake Kivu, Nyungwe Forest, Kigali
- When to go
- June to September, or December to February.
- Getting there
- Fly to Kigali, via Amsterdam, Brussels, Doha or Nairobi.
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4 Angola
Southwest Africa✓ Been: March 2019
Huge waterfalls, cliffs and empty coastline, and hardly any tourists.
- Don't miss
- Kalandula Falls, Tundavala Gap, Miradouro da Lua
- When to go
- May to October, the dry season (November to April for the biggest waterfalls).
- Getting there
- Fly to Luanda via Lisbon, Addis Ababa or Johannesburg.
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5 Bolivia
South America✓ Been: December 2015
Salt flats, red lagoons, flamingos and the world's most famous mountain bike ride, all on a budget.
- Don't miss
- Salar de Uyuni, the Death Road, La Paz, Potosí, Lake Titicaca
- When to go
- May to October, the dry season. January to March for the mirror effect on the salt flats.
- Getting there
- Fly to La Paz or Santa Cruz via Madrid, Miami or Lima. Take the altitude seriously.
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6 Gabon
Central Africa✓ Been: February 2019
Most of the country is rainforest, and Lopé is where it meets the savanna.
- Don't miss
- Lopé National Park, forest elephants, mandrills
- When to go
- June to August, the long dry season.
- Getting there
- Fly to Libreville via Paris, Addis Ababa or Casablanca, then the train inland to Lopé.
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7 Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Balkans✓ Been: July 2014 and April 2017
Ottoman old towns, river canyons and the bridge divers of Mostar, for half the price of Croatia next door.
- Don't miss
- Mostar's Old Bridge, Sarajevo, Kravica waterfalls
- When to go
- May to June, or September to October.
- Getting there
- Fly to Sarajevo, or come over from Dubrovnik or Split; Mostar is an easy day trip.
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8 North Macedonia
The Balkans✓ Been: April 2017
Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world, and Skopje is a city of statues you have to see to believe.
- Don't miss
- Lake Ohrid, Skopje, Matka Canyon
- When to go
- May to September.
- Getting there
- Direct flights from London to Skopje or Ohrid.
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9 Sierra Leone
West Africa✓ Been: December 2018
Some of the best beaches in West Africa, a few miles from the capital, with almost no one on them.
- Don't miss
- Bureh Beach, the Banana Islands, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
- When to go
- November to April, the dry season.
- Getting there
- Fly to Freetown via Brussels, Paris or Casablanca, then the water taxi across from the airport.
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10 Uganda
East Africa✓ Been: September 2019
Gorilla permits cost about half what Rwanda's do, and there's white-water rafting on the Nile.
- Don't miss
- Bwindi's gorillas, Lake Bunyonyi, Jinja and the Nile
- When to go
- June to August, or December to February.
- Getting there
- Fly to Entebbe via Amsterdam, Doha, Dubai or Nairobi.
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11 Moldova
Eastern Europe✓ Been: November 2018
One of Europe's least-visited countries, with underground wine cities and prices from another decade.
- Don't miss
- Wine cellars (Cricova and Mileștii Mici), Chișinău, Orheiul Vechi
- When to go
- May to October. The wine festival is in early October.
- Getting there
- Direct flights from London to Chișinău. Check your government's travel advice for the Transnistria region.
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12 Nicaragua
Central America✓ Been: January 2020
Volcanoes, lakes, colonial towns and Pacific surf beaches, in one of the cheapest countries in the Americas.
- Don't miss
- Volcano boarding, Ometepe, León, Granada, San Juan del Sur
- When to go
- December to April, the dry season.
- Getting there
- Fly to Managua via the US or Panama, or cross overland from Honduras or Costa Rica. Check your government's travel advice first.
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13 Malawi
Southern Africa✓ Been: August 2019
A lake so big it looks like the sea, beaches on its shore, and some of the friendliest people anywhere.
- Don't miss
- Lake Malawi, Cape Maclear, Liwonde National Park
- When to go
- May to October.
- Getting there
- Fly to Lilongwe via Addis Ababa, Johannesburg or Nairobi.
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14 Zambia
Southern Africa✓ Been: July 2019
The wilder side of Victoria Falls, plus walking safaris in South Luangwa.
- Don't miss
- The Devil's Pool, South Luangwa, the Lower Zambezi
- When to go
- May to October. Mid-August to January for the Devil's Pool.
- Getting there
- Fly to Livingstone or Lusaka via Johannesburg.
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15 Paraguay
South America✓ Been: January 2016
One of the least-visited countries in South America, with UNESCO-listed mission ruins you'll have mostly to yourself.
- Don't miss
- The Jesuit mission ruins at Trinidad and Jesús, Asunción
- When to go
- April to October, when it's cooler.
- Getting there
- Fly to Asunción, or cross from Iguazú via Ciudad del Este or Encarnación.
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16 Guinea
West Africa✓ Been: December 2018
Green highlands, waterfalls and wild chimps, and you won't meet another tourist.
- Don't miss
- The Fouta Djallon highlands, Kinkon and Tinkisso falls, wild chimpanzees
- When to go
- November to April, the dry season.
- Getting there
- Fly to Conakry via Paris, Brussels or Casablanca. Overland trucks cross it too.
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17 Benin
West Africa✓ Been: January 2019
A whole town on stilts on a lake, palm-lined beaches and a lot of history, in a small, easy country.
- Don't miss
- Ganvié stilt village, Ouidah, Grand-Popo, the palaces of Abomey
- When to go
- November to March.
- Getting there
- Fly to Cotonou via Paris or Brussels. Easy to combine with Togo and Ghana.
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18 Kosovo
The Balkans✓ Been: August 2011
One of Europe's youngest countries, cheap, friendly and full of mountains.
- Don't miss
- Prizren, Pristina, the Rugova Canyon
- When to go
- May to September.
- Getting there
- Direct flights from London to Pristina.
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19 St Vincent and the Grenadines
Caribbean✓ Been: October 2023
The Caribbean as it used to be: a volcano to climb, sailing between little islands and no mega-resorts.
- Don't miss
- La Soufrière, Bequia, the Tobago Cays
- When to go
- December to May, the drier season.
- Getting there
- Fly to Argyle via Barbados or St Lucia, then ferries between the islands.
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20 Uruguay
South America✓ Been: January 2016
Laid-back, safe and squeezed between two giants that get all the attention.
- Don't miss
- Colonia del Sacramento, Montevideo, the Atlantic beaches
- When to go
- December to March.
- Getting there
- A ferry across the River Plate from Buenos Aires, or fly to Montevideo.
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21 Togo
West Africa✓ Been: January 2019
A thin slice of a country with beaches, hills and waterfalls only a couple of hours apart.
- Don't miss
- Lomé, Togoville, Kpalimé and Mount Agou
- When to go
- November to March.
- Getting there
- Fly to Lomé via Paris, Brussels or Addis Ababa.
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22 Ivory Coast
West Africa✓ Been: January 2019
A big, modern city, a UNESCO-listed colonial beach town and forest waterfalls in the west.
- Don't miss
- Grand-Bassam, the Cascades de Man, Abidjan
- When to go
- December to March.
- Getting there
- Fly to Abidjan via Paris or Brussels.
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23 Eswatini
Southern Africa✓ Been: August 2026
An easy add-on to a South Africa trip, with hiking, rhinos and mountain views.
- Don't miss
- Malolotja hiking, Mlilwane, Hlane's rhinos
- When to go
- May to September.
- Getting there
- A short drive from Kruger or Johannesburg.
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24 Lithuania
The Baltics✓ Been: November 2014, August 2018 and May 2024
A beautiful old town, a self-declared republic of artists, and a weekend that won't break the bank.
- Don't miss
- Vilnius old town, the Republic of Užupis, Trakai Castle, the Curonian Spit
- When to go
- May to September.
- Getting there
- Direct flights from London to Vilnius or Kaunas.
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25 The Gambia
West Africa✓ Been: March 2023
Winter sun without the long haul, and the smallest country on mainland Africa.
- Don't miss
- Atlantic beaches, birdwatching, the River Gambia
- When to go
- November to February.
- Getting there
- Direct flights from the UK to Banjul, about six hours.
Which country do you think is underrated? Tell me in the comments. Then pick one of these, book it, and tell everyone you went before it was cool.
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