For some, peace and quiet is the perfect escape, but popular holiday hotspots can often come with crowds and noise. So why not swap the chaos for a getaway to one of the ‘world’s quietest’ countries?
A secluded mountain paradise has been named the quietest country(Image: Getty)
As Brits lament about the quickly fading sunshine after a summer of record-breaking heatwaves, it might be tempting to head for warmer climes before winter finally sets in. And at this time of year, holidays can be cheaper — and often quieter — as people return to work after the summer break and children begrudgingly go back to school.
For some, peace and quiet sounds like the perfect escape. But the usual summer hotspots can mean crowds, queues and constant noise. So why not swap the chaos for one of the world’s “quietest” countries instead?
One such nation is a secluded haven, with temperatures climbing into the 20s in September. It’s even been named the quietest country on the planet — which may not come as a surprise, given it didn’t allow visitors until the 1970s.
Go2Africa has created a list of 10 destinations where tranquillity is part of the appeal, basing the results on various indicators rather than opinion alone. It weighed up how busy a place feels – including how many people live there, how concentrated tourism is, how much countryside and protected land, and how congested the roads tend to be.
It was Bhutan, in South Asia, that came out on top — scoring 89.44 on the “quiet score”.
Go2Africa notes on its website: “The country, sitting in the shadow of the Eastern Himalayas, is well known for being beautifully preserved, with tourists only able to visit through licensed local tour operators and by paying a daily Sustainable Development Fee.
“The country ranks particularly high for rural land density with 39,041km2 of forested mountains, terraced valleys, and sparsely populated highland terrain and an exceedingly high percentage of protected areas.”
Bhutan is known for its strikingly unspoilt landscape, with around 39,041km² of forested mountains, valleys and sparsely populated highland areas.
If you’re looking at a late-season break, autumn can still feel pleasantly warm: September through November often brings sunshine and highs near 25C. Just bear in mind temperatures aren’t uniform — they can shift depending on which valley you’re in.
Autumn is also prime season for trekking — and for catching big cultural celebrations such as Thimphu Tshechu.
Bhutan also protects its low-impact tourism model with a compulsory visitor charge — around £70 a day for adults. The levy, called the Sustainable Development Fee, is used to fund priorities including conservation, education and healthcare.
One of Bhutan’s standout sights is Taktsang — better known as the “Tiger’s Nest” — a 17th-century monastery seemingly clinging to the mountainside around 3,000 metres above sea level. But visitors should be prepared: reaching it means a demanding hike that can take anywhere from two to four hours.
Second on the list was Namibia, which recorded a Quiet Score of 86.69. The southern African country is famously arid — in fact, it’s the driest nation in sub-Saharan Africa — and Go2Africa sums it up as being “built on scale and emptiness”, promising travellers “complete solitude”.
As for the remainder of the rankings: Botswana came third, followed by Zambia, Gabon, Venezuela, Chad, the Central African Republic, Mongolia and Bolivia. At the opposite end of the scale, Singapore was crowned the noisiest country with a Quiet Score of just 6.78.