If you’re a go-it-alone, Indiana Jones explorer type—someone who’s more comfortable with Mongolian Sherpa than Manhattan shoppers—be prepared: to reach some of the world’s most mysterious spots, you’re better off joining, yes, a tour group. Some countries, such as North Korea, make solo travelers wade through a quagmire of government paperwork to obtain a visa or an entry permit. Other locales are so remote, you can get there only en masse. Some places where more is better: Trobriand Islands and Papua New Guinea
Take a rollicking two-week trek via inflatable sea kayak through this remote South Pacific archipelago with a company called Mountain Travel Sobek. Go on bush walks with local islanders, paddle a hand-built outrigger canoe, and snorkel in toasty 80-degree water across unspoiled coral reefs. There’s even the chance to dance at village festivities. Go with a group because… Countless areas deemed “tabu” to outsiders—not to mention more than 800 languages spoken and no tourism office—make this safer with someone boasting strong ties to tribal chiefs (888-687-6235; www.mtsobek.com; from $4,350). Bhutan
Be one of the privileged few to visit this Buddhist Himalayan kingdom, with an 11-day trip that includes time at the ancestral home of Bhutan’s royal family and a stop at the Taktshang Monastery, which clings to a vertical granite cliff 3,000 feet above the valley floor. Go with a group because… Only government-approved companies can snag you one of the 8,000 visas annually issued to outsiders (Asia Transpacific Journeys: 800-642-2742; www.asiatranspacific.com; from $4,595). Mongolia
Discover the soul of the Gobi Desert while sleeping in a traditional felt ger (tent). Witness wild and woolly horseracing during the Naadam Festival. Kayak the deep-blue waters of Lake Hovsgol. And explore the ruins of Kharakhorum, site of the 13th-century capital of the Mongolian Empire. You may even get to test your camel-riding abilities à la Lawrence of Arabia. Go with a group because… When you have only 600 miles of highway across 600,000 square miles, a guidebook won’t cut it (Nomadic Expeditions: 800-998-6634; www.nomadicexpeditions.com; from $2,530). North Korea
Ever wondered what life is like north of the DMZ? Asia Pacific Travel offers 16-day itineraries that start in Seoul and work their way to Beijing, the jumping-off point for North Korea’s Pyongyang and Myohyang. Over five days you’ll visit sites such as former ruler Kim II Sung’s mausoleum and—how’s this for a Communist-sounding name?—the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. Go with a group because… Asia Pacific Travel is the only U.S. tour operator to get the green light from North Korea (800-262-6420; www.northkorea1on1.com; from $4,599). North Pole
Stand on top of the planet and see polar bears and seals feeding among ice floes. A surprisingly comfortable Russian icebreaker serves as home for a 16-day adventure across the Barents Sea to the pole and back. And, yes, on Day Eight, weather permitting, you’ll walk around the world in under a minute. Go with a group because… Unless you’re Santa Claus, it’s impossible to get there without an entourage (Quark Expeditions: 800-356-5699; www.quarkexpeditions.com; from $22,900).
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