I’ve been to 105 countries — there’s four places I won’t rush back to

Palawan, an archipelagic province of the Philippines, is one of British explorer Oliver Browne’s favourite places (Picture: Getty Images)

Most people spend their days dreaming about travelling to far-off places. But for Oliver Browne, it’s his day job.

The high-altitude mountaineer from Hampshire is no ordinary adventurer.

He’s climbed the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalayas, rowed the Atlantic in 32 days, and wandered the hallucinatory landscapes of Socotra in Yemen — one of the last great wildernesses.

Now based in the Albanian capital, Tirana, Oliver’s adventures have taken him to 105 countries to date. So he’s something of an authority in destinations that are really worth seeing.

Oliver ‘never set out to get to 100 countries or critique places’, it’s a genuine passion for the world and its people that keeps him on the road.

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‘I just keep trying to find new and interesting places and people, I love exploring,’ the 44-year-old says.

Here, he tells Metro his favourite places on Earth, and the four he’s not keen on revisiting.

‘Not for me’

Having travelled the world from China to Mozambique, there are only four places Oliver says he’s not that keen on returning to: Antigua, Bahrain, New York, and Singapore.

‘I don’t want to be disparaging about anywhere, but they aren’t for me,’ the founder of True Summit adventure travel company explains.

The Caribbean island of Antigua, he says, is full of ‘flat, ageing hotels’.

He finds New York too busy, and either too hot or too cold.

He says Singapore is ‘fiendishly hot’ and that Bahrain ‘feels a bit run down’.

‘Maybe I do need to go back,’ he concedes.

The favourites

We’d be here all day if we told you about every place Oliver has been and loved.

But here’s a few of his favourites.

Oliver on Lobuche East, one of two summits on a Nepalese mountain that lies close to the Khumbu Glacier (Picture: Oliver Browne)

Norway: Skerjevoy

‘One of the best places in the world to see orcas who come in droves in November and December to feed on the herring.

‘If you’re brave enough to enter the icy water then its possible to have ethical snorkelling encounters.’

Albania: Valbone

‘One of the last European wildernesses and home to the last frontier of European heli-skiing, the Accursed Mountains [Albanian Alps] are totally untouched and have zero infrastructure.

‘A low appetite for skiing in Albania means that is unlikely to change any time soon.’

Uganda: Rwenzori mountains

‘Definitely the least known of the big mountains in East Africa, after Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya, but by far and away the most beautiful, wild and rugged.

‘The so called ‘Mountains of the Moon’ are breathtaking and there are very few other climbers, adding to the feeling of a last wilderness.’

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Phillipines: Palawan

‘World class diving, incredible landscapes, and turquoise water. A very beautiful part of the world.’

Ecuador: Antisana

‘Ecuador is a dreamworld and one of the best kept secrets in travel.

‘The landscapes look like they have been pulled from a Studio Ghibli movie and Antisana is one of the more beautiful, more remote, less climbed 5000m mountains, still reachable from Quito in a few hours.

‘Trekking in this area or horse packing is also possible for those not interested in alpinism.’

Diving in the Filipino province of Palawan is widely regarded as some of the best on Earth (Picture: Getty Images)

Mongolia: Altai Mountains

‘Hard to say enough good things about Western Mongolia and the Altai Mountains, but imagine a vast wilderness where you ride horses to the basecamp of a 4000m mountain, supported by Bactrian camels hauling your gear.

‘It’s wild, remote, and the hospitality from the nomad families who live there is incredible. Add to this unique cultural experiences like horse riding with the eagle hunters of Sagsai and you have one of the most wonderful multi activity adventures imaginable.’

Gabon: Loango National Park

‘Elephants and hippos walk on the beach, humpback whales breach just off the shore and if the stars align you might see those three and a lowland gorilla on the same day.

‘There are not many places in the world like that.’

A female western lowland gorilla Tonda in the jungle of Loango National Park, Gabon (Picture: Getty Images)

Colombia: Baru

‘If you like beautiful beaches, hundreds of islands, laid back hospitality and a wild frontier feeling then you will love Baru. Hotel Las Islas there has to be one of the best value five-star hotels in the world [from £353 per night].

‘Rent a small boat for around $50 a day and explore hundreds of small islands stopping at picture perfect swimming spots and small beach shacks for a fresh coconut water.’

Mozambique: Bazaruto

‘I went to Mozambique in 2000, in the aftermath of the flooding and civil war.

‘Mozambique is still developing, but the infrastructure is improving and it’s a genuine alternative to the Maldives or Seychelles for anyone looking for a wilder, less sanitised version with incredible beaches and diving.’

Oliver's golden travel rules he'd share with his daughters

• Only take official taxis at airports
• Don’t take the cheapest option if doing something of consequence, for example, climbing a mountain
• Buy your own drinks
• Getting somewhere slowly is better than not getting there at all

Yemen: Socotra

‘Growing as a destination until recent events in the Middle East, Socotra is known as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean with unique forna and flora, little to no infrastructure outside of the main town of Hadiboh.

‘Beautiful beaches. One of the last great wildernesses.’

Japan: Benesse Art Site Naoshima

‘One of the best places I have been to. Noashima is part contemporary art super museum, part hotel-dining destination and part rural preservation and economic revival project.

‘Tadao Anso has designed the buildings in his signature concrete and art installations include works by James Turell and of course the famous Kusama pumpkin on the dock.’

USA: Marfa, Texas

‘Home to the Donald Judd Chinati Foundation, Marfa is a small town in West Texas and one of the most surreal contemporary art destinations in the world. Wilderness, design led hotels, unique restaurants and a community of artists make it a must visit.’

Historic downtown in Marfa, Texas (Picture: Getty Images)

Nepal: Mustang and Bardia

‘Less known than the Everest region, Mustang is a high altitude desert in the rain shadow of Dhaulagiri.

‘For many years access was restricted giving it the moniker the Last Forbidden Kingdom. Horse ride, mountain bike trek and enjoy unqique cultural excursion to local villages and monasteries.

‘Stay at Shinta Mani Mustang, the best high altitude lodge in the world.’

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