The Last Great Quiet Places in the World

Gordon Hemton who has been recording soundscapes for 30 years, says we're in danger of losing places of purely natural sound, due to noise pollution seemingly increasing everywhere. Here are his top picks for noise-free spots with some interesting photos too where you can just imagine the "quiet sounds". When you feel like you need to get away from the hectic & noisy pace of your everyday surroundings, here is a summary of The Last Great Quiet Places:

Artic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska - closest city: Fairbanks
Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana - closest city: Maun, Botswana
Selouse, Tanzania - closest city: Dar es Salaam
Samboja Lestari, Borneo - closest city: Balikpapan
Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka - closest city: Galle
Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan - closest city: Regina
Muir Woods National Monument, Callifornia - closest city: San Francisco
Great Basin National Park, Nevada - closest city: Salt Lake City
Pyrenees National Park, France - closest city: Lourdes
Olympic National Park, Washington - closest city: Seattle
Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota - closest city: International Falls
Marconi Beach, Massachusetts - closest city: Boston

Several places are in the US. I think I might have to put a few of these on my ever growing Bucket List. The Samboja Lodge in Borneo looks awesome; maybe LL can add it as a package?

For more info and to see the photos:

The Sound of Silence : News & Features : Conde Nast Traveler

The World's Last Great Quiet Places : News & Features : Conde Nast Traveler

What about the tree that fell in a forest when no one was there? What forest was that?

I'm of the opinion that any obnoxious family with kids can disqualify anywhere...<hears a cel phone ringing>