The glacial valleys, lakes and soaring, coal black peaks of New Zealand’s Southern Alps are the kind of breathtakingly beautiful - and empty - alpine idylls that only the most intrepid of travellers could once enjoy. Now, luxury tented lodge Minaret Station brings hot tubs, sheepskin carpets and haute cuisine to the pristine wilderness of Wanaka’s high country. Only a helicopter ride can access the working farm that lies above Lake Wanaka, where guests can simply revel in rare isolation from the private deck or library, or go on a high country adventure. Alpine picnics in the old pioneer huts that dot the farm, helicopter flights up the high mountain ridgelines and glacial icefalls of Mt Aspiring, wild game stalking and customised heli-skiing all showcase what you can do when you have the mountain tops to yourself.
Visit the Minaret Station homepage

The great paradox of a South Sea pearl is the contrast between its ultimate destiny in a glittering urban setting and the pure isolation required for its creation. The Paspaley pearl farms have been sheltered in the fabled ochre lands and empty coastline of the Kimberleys since the early days of 20th-century pearling. Now the family has opened the doors to travellers, launching pearl farm Kuri Bay as a wilderness location this year with just five guest rooms and sweeping views. To reach a location so remote that oyster beds can thrive in peace, one must take a spectacular seaplane journey from Broome, Darwin or Kununurra in the heartland, over the flooded valleys, horizontal waterfalls, red rock cliffs and jagged coastline of the Kimberleys: a landscape that hitherto, only the pearler was ever able to observe. Guests can explore an ancient landscape teeming with turtles, birds, fish and the charismatic predator crocodiles; learn about Aboriginal legend at its source, and nibble on fresh pearl meat on the country’s oldest pearl farm.
View the Kuri Bay website

After the world discovered the intoxicating luxury of India’s great palaces and must-see monuments, certain travellers began to find the prospect of moving beyond the region’s well-known trail enticing. The cultural richness, mystery and epic landscapes of the Himalayas are a new frontier in a world where authenticity is the new luxury. At 8,000 feet, perched on a spectacular ridge overlooking the Bageshwar district in the little travelled Kumaon region, the stunning 360° Leti luxury retreat showcases the remoteness of the Great Himalaya range and the spiritual serenity of the local village culture, with none of the ascetic sacrifices that such a journey would normally require. Made on a contemporary scale but using traditional building methods, everything at 360° dovetails tradition with comfort, from the pashmina blankets to the local cooking, elevated and rarified by gourmet chef, Yeshi. The boutique scale of just four private guest pavilions and the retreat’s yoga and meditation culture promise a sense of peace, but not all the journeying is interior. Mountain trekking, walks to the local villages, as well as fishing and camping experiences await.
Go to the 360° Leti webpage

The aesthetics and adventurous derring-do of the 19th-century colonial era is catnip to modern high-end travellers seeking other-era romance. For them, Peregrine Reserve designs luxury experiences that immerse the adventurer in otherworldly cultures. Their ‘Kingdom of Laos’ sojourn in the Laos jungle heeds the siren call of lush wilderness in an Asian region once roamed by war lords and monarchs. In today’s gentle Buddhist culture, the foreigner can simply soak up the history – setting off from Luang Prabang by stately elephant and raft to Shangri Lao, a classic explorer camp that conjures an ancient historic expedition. Remote views can be enjoyed from spacious tents, furnished with handcrafted 19th-century-style furniture and permanent hardwood floors. The first camp is by the river, close to the Ban Xieng Lom village, isolated enough to retain the picturesque charms of a place surreally untainted by time. The second is a jungle camp in the Huay Khot Valley, perched on a sun terrace with stunning views of the Nam Khan River and Namno mountain chain. Sumptuous dinners and peaceful nights with only the cacophony of jungle whoops and screeches for company recapture a vanished world of intrepid travel.
See more about the Peregrine Reserve Kingdom of Laos tour

Airports are the gateway to all the world’s well-trodden pathways, so one of the best ways for travellers to escape the crowds and urban sprawl is to seek out the planet’s most pristine, empty spaces by boat. Small ship cruising has both the advantage of hushed, boutique luxury on board and logistical access to the narrow channels and small bays of remote areas that can’t be seen any other way. The waterways of Alaska are a wonderland of tidewater glaciers, where the astonishing silence and scale is broken only by the occasional sound of ‘white thunder’ – crashing ice. The Hubbard glacier is the largest, most beautiful and out of reach of them all. Luxury cruising company Silversea sails the glacial blue waters along the six-mile cliff face, giving passengers aboard the Silver Shadow a dress circle view of ice fields, seals calving on the bergs and the eagles and ravens that wheel overhead. The blindingly white, jagged landscape is icy and resplendent, yet can be enjoyed from the warmth of a luxuriously appointed ship where spa rituals, salmon and caviar await inside.  
Find out more information at the Silversea webpage