Visiting Lost Countries

I’ve always been interested in the evolution of the world – not just the people, but the countries.

Taking it WAY back, my mind is still blown that once upon a time all the land masses were jigsawed together – it doesn’t take a lot to impress me.

I’m also really interested in how countries have been created and split over time. Some have just undergone a name change whereas others have been divided down into different countries or just merged into others.

I find it amazing how they can just cease to exist.

I know that PHYSICALLY the land is still there, but a whole history just stops and a new one begins.

That’s HUGE.

Lost Countries

We all know that Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Rhodesia became part of Zimbabwe, the USSR and East Germany are no more.
You could surmise that most of the countries that ceased to exist, saw a ‘brighter’ future. An overthrowing of dictatorship, but it isn’t always the case.

Take the Native American Nations…they didn’t really get much say in the Europeans bringing disease, conflict and taking over their land.

Luckily just because these countries don’t physically exist, it doesn’t meant to say you can’t visit these beautiful sites once housed under a different name.

Visiting Lost Countries

For me personally, I’d use somewhere like Azure Collection to build a  bespoke tour of America’s National parks – to explore a snippet of pre-colonised America, the vast and beautiful land it once was.

I would start by exploring the giant, natural amphitheatres of Bryce Canyon in Utah, then move on to Canyonlands to visit the four, distinct and beautiful districts – the Needles, the Maze, the Island in the Sky and the combined rivers. Apparently here you can still see preserved dwellings of the Ancient Pueblo People who inhabited the area from around 12th century BC and petroglyphs left on the rocks in the area.

Sequoia would be my final port of call, home to General Sherman – the largest tree on the planet and once home to the Monache people who resided in the Sierra Nevada region. Sequoia not only has BIG trees and a rich history but the landscape is wonderfully preserved, resembling Sierra Nevada  before the European settlements. There’s also a pretty good chance of running into a black bear which would be amazing (if a little scary).

Azure Collection have created a list of lost countries – where would you visit?