While Rome, Mecca, and Jerusalem welcome millions each year, the globe has scattered about it ancient, deeply religious places that are largely unknown to the broader global community.

These lesser-travelled pilgrimage pathways and locations—reflecting different faiths—present distinctive pilgrimages of asceticism, stunning architecture, and association with cultural histories often dating back before modern religion.

1. Lalibela, Ethiopia

(Faith: Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity)

Commonly referred to as the "New Jerusalem," Lalibela is a World Heritage site created by UNESCO and is one of the most incredible works of Christian architecture and devotion in the world. It's not merely an ensemble of churches; it is a religious topography.

The Miracle in Stone:
In contrast to other buildings, the eleven monolithic churches of Lalibela were carved straight down into the ground from solid volcanic rock, rather than built up from the ground. They are underground temples, chiselled top-down to produce elaborate façades, windows, and interiors four stories high in some instances.
Second Holy Land:
King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela ordered the complex in the 12th and 13th centuries with the vision of building a replacement holy city after the fall of Jerusalem to Muslim armies. Symbolically planned to mirror biblical Jerusalem, the site includes a trench simulating the River Jordan.
The Pilgrim Experience:
For Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrims, a pilgrimage to Lalibela is a very solemn act of faith. On special feast days such as Genna (Ethiopian Christmas), thousands of pilgrims, sometimes dressed in white, walk for days to venerate these rock-cut wonders, camping for days in the nearby caves.

2. Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria

(Faith: Prehistoric Animism/Shamanism and Indigenous Beliefs)

Tassili n'Ajjer is not so much a place of contemporary pilgrimage as it is an all-encompassing voyage into the ancient religious impulses of humanity, within an amazing context of "rock forests" in the central Sahara.

The World's Largest Art Gallery:
This immense sandstone plateau, measuring 72,000 sq. km, contains one of the most significant caches of prehistoric rock paintings in the world, with more than 15,000 pieces of drawing and engraving dating as far back as 10,000 BCE.
Traces of Ancient Ritual:
The paintings vividly record catastrophic climate change—portraying hippopotamuses and cattle scenes in what is now a scorching desert—and provide a keyhole perspective into ancient belief. Special mention has to be made of the Round Heads figures, which are believed to symbolise magic-religious activities or shamanistic rituals.
The Journey:
Though now off-limits because of security issues, the journey across the landscape under the guidance of local Tuareg guides is a pilgrimage to the origins of human spirituality, where the process of travel through the otherworldly, sand-worn rock formations is a transcendent, near-spiritual experience unto itself.

3. Shikoku Pilgrimage (Shikoku Henro) (Temples 1-88), Japan

(Faith: Shingon Buddhism)

Though the path has received some worldwide popularity, the Shikoku Henro (a circular pilgrimage linking 88 temples on the island of Shikoku) is a lesser-known undertaking relative to trails such as the Camino de Santiago.

The Way of Kūkai:
The pilgrimage is in honour of the great Buddhist priest Kūkai (also referred to as Kōbō Daishi), founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism. Pilgrims are addressed as O-Henro-san and traditionally dress in white garments, a sedge hat, and carry a staff (kongōzue) that represents Kūkai himself, whom they feel is accompanying them.
A Thousand-Kilometre Devotion:
The entire loop is more than 1,100–1,200 kilometres (680–750 miles) and can be completed on foot in around 40–50 days. It's one of the world's largest circular pilgrimages.
The Core Practice:
Pilgrimage is a bodily and religious practice that entails a visit to each of the 88 officially recognised temples. In addition to these, the innumerable unmarked holy sites (fudasho and betsuin) and the isolated mountain temples, such as Shōsan-ji (Temple 12) and Tairyū-ji (Temple 21), are indicative of Shingon tradition's central emphasis upon asceticism and nature.

4. St. Olav Ways (Pilegrimsleden), Norway

(Faith: Lutheran/Catholic Christianity)

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Too frequently overshadowed by the Spanish Route of St. Olav, the St. Olav Ways are a network of historic pilgrimage paths in Norway that terminate at a deep historical and religious centre of the Nordic countries.

The Martyr's Tomb:
All the St. Olav Ways lead to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, the tomb of Saint Olav (Olav II Haraldsson), the erstwhile Viking king who was declared a saint in 1031 following his martyrdom in the Battle of Stiklestad. His shrine was the principal pilgrimage place in Northern Europe before the Reformation.
The Main Route (Gudbrandsdalen Path):
The main and most used path is the Gudbrandsdalen Path, which begins in Oslo and goes across the Norwegian countryside for about 640 kilometres (400 miles). It takes about 32 days to walk.
A Quiet, Nordic Pilgrimage:
Contrary to the more bustling environment of other pilgrimage trails, the St. Olav Ways are a pilgrimage through peaceful cultural landscapes, medieval farmsteads, and across the high, dramatic Dovrefjell mountains. The pilgrimage is one of quiet contemplation and isolation, where the mere act of walking in the unspoiled Scandinavian wilderness is the main meditative practice.

5. Circumambulation of Mount Kailash (Kora), Tibet/China

(Faith: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Bön)

Circumambulation_of_Mount_Kailash__Kora___Tibet_China.png

Although Mount Kailash is well-known globally, the actual three-day circumambulation (kora) is a strenuous, high-altitude trek that very few make, so it is less well-known despite the fame of the mountain.

The Sacred Summit:
Mount Kailash is the residence of Lord Shiva (Hindu), the cosmic centre of the universe (Mandala) (Buddhism), the place where the first Tirthankara reached nirvana (Jainism), and the spiritual centre of the Bön faith. In a rare such agreement across faiths, it is revered by more than a billion people.
The Forbidden Climb:
The mountain itself is not climbed due to respect for its sanctity. Devotees instead undertake the 52-kilometre kora (circumambulation) around its base.
The Test of Faith:
The kora is a challenging hike, ascending to the strenuous Drolma La Pass at 5,630 meters (18,471 feet). The trail is normally taken in three days, but the most committed might take weeks or months to walk it by full-body prostrations, measuring out the course along the trail with their entire body—an arduous spiritual and physical challenge rarely seen by outsiders.

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