Ever wanted to just get away? For me, all the time.

While an escape to the likes of Cabine du Cap in the Karoo might be your best local bet, sometimes it’s a case of the further the better.

From remote forests to silent rooms, Trevor Cox, a professor of acoustic engineering at the University of Salford (and the author of “The Sound Book: The Science of the Sonic Wonders of the World”), spoke to the Telegraph about some of the world’s quietest places.

Here are five:

1. Building 87, Washington, US

It’s where sound goes to die and is a Microsoft research lab in the city of Redmond.

Officially the quietest place on Earth – according to Guinness World Records – the silent space was created by the tech company for optimal audio and device testing, and is an anechoic chamber:

[The] room is insulated from exterior sounds and designed to absorb all reflections of sound and electromagnetic waves inside, making it completely echo-free.

2. Olympic National Park, Washington, US

If you prefer to be outside, then you can find a more natural setting at the One Square Inch of Silence in Washington’s Olympic National Park. 678 feet above sea level, it is considered to be the quietest place in the US for its “diverse natural soundscape combined with substantial periods of natural quiet”:

The park contains the largest intact coniferous forest across the Lower 48 US states and has one of the most pristine, untouched and ecologically diverse environments in the country, being home to more 300 bird species and 70 species of mammals.

3. Landmannalaugar, Iceland

“For quiet roads, I’ve cycled along Landmannalaugar in Iceland where you could go for miles without seeing anyone. You can find some incredibly silent volcanic patches all throughout Iceland,” Mr Cox adds.

4. Zurich, Switzerland

Need an urban cityscape to work as a silent sanctuary? Well, Zurich is your best bet, according to the World Hearing Index. With the least noise pollution in the world, the Swiss city was chosen “based on people’s hearing ability assessed from 200 000 hearing tests worldwide”. Lovely.

5. Makgadikgadi Pan, Botswana

Over the border, located in the middle of a dry desert in north-east Botswana, is the Makgadikgadi Pan. Not only is it the largest salt flat in the world, spanning 3 900 km2, but the defunct Makgadikgadi Lake is home to only one species of plant life: a thin layer of bluegreen algae. Very little else exists in the area during the dry season – but following rain it is an important habitat for migrating animals.

Itching to get away, aren’t you? Sure – there are 10 more places listed by the Telegraph HERE.

Who knows, keep an eye on Flight Centre’s Black Friday deals and maybe you can shoot off somewhere for a moment’s peace and quiet.

[source:telegraph]