Tropical islands deserve a page of their own. Hardly anyone can feel indifferent about images of palm-fringed beaches and turquoise waters. I visited most of these places while traveling in Asia , Africa, Latin America and Oceania. Below are my favorite tropical island escapes.
At the height of Covid restrictions, Dominican Republic was one of the few countries that still welcomed tourists. I was going to spend the whole winter there, but after Colombia opened in December of 2020, I decided to spend the rest of the winter there. During one month that I was in Dominican Republic, I got to explore most of this country's beautiful beaches.
Fishing boats in Las Terrenas.
Freshly prepared passion fruit juice.
A beach in the SW, near the border with Haiti.
Bahia de Los Aguilas.
Fisherman about to go out to the sea.
Virgin river in southern Dominican Republic.
Las Galeras, Samana, Dominican Republic.
Dominicanos love their horses.
Surf pounding rocks of Samana peninsula.
Cooling off at Limon waterfal.
A leaning palm tree on one of many deserted beaches of Dominican Republic.
There are many beautiful tropical islands all over the world. South Pacific is blessed with some of the most famous tropical islands. It offers everything a beach-lover could dream of - pristine water, white-sand beaches, solitude and great seafood. When I came across a great deal on airfares to Tahiti, I couldn't miss the opportunity. Air Tahiti was selling passes for inter-island flights, often cheaper than ferries. They were God-sent and in one month of island-hopping, I used ferry only once. Flying also offers best views of the numerous atolls. Besides breathtaking beaches and clear waters, what I found unique about this place was a complete lack of other tourists. On only a few islands did I come across other travelers. Most of the time, I had beaches and accommodation all to myself.
Crossing crystal-clear inner lagoon of Maupiti island. Maupiti was the first island of the itinerary and it remained my favorite even after visiting many others, including Bora Bora.
No internet, no phone, no people - just the way a tropical paradise island is supposed to be.
A true island paradise.
About to land at Bora Bora.
Enjoying clear water off Bora Bora.
Waiting for the sunset.
Fakarava atol with no tourists at all.
The pier from tourist brochures.
With new friends after watching Polynesian dance.
On my first trip to Australia I made a stopover in Fiji. The main island wasn't particularly interesting, which is typical of any archipelago. To really appreciate the country, one has to go on a sailing trip and visit smaller, more remote islands. I did a one-day trip so nearby islands, just to wet my appetite. Maybe one day I get a chance to do a more extensive sailing trip around Fiji.
Hammock time on Fiji.
While riding and backpacking around SE Asia, I got to visit a number of beautiful islands. With Philippines' 7,000+ and Indonesia's 17,000+ islands one could spend a lifetime exploring these islands and still not scratch the surface. Add an amazing mixture of cultures, cuisines and religions to the picture and it can easily be the most interesting part of the world to explore.
Koh Phi-Phi in southern Thailand - paradise on earth, but destroyed by the mass tourism.
Ha-long bay - an amazing place to visit but destroyed by the mass tourism.
Similan islands in Andaman sea.
Island hopping in an archipelago off Palawan, Philippines.
A small, picture-perfect island off the coast of Palawan.
Cooling off in a jungle in Borneo's highlands.
Romblon - Not as pretty as Boracay but no crowds.
Sunset drink on Negros island, Philippines.
Crystal clear waters of Malapascua island (near Cebu).
Malapascua island - another quiet paradise.
The other side of Malapascua island - I shared more than 1 km of white sand beach with just one other couple.
Koh Larn island, Thailand.
Pulau Pisang or Banana island, off the coast of Sumatra.
Hangign out with the locals on Pulau Pisang.
During my backpacking trip through Africa, I got a chance to visit a few beautiful islands off the east coast of Africa. Zanzibar is the most famous, but there are other islands just as beautiful and even more deserted. Unless you are on an organized tour it may be a hassle to get to these islands. But the effort is well-rewarded.
Dazzling white sand beach of Pemba.
Traditional east African sail boat.
The knee deep water of this reef-protected beach extended for at least 1 km.