Search results for "indian"

You’ve probably know Antigua: resorts aplenty, more than 300 beaches, a favorite with sailors… But what about Barbuda? In the West Indian dual nation of Antigua and Barbuda, she is the forgotten stepchild – and for some sophisticated travelers, that’s all the more reason to count their blessings. Barbuda is actually about half the size of her glamorous sibling (and only a 20-minute flight away). However, as sister islands go, A & B are worlds apart. Barbuda has more than its share of glorious (and virtually deserted) beaches, but most of the island is low and scrubby, and the small populat...

Although 350 islands make up the Archipielago de los Canarreos, Isla de la Juventud is by far the biggest of them and this region is administered from the island's capital, Nueva Gerona. Much of the island is flat and the Cienaga de Lanier is Cuba's second-largest swamp. Isla de la Juventud is the least populated region of Cuba, with most people living in the north of the island. Once known as Parrot Island, it was a hideout for pirates like Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Thomas Baskerville and Henry Morgan, and it inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. The local economy ...

If you adjust the dollars for inflation, John D. Rockefeller was twice as wealthy as Bill Gates (at the height of the tech boom). So, in the late 1800s, when Rockefeller and a few of his wealthy playmates (Astor, Gould, Morgan among them) settled on Jekyll Island as a winter getaway, they formed what has been called the richest, most exclusive club in the world. How rich? It’s been estimated that the membership of Jekyll Island Club once represented one-sixth of the world’s wealth. The clubhouse and many of the mansion-sized “cottages” they built still stand today, but the once-private bar...

Located in the Indian Ocean just off the east coast of Kenya, this tropical island is quiet and peaceful with a laid-back atmosphere. Established in the 14th century, the largest town is Lamu Town, described by the World Heritage List as "the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa". Here travelers will find distinguishing architecture, carved doors, narrow streets, several mosques and bui bui clad women. Automobiles are not allowed on the island, so expect to travel the old-fashioned way - on foot. Donkeys can also be hired for transportation, but dhows are the most commo...

You have to hand it to the Maldivians. Here, on a far-flung archipelago of low coral atolls in the Indian Ocean, they have raised the notion of the private island resort to a fine art. The conservative Islamic nation encompasses nearly 1,200 islands stretched over some 35,000 square miles, but the scantily clad, beach-going overseas visitors are steered (and pretty much restricted) to about 90 small resort islands. These cater to an upscale clientele looking for a tropical getaway where the thatched huts come with fine linens and haute cuisine. So what's paradise like, Maldives-style? I...

Sail away. That probably should be the license plate motto on Tortola, the sailing center of the Caribbean's favorite cruising grounds, the British Virgin Islands. Whether you're an experienced sailor planning to "bareboat" your way from island to island, or look forward to hiring a skippered ("leave the driving to us") yacht, or just out for a day sail, the harbor at Road Town is the perfect place to start: The winds are usually steady, the sailing is easy, and there's always a buffet line of nearby islands to choose from. But Tortola is the one island in the BVI that calls for...

Like Seychelles, its neighbor to the northwest, Mauritius enters the 21st century as an exotic alternative to more traditional sun-and-fun beach destinations. This Indian Ocean crossroads has seen its share of cultural collisions – Dutch, French, British, Indian, and Creole – and today those influences flavor the island's colorful mix of religious festivals, as well as its spicy cuisine. French colonial buildings line the streets of the capital, Port Louis (where the Natural History Museum exhibits include a replica of the ill-fated, extinct dodo bird), and hikers can explore a world o...

When the eccentric british adventurer and general Charles “Chinese” Gordon visited Seychelles in the late 19th century, he became convinced he'd found the original Garden of Eden. After all, there in the Indian Ocean, some 600-700 miles east of Africa, he had come upon a dazzling chain of mountainous, verdant granite islands fringed by low coral atolls and possessing what many have since described as the most beautiful beaches in the world. Modern paradise-seekers will enjoy superb diving; fine fly-fishing on the flats, and deep-water trolling offshore; year-round charter sailing; and ...

Zanzibar is an archipelago made up of Zanzibar and Pemba Islands, and several islets. It is located in the Indian Ocean, about 25 miles from the Tanzanian coast, and 6° south of the equator. Zanzibar Island (known locally as Unguja, but as Zanzibar internationally) is 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, occupying a total area of approximately 650 square miles. It is characterised by beautiful sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs, and the magic of historic Stone Town - said to be the only functioning ancient town in East Africa. Wildlife There are no large wild animals in Zanzibar, and fo...

Of the 400 or so islands that make up the nation of Fiji, Viti Levu is the largest – and a cultural crossroads of the South Pacific. But even with its international airport in Nadi (pronounced NAN-dee), Viti Levu is sometimes overlooked by visitors eager to hop off to one of Fiji’s enchanting outlying isles.. Viti Levu is not so much a beach getaway (the best beaches and diving are along the Coral Coast on the west side of the island), as a place rich with the possibilities that come with tropical mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and traditional Fijian villages. Hiking, rafting (including tr...