Sunday is the perfect day to go to the beach in Tonga – if you're a visitor; an islander found swimming on the Sabbath is subject to a fine. Yes, they do take their religion seriously in the "Friendly Isles."
Tonga, like its neighbor to the west, Fiji, is not just one island, but an entire archipelago of far-flung isles. In Tonga's case, the islands number about 170 (only about 45 are inhabited), geographically divided into four distinct groups. Tongatapu, with the capital of Nuku'alofa, is the hub of this island chain in western Polynesia. Two of every three Tongans live here ...
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...
An unspoiled corner of Fiji, Kadavu is a beautiful mountainous island with waterfalls, rounded hilltops, outstanding beaches and high rocky cliffs. It offers interesting bush walks, charming rockpools, luxuriant native trees and fascinating birdlife, particularly the famous red and green Kadavu parrots.
Kadavu (pronounced Kahn-da-voo), has a population of approximately 8700 and lies only 88 kilometers south of Suva. Kadavu is approximately 48 kilometers in length and varies in width from 365 meters to 13 kilometers. Its area is 411 square kilometers, just a bit less than Taveuni. Kadavu ha...
Kailua, meaning "two seas," is a beautiful community located on the scenic southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Kailua’s beach park has become known as the windsurfing capital of the world. Its steady off shore trade wind, a protective coral reef and consistent water temperature of 75° Fahrenheit (25° C) makes Kailua perfect for year round water sports.
Kailua Beach has been rated by Conde Nast as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world so many times that is has been removed from the Conde Naste list to allow other beaches a chance to win. This is also the most popular ...
Together with Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island, Destin is part of a 24-mile stretch of silky white sand beach in Northwest Florida known as the Emerald Coast.
"Destin has rightly earned a reputation for having some of the best beaches in the United States but beware -- the reflection of the sugar white sands makes sunglasses and sunscreen a must. "
A little Background: Destin was founded by Capt. Leonard Destin, a New Englander who moved to the area more than a century ago to work in the red snapper fishing industry still retains the title of "World's Luckiest Fishing Vill...
Acklins and Crooked Island are two of the four islands forming an atoll which hugs the beautiful shallow waters of the Bight of Acklins. Bordered by the nearly uninhabited Castle Island and Long Cay, they are as natural as they were when The Bahamas was first "discovered." Columbus reputedly sailed down the leeward side of the islands through the narrow Crooked Island Passage, which has ever since served as an important route for steam ships travelling from Europe to Central and South America. This seaway, referred to locally as 'the going through,' also earned these islands the notori...
Divers and fly-fishermen know Caye Caulker well, but it’s only in recent years that the island has become a popular Belizean getaway for that vast tribe of savvy travelers who judge a place by the availability of hammocks, cold beer, and time for a good book.
The island, which sits less than a mile inside Belize’s long barrier reef, is just four miles long and the streets are white sand (which helps explain why golf carts are the most popular way of getting around). Locals say that if you want to know what San Pedro, the main town on neighboring Ambergris Caye, 12 miles to the north, was l...
The words on the license plates are a clue: "Diver's Paradise. " From fantastic snorkeling just off the beach (just imagine being dropped into a tropical fish tank) to deep wall dives, Bonaire offers what is arguably the best diving in the Caribbean. Much of the credit goes to its visionary Marine Park – the island waters have been protected since 1979.
Yet Bonaire is no one-hit wonder. Sure, other watersports are popular (windsurfers find steady tradewinds and a conveniently shallow sandy bottom at Lac Bay) and it's not hard to find a secluded beach (the black sands of Boca Cocolis...
The Baths sound like something out of an Indiana Jones movie: massive granite boulders, grottoes, secret passages, hidden saltwater pools illuminated by shafts of light. That helps explain why this stretch of beach at the southern tip of Virgin Gorda is the most memorable mooring in the Virgin Islands.
The British Virgin Islands, more laid-back than their U. S. Virgin Island neighbors, have long been the province of sailors, including Columbus, who was an early visitor. Today these are the most popular cruising waters in the Caribbean, thanks to steady winds, a perfect climate, and easy de...
No, Charles Darwin didn't discover the Galapagos Islands – it just seems that way. Although that most famous of scientists only spent five weeks here, he managed to see enough to keep him thinking for a half-century. And if you don't have at least a passing acquaintance with Darwin and his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, this archipelago probably isn't your cup of tea. On the other hand, if natural history is your personal connection to the world around you, by all means set sail for this volcanic cluster off the coast of Equador.
Today, many tourists visiting this "living laborat...
Cayman Islands
