Looking for a romantic spot that’s (almost) all yours? Here’s a list from our brand newBest in Travel 2011 guide to reignite your love affair with desert islands, with picks from across the globe.
1. Socotra, Yemen
You just have to be intrigued by a destination that describes itself as ‘the most alien-looking place on earth’. Ripped from the coast of Gondwanaland by plate tectonics, the four desert islands that form the Socotra group are a treasure-house of biodiversity, with thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth. Topping the weird list are the barrel-trunked cucumber tree and the dragon’s blood tree, which oozes blood-red sap. Despite being closer to Africa than the Arabian Peninsula, Socotra is administered by Yemen
Modern-day Sinbads can fly to the tiny capital, Hadibu, from Sana’a and Aden
2. Torres Strait Islands, Australia
As far as you can go in Oz without falling off the map, the Torres Strait Islands are Australia Papua New Guinea Horn Island
Permits to visit outlying islands must be obtained at least one month in advance from the Torres Strait Regional Authority.
3. Yaeyama Islands, Japan
If Godzilla should ever rise from the sea to destroy Tokyo and Osaka , there’s only one place to ride out the storm – the idyllic Yaeyama Islands Caribbean , the islands of Iriomote, Taketomi and Ishigaki serve up generous portions of sun, sea, sand and sushi. Ishigaki has the best of the beaches, while Taketomi is famous for its traditional Ryukyuan houses and Iriomote is a jungle playground with an open-aironsen (hot springs
Japan Transocean Air flies daily from Tokyo to Ishigaki, which is connected to the other islands by regular ferries.
4. Îles du Salut, French Guiana
Most people have heard of Devil’s Island , but few would be able to stick a pin on a map. The smallest of the three Îles du Salut, this infamous former penal colony is separated from the coast of French Guiana by 11km of treacherous, shark-infested waters. Steve McQueen tried to escape the islands repeatedly in Papillon, but most modern visitors are willing castaways, lured here by waving palms, chattering macaws and spooky ruins from the penal colony days.
Access to the Îles du Salut is by catamaran from Kourou and the only place to stay is the clubhouse-style Auberge des Iles.
5. Ulleungdo, South Korea
It’s easy to see the appeal of tiny Ulleungdo. Midway between South Korea and Japan 984m ). If you want to really push the boat out, continue to the Dokdo islands – a tiny collection of outcrops that are hotly disputed between Japan and South Korea.
Perched beneath a towering cliff wall, Chusan Ilga Pension offers comfortable but satisfyingly rustic accommodation on the rugged north coast.
6. San Blás Archipelago, Panama
Panama probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of the Caribbean, but this Central American nation has coral cays to rival anything in the Caymans or the Virgin Islands. Run as an autonomous province by the Kuna people, the San Blás Archipelago is a crescent of 365 tiny islands basking in the warm waters of the southern Caribbean. Forget luxury resorts – the only hotels are homestays in village houses and dinner is whatever the fishermen bring home in their canoes each evening.
Air Panama has regular flights to several San Blás islands, including the capital, El Porvenir.
7. Penghu Islands, Taiwan
If Taiwan is the other China, then the Penghu islands are the other Taiwan. Administered from Taipei, the 90 islands of the Penghu archipelago are – within Taiwan at least – for their glorious scenery and ‘touching nostalgia’, which translates to unspoiled traditional Taiwanese culture. Away from the capital, Makung, this is a land of ox-carts, fish-traps, stone-walled fields, basalt cliffs and ancient temples dedicated to the sea goddess Matsu. If sun and sand are more your cup of shochu, the beaches and windsurfing are pretty impressive too.
From May to October, Penghu’s beaches are a nesting ground for endangered green turtles – locals leave turtle-shaped offerings at temples across Penghu as part of the Lantern Festival, 14 days after the New Year.
8. Bay Islands & Hog Islands, Honduras
Forget Pirates of the Caribbean – the sand-dusted islands that float off the coast of Honduras are the real deal. In their heyday, the islands of Roatán, Utila and Guanaja were home to 5000 cutthroats, brigands and buccaneers, including the infamous Henry Morgan (aka Blackbeard). These days, the Bay Islands are better known for their beaches, diving and laid-back tropical vibe. You can turn the volume down ever further at the nearby Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands) – 13 languorous coral cays and one secluded resort in a sea of brilliant blue.
The driftwood Plantation Beach Resort is the Hog Islands’ only accommodation, but camping can be arranged on uninhabited islands.
9. Con Dao Islands, Vietnam
Another prison-turned-paradise, the Con Dao islands were home to the most notorious penal colony in Indochina, and continued its grim work until the end of the Vietnam War. Now preserved as Con Dao National Park, the 16 islands are a natural wonderland of dense jungles, jade-coloured waters and white-sand beaches, home to dugongs, dolphins, turtles and spectacular coral reefs. For now, tourist developments on the islands are limited to a single dive shop and a handful of resorts in Con Son township.
Timing is everything with Con Dao – the islands are lashed by squalls from the west from June to September and squalls from the east from September to January.
10. Ssese Islands, Uganda
Why would a landlocked African nation appear on a list of desert islands? Thank Lake Victoria. The Ssese Islands tick all the right boxes for an island paradise – golden beaches, whispering palm trees, exotic flora and fauna – they just happen to be in the middle of Africa’s largest lake. Most of the 84 islands in the Ssese group are undeveloped, but a handful of resorts and beach camps grace the sands of Buggala, Bukasa and Banda. Aside from basking in the sun, the main activities are combing the jungle for exotic creatures and canoeing across the lake.
Boats run daily to Kalangala on Buggala island from Entebbe, Kasenyi and Bukakata on the mainland.
天寬地闊，哪裡是旅人可以出走，尋求一種暫時流浪的灑脫的海角天涯？
全球十大秘密島嶼 台灣澎湖2011旅者必遊
Lonely Planet issued a new guide book recently (Best in Travel 2011) selected from around the world "Ten secret islands, " Penghu (Pescadores ) is one of them.
被全球背包客奉為聖經的旅遊指南品牌─寂寞星球（Lonely Planet），日前新發行的指南書（Best in Travel 2011）從全球各地挑選出「十大秘密島嶼」，台灣澎湖名列其榜。澎湖擁有其發展島嶼觀光、國際觀光的深厚潛力，又一次被證明！
Best in Travel 2011書中盛讚澎湖之美，不但擁有近百座島嶼，更保有著傳統的台灣文化，處處可見牛車、石滬、石牆，玄武岩壁及供奉媽祖的古老寺廟。如果旅人熱愛陽光與沙灘，澎湖的沙灘與風帆同樣令人驚豔。
其實早在2007年，寂寞星球在出版「Taiwan」旅遊指南中，便曾在近四百頁的書中，以歐美、英語系國家人士的觀點看台灣，針對台灣十大玩法推介出適合背包客「流浪」的最佳地點。其中，澎湖「吉貝」及「二崁聚落」便曾雙雙入選。本次澎湖又受到這國際旅遊指南「全球十大秘密島嶼」的肯定，顯見澎湖的海洋及古蹟文化對於外國人士來說，具有其無可替代的吸引力。 （攝影／許展彰）
全球10大世外桃源島 澎湖上榜
http://www.penghutime.com.tw/newsdata.php?no=10120641
●虹橋落日，歲末餘暉。（莊光輝攝）
（本報編譯外電）被自助旅遊者奉為聖經的「Lonely Planet」推介２０１１年全球十大最佳世外桃源島嶼，台灣的澎湖列島入列，這本權威自助旅遊指南盛讚澎湖景色優美、有懷舊風情，而且是綠蠵龜的繁殖地。
如果想坐擁天地、享受遺世獨立的旅行，「Lonely Planet」推介十大世外桃源島嶼可考慮。除了澎湖，亞洲地區入選的還有日本的山八重山列島、南韓的鬱陵島、越南的昆侖島。
２０１１年十大世外桃源島嶼如下：
１、索科特拉島（Socotra，葉門）：這裡是「地球上最像外星的地方」，物種豐富，擁有數千種獨特的動植物，包括會滲出紅色樹液的「龍血樹」。
２、托雷斯海峽島嶼（Torres Strait Islands，澳洲）：有２７４座小島，保留獨特的部落文化。
３、八重山列島（Yaeyama Islands，日本）：由西表島、竹富島和石垣島等組成，充滿加勒比海風情，並以傳統琉球小屋建築、露天溫泉聞名於世。
４、救世海島（Iles du Salut，法屬圭亞那）：許多人聽過「魔鬼島」，卻不知道在那裡，這個距離圭亞那海岸１１公里的小島就對了。
５、鬱陵島（Ulleungdo，南韓）：這裡號稱沒有污染、沒有小偷、也沒有蛇，是踏青的好地方。
６、聖布拉斯群島（San Blas Archipelago，巴拿馬）：由３６５座小島組成，這裡沒有旅館，只能住民宿，吃的是漁民打回來的海產。
自助旅遊聖經刊登 最高榮耀
８、貝島和奧格島（Bay Islands & Hog Islands，宏都拉斯）：這裡曾是「加勒比海海盜」的大本營，現在以海洋和潛水著名。
９、昆侖島（Con Dao Islands，越南）：昆侖島已列為國家公園保護，天然景觀怡人。
１０、錫斯群島（Ssese Islands，烏干達）：這是十大世外桃源島嶼中唯一的淡水湖島，位於非洲最大淡水湖中。
2010/12/30 14:00:00
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