The world’s best secret islands - 澎湖

世界知名的旅遊書籍lonely planet

在最新的書籍Best in Travel 2011

將澎湖列為世界十大神秘小島之一喔


2010/11/1 下午 11:15:17

The world’s best secret islands


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Six seasons of Lost have probably taken some of the gloss off the Robinson
Crusoe experience but it might be time to start thinking about your own
island getaway. Here’s a list from our brand new Best 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, which keeps the islands off the tourist radar.

Modern-day Sinbads can fly to the tiny capital, Hadibu, from Sana’a and Aden
with Yemenia Airlines.

2. Torres Strait Islands, Australia
As far as you can go in Oz without falling off the map, the Torres Strait
Islands are Australia as it might have been if Europeans had never arrived.
Spilling north from the tip of Cape York, the 274 islands in the Torres
Strait preserve a unique tribal culture that bridges the divide between
Aboriginal Australia and Papua New Guinea. The Great Barrier Reef is right on
the doorstop and there are airstrips and hotels on Thursday Island and Horn
Island, but access to other islands is at the discretion of local tribal
councils.

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, tucked
away at the very southern tip of the Japanese archipelago. Looking more like
the 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-air onsen (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, this rugged volcanic island is said to have no pollution, no
thieves and no snakes – in other words, this is perfect hiking country.
Ferries run daily from the mainland to the tiny port at Dodong-ri, where
trails climb to the rocky summit of Seonginbong Peak (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.

資料來源：
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