10 remote and off the beaten path islands for the explorer

Last updated on July 27th, 2026 at 03:21 am

Do you like remote? Do you like off the beaten path and away from the madding crowds? Do you like islands?

Think pristine white beaches with crystal clear turquoise waters, wild and wonderful rocky shores, amazing wildlife, and rugged remote hiking – these islands them all. And think of all that without the crowds – where you can make the first and maybe only footsteps on the beach, hike and see nobody for hours, swim with just fish and turtles for company…….

If you are nodding in agreement, if its giving you the right vibe, keep reading for a taste of these 10 remote and off the beaten path islands in the following sections where you can get on the road less travelled. I’m pretty sure you’re going to find something to love.

Yap – Micronesia – Pacific Ocean

Saba – Kingdom of the Netherlands – Eastern Caribbean

Maupiti – French Polynesia – Pacific Ocean

Aitutaki – Cook Islands – Pacific Ocean

St Helena – British Territory – South Atlantic Ocean

Cocos Keeling Islands – Australian Territory – Indian Ocean

Christmas Island – Australian Territory – Indian Ocean

Rodrigues Island – Mauritius – Indian Ocean

Montserrat – British Territory – Eastern Caribbean

Ascension Island – British Territory – South Atlantic Ocean

Things to pack for these remote islands

Plan your trip checklist

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Amazing remote and off the beaten path islands – my favorites!

1. Yap – Micronesia – Pacific Ocean

Yap is definitely an “undiscovered gem.” Trite as that might sound, it is true! Its one of the many remote islands of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean.

Yap has an amazing blend of a modern but traditional way of life. It is famous for its ancient stone money, and is blessed with its diving and manta rays, hiking in absolute natural beauty. It also has a whole lot of crashed planes! WWII Japanese and US bombers, and even a more modern airliner are dotted through the ocean and the jungle!

One of Yap’s most amazing and fascinating attractions is its stone money – currency they still use to this day. Large stone discs known as “rai” are still used in ceremonial and property exchanges. You can even visit a stone money bank – out in the forest.

If I’ve got you intrigued, read more about Yap here!

2. Saba – Kingdom of the Netherlands – Eastern Caribbean

I am sooooo glad I heard about Saba. I have only one regret after a week there hiking, and that is I didn’t fly there into the crazy airport. It has the shortest commercial runway in the world!

Saba, is a tiny but captivating island in the Caribbean. It’s known as the “Unspoiled Queen.” Its main attractions are its fantastic coral and fish laden underwater world and the hike to the top of Mt Scenery – the highest point in the Dutch Kingdom!

The other real draw are Saba’s quaint villages, characterized by white cottages with green trim and red-rooves, and traveling on the “road that could never be built.” Yes – it was built and is quite a feat of engineering!

Not for you if you want to lie and relax on white sand beaches under the palms. Definitely for you if you like action and intrigue. If you like the sound of it, find out more about Saba and its hikes and activities in this post.

3. Maupiti – French Polynesia – Pacific Ocean

I’ve got just one thing to say.

Paradise!

Okay – I actually have another thing to say. Bora Bora before it got over-run with overwater bungalows, jet skis and super yachts! This is Maupiti in French Polynesia!

Okay I’m lucky. I got to sail here, but you can come by ferry too. It’s tranquil and authentic. The water is divine. Hiking to the top of Mt Mt Te Uru Fa’atu is unforgettable for the view at the top. (See the pic below.) Cycling the island will take you to perfect beaches and stunning turquoise lagoons, and get on a local tour to go snorkeling and swimming with manta rays. I could carry on but I’ll let the pictures do the talking. You can learn more on my Maupiti post!

4. Aitutaki – Cook Islands – Pacific Ocean

Oh dear – its another one to call Paradise!! And it’s in the Pacific again – in the Cook Islands.

Seriously, I have been to a lot of beautiful lagoons in the world and this one (along with Maupiti) is up there in the top of the list area – if not at ‘the’ top of the list.

More crystal-clear turquoise waters, pristine white sand beaches, and a quite traditional and authentic feel make it a perfect place to chill on the beach and swim or snorkel but also to have some fun times. A lagoon tour is an absolute must, and so is hiring a scooter and going off-piste around the island.

There’s plenty more in my detailed post on Aitutaki, but just for now let me say its what I call a laid-back dream destination.

5. St Helena – British Territory – South Atlantic Ocean

Again like Saba, its definitely not a white sand, palm tree kind of island, but it is definitely full of action and fascination and one of my favorite places from sailing round the world. It’s an amazing world of its own – way down in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Try this. The oldest living being lives here; 21 plus fantastic hikes in the most diverse scenery you can get in a small space; the home and gravesite of Napoleon in exile; a crazy ‘ladder’ path; and if that’s not enough – rare red snails and whale sharks!!

It’s remote and off the beaten path but its a ‘not to be missed’ place for nature lovers, history lovers, hikers, and those that just love wild and woolly remote places. Yes thats definitely me!

More details in this post about what to do on St Helena and this one on St Helena’s ‘famous’ Post Box walks.

6. Cocos Keeling Islands – Australian Territory – Indian Ocean

I’ve already said Paradise too often so how about ‘Shangri-La?’

Where do I start? The water, because that is the highlight – apart from the strange mix of Aussie and Malay culture!

The water – pristine snorkeling with turtles and reef sharks, drifting through “the rip” surrounded by fish of all kinds, exploring a shipwreck…….

It is an Aussie territory in the Indian Ocean, and, apart from the to die for water and beaches, it also has some absolutely fascinating WWII history involving German ships and escapees. It also has a fascinating golf course – sharing it with the airport runway!

Read more about this laid back paradise in this post!

7. Christmas Island – Australian Territory – Indian Ocean

Also out in the Indian Ocean, this is another Aussie territory. But it couldn’t be more different to Cocos if it tried!

Christmas Island is a big wild rock, famous for its red crab migrations each year where millions of red crabs move from the forest to the ocean. It has a wonderful wild ruggedness full of lush forests, waterfalls, rocks, blowholes, birds and beaches. Aside from the famous red crabs, you can find pretty blue crabs and huge robber crabs hiding in the forests, whale sharks in the season, and birds all over.

There’s plenty to keep you occupied as you will see in this post!

8. Rodrigues Island – Mauritius – Indian Ocean

For me it was all about the tortoises! But the locals are so friendly and there is some great scenery, good hikes, beautiful underwater worlds, an island with over 45,000 birds, and even some interesting buildings. Its also great for kite surfers and adrenalin junkies with one of the longest ziplines in the world, a King Swing, abseiling, and the via ferrata.

This unknown island is part of Mauritius, and sits far out in the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius. You can read more about why to visit this great little island in this post!

9. Montserrat – British Territory – Eastern Caribbean

The “emerald Island” of the Caribbean – “We are all Irish here” they told me.
This place is fascinating. There’s actually not much left to it compared to what it used to be – before the major volcanic eruptions in the 90’s.

The southern half of the island was rolling green hills and picturesque towns reminiscent of England, with hip ex-pat homes out of town. George Martin had his famous Air Studios there, and anybody who was anybody recorded there in the 70’s and 80’s – The Rolling Stones, Dire Straits, Lou Reed, The Police, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ultravox, Duran Duran, Black Sabbath, Eric Clapton……..

But then the volcanos in the south erupted, and kept erupting. Two-thirds of the island became uninhabitable. Many left. But the remnants of those days are fascinating to see and hear. Along with that there are still beaches, snorkeling and diving, hills to hike, all things volcanic of course, and the wildest St Patrick’s day week long festival possible. Read my detailed post and consider putting the Emerald Isle on your next adventurous Caribbean trip.

10. Ascension Island – British Territory – South Atlantic Ocean

Ok, to be totally honest, this mid Atlantic island is hard to get to – but it is possible! I got there by yacht so I’m one heck of a lucky (the harbormaster said about five yachts a year get there). But, you can get to this crazy crazy island as a passenger on a UK military plane too.

It is so wild, weird and wacky. Plenty of hiking, amazing sea bird colonies and sea life – where turtles swim up to you to check you out when you jump in the water. It also has the craziest cemetery I have ever been too. It’s a British territory and a US and British military base. It is the most unique and unforgettable place out!

Find out more in What to do on the remote and amazing Ascension Island.

A note on travel insurance when you visit these remote islands

Make sure you have it and you are covered in these areas! I would first check out SafetyWing!

Things to pack when you visit these remote islands

These are the most useful things I find I need on these islands – apart from your pack and clothes!

• Good and comfortable walking / hiking shoes
• Water shoes – protects against rocks and coral and from any unlucky encounter with a stonefish
• Sunscreen (reef safe) – I use SPF 50 Project Reef
• Sun hat
• A sand-free quick drying towel.
• Your own snorkel and mask if you have them
• Mosquito repellent (deet free) Also lightweight clothes that cover arms and legs as protection.
• A reusable insulated water bottle to cut down on single-use plastic waste.
• Your camera/phone and power bank for day trips! Plus a water-proof pouch for your phone.
• A UV protecting rash suit and swimsuit.
• A drybag to protect your gear
• I always take a very lightweight day pack as well – this one to be exact!

Plan your trip checklist

These are the booking platforms I personally use for all my travels. If you book through these affiliate links, it helps support this site and keeps me producing free travel guides – at absolutely no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for the support! Cheers!

All in one – if you want to book flights and accommodation as a package, use expedia

Flights – use skyscanner or booking.com to find and book your flight – I often find the same flight for a lot cheaper than booking direct with the airline!

Insurance – Use EKTA or SafetyWing. TBH I usually use EKTA – they accept any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling – which is perfect for me!

Accommodation – use booking.com or for a hostel – Hostelworld. I use both.

Internet – buy a yesim eSim or Airalo before you go. I use both depending on where I am going.

Buses, trains, ferries – 12Go is always my first option for buses, ferries and trains

Car rental – use DiscoverCars – they are my ‘go-to’ car rental site

Hiking – I use AllTrails for online and offline hiking trails – it means you know exactly where you are on the trail and makes getting lost a lot harder!!

Tours and Activities – book with Viator or GetYourGuide.

Thanks so much if you used one of these links – it costs you nothing but helps me keep writing!

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