17 outlying islands more striking than their big-name neighbours

See + do Ouvea is one of the Pacific’s most stunning atolls, Maré features sinkholes of fish-filled turquoise water, and Lifou has outstanding snorkelling and diving. Dine with a local family under the table d’hote scheme and enjoy fish, chicken and yam cooked underground on hot stones.

Essentials Aircalin or Qantas fly to Noumea from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney with onward connections to the Loyalty Islands on Air Caledonie. High-speed catamarans also connect Noumea to Maré in four hours, Lifou in five. See newcaledonia.travel

Westman Islands, off Iceland

The lowdown One inhabited island (Heimaey), plus several far smaller ones and dramatic rock stacks, 13 kilometres off Iceland’s southern coast.

Tell me more Ragged wave-pounded islands, misty cliffs, sheep clinging to plunging hillsides and a burping volcano are all you get, but the combination is savagely beautiful, and you’re far from Iceland’s tourist crowds.

See + do Admire ruins of an early church and farmhouse, and the puffin colony at Storhofdi, which claims to be Europe’s windiest place. In 1973 a volcanic eruption engulfed half Heimaey’s town, turning it into a modern-day Pompeii of curiously fascinating abandoned houses. Eldheimar Museum relates the dramatic events through compelling multimedia exhibits.

Essentials The car ferry from Landeyjahofn, 137 kilometres southeast of Reykjavik, takes 40 minutes. If you don’t have a car, public buses take you to Landeyjahofn, and you can get around Heimaey on a local tour or by bicycle. See visitwestmanislands.com

Nusa Penida, off Bali, Indonesia

The lowdown By far the biggest of three main islands in the Badung Strait that separates Bali from Lombok.

Tell me more Major infrastructure investment over the last decade has made Penida more easily visited, but it remains a relatively isolated beauty of gorgeous landscapes, voluptuous beaches and dazzling underwater life – plus sunsets you don’t have to share with a million others.

See + do Manta Point, Toyapakeh and Crystal Bay offer top scuba-diving. The south coast has impressive sea cliffs cupping isolated beaches. Goa Giri features an important Hindu temple inside a cave. Much smaller neighbouring islands Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan make for pleasant excursions.

Essentials Frequent fast boats from Maruti and Angel Billabong depart from Sanur and take 40 minutes. Other options leave from Kusumba further north up the coast, and take 20 minutes. Rent a scooter or taxi, as there is no public transport. Accommodation choices are abundant. See nusapenida.org

Pemba Island, off Unguja, Tanzania

The lowdown In the Zanzibar Archipelago, 50 kilometres north of Unguja, which is commonly referred to as Zanzibar Island.

Tell me more This lush island of palm trees and clove plantations, greener and hillier than its better-known cousin, is serenely scenic. Have time out in the slow lane, pottering around Arab and Portuguese ruins, slumping on beaches, and snorkelling over coral reefs.

See + do Scuba-diving and deep-sea fishing excursions, a clove-farm tour and a gawk at the 4000-strong flying-fox colony at Kangagani are the chief diversions. On small islets Panza and Misali, snorkellers are joined on reefs by turtles and manta rays.

Essentials Auric Air and Coastal Air fly from Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, or you can take a six-hour ferry ride. Get around by taxi or dala dala (shared minibus). Accommodation, though limited, ranges from luxury resorts to backpacker lodges. See tanzaniatourism.go.tz

Ko Yao Yai, off Phuket, Thailand

The lowdown In the Ko Yao Archipelago in Phang Nga Bay, halfway between Phuket and southern mainland Thailand.

Tell me more The antithesis of raucous Phuket, Yao Yai has low-profile appeal thanks to its sleepy villages and conservative Muslim inhabitants, who run rubber farms, eco-homestays and small businesses manufacturing herbal oils, woven mats and sweets.

See + do You can visit a lobster farm or rubber plantation, take Thai boxing or batik printing lessons, enjoy water sports, and hit the hiking trails. The talcum-soft sands of crescent-shaped Laem Haad Beach (actually a sand spit) are stunning against sapphire waters.

Essentials Get a taxi from Phuket airport to Bang Rong Pier for a 60-minute longtail or 30-minute speedboat connection. Boats also depart Krabi on the mainland. Get around by taxi or shuttle. The island has modest resorts and village bungalows. See tourismthailand.org

Egadi Islands, off Sicily, Italy

The lowdown Five islands in northwest Sicily. The nearest, Favignana, is 16 kilometres from the attractive mainland town of Trapani.

Tell me more Inhabited since prehistoric times, scattered with archaeological sites, riddled with sea caves and picturesque with sapphire harbours backed by cubist white houses and perky hills, the Egadi Islands represent a Mediterranean before tourist hordes.

See + do Get beyond biggest, most visited Favignana to small island Levanzo for exquisite beaches such as Caletta del Faraglione, and diving on a Roman shipwreck. Marettimo, the farthest island, has glorious hiking trails punctuated by Roman and Norman ruins, and is surrounded by Europe’s largest marine protected area, notable for birds, manta rays and bottlenose dolphins.

Essentials Ryanair flies seasonally to Trapani from many Italian and European destinations. Ferries and hydrofoils connect Trapani to the islands. Rent a scooter, bike or boat to get about. Most accommodation is on Favignana, so base yourself there. See visitsicily.info

Geiyo Islands, off Shikoku, Japan

The lowdown An archipelago of stepping-stone islands in the Seto Inland Sea between Japan’s largest island Honshu and smaller Shikoku. Hiroshima is the nearest big city.

Tell me more Once a nest of pirates, now a source of citrus fruit, the Geiyo Islands offer a slower, rural version of Japan away from madding crowds, yet have a variety of low-key sights for those pottering around for a couple of days’ time out from urban bustle.

See + do Innoshima Island has Buddhist rock carvings and a samurai-era castle, Ikuchijima has a temple complex where cherry trees blossom, and Omishima Island has architecture and art museums, plus Japan’s largest collection of samurai armour and weapons.

Essentials Ferries depart from Mihara and Onomichi 70 kilometres east of Hiroshima. The islands are also connected on the spectacular 60-kilometre Shimanami Kaido expressway and cycleway; rental bikes are available in ports. See japan.travel

Southern Gulf Islands, off Vancouver Island, Canada

The lowdown Twelve main islands in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The archipelago extends into the USA’s San Juan Islands.

Tell me more The ferry ride – sometimes accompanied by porpoises – is a wonderful scenic glide across blue mirrored sea studded with pine-topped islands. Some destinations suit holiday pastimes, other islands are scarcely developed and supply lovely hiking and encounters with sea lions and passing orcas.

See + do Salt Spring Island has a notable summer Sunday market and several farm and cellar doors. Pender and Gabriola islands are dotted with artists’ galleries, while Mayne Island is for history buffs thanks to First Nations connections, an old jail and a Japanese garden.

Essentials BC Ferries connects Gulf Islands with each other, and from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island and mainland Tsawwassen near Vancouver. Bigger islands have buses, taxis, and rental scooters and bikes for getting around. See hellobc.com

Lamma Island, off Hong Kong Island, China

The lowdown The region’s third-largest island is in the South China Sea to Hong Kong Island’s southwest, just off Aberdeen

Tell me more No greater contrast to skyscraper-jostled, cacophonous Central than this sleepy fishing island of buxom hills, beaches and almost Italian-like villages squeezed into tight coves. But up close, villages are all Hong Kong: incense-swirling temples, rowdy restaurants, and shops selling curious dried seafood.

See + do Main village Yung Shue Wan has surprisingly international restaurants and an expat colony; quieter Sok Kwu Wan has craft shops and seafood restaurants. Lamma Fisherfolk’s Village takes a touristy look at local life. For scenery, walk the five-kilometre, up-and-down Family Trail across the island’s north.

Essentials Take a ferry from Central Pier 4 or Aberdeen to Sok Kwu Wan on the island’s central-east coast in 30 minutes. With no public transport, you’ll have to walk or cycle. You can stay in budget hotels and B&Bs. See discoverhongkong.com

Reunion, off Mauritius Island, Mauritius

The lowdown An overseas French department in the Indian Ocean, 175 kilometres southwest of Mauritius towards Madagascar.

Tell me more Reunion rears like a green mini-Hawaii of vanilla plantations, rainforests draped in orchids and waterfalls, and volcanoes and mountains that top 3000 metres. Gardens explode with bright birds, butterflies and blooms. A trio of enormous cirques offers brilliant hiking, mountain biking, canyoning and paragliding.

See + do Saint-Denis is a little France, filled with fashionable shops and patisseries, but west-coast beach resorts attract most visitors. For a tranquil retreat, a homestay on the east coast is an experience of Creole life and spicy cuisine.

Essentials Air Mauritius flies from Perth to Mauritius with onward connections to Reunion. Air Austral also connects Reunion to Mauritius, as well as to Bangkok, Madagascar, the Seychelles and South Africa. Hire a car, 4x4 or motorbike to get around. See reunion.fr; mymauritius.travel

Pulau Ubin, off Pulau Ujong, Singapore

The lowdown Close to Changi airport, wedged in the narrow Johor Strait that separates the Malaysian mainland and Singapore’s main island, officially named Palau Ujong.

Tell me more Though more a day trip than a holiday destination, this eccentric little island is a remarkable glimpse of Singapore before modernity arrived. It has the nation’s last kampong (traditional village) and preserves wetlands, mangroves and coastal forest rich in wildlife.

See + do Check out the small rubber and coconut plantations and the mango, rambutan and durian orchard. Otters swim in the flooded former Pekan Quarry and 140 species of butterfly jiggle on Butterfly Hill. If you’re up for a mountain-bike challenge, hit the 10-kilometre Ketam Mountain Bike Path.

Essentials From Tanah Merah MRT station, take bus 2 to Changi Point Ferry Terminal. Palau Ubin is a 10-minute bumboat ride. Get around by bike. Camping is the only accommodation, but a day trip is easy. See visitsingapore.com

Halki, off Rhodes, Greece

The lowdown Also spelled Chalki, one of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast near Marmaris, and nine kilometres west of a recently fire-ravaged and tourism-dependent Rhodes.

Tell me more Halki enjoys a low profile compared to jetsetter Rhodes, and has a single town and just a few roads – but all the Aegean attractiveness that comes from limpid seas and hillsides studded with chapels and windmills.

See + do Nimporio is a charming town of handsome architecture; to the west you’ll find abandoned medieval village Horio and its ruined castle. Visit Panagia Choriani and the Monastery of Archangel Michael for beautiful murals. Pebbly beaches invite you for a swim.

Essentials Fly from Athens to Rhodes with Aegean or, seasonally, an abundance of other airlines from many European cities. The ferry to Halki takes 30 minutes from Kamiros Skala or 90 minutes from Rhodes town. Get around by taxi or irregular buses, or simply walk. See visitgreece.gr

Five more great islands off islands escapes

Udo Island, South Korea

A 15-minute ferry ride off northeast Jeju, South Korea’s popular sub-tropical holiday island, Udo barely rises above the waves except at 132-metre Udobong, where you get views over its striking patchwork of agricultural plots. Chief attractions are Udo’s white and black-sand beaches, sea caves and startling neon-blue water. Some compare it to a Scottish island in appearance, but the weather is a whole lot better. See visitjeju.net

Maria Island, Australia

Halfway between the Tasman and Freycinet peninsulas off Tasmania’s east coast, which is four kilometres away at its closest point, windblown Maria Island is a national park preserving woodland and grassland that supports a twitcher’s delight of bird species. It also has interesting Indigenous, whaling, convict and Italian immigrant histories; convict Darlington Probation Station is World Heritage listed. See discovertasmania.com.au

Tarutao Island, Thailand

The biggest of several islands in the Andaman Sea in Thailand’s far southwest lies off Malaysia’s Langkawi island, which is closer than the Thai mainland. Part of a marine national park, Tarutao is barely developed (camp or stay in park huts, or charter a yacht) and draped in rainforest that shelters macaques and langurs. The island is encircled in gorgeous beaches, flamboyant coral reefs and karst outcrops. See tourismthailand.org

Phillip Island, Australia

Not the Phillip Island off Victoria but the one lying six kilometres off Australian territory Norfolk Island in the Pacific Ocean, this stark slice of undeveloped rock has the most extraordinary yellow, red, purple and pink earth that sees it compared to Uluru, although it’s more like an American desert canyon. Thanks to a lack of predators, migratory boobies, terns, petrels and noddies nest on the island in spectacular and noisy numbers. See norfolkisland.com.au

Yasawa Islands, Fiji

This chain of 20 volcanic islands off the northwest coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island, is reached by high-speed catamaran and gets you away from predictable international resorts for a barefoot holiday of boating, hiking, snorkelling and beach-flopping. Swimming with manta rays is a top experience. So is the chance to enjoy village culture and have a game of beach cricket with local kids. See fiji.travel