Best Islands in the World Beyond Bali and Maldives: A Region-by-Region Guide

6 minutes read

Bali and the Maldives earned their reputations, but they’ve also become shorthand for “island vacation” in a way that flattens how much variety actually exists out there. The best islands in the world span alien-looking forests, Arctic fishing villages, and a Caribbean island built almost entirely around rainforest instead of beaches — organized here by region so you get real geographic spread rather than another Southeast Asia-heavy list.

Famous Islands in the North Atlantic: The Faroe Islands’ Cliffs and Sheep

Among the more dramatically scenic famous islands you’ll find, the Faroe Islands sit halfway between Iceland and Scotland’s Shetland Islands, an 18-island archipelago under the Kingdom of Denmark with a population of just under 50,000 — outnumbered by sheep and seabirds. [STAT: The Faroe Islands’ roughly 18-island archipelago has a population of under 50,000 people, vastly outnumbered by sheep and seabirds.] Europe’s highest sea cliffs rise at Enniberg on the island of Viðoy, and the hike to Lake Sørvágsvatn on Vágar — where the lake appears to float above the ocean from Trælanípa Cliff — has become one of the archipelago’s signature images. Public buses reach even the remote corners, making this more accessible than its wild scenery suggests, though wet weather and strong wind near the cliffs demand real caution.

Arctic Norway’s Lofoten Islands: Midnight Sun and Fishing Villages

Well north of the Arctic Circle, Norway’s Lofoten Islands offer up to nearly two months of midnight sun between June and August, with mountain peaks dropping straight into fishing villages like Reine and Svolvær that look almost too composed to be real. Hikes up Reinebringen or Himmeltinden reward the climb with views over the archipelago that regulars describe as unlike anywhere else in Norway. Getting there is straightforward by regional standards: fly into Bodø and take a short hop to Leknes, or drive in ferry-free via the E10 highway completed in 2007 — genuinely more accessible than the Arctic setting implies.

Socotra: The Arabian Sea’s Alien Island (and an Honest Access Note)

Socotra, part of Yemen and sitting about 150 miles off the Horn of Africa, is home to the dragon’s blood tree — an umbrella-canopied tree found nowhere else on Earth, its wood carrying a blood-red sap. [STAT: Socotra’s dragon’s blood tree is native only to the island, and 37% of Socotra’s roughly 825 plant species are endemic to the archipelago.] The island was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, with the designation covering 75% of its landmass, and its isolation has produced staggering endemism — around 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species exist nowhere else. Here’s the honest part: current government travel advisories warn against travel to Yemen entirely, and Socotra’s tourism access remains highly constrained by security and transport conditions as a result. It’s included here because it’s genuinely one of the most singular landscapes on the planet, not as a practical suggestion for your next trip — treat this one as a “someday, conditions permitting” entry rather than something to book.

Also Read: Things to Do in Bali: 12 Best Activities You Can’t Miss

Best Island Vacations in East Africa: Zanzibar’s Stone Town and Spice Farms

For one of the more culturally layered best island vacations on this list, Zanzibar’s Stone Town earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000 as a remarkably preserved Swahili trading town, its narrow streets lined with more than 500 elaborately carved doors reflecting centuries of African, Arab, Persian, and Indian influence. The island was once the world’s largest clove producer, and spice farm tours through working plantations of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla remain a genuinely agricultural experience rather than a staged one. Beyond the history, Zanzibar’s beaches and coral reefs handle the more conventional island-vacation half of the trip — making it a rare combination of serious history and straightforward beach time in one place.

Also Read: Bali vs Thailand: Which Is Better for Friend Groups & Adventure Travellers in 2026?

Best Islands to Visit in the Mediterranean: Procida Over Capri

If Capri and Santorini feel too crowded for your taste, Procida is one of the best islands to visit in the Mediterranean, precisely because it hasn’t been overrun the same way. It’s a working fishing village dating to the 17th century, its waterfront houses painted in the kaleidoscopic colors fishermen once used to identify their own homes from the water — Marina Corricella, car-free and lined with small boats, is the most photographed corner of it. Procida remains more frequented by Italians than foreign tourists, giving it a genuinely lived-in feel rather than a performance of one, and it sits close enough to Naples to combine easily with an Amalfi Coast itinerary.

Also Read: Best Kept Secret Destinations in Europe: For Travelers Who’ve Already Done the Obvious Stuff

Island Destinations in the Caribbean: Dominica, the Nature Island

Among Caribbean island destinations, Dominica breaks the mold deliberately — locals call it “the Nature Island,” and roughly two-thirds of its interior is rainforest rather than resort development. The Boiling Lake, the world’s second-largest hot spring, sits at the end of a genuinely strenuous hike through volcanic terrain, and resident sperm whales make Dominica’s west coast one of the more reliable whale-watching spots in the Caribbean, with sightings possible year-round and most consistent from November to April. [STAT: Dominica’s Boiling Lake is the world’s second-largest hot spring, reached via a strenuous hike through volcanic terrain.] This isn’t the island to pick if a beach resort is what you want — it’s the one to pick if hiking, hot springs, and wildlife matter more than sand.

Top Islands to Visit in the South Pacific: Lord Howe’s 400-Visitor Cap

Among the more deliberately exclusive top islands to visit, Australia’s Lord Howe Island caps its visitor numbers at 400 people at any one time — a restriction that keeps its trails quiet and its reef pressure low. It became Australia’s fourth UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, and its reef, the world’s southernmost coral reef, hosts over 90 coral species and 500 fish species across more than 60 dive sites, most just 10-20 minutes from shore. The only way in is a two-hour flight from Sydney, and accommodation needs booking before you finalize flights given how tightly capacity is managed — genuinely remote in feel despite the relatively short flight.

Also Read: Religion In Bali: A Complete Culture & Travel Guide to Balinese Hinduism

East Asia’s Yakushima: The Real Forest Behind Princess Mononoke

Yakushima, off Japan’s southern coast, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 for its ancient forests, among Japan’s earliest UNESCO listings. Its Yakusugi cedars run over 1,000 years old, with Jomon Sugi — the oldest cedar on the island — estimated at more than 2,000 years. The Shiratani Unsuikyo forest area became the visual template for Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke, with director Hayao Miyazaki and his team visiting repeatedly during production and lead artist Kazuo Oga sketching the mossy, ancient landscape extensively for the film’s forest scenes. Walking through it in person delivers a version of that same otherworldly stillness, minus the animation.

Also Read: The 10 Best Waterfalls in Bali for Nature Explorers (2026 Guide)

Choosing Your Island by What You Actually Want

If you’re narrowing this list down, the honest breakdown is: pick the Faroe Islands or Lofoten for dramatic hiking and cliffs, Lord Howe or Zanzibar for diving and reef time, Dominica for rainforest and hot springs over sand, Procida for a quieter, more local Mediterranean pace, and Yakushima for ancient forest and a specific cultural pilgrimage. Socotra belongs on a someday list rather than a bookable one for now, given the current access situation.

Conclusion About best islands in the world

The best islands in the world stop being an “either Bali or Maldives” question once you start looking region by region — an Arctic fishing village, an alien forest, a rainforest built around hot springs instead of beaches. Save the ones that call to you to your Explurger Bucket List, and let your Automatic Travelogue keep the whole round-the-world island trail mapped as you go. Let Explurger help you plan whichever island actually matches what you’re after.

FAQs About the Best islands in the world