South Pacific

Australia and New Zealand, with the lagoons, volcanoes and atolls of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia scattered across the ocean beyond.

The South Pacific covers a vast stretch of ocean, from Australia and New Zealand across the island nations of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. The distances are enormous and the populations small, and that is much of the appeal. Australia has the oldest continuous culture on earth and landscapes from reef to outback. New Zealand packs glaciers, fjords, volcanic country and wine into two islands. Beyond them lie hundreds of islands, from the lagoons of Tahiti and the Cook Islands to the volcanoes of Vanuatu and the remote atolls of Kiribati and Tuvalu.

Range is the defining feature. Some islands, such as Bora Bora, Aitutaki and the Mamanucas of Fiji, are built for lagoon days and quiet stays. Others, such as Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, are for travellers interested in living traditional cultures and wilder country. Divers are well served throughout, from the Great Barrier Reef to Palau and the Tuamotus, and humpback whales visit Tahiti and the Cook Islands in the southern winter.

The seasons are those of the southern hemisphere. Summer, December to February, is the main season in New Zealand and southern Australia. Across the tropical islands, from Fiji and Samoa to Tahiti, the drier, cooler months run from about May to October; November to April is hotter and wetter, with cyclone risk in some places. Northern Australia follows the same pattern, with its dry season from May to October. Palau and Guam, far to the north, follow patterns of their own.

Most journeys here are long, so they tend to combine places. Australia and New Zealand pair naturally, often with a few days on an island such as Fiji, the Cook Islands or French Polynesia at the end. Within the islands, small planes and boats link the outer groups, and a cruise or expedition ship is often the most practical way to reach the remotest atolls.

Journeys

Uluru rising from the desert in central Australia.

Australia and Fiji, Desert, Reef and Island

Sydney, Uluru, Melbourne and Lizard Island, then three nights on a private island in Fiji.

13 nights · Australia, Fiji

Green mountains under a cloudy sky, seen from a lookout on Rarotonga.

Cook Islands, Rarotonga and Aitutaki

Five nights on Muri Lagoon in Rarotonga, then five on the beach at Aitutaki.

10 nights · Cook Islands

A green mountain rising over a turquoise lagoon at Bora Bora.

French Polynesia, Marquesas and Lagoons

Ten nights across five islands, from Tahiti and the Marquesas to Bora Bora, Taha'a and the atoll of Tikehau.

10 nights · French Polynesia

Aerial view of Lake Wakatipu winding between mountains, with the town on its shore below.

New Zealand, North to South

Six lodges from the Bay of Islands to Lake Wakatipu, in 17 nights.

17 nights · New Zealand

Aerial view of Uluru glowing orange at sunset, with the domes of Kata Tjuta on the horizon.

Outback, Rainforest and Reef

Australia's great landscapes in 12 nights, for a first visit.

12 nights · Australia

Aerial view of white limestone rocks and a pale beach beside clear green water.

Perth to Hobart

Across southern Australia in 18 nights, from the Indian Ocean to Tasmania.

18 nights · Australia

Green clifftops above a curved bay of deep blue sea.

Sydney, Kangaroo Island and the Hills

Sydney, a clifftop lodge on Kangaroo Island and the Adelaide Hills, for the Australian summer.

Nine nights · Australia

Snow-covered Aoraki Mount Cook above the turquoise water of Lake Pukaki, with a road along the shore.

Sydney, the Southern Alps and Fiji

Harbour, high country and a private island, joined by private flights.

12 nights · Australia, New Zealand, Fiji

A catamaran at anchor on a turquoise lagoon below a sheer volcanic peak wrapped in cloud.

Tahiti, Bora Bora and Tetiaroa

Bora Bora's lagoon, then the atoll Marlon Brando kept, by private plane.

11 nights · French Polynesia

Stays

A rocky headland above a turquoise cove with a sandy beach beyond.

COMO The Treasury

COMO The Treasury occupies the State Buildings, a group of restored 19th-century government buildings on the corner of St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street in central Perth, facing Cathedral Square.

Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Lord Howe Island from above at sunset, a crescent beach and lagoon below the island's southern peaks.

Capella Lodge

Capella Lodge sits at the foot of Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird on Lord Howe Island, a UNESCO-listed island of rainforest and reef in the Tasman Sea, about 780 kilometres north-east of Sydney.

Lord Howe Island, New South Wales, Australia

The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in silhouette at sunset.

Capella Sydney

Capella Sydney occupies the former Department of Education building, a heritage-listed sandstone landmark from 1912 on Loftus Street, a short walk from Circular Quay in the city centre.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

A green island with a jagged central peak across a calm turquoise lagoon.

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora occupies Motu Tehotu, a coral islet on the outer rim of the lagoon, facing Mount Otemanu across calm, clear water.

Motu Tehotu, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Timber treehouse suites above native bush with snow-capped mountains behind at dawn.

Hapuku Lodge + Tree Houses

Hapuku Lodge sits ten kilometres north of Kaikōura on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, between the Kaikōura Ranges and the Pacific.

Kaikōura, South Island, New Zealand

The lodge in its gardens above the fast blue water of the Waikato River, morning mist in the trees.

Huka Lodge

Huka Lodge began more than a century ago as a fishing camp of white canvas tents on the banks of the Waikato River, a few hundred metres upstream from Huka Falls and close to Lake Taupō on the North Island of New Zealand.

Taupō, North Island, New Zealand

Forested mountains above the ocean at Papeete.

InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa

InterContinental Resort Tahiti stands on the lagoon at Faa'a, on Tahiti, about 2.8 kilometres from Faa'a International Airport, which makes it the practical choice for a first or last night in French Polynesia.

Faa'a, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Cliffs and scrub above a deep blue sea along a rugged coast.

Jackalope Hotel

Jackalope takes its name from the horned rabbit of folklore, and the hotel leans into the myth.

Merricks North, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia

Aerial view of a forested shore beside a shallow turquoise reef.

Kokomo Private Island Fiji

Kokomo Private Island covers 140 acres on the Great Astrolabe Reef in Fiji's Kadavu group, created by the late Lang Walker AO, who found the abandoned frame of an earlier resort and built something entirely his own.

Yaukuve Levu, Kadavu, Fiji

The sun low over the islands and bays around Laucala, the sea gold beneath it.

Laucala Island

Laucala is a private island in Fiji, in the Koro Sea, covering about five square miles of rainforest, reef and coconut groves.

Laucala Island, Fiji

Clear turquoise water and white sand at Bora Bora, with hills in the distance.

Le Bora Bora

Le Bora Bora stands on Motu Tevairoa, a private coral islet just off the main island of Bora Bora, facing Mount Otemanu across the lagoon.

Motu Tevairoa, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

A dirt path across a lush green hillside on Nuku Hiva.

Le Nuku Hiva

Le Nuku Hiva, run by Pearl Resorts, is a lodge on a hillside garden above Taiohae Bay, the small seaside town that is the administrative centre of the Marquesas.

Taiohae, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia

A row of palm trees on a small island at Taha'a.

Le Taha'a

Le Taha'a, part of Pearl Resorts, lies on the private islet of Motu Tautau off Taha'a, the island known as the Vanilla Island, looking across the lagoon to the Taha'a shore and Bora Bora.

Motu Tautau, Taha'a, French Polynesia

A tropical beach with palm trees and clear water.

Le Tikehau by Pearl Resorts

Le Tikehau by Pearl Resorts stands on Motu Tianoa, a private coral islet in the Tikehau atoll of the Tuamotu archipelago, 15 minutes by boat from the village and some 220 miles north of Tahiti, less than an hour away by air.

Motu Tianoa, Tikehau, Tuamotu, French Polynesia

An aerial view of a sheltered white sand cove and coral reef below wooded hills.

Lizard Island

Captain Cook named Lizard Island when he passed it on August 12, 1770, and climbed its summit, now Cook's Look, to chart a way through the reef.

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

A deck with a plunge pool on a red dune, tents scattered across the desert and Uluru on the horizon.

Longitude 131°

Longitude 131° takes its name from the line of longitude that runs through Uluṟu, and the camp is set among the red dunes of the Central Desert with the rock in full view.

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa, Northern Territory, Australia

The Victorian lodge beyond a lawn and tall poplars, the hills behind.

Otahuna Lodge

Otahuna Lodge is a turreted Queen Anne mansion built in 1895 for a prominent Canterbury statesman, set against the fluted cone of an ancient volcano on the edge of Christchurch.

Tai Tapu, Christchurch, New Zealand

A river running through Melbourne beneath a blue sky.

Park Hyatt Melbourne

Park Hyatt Melbourne stands at the top of Collins Street in East Melbourne, on the edge of the central business district, looking over St Patrick's Cathedral and the Victorian rooftops around it, two minutes from the Fitzroy Gardens.

East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Sydney Opera House and the city skyline, with sailing boats on the water.

Park Hyatt Sydney

Park Hyatt Sydney sits on the edge of Sydney Harbour in The Rocks, the city's historic district, looking across Sydney Cove to the Opera House, with the Harbour Bridge close by and Circular Quay and The Wharf a short walk away.

7 Hickson Road, The Rocks, Sydney, Australia

Golden grass and a wooden fence in front of rolling farmland and trees.

Rosewood Cape Kidnappers

Rosewood Cape Kidnappers sits on the headland at the southern end of Hawke's Bay on the North Island, on a 6,000-acre working sheep and beef farm where the cliffs drop about 800 feet to the Pacific.

Cape Kidnappers, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

A small waterfront town of white houses and green trees across turquoise water.

Rosewood Kauri Cliffs

Rosewood Kauri Cliffs sits high on the cliffs near Matauri Bay, at the top of the North Island of New Zealand, on a 6,000-acre coastal estate of rolling farmland and native forest.

Matauri Bay, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

A long blue lake between steep mountains, one capped with snow.

Rosewood Matakauri

Rosewood Matakauri sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, on the Glenorchy road a few minutes' drive from Queenstown, with an open view of The Remarkables and of Cecil and Walter peaks.

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, New Zealand

A sandy beach with palm trees beside the water on Rarotonga.

Rumours Rarotonga

Rumours is a small collection of private villas on Muri Lagoon, on the south-east side of Rarotonga, and it has been taking guests since 2005.

Muri Lagoon, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Wineglass Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula, Tasmania, from above.

Saffire Freycinet

Saffire Freycinet opened in 2010 at Coles Bay on Tasmania's east coast, a lodge by Circa Morris-Nunn Architects whose sweeping roof, reminiscent of a manta ray, follows the curve of the shore and faces the pink granite of the Hazards across Great Oyster Bay.

Coles Bay, Tasmania, Australia

The lodge's timber and glass suites above the Adelaide Hills at sunset.

Sequoia Lodge

Sequoia Lodge sits high on Mount Lofty in the Adelaide Hills, on a 30-acre property beside the Mount Lofty House estate, about 20 minutes from the centre of Adelaide.

Crafers, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

The river at dusk, edged by rainforest, with lit buildings among the trees.

Silky Oaks Lodge

Silky Oaks Lodge sits above the Mossman River in Tropical North Queensland, next to the World Heritage-listed Daintree National Park, part of a rainforest thought to be around 180 million years old.

Mossman River, Daintree Rainforest, Queensland, Australia

A low pavilion with lit windows and an outdoor pool on coastal heath at dusk.

Southern Ocean Lodge

Southern Ocean Lodge was conceived by James and Hayley Baillie and designed by the Kangaroo Island-born architect Max Pritchard, opening in 2008 on the limestone cliffs above Hanson Bay, between Flinders Chase National Park and Seal Bay Conservation Park.

Hanson Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Aerial view of a palm-covered motu ringed by white sand and the turquoise lagoon of Tetiaroa, with other islets beyond.

The Brando

Tetiaroa, a ring of coral motu around a lagoon about 53 kilometres north of Tahiti, was bought by Marlon Brando in the 1960s, and his idea of a place where comfort and conservation could live together shaped everything that followed.

Tetiaroa, French Polynesia

Fishing boats moored in a harbour in front of low city buildings.

The Islington Hotel

The Islington is an 11-room hotel in a Regency house built in 1847 on Davey Street in South Hobart, between the city and Mount Wellington, a six-minute drive from the centre and close to Battery Point and Salamanca Place.

South Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Green high-country pasture with grazing cattle below a range of brown mountains.

The Lindis

The Lindis is a lodge in the Ahuriri Valley near Omarama, in the high country of New Zealand's South Island.

Ahuriri Valley, Omarama, New Zealand

A long restaurant with windows onto the vineyards.

The Louise

The Louise stands among the vineyards of Marananga, on Seppeltsfield Road in the heart of the Barossa, a small estate of villa-style suites in a style that looks to southern Europe.

Marananga, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Melbourne's towers and a cathedral spire above a river bridge, with a rowing crew on the water.

The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne

The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne occupies the upper floors of a tower on Lonsdale Street in the city centre, with breakfast served on level 80 and views across the city to the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria Harbour and Port Phillip Bay.

Melbourne, Australia

Aerial view of swirling white sand and turquoise shallows at the edge of a forested island.

qualia

qualia occupies the northernmost tip of Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, on its own peninsula with water on three sides and views across the Coral Sea.

Hamilton Island, Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia

The countries

American Samoa

Best time: May to Oct

American Samoa forms the eastern arm of the Samoan archipelago, a U.S. territory in the southern hemisphere. It has no five-star hotels and no mass tourism, which is much of the appeal. Its Polynesian people keep a strong culture and Christian faith. Visitors hike in the national park, snorkel in the lagoons, dive in the marine sanctuary and visit Second World War sites, from Pago Pago to the Manu'a Islands. It sits beside independent Samoa, shares much of its culture and can be combined with it.

Australia

Best time: Dec to Feb for the south; May to Oct for the north

Australia is a continent of six states and two territories, home to the oldest continuous culture on earth, with more than 60,000 years of Aboriginal custodianship of the land. The Great Barrier Reef and Uluru are its two great natural sights. Around them lie wine regions such as the Barossa, Margaret River and the Hunter Valley, long coastlines and national parks, and wildlife from kangaroos and koalas to cassowaries and sea turtles. The tropical north is at its finest in the dry season, May to October, and the south comes into its own in summer.

Christmas Island

Best time: Apr to Oct

Christmas Island is an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, unlike anywhere else in the country. Dramatic sea cliffs, dense rainforest and rich marine life make it a place for divers, walkers and birdwatchers. Its great event is the red crab migration, when millions of crabs move from forest to sea with the first rains, usually between October and December, and whale sharks arrive to feed on the larvae. The dry season, from about April to October, brings the calmest seas and the most reliable diving.

Cook Islands

Best time: Apr to Oct

The Cook Islands sit in the heart of Polynesia, home to around 15,000 people. Rarotonga is the main island and the arrival point, and the group as a whole has reef-ringed lagoons, rainforest, waterfalls, caves and unusual birdlife. Aitutaki has a lagoon scattered with white sand islets, and Atiu adds another, quieter island to a longer stay. The local Māori culture is warm and very present, with cultural island nights. Humpback whales pass from July to October, and the shoulder months of April, May, September and October are especially pleasant.

Fiji

Best time: May to Oct

Fiji has 333 islands, though most of its people live on the two largest, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu; Nadi and Suva are both on Viti Levu. Offshore, the Mamanuca group has some 20 islands, from sandbanks to green volcanic peaks, and the Yasawas run northwest with quiet beaches and remote reefs. Taveuni, Kadavu and the 60 or so islands of the Lau group are more remote again. Fiji sits within the Coral Triangle, with the Great Sea Reef and the Great Astrolabe Reef, and the water is warm enough for diving all year.

French Polynesia

Best time: May to Oct

The islands of Tahiti spread across five archipelagos and 118 islands in the South Pacific. The Society Islands include Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea, Taha'a, Huahine and Maupiti, each with its own lagoon. The Tuamotus include atolls such as Rangiroa, Fakarava and Tikehau, where diving is the highlight. The Marquesas, with Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa, the Austral Islands and the Gambier lie further off. Polynesian culture and the idea of mana run through all of them. Humpback whales visit from July to November, and May to October is the drier, cooler season.

Guam

Guam is the largest of more than 2,000 Micronesian islands and the southernmost of the Mariana chain, a U.S. territory some 900 miles north of the equator. Its CHamoru culture goes back more than 4,000 years and survives in food, festivals, arts and the value of Inafa'maolek, creating harmony. The island's history runs through Spanish colonisation, U.S. rule from 1898 and Japanese occupation in the Second World War. Tumon Bay is the main beach area, with calm water for snorkelling and paddleboarding, and the climate is tropical all year.

Kiribati

Kiribati is one of the most remote countries on earth, a nation of three island groups, the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands, scattered across more than three million square kilometres of ocean. Its land area is only 811 square kilometres, and more than half the people live on Tarawa. Divers and intrepid explorers come for the reefs and the solitude, and Fanning Island lies in the Line group. The greeting is Mauri, meaning good health to you. This is a destination for those seeking somewhere truly unvisited, with a culture all its own.

Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands lie in the Pacific, and few travellers make the journey. Their most famous site is Bikini Atoll, inscribed by UNESCO, where the United States carried out 67 nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958, including the first hydrogen bomb in 1952. The fleet sunk in its lagoon during the 1946 tests and the great Bravo crater remain as a record of that era. A visit here is for travellers drawn to history and remote places, and it needs specialist planning well in advance.

Micronesia

Best time: Dec to Jun

The Federated States of Micronesia is a nation of 607 small islands across the western Pacific, divided into four states: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Each has its own culture and its own way of doing things. Pohnpei holds Nan Madol, ruins built around 1000 AD that are an impressive reminder of what the early peoples of the Pacific achieved. Yap, Chuuk and Kosrae each reward time, and a longer trip can take in more than one state. The climate is tropical and even, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with drier trade winds from December to June.

New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a French archipelago in the South Pacific whose lagoon, described as the largest in the world, is on the UNESCO list and ringed by a barrier reef. Nouméa is the main city, on Grande Terre, the largest island. Offshore lie the Isle of Pines and the Loyalty Islands, including Lifou and Maré. Kanak culture is central to the country's identity. Tourism has been rebuilding since the unrest of May 2024, and visitor numbers rose again in the first half of 2026. Current travel advice should be checked before booking.

New Zealand

Best time: Dec to May

New Zealand is two islands and a great many landscapes: glaciers, mountains, lakes, national parks and volcanic, geothermal country. The North Island has Auckland, the Bay of Islands and Rotorua, and Māori culture can be experienced across the country. The South Island has Queenstown, Wānaka and Lake Tekapo, the fjords of Fiordland and Milford Sound, and the coast at Kaikōura. Lodges, wineries and walking tracks run through both. Summer brings long evenings, light until about 9:30 p.m., while autumn offers settled weather with fewer visitors.

Niue

Niue is one of the smallest countries in the world and one of the largest raised coral atolls on earth. It is a place where strangers wave to each other, where nature is intact and life moves at an old pace. Alofi is the capital, and villages such as Avatele and Hakupu hold small guesthouses and cottages, many with clifftop views of the ocean. The fishing is famous, the sunsets on the western coast are long, and the night sky is very clear. It suits travellers who want real quiet.

Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific, about two and a half hours by air from Brisbane or Sydney. It is known for its tall pines and the ruins of its convict past, with reef-sheltered bays, cliff-top views and forest trails. Life here is slow, and much of the appeal lies in the community, its traditions and its local food. The night sky is a draw too. It suits a short, restful break, often combined with time on the Australian mainland.

Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands lie in the western Pacific, where CHamoru and Carolinian cultures meet. Saipan is the capital and gateway, with white sand beaches and reefs for snorkelling and diving, and the islet of Managaha lies just offshore. Tinian, a short flight south, holds North Field, from which the Enola Gay flew to Hiroshima, and Rota is known for its hospitality, its coconut crabs and its bird sanctuary. The Northern Islands beyond have black sand and active volcanoes, and the Mariana Trench lies nearby.

Palau

Best time: Nov to Jun

Palau, also called Belau, is a Micronesian nation of more than 300 islands southwest of Guam, and it is one of the finest dive destinations in the world. The Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake, both visited under permit, are its signature sights, and there are cultural trails and lush landscapes above water too. Palau lies outside the typhoon zone and is warm all year, around 82 degrees Fahrenheit, with more rain from July to October. Visitors must use reef-safe sunscreen, a law since 2020. Flights connect through Guam, Manila and Tokyo.

Papua New Guinea

Best time: Jun to Sep

Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse places on earth, with more than 600 languages spoken among its peoples. The Mount Hagen and Goroka shows, held in August and September, are the country's great cultural festivals, and 2026 marked 70 years of the Goroka Show. The Sepik River, Madang and Rabaul are names to know, and the Kokoda Track draws trekkers to its wartime history. Milne Bay and Kimbe Bay are for divers. The dry season, from June to September, is the easiest time to travel, and the country rewards those comfortable off the usual circuits.

Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Islands are among the most remote inhabited places on earth, reached by a long voyage on the island's passenger supply ship. The people of Pitcairn are direct descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Polynesian companions, and a stay offers rare insight into their history and daily life, centred on Adamstown. The wider group, including Henderson and Ducie, holds endemic plants, seabirds and waters recognised as a sanctuary for endangered sharks. This is a journey for travellers who value the voyage as much as the arrival.

Samoa

Best time: May to Oct

Samoa is a proud, welcoming country whose traditions go back more than 3,000 years. Upolu is home to the capital, Apia, and Savai'i, the largest island, is reached by a scenic ferry crossing. Visitors stay in anything from simple beachfront fales to secluded resorts, swim with turtles, walk in the rainforest and visit the island's many historic sites. Samoa is under four hours from Auckland. The dry season, May to October, is the most popular time, with trade winds that cool the afternoons.

Solomon Islands

Best time: May to Oct

The Solomon Islands are an archipelago of 992 islands and atolls, scattered in a gentle curve about three hours by air from Australia. This is a destination for intrepid travellers and for ecotourism, with few visitors and genuine traditional culture. Honiara, on Guadalcanal, is the gateway, and the wider islands reward those who go further, among them Gizo and the Marovo Lagoon. Its history is long and profound, and music and art remain part of everyday life. May to October brings the least rain and the lowest humidity.

Tokelau

Tokelau is made up of three small coral atolls, Atafu, Fakaofo and Nukunonu, home to around 1,500 people in all at the last census. It keeps a liaison office in Apia, Samoa, and travel to and from the atolls passes through there. Very little information is published for visitors, so anyone considering a trip should plan it with the Tokelau authorities well in advance and allow plenty of flexibility. It suits only the most committed travellers, drawn by the chance to see some of the most isolated communities in the Pacific.

Tonga

Tonga is an unspoiled island chain of remote coastlines and traditional culture, and it rewards slow travel. Travellers arrive through Nuku'alofa. The Vava'u group, around the town of Neiafu, is the base for sailing, game fishing and the whale swimming and watching that the islands are known for. Smaller islands such as Uoleva offer simple, quiet stays by the sea, and 'Eua is another island worth the detour. A week or more allows time to combine two island groups.

Tuvalu

Tuvalu is one of the smallest and most remote nations in the world, a scatter of coral atolls, lagoons and reefs. Funafuti, the capital, is a tiny atoll with the international airport, and a short boat ride across its lagoon brings islets with fish, turtles, clams and coral. Nanumea, in the far north, is a true atoll of five islands. Tourism here is small and uncommercial: local guesthouses, the National Library and the Women's Handicraft Centre. It suits travellers who want rest and the rare chance to see an atoll nation up close.

Vanuatu

Best time: Apr to Sep

Vanuatu is a Y-shaped chain of 83 islands stretching some 1,300 kilometres, and it remains remote and rugged. Port Vila, on Efate, is the capital. Espiritu Santo, the largest island, has Champagne Beach and freshwater blue holes. On Tanna, Mount Yasur is an active volcano that visitors can reach with relative ease. More than 100 languages are spoken, joined by Bislama, and kastom, the body of traditional belief, still shapes daily life on many islands. Kava is shared each evening in village nakamals. The drier months run from April to September.

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