Islands to Visit Before You Die

1.Bora Bora

Society Islands, French Polynesia

The platonic ideal of paradise: turquoise lagoon, Mount Otemanu's volcanic spire, and overwater bungalows that defined the genre. The bucket-list island all others are measured against.

2.Maldives (Maldive Atolls)

Indian Ocean Atolls, Maldives

Twelve hundred coral islands strung across the equator, bioluminescent plankton, glass floors over reef sharks, and the planet's most extravagant water villas. Climate-threatened, so go now.

3.Santorini

Cyclades, Greece

Whitewashed villages clinging to a flooded volcanic caldera, blue domes against the Aegean, and arguably the most photographed sunset on Earth from Oia.

4.Maui

Hawaiian Islands, USA

Road to Hana, sunrise above the clouds atop Haleakala, humpback whales offshore, and Pacific beaches in every color. The complete Hawaiian experience in one island.

5.Palawan

Palawan Province, Philippines

El Nido and Coron's karst lagoons, hidden beaches reached by bangka, and a navigable underground river. Repeatedly voted the world's most beautiful island.

6.Capri

Bay of Naples, Italy

Limestone cliffs plunging into Tyrrhenian blue, the glowing Blue Grotto, and a glamorous piazzetta that has seduced emperors and film stars for two millennia.

7.Bali

Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia

Emerald rice terraces, cliff temples over crashing surf, volcano sunrises, and a living Hindu culture. The spiritual heart of Southeast Asian island travel.

8.Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

Darwin's living laboratory, where giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies ignore you entirely. The most extraordinary wildlife encounter on the planet.

9.Seychelles (Praslin & La Digue)

Inner Islands, Seychelles

Anse Source d'Argent's pink-granite boulders and shallow turquoise water rank among the most beautiful beaches ever photographed, fringed by giant tortoises and rare palms.

10.Kauai

Hawaiian Islands, USA

The Na Pali Coast's emerald fluted cliffs, Waimea Canyon, and jungle waterfalls make Hawaii's oldest island its most dramatically wild and cinematic.

11.Moorea

Society Islands, French Polynesia

A heart-shaped silhouette of jagged green peaks rising from two iridescent bays, with snorkeling among rays and reef sharks. Bora Bora's wilder, quieter twin.

12.Tahiti

Society Islands, French Polynesia

The legendary gateway to Polynesia: black-sand beaches, Teahupo'o's monster surf, lush waterfall valleys, and the cultural soul of the South Pacific.

13.Phi Phi & Phuket

Andaman Sea, Thailand

Maya Bay's cliff-ringed cove, longtail boats on emerald water, and limestone towers erupting from the Andaman Sea define tropical Thailand's postcard fantasy.

14.Mauritius

Mascarene Islands, Mauritius

Mark Twain's heaven made first: lagoon-rimmed beaches, the underwater waterfall illusion, Chamarel's seven colored earths, and a vibrant Creole-Indian fusion culture.

15.Fiji (Yasawa & Mamanuca)

Yasawa & Mamanuca Islands, Fiji

Soft white sand, the warmest welcome on Earth, manta rays in the channels, and tiny castaway islets that supplied the literal setting for shipwreck fantasies.

16.Sicily

Mediterranean Sea, Italy

Mount Etna smoking above Greek temples, baroque towns, mosaic-rich Norman cathedrals, and the Mediterranean's deepest larder of food and history in one giant island.

17.Santa Catalina / Crete

Mediterranean Sea, Greece

Minoan palaces, the pink-sand lagoon of Elafonisi, Samaria Gorge, and mountain villages make Greece's largest island a civilization unto itself.

18.Sardinia

Mediterranean Sea, Italy

The Costa Smeralda's Caribbean-clear coves and white granite, ancient nuraghe towers, and some of the Mediterranean's most pristine, translucent beaches.

19.Zanzibar

Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania

Stone Town's spice-trade alleys and carved doors give way to powder-white beaches and dhows on turquoise water. East Africa's storied island crossroads.

20.Lombok / Komodo

Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia

Pink Beach, manta-filled channels, and the only place to stand near wild Komodo dragons, framed by Padar's iconic triple-bay viewpoint.

21.Big Island (Hawaii)

Hawaiian Islands, USA

Active lava meeting the sea, snow-capped Mauna Kea stargazing, green and black sand beaches, and eleven climate zones on a single growing island.

22.Ibiza

Balearic Islands, Spain

The world's most famous nightlife island also hides hidden coves, the mystical Es Vedra rock, and bohemian sunsets that fuel its legend by day.

23.Skye

Inner Hebrides, United Kingdom

The jagged Cuillin ridge, the Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Pools, and brooding light make Scotland's misty isle the most cinematic in northern Europe.

24.Santorini's rival Mykonos

Cyclades, Greece

Iconic windmills, dazzling Cycladic white-and-blue Chora, and the Aegean's most glamorous beach scene, all wrapped in cobbled, bougainvillea-draped lanes.

25.Aitutaki

Cook Islands, Cook Islands

Often called the world's most beautiful lagoon: a vast triangle of impossibly blue shallows dotted with uninhabited motus and One Foot Island's sandbar.

26.Hvar

Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

Lavender fields, a Venetian harbor town, and the offshore Pakleni islets give the Adriatic's sunniest island its blend of glamour and Dalmatian charm.

27.Madeira

Atlantic Ocean, Portugal

A floating garden of laurel forests, sea-cliff levada trails, and Pico do Arieiro's above-the-clouds ridge walk on a volcanic island of eternal spring.

28.Tenerife / La Palma

Canary Islands, Spain

Spain's highest peak, Teide, rises through a Martian volcanic park above black beaches and laurel cloud-forest, with the clearest stargazing skies in Europe.

29.Jeju

Jeju Province, South Korea

A UNESCO volcanic island of lava tubes, the sunrise crater of Seongsan Ilchulbong, waterfalls, and free-diving haenyeo women. Korea's beloved honeymoon isle.

30.Boracay

Western Visayas, Philippines

White Beach's four-kilometer ribbon of powder-fine sand and sunset sailboats earned this tiny island a perennial spot atop world's-best-beach lists.

31.Vancouver Island

Pacific Northwest, Canada

Old-growth rainforest, storm-watching at Tofino, orcas in the strait, and the gardens of Victoria make Canada's wild Pacific isle a temperate marvel.

32.Lofoten Islands

Norwegian Sea, Norway

Sheer granite peaks rising straight from Arctic fjords, red fishing huts, midnight sun, and aurora over white beaches. Surreal scenery above the Arctic Circle.

33.Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Polynesian Triangle, Chile

The most remote inhabited island on Earth, guarded by nearly 900 enigmatic moai statues. An unmatched fusion of mystery, isolation, and Polynesian wonder.

34.Cozumel & Isla Holbox

Caribbean, Mexico

World-class Mesoamerican-reef diving off Cozumel and Holbox's whale sharks, flamingos, and car-free sand streets bookend Mexico's Caribbean island magic.

35.St. Lucia

Lesser Antilles, Saint Lucia

The twin Piton peaks rising sheer from the Caribbean Sea, rainforest, sulfur springs, and a drive-in volcano give this isle the region's most dramatic skyline.

36.Cape Breton

Nova Scotia, Canada

The Cabot Trail winds along cliff-edged Atlantic highlands through whale-rich waters and Celtic fishing villages on one of the world's great scenic drives.

37.Corsica

Mediterranean Sea, France

The 'Island of Beauty': granite calanches, the GR20 mountain trek, hidden coves, and Genoese citadels rising from a rugged, fragrant, fiercely independent interior.

38.Bermuda

North Atlantic, Bermuda (UK)

Pink-sand beaches at Horseshoe Bay, pastel colonial towns, crystalline caves, and historic shipwreck diving on an improbably refined Atlantic outpost.

39.Naxos & Paros

Cyclades, Greece

Marble villages, ancient temple gates, golden beaches, and authentic island life make these the Cyclades you visit once the crowds find Santorini.

40.Cocos / Whitsunday Islands

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Whitehaven Beach's swirling silica sand and Hill Inlet, fringed by the Great Barrier Reef, deliver the most photographed beach scene in the Southern Hemisphere.

41.Sri Lanka (whole island)

Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka

Ancient rock fortresses, hill-country tea trains, leopard safaris, and palm-lined southern beaches compress an entire continent's worth of wonder onto one island.

42.Faroe Islands

North Atlantic, Faroe Islands (Denmark)

Grass-roofed villages, sea stacks, a waterfall plunging off a cliff into the ocean, and the floating-lake illusion of Sorvagsvatn on wind-scoured emerald cliffs.

43.Gili Islands

Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia

Car-free sandy lanes, sea turtles in clear shallows, sunset swings over the water, and Lombok's volcano on the horizon make these three islets pure escapism.

44.Madagascar (Nosy Be)

Indian Ocean, Madagascar

A biological island-continent of lemurs, baobab avenues, and chameleons found nowhere else, with Nosy Be's beaches as the tropical gateway to its strangeness.

45.Aruba & Curacao

Lesser Antilles, Aruba/Curacao

Reliably sunny, dry-climate Dutch isles with calm turquoise beaches, divi-divi trees, colorful Willemstad waterfront, and some of the Caribbean's best snorkeling.

46.Tasmania (incl. Bruny)

Bass Strait, Australia

Wineglass Bay's perfect arc, ancient Gondwana rainforest, the world's cleanest air, and rugged wilderness make Australia's island state a wild, end-of-the-earth gem.

47.Bay Islands (Roatan)

Caribbean Sea, Honduras

Sitting on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, Roatan offers wall dives, whale sharks at Utila, and affordable powder beaches on the Caribbean's diving frontier.

48.Bohol & Cebu

Central Visayas, Philippines

The surreal Chocolate Hills, tiny tarsiers, sardine runs, and the waterfalls and whale sharks of neighboring Cebu pack improbable variety into the central Philippines.

49.Reunion

Mascarene Islands, France (Reunion)

One of Earth's most active volcanoes, three vast collapsed calderas, and dizzying canyon hikes make this Indian Ocean island a paradise for adventure trekkers.

50.Barbados

Lesser Antilles, Barbados

Calm Caribbean platinum-coast beaches, wild Atlantic surf, swimming with turtles, rum heritage, and a warm British-Bajan culture on the easternmost Caribbean isle.

51.Sao Miguel (Azores)

Azores Archipelago, Portugal

Twin crater lakes of Sete Cidades, geothermal hot springs, whale watching, and emerald volcanic landscapes make the Azores the mid-Atlantic's lush green secret.

52.Langkawi

Andaman Sea, Malaysia

A UNESCO Geopark of jungle-clad karst islands, a sky bridge over rainforest, eagles wheeling over mangroves, and duty-free beaches off Malaysia's northwest coast.

53.Gozo & Malta

Mediterranean Sea, Malta

Honey-stone walled cities, the Blue Lagoon's neon shallows, megalithic temples older than the pyramids, and luminous diving on this layered Mediterranean crossroads.

54.Koh Samui & Koh Tao

Gulf of Thailand, Thailand

Palm-backed beaches, the Ang Thong marine park's hidden lagoon, and Koh Tao's affordable world-class diving make the Gulf islands a laid-back tropical staple.

55.Harris & Lewis

Outer Hebrides, United Kingdom

Luskentyre's white sand and turquoise water look Caribbean until the wind reminds you it's the Atlantic, beside standing stones and Harris Tweed weavers.

56.Grenada

Lesser Antilles, Grenada

The 'Spice Isle' of nutmeg plantations, an underwater sculpture park, rainforest waterfalls, and uncrowded beaches offers the authentic, unhurried Caribbean.

57.Lord Howe Island

Tasman Sea, Australia

A capped-at-400-visitors UNESCO paradise of twin volcanic peaks, the world's southernmost coral reef, and walking trails through subtropical forest in pure isolation.

58.Procida & Ischia

Bay of Naples, Italy

Procida's pastel fishermen's harbor and Ischia's thermal gardens and castle offer the Bay of Naples' soul without Capri's crowds or prices.

59.Phu Quoc / Con Dao

Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam

Long white-sand beaches, fish-sauce villages, and Con Dao's pristine reefs and sea-turtle nesting grounds give Vietnam's islands a fast-rising tropical allure.

60.Kefalonia & Zakynthos

Ionian Islands, Greece

Navagio's shipwreck cove framed by white cliffs and the glowing blue water of Myrtos rank among the most iconic beach images in all of Greece.

61.Antigua

Lesser Antilles, Antigua and Barbuda

Famously a beach for every day of the year, plus Nelson's Dockyard heritage and pink-sand Barbuda next door. Classic, sailing-centric Caribbean.

62.Penang

Strait of Malacca, Malaysia

George Town's UNESCO shophouses, street-art lanes, and clan jetties make this island Asia's most celebrated street-food capital and a heritage-lover's dream.

63.Isle of Wight / Jersey

English Channel, United Kingdom

The Needles' chalk stacks, dinosaur-fossil cliffs, and genteel seaside resorts give Britain's sunniest island a nostalgic, walkable Victorian charm.

64.Boa Vista & Sal (Cape Verde)

Atlantic Ocean, Cape Verde

Endless windswept dunes meeting turquoise Atlantic, salt-pan flotation pools, turtle nesting, and morna music give these African islands a Saharan-Caribbean blend.

65.Koh Lipe

Andaman Sea, Thailand

The 'Maldives of Thailand': three powder beaches, glassy clear water, vibrant reefs, and a tiny walking street on a remote islet near the Malaysian border.

66.Elba

Tuscan Archipelago, Italy

Napoleon's exile island offers crystalline coves, granite peaks, vineyards, and Tuscan villages in a Mediterranean national-park archipelago far from the crowds.

67.Pico & Faial (Azores)

Azores Archipelago, Portugal

Climb Portugal's highest mountain straight from the sea, sip volcanic-vineyard wine, and watch sperm whales surface in the deep mid-Atlantic channel.

68.San Blas Islands

Caribbean Sea, Panama

Hundreds of palm-tufted sandbars run by the indigenous Guna, with no resorts, no roads, and the most untouched 'desert island' fantasy in the Caribbean.

69.Ko Phangan / Similan Islands

Andaman & Gulf, Thailand

The Similans' granite boulders and glass-clear diving water are world-renowned, while Phangan blends jungle interior with its famous full-moon beach culture.

70.Hydra & Spetses

Saronic Islands, Greece

Car-free stone harbor towns where donkeys carry the cargo and artists gather, a short hop from Athens yet a world removed from modern bustle.

71.Bazaruto Archipelago

Mozambique Channel, Mozambique

Towering sand dunes, dugongs in protected lagoons, flamingo flats, and untouched reefs make this remote Indian Ocean archipelago one of Africa's last true secrets.

72.Andaman Islands

Bay of Bengal, India

Radhanagar Beach's white sand and forest backdrop, elephant swimmers, and pristine reefs make India's remote Bay of Bengal islands a far-flung tropical surprise.

73.Salina & Lipari (Aeolian)

Aeolian Islands, Italy

Volcanic islands off Sicily where Stromboli erupts nightly and Vulcano steams, ringed by caper farms, capers, and the deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea.

74.Tobago

Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago

The oldest protected rainforest in the hemisphere meets Pigeon Point's jetty and Buccoo Reef's snorkeling, offering the laid-back, nature-rich Caribbean of decades past.

75.Halong Bay islands (Cat Ba)

Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam

Thousands of limestone karst islands rising from emerald water, hidden grottoes, and floating villages create one of Asia's most otherworldly seascapes.

76.Pulau Perhentian

South China Sea, Malaysia

Powdery beaches, turtles and reef sharks in glass-clear shallows, and no roads make these laid-back Malaysian islands a backpacker-to-diver tropical favorite.

77.Pitcairn / Tongatapu

South Pacific, Tonga

Swim with humpback whales in warm clear water, see blowholes and ancient trilithons, in one of the few kingdoms left in the remote South Pacific.

78.Naoshima

Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Japan's 'art island': Tadao Ando museums buried in hillsides, Yayoi Kusama's pumpkins on the pier, and avant-garde installations scattered across a fishing-village landscape.

79.Ko Chang / Koh Kood

Gulf of Thailand, Thailand

Mountainous jungle interiors, waterfalls, and some of Thailand's least-developed beaches near the Cambodian border reward travelers seeking the Gulf's quiet eastern fringe.

80.Flores & Azores' Terceira

Azores Archipelago, Portugal

Hydrangea-lined craters, hundreds of waterfalls, and UNESCO Angra do Heroismo make the outer Azores a hiker's emerald wonderland in the wild Atlantic.