PERFECT ISLANDS
KARIMUNJAWA ISLANDS, INDONESIA
OPOPULATION 9,000
OSIZE 27 square miles
Indonesia is a country entirely
made up of islands – at least
17,000 of them by some counts.
While the island of Java at the
heart of the archipelago is home
to more than 140 million
people, Karimunjawa is another
story. This tropical escape 50
miles north of Java, reached by a
bumpy plane ride or an equally
bumpy ferry trip, comprises
27 islands, countless nodding
palms and a few sandy beaches.
Most visitors spend the greater
part of their time face down and
ignoring all the above, however,
as Karimunjawa has some of
Indonesia’s best snorkelling.
For a good introduction, boarda boat departing from the
principal hub of Pulau
Karimunjawa to Menjangan
Besar and Menjangan Kecil- two islands with no
permanent residents, but whose
surrounding reefs are home
to shoals of technicolour fish
and endangered turtle species.
OGETTING THERE Karimunjawa's
airport mostly serves small charter
planes, such as those booked by the
Kura Kura Resort (flights May–Oct;
kurakuraresort.com). Otherwise,
there are fast ferries from Semarang
(4 hours) and Jepara (2 hours) on the
main island of Java. AirAsia flies to
Semarang direct from Singapore
and Kuala Lumpur (from US$50;
airasia.com).
Best for Snorkelling
TANERA MÒR, SUMMER ISLES, SCOTLAND
OPOPULATION None permanent
OSIZE 1 square mile
For anyone who’s watched the
1973 classic The Wicker Man,
a holiday in Scotland’s Summer
Isles suggests pagan rituals and
grisly human sacrifice. Luckily
the producers only borrowed
the name of this archipelago
for their film, and the real-life
Summer Isles (pictured, in the
middle distance) are a less risky
proposition (there are almost nohumans here to sacrifice
anyway). An archipelago of
islets scattered off the top left
hand corner of the Highlands,
this is about as remote a plot as
you can find in the UK – a refuge
for early Christian monks, for
criminals evading the long arm
of the law, and now for visitors
who can lodge in crofters’
cottages on the lone inhabitable
island of Tanera Mòr. Castaways
can spend their days wanderingthe heathery moors and
seaweed-strewn beaches until
the appointed time when the
little ferry shuttles them back to
the mainland across the chilly
fathoms of Loch Broom.
OGETTING THERE See summer-
isles.com for details of ferries and
cruises to the islands (from US$13).
The nearest town is Ullapool,
a 1½-hour drive from Inverness,
which has flight connections from
London.Best for Castaways
PHOTOGRAPHS: KIMBERLEY COOLE/GETTY IMAGES, JUSTIN FOULKES/4CORNERS, IAIN GALLOWAY/500PX
PERFECT ISLANDS