One Happy Island Aruba is a small island in the Caribbean a few kilometers off the north coast of Venezuela. It’s hot, sunny and windy year round but the main tourist season is around Christmas and New Year’s, when it’s cold and grey in the northern hemisphere. Aruba is easily accessible from the United States;…
Category: Beach
Zanzibar: White Sand, Blue Water, and a Cool Breeze Jambiani, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Stone Town is wonderful but it’s not a place to relax. For that, you best go to Zanzibar’s east coast, to Jambiani, for example. The beaches are endless, the sand whiter than anywhere else, and the water shades of blue and turquoise you can’t even imagine. In short, it looks a lot like paradise. Finding…
Otago Peninsula: Beaches, Lookouts, and (no) Albatrosses South Island, New Zealand
The rugged, steep Otago Peninsula is one of the only few peninsulas on the South Island’s east coast. Although right in front of the city of Dunedin and easily accessible, the peninsula – probably due to its hilly terrain – is only lightly populated. Driving is on narrow roads, along steep hills, and around impossibly…
The Catlins: Waterfalls and Paua Shells South Island, New Zealand
Not too many travelers go further south than Te Anau and Milford Sound. Those who do, however, and travel between Invercargill and Dunedin, have the possibility to take the scenic route through the Catlins and are rewarded with amazing beaches, stunning waterfalls, and beautiful scenery. And lots of gravel roads, yes, that too. The Southernmost…
Wharariki Beach, Westport, Punakaiki: Go West Coast Westcoast, South Island, New Zealand
After crossing to the South Island by ferry – a wonderful journey across the Cook Strait and through Queen Charlotte Sound – we drove along the South Island’s north coast all the way to the beginning of the Farewell Spit at the northern end of Golden Bay. Wharariki Beach The spit can only be visited…
Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga, Kauri Coast: The Land of Giant Trees and Dunes Northland, New Zealand
New Zealand’s South Island may be more beautiful than the North Island (according to most travelers), but the North Island has some stunning scenery too. Bay of Islands A few hours drive north of Auckland, on the east coast, is the Bay of Islands. A bay with many islands, that simple. It’s a major tourist…
The Yasawas: Always on Fiji Time Fiji
What comes to mind when you hear “South Pacific”? Beach? Turquoise water? Snorkeling? Island hopping? Probably yes. Don’t we all dream the island dream..? The Yasawas and How to Get There While dreaming is free, making dreams reality isn’t. It’s actually pretty expensive, especially in Fiji. But you cannot go to Fiji and not go…
Malekula: The Banana Boat and the (Rough) Sea Vanuatu
Did I say I was scared on Dukono? Or on the boat to Bunaken island? Well, back then, I didn’t know what being scared was really like. What I felt on the boat from Ambrym to Malekula was a whole new dimension of being scared. I was terrified. No Easy Way to Get to Malekula Ambrym…
Efate: Music on the Beach and a Post Office under Water Vanuatu
Efate is Vanuatu’s most populous island, has an international airport, and is home to the capital city of Port Vila. Port Vila may be the capital of Vanuatu but that doesn’t mean it’s a metropolis. Probably the only thing to do here – and that’s a must-do! – is a visit to the central market. The produce…
Morotai: Back in Time North Maluku, Indonesia
Exploring Morotai Daruba, Morotai’s main town, has at least one very good restaurant: Rumah Makan Irfamas (Ikan Bakar, what else.). However, apart from eating good fish there’s not much to do in Daruba. You have to get out of town. Muhlis Eso, the guy from Morotai’s WWII museum (it’s a small private collection, but a big museum…
Island Hopping Indonesian Style Morotai, Dodola, and the Bandas. Or not.
Banda Islands: Sounds Like a Plan Plans are just that; plans. Where you really end up is another thing altogether. Our plan was (and we were looking very forward to it) to go to the Banda Islands. From Ambon, they’re accessible by plane or by speedboat. At least that’s how it should be but, for…
Pulau Saparua: Dream & Reality Maluku, Indonesia
Who doesn’t dream of a tropical island with white sand beaches, palm trees lining the shore, and colorful fish swimming in the corals off the coast? Dream islands like that exist, yes, but unfortunately, in reality they often look a bit different. The white sand beach is strewn with garbage and it’s not uncommon to swim among…