Adventure Trips on Island Nations

Imagine taking an adventure trip to an island nation–an entire country set on its own little isle! Set away from the rest of the world with a feeling of “land’s end”, there are island nations that are little secrets where you can find big adventure. Even the natives want to keep this to themselves. Discover these isles and then shhhh! hoard them to yourself.

Madagascar
Where: In the Indian Ocean, floating in the southeastern coast of Africa.
The Talk: Malagasy (a language belonging to the group of Malayo-Polynesian languages)
Size:3,000 miles of coastline on the world’s fourth largest island (about double the size of Arizona)
Population: 19,448,815
The Story: Also known as the “Great Red Island” due to all the iron and aluminum in the soils. The island has three different climates: tropical on the coast, temperate inland, and dry in the south. Madagascar is also considered as being a “world apart” due to the animal and plant species (including ones that are not found in the mainland Africa). But great news! The venomous snakes that are a big part of Africa do not exist on the island!
The Adventure: The Madagascar adventure experience includes visiting where pirates once ruled, exploring volcanic lakes and checking out jewels like the pirates did. See the lemurs, archaelogical relics, funeral sanctuaries, Mahafaly’s tomb, and amazing FIRE-RESISTANT Baobab trees.

Niue
Where: 1800 miles northeast of New Zealand popping out of the South Pacific.
The Talk: Niuean, English
Size: A tiny 100 square miles
Population: 1,492
The Story: Unlike any of its Polynesian neighbors, this isle avoided the power hierarchy of priests and chiefs but depended on a “democratically” elected monarch. The Niueans used do live in caves because there were so many. Today Niue is one of the world’s smallest self-governing states.
The Adventure: On land and underwater caves are there for exploring. There are so many whales that they come to YOU! See whales without even leaving the land, if you wish. Also enjoy mind-boggling diving without all the crowds. There is hardly anyone here on this island.

Saint Lucia
Where: Part of the Lesser Antilles, this rock sits in the eastern part of the Carribean Sea near the Atlantic Ocean
The Talk: English is the official language but a French-Antillean Creole “slang” is spoken by 90% of the locals
Size: 616 square-kilometer (about 3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.)
Population: 170,649
The Story: The Arawaks (believed to have come from South America) were the first inhabitants and Caribs gradually replaced them. This little island gets its income mainly from tourism and banana production.
The Adventure: Test your biking skills on a jungle biking adventure through amazing trails and single-track loops. Climb the two mountains that are symbolic of the Saint Lucia. These are twin peaks formed by a volcanic eruption and reaching over 2600 feet.