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Waier Island in the Murray Island Group, Torres Strait Islands. Picture:Oliver Strewe Source: Lonely Planet

Roatan Island, Honduras. Picture: Damian Turski Source: Lonely Planet

San Blas Archipelago, Panama. Picture: Alfredo Maiquez Source: Supplied

SIX seasons of Lost have probably taken some of the gloss off the Robinson Crusoe experience. But if you’re still craving that deserted island experience, here’s a list from Lonely Planet sure to reignite your love affair.

SOCOTRA, YEMEN
You just have to be intrigued by a destination that describes itself as ‘the most alien-looking place on earth’.

Ripped from the coast of Gondwanaland by plate tectonics, the four desert islands that form the Socotra group are a treasure-house of biodiversity, with thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth.

Topping the weird list are the barrel-trunked cucumber tree and the dragon’s blood tree, which oozes blood-red sap.

Despite being closer to Africa than the Arabian Peninsula, Socotra is administered by Yemen, which keeps the islands off the tourist radar. Modern-day Sinbads can fly to the tiny capital, Hadibu, from Sana’a and Aden with Yemenia Airlines.

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TORRES STRAIT ISLANDS, AUSTRALIA
As far as you can go in Oz without falling off the map, the Torres Strait Islands are Australia as it might have been if Europeans had never arrived.

Spilling north from the tip of Cape York, the 274 islands in the Torres Strait preserve a unique tribal culture that bridges the divide between Aboriginal Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The Great Barrier Reef is right on the doorstop and there are airstrips and hotels on Thursday Island and Horn Island, but access to other islands is at the discretion of local tribal councils.

Permits to visit outlying islands must be obtained at least one month in advance from the Torres Strait Regional Authority.

YAEYAMA ISLANDS, JAPAN
If Godzilla should ever rise from the sea to destroy Tokyo and Osaka, there’s only one place to ride out the storm – the idyllic Yaeyama Islands, tucked away at the very southern tip of the Japanese archipelago.

Looking more like the Caribbean, the islands of Iriomote, Taketomi and Ishigaki serve up generous portions of sun, sea, sand and sushi. Ishigaki has the best of the beaches, while Taketomi is famous for its traditional Ryukyuan houses and Iriomote is a jungle playground with an open-air onsen (hot springs).

Japan Transocean Air flies daily from Tokyo to Ishigaki, which is connected to the other islands by regular ferries.

ILES DU SALUT, FRENCH GUIANA
Most people have heard of Devil’s Island, but few would be able to stick a pin on a map.

The smallest of the three Iles du Salut, this infamous former penal colony is separated from the coast of French Guiana by 11km of treacherous, sharkinfested waters.

Steve McQueen tried to escape the islands repeatedly in Papillon, but most modern visitors are willing castaways, lured here by waving palms, chattering macaws and spooky ruins from the penal colony days.

Access to the Iles du Salut is by catamaran from Kourou and the only place to stay is the clubhouse-style Auberge des Iles.

ULLEUNGDO, SOUTH KOREA
It’s easy to see the appeal of tiny Ulleungdo. Midway between South Korea and Japan, this rugged volcanic island is said to have no pollution, no thieves and no snakes – in other words, this is perfect hiking country.

Ferries run daily from the mainland to the tiny port at Dodong-ri, where trails climb to the rocky summit of Seonginbong Peak (984m). If you want to really push the boat out, continue to the Dokdo islands – a tiny collection of outcrops that are hotly disputed between Japan and South Korea.

Perched beneath a towering cliff wall, Chusan Ilga Pension offers comfortable but satisfyingly rustic accommodation on the rugged north coast.

SAN BLAS ARCHIPELAGO, PANAMA
Panama probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of the Caribbean, but this Central American nation has coral cays to rival anything in the Caymans or the Virgin Islands.

Run as an autonomous province by the Kuna people, the San Blas Archipelago is a crescent of 365 tiny islands basking in the warm waters of the southern Caribbean. Forget luxury resorts – the only hotels are homestays in village houses and dinner is whatever the fishermen bring home in their canoes each evening.

Air Panama has regular flights to several San Blas islands, including the capital, El Porvenir.

PENGHU ISLANDS, TAIWAN
If Taiwan is the other China, then the Penghu islands are the other Taiwan. Administered from Taipei, the 90 islands of the Penghu archipelago are famed – within Taiwan at least – for their glorious scenery and ‘touching nostalgia’, which translates to unspoiled traditional Taiwanese culture.

Away from the capital, Makung, this is a land of ox-carts, fish-traps, stone-walled fields, basalt cliffs and temples dedicated to the sea goddess Matsu. If sun and sand are more your cup of shochu, the beaches and wind-surfing are pretty impressive too.

From May to October, Penghu’s beaches are a nesting ground for endangered green turtles – locals leave turtle-shaped offerings at temples as part of the Lantern Festival, 14 days after the New Year.

BAY ISLANDS & HOG ISLANDS, HONDURAS
Forget Pirates of the Caribbean – the sand-dusted islands that fl oat off the coast of Honduras are the real deal. In their heyday, the islands of Roatan, Utila and Guanaja were home to 5000 cutthroats, brigands and buccaneers, including the infamous Henry Morgan (aka Blackbeard).

These days, the Bay Islands are better known for their beaches, diving and laid-back tropical vibe. You can turn the volume down ever further at the nearby Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands) – 13 languorous coral cays and one secluded resort in a sea of brilliant blue.

The driftwood Plantation Beach Resort is the Hog Islands’ only accommodation, but camping can be arranged on uninhabited islands.

CON DAO ISLANDS, VIETNAM
Another prison-turned-paradise, the Con Dao islands were home to the most notorious penal colony in Indochina, and continued its grim work until the end of the Vietnam War.

Now preserved as Con Dao National Park, the 16 islands are a natural wonderland of dense jungles, jade-coloured waters and white-sand beaches, home to dugongs, dolphins, turtles and spectacular coral reefs.

For now, tourist developments on the islands are limited to a single dive shop and a handful of resorts in Con Son township.

Timing is everything with Con Dao – the islands are lashed by squalls from the west from June to September and squalls from the east from September to January.

SSESE ISLANDS, UGANDA
Why would a landlocked African nation appear on a list of desert islands? Thank Lake Victoria. The Ssese Islands tick all the right boxes for an island paradise – golden beaches, whispering palm trees, exotic flora and fauna – they just happen to be in the middle of Africa’s largest lake.

Most of the 84 islands in the Ssese group are undeveloped, but a handful of resorts and beach camps grace the sands of Buggala, Bukasa and Banda.

Aside from basking in the sun, the main activities are combing the jungle for exotic creatures and canoeing across the lake. Boats run daily to Kalangala on Buggala island from Entebbe, Kasenyi and Bukakata on the mainland.

This is an extract from the new book LONELY PLANET’S BEST IN TRAVEL 2011 – the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the upcoming year – out now.

(c) Lonely Planet 2010. RRP: $24.99. lonelyplanet.com

canoeing Clothing doorstop, san blas archipelago, torres strait islands, tribal councils

White Water on the Comal river in Central Texas is more of of toobers paradise than a rafter or kayaker’s dreamland, but for a fun and relaxing family adventure I highly recommend the trip. For the second time in the last two years my family and I spent a few days partaking of fun, water and sun in and around New Braunfels, Texas on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers. Day one was spent on the Comal floating gently down the lazy 72 degree water from Prince Solms Park to the Rockin R take out. I have always rented tubes from Rockin R for as long as I can remember Rockin R claims to have been established in 1979, so maybe that first time I went to Camp Warneke it wasn’t called Rockin R, but it sure seems it was on the same corner. Though Camp Warneke is no longer, the signs along the river still point to a simpler time when multi-million dollar water parks didn’t dominate the landscape of New Braunfels.

Rockin R does a great job of shuttling around the huge qualities of toobers in old airport rental car shuttles who enjoy the relaxing beer soaked float down the Comal. Tubes can be rented with or without bottoms and don’t forget your cooler float. Ours came complete with a nice little Texas flag painted on the front of our cooler.

Our first day on the Comal was later voted as the family favorite. The relaxing float which started just above Prince Solms park in Landa Park featured four trips through the tube hoot for my son and I. It wasn’t until the third trip through that I noticed that the park was closed and there were No Trespassing signs everywhere. Opps! On the forth trip the rest of the family finally braved the light rain having waited out all the thunder, lighting and most of the heavy rain under the large oaks on the shores of the Comal in Landa Park. To tell the truth I was more than a little apprehensive this labor day weekend as scattered thundershowers followed us the entire vacation. They say lighting never strikes twice, but I wasn’t in the mood to tempt fate as I was shocked by a lighting surge the previous week working at my computer with my hand resting on the mouse. My pinky may never be the same again.

Our first trip with the entire family down the Comal was as a classic. Exciting start and a smooth, relaxing finish. The urban Comal River is 2.5 mile in length and is one of the largest springs in Texas with 8 million gallons of water flowing through every hour. The water is pure, clear and cold, and a constant 72 degrees. The calm cool waters of the Comal in Landa Park are created by a small dam to the right of which is the mild adrenaline rush of the dam’s S shaped spillway called the Prince Solms Park Tube Chute.

After the mild adventure of the tube chute at the start we had a incredible day on the water given the fact that we only had two beers in the cooler. A tactical mistake given the cases of beer that toobers consume during the course of any given day on the Comal River in Texas. On a side note the beer at the Rockin R was, lets say priced like a piece of plywood in Florida this hurricane season on the black market.

At the end of our trip, Rockin R’s exclusive exit was where our crew and toobs were graciously hoisted from the water by the Rockin R staff. At the top of the stairs our Rockin R cruise director asked of our future intentions to float the river. The Rockin R will haul you from the finish line to the start from sunup to sundown. The family decided to have another go at the river after lunch. With tubes loaded in the trailer our old rental car shuttles vinyl cover seats served as our latest venue of relaxation. Several dads with water guns provided the entertainment spraying innocent bikini clad women from the bus windows as we made our way back to the Rockin R store on Liberty Street. The gang decided on Pat’s Place for some old fashion burgers and iced tea from mason jars as the lunch de jour. After a satisfying meal and great service our only compliant being they had no outdoor full service deck, we headed over to the corner store to pick up some reasonably priced refreshments. Having fully stocked the expedition, we took the shuttle back to our starting point in Landa park. This time we all took the refreshing plunge into the cool waters of the Comal quickly and rafted up for the descent down the tube chute.

Our final trip through the tube chute stared the same as the last, but my ten year-old daughter who was tied off with her grandmother broke away and got caught up in the whirlpool action just behind the dam. She couldn’t get back across the main outflow of the spillway, and couldn’t grab the high bank wall to get back to the steps just behind the dam. She made several attempts just below the park rangers un-watchful eyes before I yelled and motioned to her to stay put in her tube. I waded back upstream on the opposite bank and dove into the main current of the tube chute which sent me rocketing across the river to the opposing shore. As I neared the high concrete embankment, I jumped and grabbed hold of the wall only to be swiftly washed off by an influx tubers and the surge of water preceding them. Trying to keep my head above water I got a very nice shin rash from the sharp concrete wall foundations as I grabbed for the stair rails and my second attempt to get out of the swift currents. Finally with a new found respect for the tame waters of the Comal I headed up stream on the opposite bank to assist my daughter. Having heeded my advise she was resting near the wall in a clam area where the top of the wall was just out of her reach. Laying down she handed me her tube and I pulled her out of the water for the brief trip on the walkway back downstream. As I ambled, fairly exhausted, past the park rangers I gave them the quizzical eye as if to say, “where the hell where you.”

The remainder of the float downstream I was amazed at the stupidly of jumping into the gushing confluence of the dam’s spillway as I consumed a refreshing Mexican import. Kids being kids, my son and I tried our hand at standing on our tubes in the calmer and deeper sections of the Comal as our thoughts turned toward our next adventure at the Texas Ski Ranch.

When you go to tube chute, on the Comal expect the ride to be swift, you should wear water shoes or rafting sandals to protect your feet from the concrete and uneven river bottom – the rocks and steps are covered in algae and are slippery. You can go through the tube chute as many times as you want and with a tube outfitter shuttle float the Comal several times in a day. The tube chute is not recommended for weak swimmers or children under 6. The remainder of the 2.5 mile river is pure family enjoyment. The crowd can be load and rowdy at times including some beer bong drinking college students in the shallows on long the way. So be sure to avert the eyes if some beer drinking young lady should flash the cheering crowds. You will be floating through the lush backyards and urban parks in the town of New Braunfels, so if you need to exit the river for any reason make sure you are not trespassing as the landowners are not tolerant due the the aforementioned beer drinking crowds. The Trip is a definite must do if in central Texas in August. On the up side, this is not the Schlitterbahn, this is what inspired the Schlitterbahn. My 14 year old son after a day at America’s favorite water park (we got waited in line for the MasterBlaster for 1:43 minutes starting at 10:26 am and we were off the ride at 12:11) and a day on the Guadalupe pronounced the Comal his favorite.

For more information about family adventure travel visit advenquest.com

Website: advenquest.com

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