3 Exotic Island Fantasies to Warm Winter Chills
Inspired by the new BBC Two series Earth’s Tropical Islands, we recommend trips to some of the world’s most important wildlife havens.
26 December 2019
Maebelle
All Credits: PA
Winter blues are best blasted with fantasies of basking in an exotic destination, and new BBC Two three-parter Earth’s Tropical Islands promises scenes to stimulate those dreams.
SEE ALSO: Least Visited Country on Each Continent: Why You Should Go
Separated from continents thousands of years ago, these isolated lands create unique habitats for some of the planet’s most fascinating wildlife. Plan your own encounter with these trips inspired by the series.
Madagascar
Formed nearly 90 million years ago, this land mass off the east coast of South Africa is considered to be the oldest island in the world and some of its curious inhabitants are found nowhere else on the planet.
The most charismatic of all creatures is the lemur, a snouty-nosed strepsirrhine primate endemic to Madagascar. There are 101 species and subspecies – all weird and wonderful in their own way.
As big as a five-year-old child, indri lemurs spring through the canopy of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, emitting a ghostly wail; in Berenty Reserve, comedic Verraux’s sifakas dance with a distinctive sideways hop; and in Ranomafana, irresistibly cute grey bamboo lemurs stare timidly from the undergrowth with cartoonish eyes.
Borneo
Displaying uncanny human characteristics, orangutans capture the hearts of many who visit their homeland, an island in Southeast Asia, divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. But there’s another primate here deserving attention: the pot-bellied, long-nosed probosci's monkey.
Both species can be seen in the wild, with a bit of effort. Sightings are guaranteed at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Project and Labuk Bay Sanctuary, both in Malaysian-governed Sabah.
Twice the size of the British Isles, the world’s third-largest island has fostered a habitat for more than 60,000 species of plants and animals in the last 10,000 years. But industrial logging is threatening their future, with half of the ancient forests already destroyed.
Hawaii
Each of Hawaii’s islands began as volcanic eruptions which solidified over millions of years into vast masses of new land. Humans are so often the cause of disruption to nature, but in the world’s most remote island chain, nature-loving communities have been responsible for safeguarding their animal neighbours.
Thanks to their efforts, white terns have risen in number from a single pair to more than 2,000 birds in the last 60 years.
A Humpback National Marine Sanctuary has been set up to protect dolphins and whales, and the series features footage of the humpback whale heat run – the biggest courtship battle in the world.
On land, lava fields and jungles dominate many of the eight major islands, where oddball characters include a waterfall-climbing fish and the carnivorous caterpillar.
