National Geographic Adventure's Best Adventure Islands

Filed in archive Adventure on March 31, 2008

If you're reading this blog, chances are you are a lover of all things outdoor, like me. You may call me crazy, but I've never thought of islands as being "adventurous". I imagine a beautiful beach, with umbrella drinks under the shadow of a ritzy resort. But, an article in the February 2008 issue of National Geographic Adventure has helped me changed my opinions of islands and help me realize that, yes, islands can be more than a place to rest.

Isla Holbox, Mexico
Fly-fish in Utopia

BASE CAMP: Isla Holbox Flyfishing Lodge

ACTIVITY: Cast for sporty early-season tarpon

When the mexican government offered to pave the sand streets of Isla Holbox, the 1,600 or so residents of this dagger-shaped cay, just off the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, said "Gracias, pero no." That's the kind of independent spirit that pervades this easygoing, little-visited outpost-a well-guarded enclave of fishermen, divers, and seriously tan Italian expats who have an aversion to wearing shoes.
To get here, make the 30-minute ferry crossing from Chiquilá on the mainland, then drop your bags at the just opened Isla Holbox Flyfishing Lodge, a five-room wooden guesthouse directly on the beach. You'll be greeted by Luciano Govi, the poetic and perpetually smiling on-site manager, who came to Holbox to see a friend in 2004 and never left. "I found in this island a forgotten world," he says.

Guadeloupe
Cycle a Pro Circuit

BASE CAMP: La Toubana & Le Jardin Malanga

ACTIVITY: Pedal the challenging Tour de la Guadeloupe-at your own pace.

It's hardly shocking that Tour de France team riders like to spend time on Guadeloupe. After all, the hilly, beach-fringed archipelago is known for its superb creole cuisine and deeply entrenched Gallic soul. What's surprising is that these guys are not here to laze about in their Speedos; they're here to ride.

Guadeloupe is a cyclist's dream: The terrain is challenging but doable, the roads are smooth, and the locals are mad about biking (the country hosts its own international two-week stage race, the Tour de la Guadeloupe, every August). Among the highlights are undulating rides through sweet-smelling sugarcane plantations on the island of Grande-Terre, and tougher pedals on volcanic Basse-Terre, including a thigh-busting climb up 4,813-foot (1,467-meter) La Soufrière. "It's like l'Alpe d'Huez on steroids," says Jeneen Sutherland, who scouted a trip for Toronto-based cycling outfitter Butterfield & Robinson last year.