Which Desert island

is right for you?

So many lovely islands. How do I choose? Well, first off rest assured that you can’t go wrong with any of them. We are very picky about desert islands and all of them are exceptional. We consider numerous aspects from beauty to accessibility, pirates and resources. Did they just say pirates? Yes. Safety is another important consideration for us, so we won’t take you to islands with a risk of modern-day pirates, or pit vipers for that matter…

So, whether you are price sensitive, need somewhere easy to travel to, fancy snorkelling tropical reefs or want amazing fishing, each of our islands has their own nuances with some advantages and disadvantages. To help choose you can continue reading, or click this button and answer a few questions, and we’ll send the answer right to your inbox within minutes.

Which Island Is Right For You?

Location Location Location

First off, one of the most important considerations is travel time from your home country. Then you should consider whether domestic travel is required when you arrive. We love the website flight connections to help with travel time.

Panama– Typically easiest to get to and no domestic transfers.

Panama is our easiest destination to reach. Not only is Panama City served with direct flights from most major US cities and several European capitals (view the connections map here), you also do not need to take any domestic transfers.

Our Panama island boasts a unique combination of feeling very wild and remote but being just a 90 min direct speedboat from the capital city, so no internal flight needed, saving you both time and money.

Philippines – One domestic flight required

To get to our slice of paradise in the Philippines, a domestic flight is required from Manila or Cebu to Coron in northern Palawan. Manila itself is well served and there are several flights to Coron each day. Due to this you will typically require a night layover in Manila or Cebu.

Tonga – A long way from everywhere (Except AUS & NZ)

There is no way to sugar coat it, Tonga is isolated! However absolute paradise is worth making the effort for. Tonga is only served with international flights from 3 destinations: Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. So, unless you are coming from them you typically have a lot of travel time to get here. Once in Tonga we take a one-hour domestic flight to Ha’apai.

Indonesia – Easy to get to Singapore then a ferry and domestic flight required

First you need to get to Singapore, which has the best airport on the planet and is a tourist attraction in its own right. There are direct flights to most hubs. From here we take a 1hr ferry to Batam and a 1hr flight to the Anambas. We would put it as a medium on the travel challenge scale.

When are the trips?

We only run trips when the conditions are optimal. We believe there is enough to deal with in survival without mosquitos, torrential rainstorms and cyclones.

Panama

From January to May

Philippines

From January to May

Tonga

May and June

Indonesia

From May and October

Insects and deadly animals

All of our destinations have low insect numbers however some have less than others.

Panama

There are next to no mosquitos, however early in the season it is possible to have some sand flies present but they are manageable.

As far as dangerous animals go, Panama has one potentially dangerous one, the Brazilian wandering spider which can deliver a bite which has been rarely (0.14% of bites) known to kill young children and people who have pre-existing heart conditions.

Philippines

Next to no mosquitos, no sand flies and no deadly animals that we are aware of.

Tonga

No sandflies and very few mosquitos, there are no deadly animals that we are aware of.

Indonesia

The mosquitos here are very manageable. The most challenging animals are the emboldened monitor lizards and monkeys, who will both steal food if it’s not stored correctly!

Wildlife highlights

Panama

Phosphorescent plankton lighting up the ocean when swimming, nesting and hatching turtles. Frequent Stingrays and hundreds of pelicans and sea eagle.

Philippines

70 kg monitor lizards, nesting and hatching turtles, occasionally eagle rays and even dugongs.

Tonga

Humpbacks constantly breaching, enormous flying foxes, eagle rays, leopard sharks.

Indonesia

Monkeys, huge monitor lizards, and incredible reefs bringing in reef sharks, turtles and rays.

Fishing and resource abundance

Panama

Has great fishing and relatively good resources. It is however our most visited island, therefore at the end of the season it’s possible that it is less easy to reach palm fronds on the trees. We bring in lots of coconuts to the island to ensure there are plenty to go around, and that we are not depleting the resources.

Philippines

Sadly, after years of destructive fishing practices in the region, our Palawan island does not boast the best fishing, you can still catch a few but large fish are few and far between. Otherwise, there are plenty of coconuts, palm trees and fruit in the interior.

Tonga

Is the garden of Eden: effortless fishing, unlimited coconuts and palm fronds. You will never be short of resources here.

Indonesia

This island boasts rich healthy reefs with great fishing and good resources on land.

Specific highlights

Panama

Has the option to arrive by jumping out of a helicopter into the ocean and swimming to the island, this also includes a tour over the Panama Canal and jungle.

Philippines

Is always accompanied with a visit to Kayangan lake and includes a fantastic local instructor who shares specific Filipino bushcraft. There is also an exceptional chef who cooks up amazing local cuisine.

Tonga

includes swimming with humpback whales. Need we say more.

Indonesia

Local food market and an introduction to spearfishing. Why not also add 24 hours in Singapore?s

Weather

Panama

We only go in the dry season so you will enjoy wall-to-wall blue sky and typically no rain. Temperatures are relatively high but the humidity is not too punishing. The UV index is very high, and the sun should be avoided from 12pm-2pm.

Philippines

We go at the best time of year when temperatures are very comfortable, skies are clear and there is no rain.

Tonga

We go in May with daily temperatures of around 27C.

Indonesia

We operate at the perfect time when rainfall is low and trade winds are cooling. Being where it is, a few degrees south of the equator, it’s naturally warm and tropical.

ISOLATION

Panama

Despite its proximity to Panama City, this desert island has an excellent feeling of isolation and looking out into the Pacific ocean you will see no lights. One or two fishing boats might pass by and that’s it.

Philippines

You are still on a stunning uninhabited island, but this is probably our least isolated offering. You will see lights on the horizon and a few fishing boats passing by each day.

Tonga

Nowhere compares to the isolation of Tonga, you won’t see any lights on the horizon here. The only possible other sign of human life is a sail boat passing by.

Indonesia

We would say this is second place for remoteness. Despite it’s easy access from Singapore you will not have any land near you for 20miles in all directions. Expect little boat traffic and amazing stars.