A veritable galaxy away from the ritz and glitz of the Mamanucas and Denarau Island, the northern reaches of this island nation are all about getting back to nature, attested to in all their tropical glory by the wet, wild and wondrous “Garden Isle” of Taveuni and the ridged, sinuous island of Vanua Levu.  Just […]

Fiji’s “mainland” is in reality its largest island of Viti Levu and home to the nation’s capital Suva.  From its stunning, curving coastline to the dramatic escarpment views which are a “Highlight of the Highlands”, there’s something for everyone on this large island.  The breatktaking Momi Bay and Natadola Harbour which both lie on Viti […]

Mysterious and magical, the Yasawa chain which winds slightly northeastwards of the Mamanucas are simply like no other — a unique confluence of the traditional, remote, and sensationally natural.  While they may appear on a map to be an extension of the Mamanuca Group, the proximity between the two Groups is where the similarities end.  […]

Journeying almost due east from the island of Efate in Vanuatu brings us to the nation of Fiji, where we will explore four destinations and close out our odyssey through Melanesia.  Simply put, Fiji’s got star power in the Pacific, and mere mention of it conjures up visions of a tropical paradise replete with deserted […]

The island of Efate is the heart of this archipelago nation and home to its capital Port Vila.  Efate itself is ringed by attractive beaches with numerous satellite islands lying close offshore.  One of the most fêted of these offshore islands is Eretoka which seems to have been shaped in the form of a hat, […]

The nation of Vanuatu consists of a chain of islands located north and east of New Caledonia.  Many of the islands in the archipelago are home to active volcanoes, and the official languages of English and French in addition to Bislama are testament to the history of joint administration of the islands by England and […]

L’Île-des-Pins roughly translates to The Island of Pines, named by Captain Cook for the plethora of indigenous pine trees which forest the island.  Entirely enclosed by a World Heritage listed lagoon, it is blessed with every facet of a tropical paradise one could possibly imagine.  Situated approximately thirty miles or around fifty kilometers southeast of […]

The incomparable islands and satellite islets of New Caledonia are a tropical Eden like no other … scintillating sandy beaches soft and sweet as powdered sugar, dramatic vistas lining a rugged indented coastline, sensational islands orbiting a hulking grand “mainland’ – Grande Terre, and a resplendent lagoon which will make you dream in shades of […]

Welcome to France in the Pacific.  Melanesian at its heart, New Caledonia is one of these island realms scattered across Melanesia and Polynesia, which constitute the Overseas territories of France, or France d’outre-mer in the Pacific.  Running in a generally northwest to southeast orientation, Grande Terre is the largest island in the territory, near the […]

The importance of serenity on the Solomons cannot be overstated.  Six primary islands and hundreds of lesser ones comprise the nation of Solomon Islands, stretching between Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea to the northwest, and Vanuatu’s largest island of Espiritu Santo to the southeast.  The tranquility has been hard-won.  The Solomons were the site […]

If the Raja Ampat regency marks the western front of Melanesia sitting off the west coast of the great island of New Guinea, the island provinces of E. New Britain and New Ireland lie right across off the east coast of New Guinea.  New Guinea itself is the world’s second largest island, smaller only than […]

Fair and square south of the Equator lie two of Raja Ampat’s superstars – the mushroom islets of Piaynemo, and the great island of Misool, one of the four Kings for which Raja Ampat is so named.  Located on the eastern side of Pulau Penem in the northern part of the famed Fam (or Pam) […]

Hopping off the continent of Australia and right into the vast blue Pacific, our voyage of discovery over the world’s largest ocean takes us right across its three ethnographically classified sub-regions – Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.  Melanesia includes the great island of New Guinea which is divided between the nations of Indonesia and Papua New […]

Australia’s most populous city requires no introduction, and Sydney Harbour is one of the world’s most famous – as are its icons “The Coathanger”, a much-loved moniker for the Harbour Bridge, and the unparalleled aesthetic of the Opera House which enjoys pride of place on the World Heritage register.   Also featured in this Destination are […]

Land of the orange lichen!  You might need to rub your eyes a couple of times to convince yourself that you haven’t somehow been transported into a life-size coloring book.  With fire-orange granite boulders tumbling down to scintillating white sandy beaches lapped by the mesmerizing aqua blue of the Pacific, the Bay of Fires presents […]

A deeply indented coast jam packed with islands, bays and peninsulas which offer up dramatic shoreline views and World Heritage wonders, southeast Tasmania is also home to its capital and largest city, Hobart.  Just a short drive away lies the Hartz Mountains National Park, one of many included in the massive Tasmanian Wilderness area inscribed […]

Mere mention of it makes swirl visions of a far-flung land… wild… untrammeled… a place like no other.  And it is all of this… and more.  Tasmania is so large that you could easily fit in all of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica… and still have space for most of Crete.  It’s landscapes are nothing short […]

The Brisbane conurbation is Queensland’s largest, with the sun-baked Moreton and Stabroke islands lying just offshore and the ritz, glitz and spritz of the twin beach delights of Surfers Paradise and Byron Bay to the south, straddling the border between Queensland and New South Wales.  And as if we’re not already spoilt for choice, just […]

Heading south from the Whitsundays along the central Queensland coast brings us to the edge of the tropics, and the aptly named Capricorn Coast through which the Tropic of Capricorn passes.  Further south lies the Fraser Coast and the World Heritage listed Fraser Island, and radiant beaches of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, with the […]

The Whitsunday Islands are a true Australian beauty.  This treasure trove of more than 70 islands just off the coast of central Queensland simply dazzles with its radiant white sand beaches, channels showcasing unreal hues of blue and outstanding views all around both above and below the water.  This Destination also features the singularly spectacular […]

Heading south out of Cairns opens up a world of islands basking in the tropical sun off the striking Queensland coast.  This Destination is packed full of stunners, from the lovely golden sands of Mission Beach to the bustle of Townsville, and features the lushly forested Dunk Island, the mangrove channels and boulder strewn beaches […]

Far North Queensland is a region of dramatic contrasts.  Majestic mountain ranges blanketed in lush rainforest drop dramatically to the Coral Sea where the Great Barrier Reef dazzles with its incredible array of undersea attractions.  Experiencing Far North Queensland is a powerfully spiritual experience.  From the glittering waters of Lizard Island to delights of the […]

Heading down the Australian continent we make our way across the state of Victoria and its largest city, Melbourne, long considered one of the world’s most livable, with world-class cultural attractions, a superlative waterfront, and no end to the ways its location allows the enjoyment of the glistening bays and inviting beaches within close proximity […]

Continuing our traverse of Australia’s Northern Territory brings us to a conglomeration of uniquely diverse National Parks which feature breathtaking baobab (boab) trees, fantastical rock formations, magnetic termite mounds, gorgeous gorges, waterfalls and waterholes, and wild, wet and wonderful wetlands.  We explore four of these National Parks situated in Australia’s “Top End” – Keep River, […]

This Destination encompasses the Northern Territory’s instantly recognizable landmarks of Uluṟu (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuṯa (The Olgas), and Watarrka N.P., in Australia’s Red Center which is an otherworldly region of dramatic desert landscapes, sheer canyon walls, and sandstone monoliths.  This Destination also includes the remote yet impossibly photogenic Purnululu N.P. in the Kimberley region of […]

Traversing Australia’s South Coast across the Great Australian Bight reveals a pleroma of superlative vistas which are as diverse as they are arresting.  From the powder soft beaches of Esperance and Cape Le Grand N.P. in Western Australia, to the dramatic coastal delights of Kangaroo Island in South Australia, and further east to one of […]

Australia’s Great Northern Highway is one of the planet’s great thoroughfares.  Winding its way from the west coast of the state of Western Australia, inland through the Pilbara and north to the Kimberley, it offers up a mosaic of starkly contrasting coastal, desert, bush and red rock landscapes. This Destination features several of its most […]

Leaving Shark Bay and heading down the coast of the state of Western Australia brings us to Perth, its capital and largest city which is the highlight of this Destination, along with the coastal delights of Rottnest Island, the historic port city of Fremantle, and Australia’s southwest corner. Bookended north by Cape Naturaliste and south […]

 We start our West to East journey in the World Heritage listed Shark Bay area which also contains the westernmost point on the Australian continent. These 24 images of our first Destination showcase the picturesque coast of Australia’s largest state of Western Australia and includes Shark Bay, the Ningaloo Coast – also World Heritage listed, […]