Wildest Islands

Lying 40km off the east coast of Tanzania in Africa, the Zanzibar Archipelago has been labeled as the most exotic island chain in the world. Pristine sands and azure blue sea make it a much loved holiday destination, but bizarre creatures, many of enormous size also roam the islands. The world’s largest crab scales trees in search of coconuts, and clouds of giant bats fill the skies at dusk.

Between the continents of North and South America is a tropical paradise: The Caribbean. This is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands and reefs, lying within the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. From just a few metres wide, to hundreds of kilometers across, every island is different, and each has its own unique wildlife. Under the cover of darkness, giant leatherback turtles visit Trinidad’s beaches to lay their eggs. Dominica’s volcanic heritage gives it fertile soils, making the island rich in flowering plants. These provide food for some of the Caribbean’s fastest movers: hummingbirds. The Caribbean’s coral reefs are one of its richest treasures. Many of the species that find shelter here are found nowhere else. These warm, calm waters provide sanctuary for ocean giants too. Humpback whales travel thousands of miles to raise their young in the Caribbean Sea.

Situated 1000 kilometres west of Ecuador in South America, the Galapagos archipelago contains 13 main islands and a hundred or so smaller rocks and reefs. The region’s wilderness is so pristine and rich in life it altered our entire view of the natural world. Gigantic tortoises, sea-swimming lizards and cormorants that have evolved to no longer fly, are just some of the bizarre and unique creatures found here. Human influence has been so limited across the islands it allowed one man, Charles Darwin, to study and rethink the laws of Nature.

Explore the unique array of Asian and Arctic species that inhabit Japan, an expansive chain of 6,852 islands stretching over 2,400 kilometers and covering a range of wildly diverse climatic zones including snow-covered mountains and steamy mangroves. This is home to wildlife not found anywhere else on Earth, including some of the planet’s hardiest species. Winter in Japan’s central and northern islands can be savage. In bleak, inhospitable conditions in Honshu, snow monkeys or Japanese macaques endure the bitter cold of Hell’s Valley by basking in warm volcanic pools.

Learn about the amazing creatures that inhabit the thousands of isolated jungle islands spread along the Rio Negro and the Amazon River, the world’s largest freshwater archipelago. Stranded on the mighty Rio Negro, these islands are engulfed by seasonal floods changing their landscapes completely, so everything here is forced to adapt or die. At the heart lie the Anavilhanas and Mariua archipelagos surrounded by flooded forests and hidden dangers.

Over in British Columbia, Canada, lies Vancouver Island, a vast and wild island with a backbone of jagged mountains running its length. The largest island off the west coast of North America, its glaciers fuel the flow of some of Canada’s tallest waterfalls and an endless network of rivers and creeks make it the ideal habitat for the Pacific salmon. Turkey vultures gather for the migration south as they head for warmer weather in winter.