Are There Any Truly Deserted Tropical Islands Left ?

[daddle]

Not more than a few thousand deserted islands left in the tropical pacific. You better hurry. However they are all claimed by someone even though never visited. It no big deal staying there. Bring plenty of food. Papayas are rare. Pigs and taro even rarer. Breadfruit is unreliable. The 'big carbon footprint' boats herein will not last long though as fuel is distant and scarce. Solar panels enable plenty of water, and there's usually plenty of rain.

Second best is that on even the populated islands, with airports and everything, a short sail away is almost as lonely as a deserted island.

[Piney]

Thanks atoll, both the Pheonix islands and Sombrero island look very intersting. Excellent places to add to the list.


From what I have read on a lot of other posts on this forum, it seems like the majority of cruisers prefer to go where everyone else is. I think most people enjoy being around others and take comfort in being close to emergency services. There is however a certain percentage of us who take up cruising to test our own self reliance and seek out the most desolate and uncrowded refuges. I have much respect for these true adventurists who live far outside the safety net and take full responsibility for their own fate.

Originally Posted by daddle

Not more than a few thousand deserted islands left in the tropical pacific. You better hurry. However they are all claimed by someone even though never visited. It no big deal staying there. Bring plenty of food. Papayas are rare. Pigs and taro even rarer. Breadfruit is unreliable. The 'big carbon footprint' boats herein will not last long though as fuel is distant and scarce. Solar panels enable plenty of water, and there's usually plenty of rain.

Second best is that on even the populated islands, with airports and everything, a short sail away is almost as lonely as a deserted island.

Excellent!! Reports like these are what fuels the fire.. thanks.

[Chief Engineer]

Manhattan Island

[Piney]

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

Manhattan Island

One could only wish.. lol!

[anglooff]

Most of Los Roches islands; los Alves etc. Actually it is still surprising how many penisulars are available around the world. Coves etc not too far away from civilisation, but far enough away to ensure occasional social contact. West coast Scotland and Norway etc. I am always surprised how much unihabited coastal land is unoccupied/ Mind you is not always warm their. The first two are!

Regards

Alan

[osirissail]

There are a lot of deserted little islands in the Bahamas, especially the easternmost islands. Scattered in between the big islands of the Caribbean are lots of little ones with nobody living on them. One big one is Ronde Island in the Grenadines.
- - But as said by others there aren't any known islands that are not the property of some government already. So even though they do not have anybody living on them, you will the permission of the controlling government to settle on them.

[John A]

Check out all the small islands west of David (Da-ve), Panama north of Panama City and just south of the boarder with Costa Rico.

[avb3]

Redonda Island Caribbean. Have fun trying to land!

From the article, "The lack of any fresh water source save rainfall makes the island uninhabitable by any human population"

[goboatingnow]

If you forsake tropical. Lots of uninhabited islands round Ireland and Scotland. Fresh water or wind power in abundance !

Dave

[imagine2frolic]

The Jumientos in the Bahamas. Even among some of the Bahamas where there is very few people. You can go to the windward side, and find yourself very alone.

I am eventually headed to the Philippines where there are 7,107 islands, and many have no one on them. As typed before you need to get off the beaten path. Sailors are social creatures too, so of course they will move along together. In between all these places that they gather are many of the islands you seek. You just need to be a little more adventureous.......i2f

[osirissail]

I am still pushing Ronde Island or Les Tantes between Grenada and Carriacou in the southern Grenadines.
- - Although Ronde is owned and for sale by some super rich guy, it has been uninhabited for a very long time. There are two good beaches one on the north side and one on the south side. There is even the remnants of a small village on the south side which could be used as a habitation area. The island is large enough to have plenty of hiking and exploring. And all around it are some of the best snorkeling and diving sites along with great fishing.
- - Les Tantes, northeast of Ronde Island is much smaller deserted but also has some good beaches (smaller) and good vertical hills for climbing and exploring and good fishing and diving around it.
- - The main advantage of these two little islands is that they are large enough to be interesting and are tucked in between two bigger islands (Carriacou and Grenada) where you can get supplies, food and stuff for the boat. So you will be absolutely isolated but still within a few hours of sources of stuff.
- - The other island that sounds the same - Rhonde Island between Montserrat and Nevis is a vertical pile of loose rock rubble with virtually no vegetation and place to shelter your boat. Having been by it several times, it is interesting to look at but would be an impossible place to live on.
- - The southern islands of the eastern Caribbean also have the advantage of being below the main hurricane paths but do get an infrequent storm. In those cases you are close enough to Carriacou to seek refuge for you and your boat.

[barnakiel]

I am afraid neither Blas nor Chagos fall into the category. We skipped both exactly for the reason that everybody else was going there.

You want a deserted island, go to e.g. Northern Keeling.

To me a deserted island is one with nill local population and not visited by cruisers in flocks.

b.

[Geoduck]

Plenty of hide outs in Alaska

[Geoduck]

belay that last post - you did say -tropical islands-

[barnakiel]

Yep - Redonda! So close at hand, so tropical, so deserted!

b.