Cook Islands

With no crowds, few telephones and little commercialisation, a visit to the tropical Cook Islands is like escaping from the rest of the world.

Spread across two million sq km of the Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands are a collection of 15 islands, varying from volcanic islands with high interiors and close-in reefs, to atolls with large turquoise lagoons and long white sandy beaches bordered by a string of motus (small islets).

Here you can laze in the sun, explore the unspoilt landscape and simply enjoy the remoteness of it all.

Scott Dunn’s highlights for the Cook Islands:

Take a private boat trip from the island of Aitutaki and hand feed tropical fish and spot rare underwater wildlife.
Explore Aitutaki by taking a kayak trip around its vast lagoon. Home to many uninhabited islands, the lagoon is a perfect setting to spend the day discovering the stunning shores.
Have a personal tour guide take you around the capital Rarotonga, and gain a locals perspective on the history and culture of the Cook Islands.

One of the most beautiful lagoons in the world can be found on the island of Aitutaki, one of the Pacific’s best kept secrets. Measuring 12km wide and 15km long, its pristine waters are home to a stunning array of marine life. Bluer than blue, the lagoon is indescribable; you just have to experience it for yourself. Fringing the lagoon like an emerald necklace on a background of brilliant turquois

Rarotonga is the capital of the Cook Islands and is physically unlike its other volcanic neighbours, where erosion and periodic submersions have reduced mountains to gentle hills. Rarotonga's heart is the eroded remains of a once mighty volcanic pyramid whose crags now form sawtooth peaks and razorback ridges covered with tropical jungle. Palm-studded white sandy beaches fringe most of the island