St. Helena
With the long-awaited construction of its first airport in 2016, this extremely inaccessible island has become much more accessible. It used to take five days to travel there on the spartan RMS St. Helena freight ship; now, an Airlink trip from Johannesburg takes only six hours. The Mantis St. Helena, which debuted in November in the capital city of Jamestown (population: 629) with 30 basic-but-comfortable rooms in a trio of renovated Georgian houses, is a new addition to the city.
Príncipe
The sister island of So Tome is home to some of Africa’s nicest beaches, but they’re almost unknown in the United States, owing to the fact that getting there requires at least two layovers. However, a pair of newly opened hotels are sure to entice the adventurous. Sundy Praia is a 15-tent resort located beneath banana and almond trees, while Roça Sundy is a pair of rebuilt villas on a former cocoa estate.
Fuerteventura
Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, is well-known, but this lesser-known isle will be in the spotlight after the May release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was partly shot on its stunning golden dunes. It’s easiest to get there if you’re already in Europe, owing to cheap airline nonstops like Easyjet’s from Gatwick or Condor’s from Frankfurt, although Iberia also offers one-stop flights from the United States.
Likoma
Crystal-clear The third-largest lake in Africa is a secretive favorite of adventurous honeymooners, divers, and kayakers who see the lack of things to do as a virtue rather than a liability. The stone-and-thatch Kaya Mawa, with 11 seaside rooms, is a step up from the other inns on Likoma Island, in the middle of the lake.
Rubondo
Elephants, giraffes, sitatungas, and terrapins abound in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria, which is home to the continent’s largest national park on an island. Stay at Asilia Africa’s Rubondo Island Camp, where you may see a colony of now-wild chimps that were transported from European zoos in the 1960s.
