Longing to go off the grid for awhile? Visit one of the world’s smallest inhabited islands? These gorgeous isles around the world take you far from the get-up-and-go pace of modern-day culture. There are no errands to run, no kids to cart around, no work breathing down your neck. While not all of these islands can be visited, it’s nice to know they’re out there – and perhaps good fodder for your daydreams about owning your own island. For those that welcome visitors, we say make your way as soon as possible to the world’s smallest inhabited islands. Let’s take a look.
Tristan da Cunha
Geographically speaking, Tristan da Cunha is the most remote island in the world. It’s 2,000 miles away from any other inhabited land area and densely populated for its size at just 301 residents. There are only 8 last names in use on the island. Those who do reside here are considered British citizens. Certainly one of the loneliest inhabited island chains in the world, the island welcomes visitors who have cleared their arrival through the Island Council. It takes about five or six days to sail to the islands, so you must really, really want to go.
Isola Tiberina
Here’s an interesting one – Isola Tiberina is in the Tiber River in Rome. The boat-shaped island, with it lush grounds and 10th-century basilica, that could have a storybook filled with its myths and legends. One such story says that when Tyrant Tarquinius Superbus was thrown in revolt into the River of Tiber, the island rose out of the water. From293 BC, the island was considered a haven of spirituality and healing; in the Middle Ages, it was considered more sinister as it became a prison. Today, it is one of the world’s most enchanting locations, accessible via Rome’s oldest standing bridge near Capitoline Hill.
Easter Island
Famous for its stone head figures, the desolate, yet thriving (thanks to tourism) Easter Island is the southern Pacific Ocean, 2,200 miles from Chile. The island itself measure 64 square miles, within which lie approximately 900 mysterious stone monoliths. Visit for yourself to uncover the magic and hypothesize why the statues are here in the first place.
Suwarrow Atoll
If you have the means and the time, visit Suwarrow Atoll in the Cook Islands. The island has changed hands numerous times over the centuries, thanks to its pristine beauty. After a string of European and Russian explorers laid claim to it, the island finally landed in the hands of New Zealander Tom Neall in the 1950s. Just 1,300 square feet in size, the island is accessible by private yacht only. Two caretakers live here with their families, caring for this natural treasure – it’s also home to more than one million seabirds and a variety of rare, exotic wildlife and marine life. Plus, the island has made a name for itself as a “treasure island,” thanks to the discovery of several chests of gold coins and other valuable trinkets.
Surin
Off the coast of Thailand, Surin is a nature lover’s paradise. Within its tiny boundaries, there is incredible biodiversity and wildlife, much of which will let you approach it unwittingly. Snorkel colorful reefs. Visit the vibrant markets. The North and South Islands are divided by small channel, a popular camping and diving destination.
Foula
Part of the Shetland Islands, north of Scotland, Foula has a dense population for its size – just 30 inhabitants. History here dates back to the 150ss when Scotland colonized it, but today’s culture has a strong Nordic culture. Residents make their living from wool production and fishing. The sublime, dramatic and strikingly remote ambience of the place pulls in tourists who are seeking to truly get away from it all.
Just Room Enough Island
The only way you’re experiencing this adorable isle on the St. Lawrence River off the village of Alexandria Bay is to cruise past it. With just a single cottage, a tree, a few shrubs and a tiny beach, this might just hold the title of world’s smallest inhabited island. The cottage is built right to the edges of the 30,000-square-foot space, only half the size of Britain’s Bishop Rock in the Isles of Scilly, which was formerly the smallest inhabited island in the world (it’s lighthouse no longer requires human operation).
The Sizeland family bought and renamed the island in the 1950s, which was then called Hub Island. The island is part of the historic Thousand Islands archipelago straddling the Canada-US border on the St. Lawrence. While you can’t stay on Just Room Enough, you can book one of the two rooms at the Island Boat House, a B&B on Occident Island.
Dangar Island, Australia
This entirely forested island in the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney is home to approximately 250 people. Island highlights include waterfront homes, beaches, aboriginal rock carvings and a delightfully car-free existence. Though they’re not too keen on letting the secret out, the Dangar Island folks welcome visitors who cross by ferry from the town of Brooklyn in New South Wales.
Saba, Netherlands Antilles
This five-foot-square-mile island has a population of around 2,000, making it an under-the-radar Caribbean destination. While it doesn’t have the best beaches in the region, it does have incredibly lush rainforests and the aptly named Mt. Scenery (a dormant volcano), the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There’s plenty of scuba diving and snorkeling for everyone.
Kotakarajima
This is the smallest inhabited island in Japan’s Tokara Archipelago at roughly 1/3 of a square mile. The island’s 37 residents have to pay close attention to the tide, which when at its highest can take away 33 percent of the island’s surface area. Visit and enjoy a small inn, a swimming beach and a free public bath/hot spring. Want to go? It takes 12 hours to get there from the port of Kagoshima – and yet just a half-hour to walk the entire island by foot.