Condé Nast Traveler readers ranked the 30 best islands in the world outside the U.S. in the 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards survey, from far-flung stunners in Southeast Asia to volcanic outcrops in the Mediterranean. For our 32nd annual survey—yes, more than three decades—a record 600,000 registered voters weighed in. This year, we’ve broken them out by region: the best in Asia, Australia and the South Pacific, Caribbean and the Atlantic, Europe, North America, and best in the rest of the world (phew). Don’t worry—there’s a separate list for the U.S. entirely. As you continue to travel, we continue to listen: Here are the islands around the world you loved most this year.
4. Palawan, Philippines
A regular on our list of the world’s best islands, Palawan is home to the otherworldly Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, a UNESCO World Heritage Site worth the trip alone. Many make El Nido and its blue lagoon their base, though, to explore the Bacuit Archipelago.
Pro tip: Puerto Princesa is one of the longest underground rivers in the world, traveling five miles through a subterranean cave system. Guided boat tours take visitors down a portion of the waterway, where karsts—natural rock formations created by dissolving limestone—loom in every direction.