Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Lost in the vast Indian Ocean, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are a scatter of palm-ringed atolls where time seems to slow. The reefs here are among the healthiest on Earth, with manta rays gliding over coral gardens, green turtles nesting on white-sand beaches, and reef sharks weaving through tons of parrotfish. With so few people coming to these remote islands between Indonesia and Australia, everything feels like discovery.