1. Ceylon – the island of two names

Today the island, which lies off the southern tip of India, is called Sri Lanka, but until 1972 it was Ceylon. The older of the names is mostly associated with tea, and even now the island is dotted with tea plantations. It is separated from India by a 20-kilometre chain of coral reefs called Adam's Bridge. The east coast is bathed by the waters of the Bay of Bengal.

The island was dominated by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, who also brought much of the industry that the island now thrives on. Sri Lanka enchants visitors with its beaches, beautiful scenery and the monuments of the four great religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Every true believer should climb Mount Sri Pada (2,224 m above sea level) every year where a footprint is found, believed by Christians and Muslims to belong to Adam, by Buddhists to belong to Buddha and by Hindus to belong to Shiva.

2. Madagascar – home of the lemurs

Just outside Africa, to the south-east of the continent, we can find Madagascar. This fourth largest island on the planet offers a wealth of experiences and wonderful places to explore. Among them, we find the Montagne d'Ambre National Park, the Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve, and the village of Ilakaka. If the big island isn't enough, it's possible to venture to smaller, more secluded islands like Nosy Be and Sainte-Marie. From the flora, the local baobabs are not to be missed, and from the fauna, the lemurs are everywhere.

3. Mauritius – tolerance is the basis of prosperity

To the east of Madagascar we find a small island called Mauritius. It offers tourists mainly beautiful beaches, a peaceful atmosphere and an ideal place to laze around. The island is of volcanic origin and covers an area of 1,865 km², has a coastline of 330 km and is surrounded by a beautiful coral reef. Many European powers, as well as representatives of various religions, have fought over the dominance of Mauritius, each leaving something behind. Nowadays they all live in mutual respect, knowing full well that conflicts are not good for tourism.

4. Andaman Islands – hundreds of islands to explore

The archipelago consists of over 530 islands, of which only five are permanently inhabited namely North Andaman, Central Andaman, South Andaman, Little Andaman and North Sentinel. The large number of "unexplored" islands thus calls for exploratory adventures. But "beware", the islands were inhabited by man-eaters a century ago and the British used to bring convicts from all over India to the Cellular Jail. The Andamans offer a paradise for fishermen, with the possibility of catching up to 50 kg of carp or tuna, and snorkelling and diving enthusiasts will find the same to their liking.

5. Zanzibar – two in one

The name Zanzibar encapsulates two islands, Unguja (1,658 km²) and Pemba (984 km²). Together with Tanganyika, they form a country called the United Republic of Tanzania, or Tanzania for short. Since the island was part of the Sultanate of Oman for several centuries, it has retained a "Middle Eastern" atmosphere, allowing visitors to enjoy a shisha on the white beach along with a delicious tea. Also enchanting is, for example, Stone Town, the old town of the metropolis of Zanzibar, where tourists have the opportunity to experience the diverse culture of this beautiful island.

6. Seychelles – a distant neighbour

The nearest inhabited territory to the Seychelles is Madagascar, 800 kilometres away. Due to its remoteness from the rest of the world, it waited until the 18th century to be "discovered" by European explorers. Travellers are attracted here mainly by its beautiful beaches, peace and quiet, clean sea and breathtaking granite cliffs. The archipelago consists of 115 small islands, some of which are made up of granite cliffs and the rest are flat coral atolls.

7. The chambers – into the volcano's mouth

The Union of the Comoros, as the Comoros are officially called, is a federation of three (of the four) volcanic large islands of the Comoros Archipelago (Ngazidja, Nzwani and Mwali, Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli in French). It lies between Mozambique and Madagascar. One of the most interesting activities is located on Grande Comore and is the climb up one of the largest active volcanoes in the world called Karthala (2,360 m above sea level).