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We all love a holiday, but sometimes the real luxury is absolute silence. No traffic, no thumping beach clubs, just the sound of the waves and a chance to unplug.
That might explain why searches for ‘quiet destinations’ have soared by 1,268 percent over the past year, according to Google Trends data analysed by BookRetreats. The growing appetite for holidays designed around switching off has even spawned its own name: the quietcation.
BookRetreats’ new Unspoilt Index analysed 100 islands around the world using satellite and open mapping data, ranking them according to six factors considered important for creating a peaceful soundscape. These included the amount of nature on each island, the number of roads, levels of air traffic, population density, the presence of dark night skies and the amount of natural coastline.
The study also drew on research from silence researcher and psychology professor Olga V. Lehmann, as well as the European Environment Agency’s definition of a quiet area: somewhere with a pleasant soundscape where unwanted noise is absent or, at least, not dominant. So basically, the quieter, greener, darker and less built-up an island is, the better it did.
New Zealand takes the crown
Taking the top spot is Stewart Island, New Zealand’s third-largest island and one of its least populated. Just around 500 people live across its enormous 1,680 square kilometres, while around 85 percent of the island is protected national park. There are an estimated 20,000 rare kiwi living here, meaning the local birds outnumber the humans by roughly 40 to one. I
t’s also pleasingly short on the things that tend to ruin a peaceful getaway. Stewart Island has one small airstrip and no major roads, leaving its 280km of walking tracks, forests and secluded bays largely free from intrusive human noise. It’s also the world’s southernmost International Dark Sky Sanctuary, making it an excellent place for stargazing and, if you’re lucky, catching a glimpse of the aurora australis.
What about the rest of the world?
Coming in second is Anafi, a tiny Greek island that sits just over an hour by ferry from its considerably more famous neighbour, Santorini. Anafi has fewer than 300 residents and a population density almost 30 times lower than Santorini’s, and it’s one of the least-developed islands in the ranking. Its beaches, including Roukounas, Klisidi and Katsouni, also remain relatively uncrowded during peak season, while the island scored highly for its natural landscape.
Santorini, meanwhile, found itself almost at the opposite end of the table, ranking 99th out of 100. Its 64km of major roads across 76 square kilometres, international airport and comparatively low nature score all worked against it.
The UK also performed surprisingly well, with St Martin’s in the Isles of Scilly ranking fifth. The tiny, car-free island has just 135 residents, no airport and 12 beaches spread along its 13km coastline. It can be walked from end to end in an afternoon, and its lack of roads and air traffic helped propel it into the global top five.
Scotland’s Isle of Skye came 11th, while Herm in the Channel Islands came 14th. Herm is also car-free and has a population of only around 60. Elsewhere in Europe, Croatia had two islands in the top 20, with Mljet ranking 17th and Vis 19th. Greece also had two in the top 25, with Milos coming 22nd alongside Anafi.
The 25 quietest islands in the world
- Stewart Island, New Zealand
- Anafi, Greece
- Ilha Grande, Brazil
- Lord Howe Island, Australia
- St Martin’s, England
- Tioman Island, Malaysia
- Koh Chang, Thailand
- Koh Rong, Cambodia
- Havelock Island, India
- Santa Catalina Island, USA
- Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Isla Holbox, Mexico
- Magnetic Island, Australia
- Herm, Channel Islands
- Boa Vista, Cape Verde
- Salt Spring Island, Canada
- Mljet, Croatia
- La Digue, Seychelles
- Vis, Croatia
- Palawan, Philippines
- Viti Levu, Fiji
- Milos, Greece
- Salina, Italy
- Ilha das Flores, Portugal
- La Gomera, Spain
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