Silence has texture here: the hush of a lagoon at dawn, wind in the palms, a village path where the loudest sound is a hello across a yard. Between the islands the sea opens out so wide that an afternoon can pass with nothing planned and nothing missed.

The climate is tropical marine, warm all year, with a wetter season over the southern summer and a drier stretch in the cooler months. A Local Friend walks beside you instead of ahead, so every island and village visit feels like being introduced to people you are glad to have met.