Wayfarer, July: Azores whales, Tripura's water palace and the Andamans, carefully.
Editor's Dispatch
An island is a useful teacher. It has edges, so you can see what it can carry. A ferry that runs twice a day, a reef that does not like sunscreen, a national park that has just decided how many people it can hold in a day: these are not inconveniences, they are the place telling you its limits.
This month's issue goes to a few of them. We begin in the Azores, where the same cliffs that once held whale-spotters' huts now hold spotters who radio boats full of visitors. We go to Tripura, which does not appear on enough itineraries, and to the Andaman Islands, where one researcher's patient work with fishers has turned into a network of more than 200 people watching for dugongs.
Lead story
Pico: the island that stopped hunting whales and started watching themIn the Azores, sperm whales still live offshore all year. What changed is who goes out to look for them, and why.
Also in this issue
- Tripura: a palace on a lake and a hillside of stone godsAgartala's royal buildings, a water palace reached by boat, and the carvings of Unakoti, a site now on India's UNESCO tentative list.
- Swaraj Dweep and Shaheed Dweep: the Andamans, carefullyTwo renamed islands, one patient network of dugong watchers, and what the rules actually say about permits.
- Komodo and Flores, under a new visitor capIndonesia has capped visits to the dragons' islands. What that means if you were planning to go.
- Tasmania in winter: the island that turns up the lightsCold, dark and unusually busy: why July is a good month for festivals at the bottom of Australia.
- The Island Logistics ChecklistTen points for ferries, small planes and places with limited choices.
Coming up
- Beh DeinkhlamJowai, Meghalaya · 6–9 July 2026 (approx. — verify)
- Rath YatraPuri, Odisha · 16 July 2026 (Bahuda Yatra 24 July) (approx. — verify)
- Kharchi PujaOld Agartala, Tripura · 22–28 July 2026 (approx. — verify)
- Onam (Thiruvonam)Kerala · 26 August 2026 (approx. — verify)
One practical tip
Never schedule a flight home on the same day as an island ferry. Weather cancels crossings; leave a buffer day.
Your turn
Which island has stayed with you longest? Reply and tell us — we may feature your answer.