Ishigaki, here we come!
When visiting the Yaeyama Islands from Ishigaki Island, have you ever felt how difficult it is to arrange the best itinerary on your own?
八重山諸島マップ / 筆者が黒島で撮影
Fret no more as we recommend six remote island tours made by travel professionals to maximize your visit! The great thing about these island tours is that they offer a cost-effective pricing model that includes round-trip ferry tickets, activity fees, guides, lunch, and more. In this article, we have carefully selected six island tours departing from Ishigaki Island for you to choose from based on the number of islands you want to visit.
Click here for more details of each island, such as Taketomi Island, Iriomote Island, and Kohama Island.
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Recommended Tour 1: Taketomi Island
竹富町 公式サイトより
The first tour is Taketomi Island, a remote island that can be reached in 10-15 minutes by high-speed ferry from Ishigaki Island.
On Taketomi Island, expect to be transported back in time to provincial Okinawa, with red tile roofs and stone walls in the townscapes. It is one of the most popular islands among the Yaeyama Islands because of its charm and accessibility. If you want to efficiently visit Taketomi Island in half a day, this is the tour for you!
Once you arrive at Taketomi Island, you will tour the island by bus. Get off at Kaiji Beach where you can find the "Star Sand", also known as "Star Sandy Beach". Another beach on Taketomi Island, Kondoi Beach, can be enjoyed while on your transport. Kondoi Beach is a relatively calm and shallow beach. You can fully enjoy the sparkling sea even from inside the car!
After the bus tour is over, up next is the buffalo cart tour. If you visit Taketomi Island, this is one of the activities you should try. Ride a water buffalo cart and tour the village while being rocked leisurely. In addition, if you choose a package that includes a “glass boat excursion”, you can enjoy seeing colorful fish and coral from inside the boat.
On the way back, take the ferry departing at 4:00pm or 5:00pm to Ishigaki Island. You can also use the free shuttle bus from the remote island terminal on the way back to the hotel!
Recommended Tour 2: Taketomi Island and Ishigaki Island
川平湾 Photo by Vladimir Haltakov on Unsplash
Spend a whole day from morning to evening sightseeing the Taketomi Island and the Ishigaki island all in one tour! In the morning, you will visit Ishigaki Island's main sightseeing spots — Kabira Bay and Tamatorizaki Observatory. Tamatorizaki Observatory is a scenic spot that represents Ishigaki Island.
All of these areas require a car, so it is especially recommended to rent a car ahead of time! This tour also includes an Okinawan lunch, by the way.
In the afternoon, you will head to Taketomi Island. From here, it is the same schedule as Tour #1. This tour is recommended for those who are new to Ishigaki Island as it covers the main tourist spots of Ishigaki Island and Taketomi Island in one day.
Recommended Tour 3: Iriomote Island / Yubu Island
This is a tour where you can enjoy Iriomote Island, the second largest island in Okinawa Prefecture, all in a day trip! 90% of Iriomote Island is a jungle, so you'll definitely feel the nature of the subtropical area.
Exploring nature such as mangroves and waterfalls are more popular than enjoying the Okinawan sea. It also includes Yubu Island sightseeing that you can't miss when you go to Iriomote Island!
The Nakama River, which boasts the largest mangrove basin area in Japan, starts with a leisurely sightseeing itinerary from a cruise ship. The lush greenery of the mangrove forests, which is rarely visited, is a masterpiece. And the scenery going through the jungle is an equally-extraordinary sight.
The next place you'll visit is Yubu Island, which is about 0.5 km away from Iriomote Island. Yubu Island cannot be reached without passing through the sea, and there are no bridges or roads. You'll need to pass the shallow sea on a water buffalo cart. On Yubu Island, water buffaloes will welcome you as soon as you arrive!
The good thing about this tour is that you can experience all the activities that would otherwise be difficult to do on your own!
Also, Iriomote Island is a big island to cover, so it is quite difficult to move around the island. Since there are only a few buses, a rental car is essential if you go by yourself. This tour is recommended for first-timers.
Recommended Tour 4: Taketomi Island, Iriomote Island, Yubu Island
A tour that covers three islands: Iriomote Island and Yubu Island, where you can enjoy the subtropical weather, and Taketomi Island, where you can enjoy the old-fashioned Okinawan townscape. This set tour includes the contents of tours 1 and 3 mentioned above.
To kickstart your tour, in the morning, you'll visit Iriomote Island and Yubu Island. See Tour #3 for more details. At lunchtime on Yubu Island, you can enjoy an Okinawan favorite, a Makunouchi bento! After that, take the inter-island ferry to Taketomi Island.
On Taketomi Island, you can choose two activities from below.
- Island bus tour
- Buffalo cart sightseeing
- Glass board
For more details, see Tour #1.
The best thing about this tour is that you can enjoy all three islands in just one day. Taketomi Island and Iriomote Island alone have quite different atmospheres, so if you want to experience the islands of the Yaeyama Islands, this is the island tour for you!
Recommended Tour 5: Taketomi Island, Iriomote Island, Yubu Island, Kohama Island
This one's a full-day tour of four islands — Iriomote Island, Yubu Island, Kohama Island, and Taketomi Island! As an addition to the end of Tour #4, you will stop by Kohama Island. Being able to visit four islands in one day is only possible with a carefully planned tour!
In the morning, you'll visit Iriomote Island and Yubu Island. Then for lunch, you'll have it on Yubu Island! See Tour #3 for more details.
On Taketomi Island after that, you can choose one of the following.
- Island bus tour
- Buffalo cart sightseeing
Staying on the island will take you about an hour. If you want to feel the atmosphere of the whole island, then we recommend taking on a bus tour. On the other hand, if you want to feel the “Taketomi Island-likeness”, try the water buffalo cart experience and take a tour of the village! Finally, enjoy a bus tour on Kohama Island.
On Kohama Island, which was the filming location for the NHK drama “Chura-san”, there is “Kohagura-sou”, which is where many scenes were shot. The bus tour will visit several places of interest on the island, including Kohagura-sou.
Recommended Tour 6: Iriomote Island
Lastly, we would like to recommend a one-day tour that focuses only on Iriomote Island and all its natural glory! Iriomote Island, where 90% of the island is covered with jungle, is attractive because there are various activities that will allow you to fully enjoy the great outdoors.
For those who want to forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life and immerse themselves in nature, this tour is for you! We recommended this island tour for those who want to step into and explore the jungle of Iriomote Island. While you're at it, try canyoning — an activity where you go down a slow-flowing river or mountain stream with just your body. This tour is perfect also for those who want to go trekking too, and not just canoeing.
After going through the jungle, make sure to visit Sangara Falls where you can relax by taking in the scenery or swimming at the base of the waterfall.
