Lying 40km off the east coast of Tanzania in Africa, the Zanzibar Archipelago has been labelled the most exotic island chain in the world. Pristine sands and azure blue sea make it a much loved holiday destination, but bizarre creatures, many of enormous size, also roam the islands. The world’s largest crab scales trees in search of coconuts, and clouds of giant bats fill the skies at dusk.

Between the continents of North and South America is a tropical paradise: the Caribbean. This archipelago of over 7,000 islands and reefs lies within the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. From just a few metres wide, to hundreds of kilometres across, every island is different, and each has its own unique wildlife.

Situated 1,000km west of Ecuador in South America, the Galapagos archipelago contains 13 main islands and a hundred or so smaller rocks and reefs. The region’s wilderness is so pristine and rich in life it altered our entire view of the natural world. It was the Galapagos islands’ finches and mockingbirds that proved key to Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Lying like a teardrop in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is an island that defies convention. Poised just six degrees above the equator, it’s less than 75,000 km sq in size. But it has enough wildlife to rival a continent, and it’s all down to its complicated climate and geography.

Lying just off the coast of west Scotland, the Hebrides archipelago is made up of more than 500 islands and islets. Isolation from the mainland has made it the perfect breeding ground for millions of creatures, making it home to some of the largest gatherings, and greatest spectacles on the planet.