Southern Lagoon, Rock Islands, Palau

Fancy getting away from it all? The remote stunning Rock Islands' Southern Lagoon comprises 445 uninhabited limestone islands, the majority of which are surrounded by coral reefs teeming with wildlife - 13 species of shark alone can be found in this area.

The site also has the highest concentration of marine lakes on earth, in the form of isolated bodies of seawater separated from the ocean by thin land barriers. Luckily, the site's new Unesco status means that the construction of a dive resort won't be announced anytime soon.