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Last summer, Google launched a unique program in which it loans out backpack versions of its car-mounted Street View cameras, called Trekkers, to intrepid explorers. It’s an ingenious idea: put these devices in the hands of the people who know a trail, river, or stretch of wilderness best, and let them map it out.

Google Trekker Sidebar

James Sturz with his Trekker pack. Several accessories and 15 lenses make the kit weigh well over 40 pounds.

Last August, the first loaner was taken to Hawaii’s Big Island, where Rob Pacheco, cofounder of outfitter Hawaiian Forest and Trail, was charged with mapping the island’s most important and accessible trails. Street View product manager Evan Rapoport says he chose Hawaii from “tens of thousands” of applications because of its ecological diversity, visual lushness, focus on preservation, and accessibility. “It’s a place where people go, but it’s also a place they dream of going,” he says.

On November 25, 2013, I joined Pacheco for his final day of mapping the 116,000-acre Kahuku section of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We hiked past koa and ohia lehua trees, lava flows, and a 400-foot-deep pit crater. (Rangers were still talking about how a mouflon had recently tumbled into it.) The unit, which came with a 32-ounce Nalgene that dangled from one side at hip-level, was wired to a Galaxy Nexus, housed in a near-indestructible case that dangled from the other. The phone served as the pack’s controller, letting users tap in their manner of travel, with options including everything from canoe, to dogsled, to horseback. It also streamed a checkerboard of images across its screen as we hiked. Then the GPS-stamped, 360-degree pictures were saved to an ejectable, 480-gigabyte SSD disk.

With all that gear, though, the Trekker gets pretty heavy. Google says the basic pack is about 40 pounds—but as soon as I put it on, I realized all the extras made the whole thing weigh considerably more. As I headed uphill, I had to work to keep a steady pace and stay upright. The soccer ball–shaped camera above my head made the device seriously top-heavy. And I definitely didn’t want to be the one to drop it: Google’s mum on what each Trekker costs, and I doubt I could afford to repair one.

Thankfully, I managed to get the hang of it after a few minutes. Pacheco and two rangers lagged a few hundred yards behind me as I took off down the Kahuku section’s Palm Trail. I passed orchids, ferns, cinder cones, volcanic fissures, and two of the legendary mouflons (I can only hope the camera’s lenses caught their image). Between my hike and Pacheco’s, the Big Island project mapped 46 miles of images spanning 24 trails. Once Pacheco wrapped up here, his Trekker would be sent to local experts in Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Lanai, and Molokai—a collective effort that will one day provide the most comprehensive, and interactive, visual record of the state’s terrain ever made.

But this project isn’t just about pretty pictures. The Street View imagery lets hikers choose trails that match their skill levels or particular interests. Thinking about hiking in Hawaii this summer? You can view the trails ahead of time to pick the ones you find most scenic. Want to run whitewater in the Pacific Northwest? In the future, Google images could let you scout your lines ahead of time to make sure you’re not in over your head.

The Street View imagery also provides baseline visual data from the ground, allowing scientists to track, for example, invasive species, climate change, or environmental degradation—then share their findings with colleagues worldwide. Take the Kahuku section we hiked. Just over a decade ago, this land had been a ranch overrun with grasses. In 2005, two years after the National Park Service took ownership, the agency began to test different methods for restoring native habitats. As those efforts continue, our imagery will serve as a detailed date- and coordinate-stamped dossier of their progress.

For Google, there’s another benefit: in the tech world, those with the most data make the most money. The tech giant says that between its own contractors and the loan-program participants, there will be hundreds of Trekkers all over the globe by the end of this year. Each Trekker will add to Google’s staggering stockpile of 45 billion Street View photos. “The world’s always changing,” Rapoport muses. “We’re always going to want to show the way the world looks. There are always opportunities to show it at different times of the day—as well as in different seasons, during celebrations, or after natural disasters. We’re never going to be done.”

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You've probably used to find a restaurant, gawk at your house, or peek into the Grand Canyon. Soon you'll be using it to scout bomber singletrack. As part of its effort to build the world's most comprehensive map, Google has that will put Trekkers—40-pound back-pack versions of the ­cameras used on its Street View ­vehicles—in the hands of trail-­management crews, tourism bureaus, universities, and other nonprofits around the world.

The first Trekker was sent to Hawaii's Big Island last August, to Rob Pacheco, cofounder of outfitter Hawaii Forest and Trail. “It's like being a cinema­tographer—you keep thinking about how everything's going to look,” says Pacheco, who hiked past ohia lehua trees, lava flows, and a 400-foot-deep pit crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park while the camera's 15 lenses snapped every 2.5 seconds. When the Big Island images are released in March, viewers will be able to navigate 46 miles on 24 trails.

Google aims to have hundreds of the 360-­degree, 75-megapixel devices in the field by the end of the year. Which made us wonder: How do we get our hands on one? We asked Evan Rapoport, a 33-year-old product manager for Street View who helps select the Trekker ambassadors.

Get affiliated. The loan program is limited to organizations in 35 countries. “We're looking for partners who have a lot of respect for the land and celebrate preservation,” says Rapoport. Apply at .

Think big. Rapoport settled on Hawaii in part because it's a place people “dream of going.” In other words: skip Kansas.

Make it count. Google partnered with the Charles Darwin Foundation in 2013 to photograph critical wildlife habitat in the ­Galápagos Islands, providing baseline visual data for scientists around the world to track environmental conditions.

Flaunt your access. It's tough for Google to get permission to take commercial photographs in places like national parks—which is why it's turning to groups like , which already had a relationship with Volcanoes. If you have permission to photograph a hard-to-access place, you'll have a better shot.

If all else fails, DIY. The search giant recently launched Photo Sphere, a new feature in Google Maps that lets users upload location photos to create their own Street View–like panoramas.

Stay tuned for additional coverage of the Trekker Loan program.

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7 Perfect Island Getaways Around the Globe

From cheap hideaways to epic fishing and diving spots, we dug up seven crowd-free island escapes for every type of adventurer.

Maalifushi, Maldives
Great Abaco, Bahamas
Corn Islands, Nicaragua
Mumbo Island, Malawi
Niihau, Hawaii
Niue, South Pacificu
Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

Water World: Maalifushi, Maldives

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

The English word atoll comes from ­Dhivehi, the official language of the Maldives. And with good reason. This nation consists of 1,192 islands spread across 35,000 square miles of Indian Ocean. Turquoise ­lagoons, pearlescent beaches, and coral gardens teem with over 1,900 species of fish, 400 species of mollusks, and 350 species of crustaceans, making it an aquaphile’s paradise. But it can be tough to put together a DIY trip in a place where the easiest way around is by boat or seaplane. Base yourself at , which can ­arrange your ­adventures for you (doubles from $650).

The hotel opens in December and is one of only two resorts in the rarely visited, pristine Thaa Atoll. You’ll stay in one of 66 thatched-roof bungalows and villas on the 20-acre ­island, half of which are raised on stilts above the water. When you’re not in one of the eight spa rooms, there’s plenty to do: fish for ­wahoo and grouper or go sailing in 25-knot winds, or snorkel or scuba with hawksbill turtles, schools of bluestripe snapper, or a few dozen manta rays at one of the island’s 40 dive sites. And while the December swells aren’t as good as the high season’s (April to October), (from $160 per person).

Access: Fly to the capital of Malé, then take a barefoot-piloted to the resort.

Trophy Heaven: Great Abaco, Bahamas


7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

The Bahamas are famous for their beaches and bonefishing. has both—with a little luxury thrown in. Blackfly, located in Schooner Bay, opened in March 2013 and is co-owned by Vaughn Cochran, a retired fishing guide, a marine artist, and an original member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. Each room has a broad veranda (with even broader views) and a custom-made colonial-style bed. Dinner is snapper, tuna, and mahi-mahi caught locally, complemented by organic fruit, vegetables, and eggs from nearby Lightbourn Farm. But all that is just an afterthought to the fishing. Blackfly has use of the only Atlantic-facing harbor in South Abaco—20,500-acre ­Abaco National Park practically abuts it—which means that anglers can stalk 30-pound permit and occasional 80-pound tarpon from six separate fishing zones, along with 12-pound bonefish from schools of up to 200 thick. From $2,300 per person for three nights, all-inclusive.

Access: Several airlines fly to Great Abaco from South Florida (Palm Beach is 175 miles east) and Nassau (106 miles south).

Two for One: Corn Islands, Nicaragua

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

There was a time when visiting the Caribbean meant empty beaches, limpid waters, plentiful fish to catch (and eat), and ample cheap rum and beer. That idyll still exists on Nicaragua’s Big and Little Corn Islands. You can still score a $10 room on the combined five square miles of land—43 miles off the Caribbean coast­—and $70 gets you a ­bungalow with private veranda (and ­electrical outlets) at . Start by beach hopping on the Big Island: try Long Bay for bodysurfing, Sally Peaches for snorkeling, or South West for vegging out with a coco loco—a coconut and rum cocktail—at Martha’s bar. You can walk to any of them, but a cab is just 70 cents per person, no matter where you go. Then watch a Sunday baseball game in the ­island’s 2,000-seat Karen Tucker stadium for $1. ­

After you’ve had enough of the Big ­Island, take the daily water taxi 30 minutes to roadless , and rent a bungalow with Wi-Fi, fans, mosquito nets, and hot showers ($30). Little Corn’s position in the Caribbean makes for consistent winds that are ($50 for an intro course). You can also from a panga outfitted with two fighting chairs ($50), or take all that money you saved and splurge on a lobster dinner—it’s only $14.

Access: Fly round-trip from Managua to Big Corn on ($165). Then take a water taxi between Big and Little Corn ($12 round-trip; head to the Municipal Wharf in Brig Bay).

Simple Solace: Mumbo Island, Malawi

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Lake Malawi, a 2,300-foot-deep, 11,400-square-mile gem in southern Africa, is home to 1,000 species of fish—one of the highest concentrations on the planet. It’s also the site of half-mile-wide, 250-acre Mumbo ­Island, one of our favorite out-there getaways. The lake was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1984, and once you get underwater it’s easy to see why. There are more than 400 types of brilliantly colored freshwater tropical fish, like damsels, angelfish, and wrasses. Guests can snorkel or scuba with them past sunken knolls of granite boulders or kayak to the lake’s dozen islands for what Cape Town, South Africa–based Kayak Africa calls the top sea-paddling route in southern Africa.

Best of all, the outfitter limits occupancy to 14 guests at a time, putting them up in six furnished bungalows and tents with hammocks, thatched-reed roofs, and hot bucket showers. It’s bare-bones—there’s no electricity—but that’s by design. claims that if all tents and decks were removed, there wouldn’t be a human trace within a year. There’s also plenty to do on dry land. You can watch the hundreds of white-throated cormorants that nest on Mumbo or hike its five one-to-two-mile ­nature trails past rock fig and baobab trees. But after you’ve had a full day in and on the water, we won’t blame you if you just want to rest in that hammock. From $195 per person per night, all-inclusive.

Access: Fly to Malawi’s Lilongwe Inter­­national Airport ( connects through Johannesburg), drive four hours to Cape Mac­lear, on Lake Malawi’s southern end, and take the 45-minute ferry ride to the island.

Out of Bounds: Niihau, Hawaii

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Ever since this 70-square-mile spit of land was purchased in 1864 by Elizabeth Sinclair, a wealthy Scottish farmer, Hawaii’s Forbidden Isle has been most famous for being off-limits. But the wild landscape of arid, red-tinged volcanic terrain is easier to reach than you think: you can still take day trips from Kauai. Join Niihau Helicopters, which will land you on secluded beaches with nothing but shells, translucent water, and a few endangered monk seals ($400 per person; niihau.us). Or with monk seals, spinner dolphins, Galapagos sharks, and humpback whales (three-tank dives from $315).

Access: Trips start and end in Kauai. The 17-mile crossing takes 2.5 hours by boat. Stay at (from $346).

Wild Thing: Niue, South Pacific

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Eighteen hundred miles northeast of New Zealand, Niue can feel isolated. News on the island is only broadcast twice a week, swimming is frowned upon on Sundays, and, with just over 1,600 people on 100 square miles of the largest uplifted coral atoll in the world, it’s the least populated self-governing ­nation on the planet after the Vatican. But the quirks are part of the allure of this rocky cave-ridden island. Visitors can angle for ($55) or from July through September ($101).

But don’t ignore the land. Chasms and caverns perforate the island by the thousands. ­Until the early 1800s, Niueans inhabited them instead of houses, and even today there are fewer than 100 ­accommodations on Niue. Go for the large studios at the recently opened oceanfront , each of which has a private balcony perched on the rocky shore (from $106). The Huvalu Conservation Area tropical forest covers 13,000 acres, nearly one-quarter of the island, and has plenty of cycling oppor­tunities. or ride the 42-mile road around the island past beaches and along limestone cliffs (bike rentals, $12 per day).

Access: flies from Auckland weekly—the 3.5-hour flight crosses the ­International Date Line, arriving 20.5 hours before it departed.

Easy Living: Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

7 incredible island getaways from around the globe

Many know Jost Van Dyke, one of the handful of inhabited islands in the BVIs, as the barefoot island. Fifteen years ago, it had no electricity and few paved roads. That’s changed, but the atmosphere hasn’t. There are still no brand-name hotels—stay at , which offers essential amenities like iPod docks and charcoal grills (from $135). Then start with the adventure: rent 12- or 13-foot SUPs from , then head into Great Harbor to paddle near surfacing dolphins ($20 per hour). But take the island’s nickname to heart and spend some time padding between the 50-odd seasonal bars.

, located on White Bay, claims invention of the Painkiller (rum, pineapple juice, OJ, cream of coconut) and serves four-course dinners to the yachting set; boasts one of the biggest Caribbean New Year’s Eve parties in Great Harbor; and does barbecue every Thursday—and offers campsites for the inevitable postprandial collapse (equipped sites from $45).

Access: Fly to St. Thomas directly from the East Coast, and —or take the 75-minute public ferry from Red Hook, which is 25 minutes by cab from the airport.

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Bhutan admitted about 65,000 visitorsĚýin 2011; this year, a national initiative aims to nearly double that number. But don’t worry: the Switzerland-size country of 700,000 remains otherworldly. Television arrived in 1999. Marijuana grows wild in roadside thickets. Archery is the national sport. (Team-sponsored sorcerers invoke black magic to curse their opponents.) There’s a national park that’s said to protect the yeti. We could go on. The only catch? ­Local guides are mandatory for international visitors, so the trick is to choose a good one. I settled on , based out of Paro, which has some serious biking and trekking experts.

Bike
Trek
Acess and Resources

Bike

Singletrack and downhill biking fit for a Dragon King

Last August, as I mountain-biked down 10,302-foot Dochula Mountain Pass, just outside the capital, Bhutan’s eldest prince zipped by me on a b’Twin racing bike. Soon after, the prince’s elder brother, the Dragon King, passed me with his 30-person entourage. Both men stopped to chat. Which is to say, don’t miss , a 25-mile descent through blue pine and rhododendron forests that ends in front of the Chimi Lhakhang monastery. Budget an extra $20–$50 per day for a Kona hardtail and support vehicle from Guides of Bhutan. Other can’t-miss rides: the northwestern singletrack route across a 500-foot suspension bridge in ­Punakha, and the central Bumthang and Ura valleys, dotted with monasteries, temples, fortresses, and deep-pink buckwheat fields.

Trek

Test yourself on a month-long Himalayan hike

Bhutan’s 24-day Snowman Trek is rightly touted as one of the hardest in the world. The journey crosses ten Himalayan mountain passes and tops out at 17,591 feet. But there are plenty of shorter and easier routes, including a ten-day trek to 11th-century fortress ruins at the base camp of 23,995-foot Mount Jomolhari and a multi-day trip through the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area that’s supposedly home to the migo, or yeti. For a one-day adventure, start at 13,084-foot-high Chele La Pass, then hike a four-mile loop to the cliff-hanging Kila Goempa, home to 30 nuns. It’s hairy ­terrain, but Guides of Bhutan has you covered; its trekking team includes Sither Tshering, a graduate of India’s Himalayan Mountaineering Institute who has led Reinhold Messner.

Access and Resources

When to go and how to get there

Peak seasons are spring and fall, when the Hima­layan winter and South Asian monsoons are at bay and the state-mandated rate is $250 per person per night. That covers ­everything: guide, hotel, car, driver, and meals. Drukair flies to Bhutan daily from Bangkok (from about $900 round-trip). Get your visa in advance through your guides.

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Getting far, far, far away from it all is easier—and cheaper—than you think. Presenting seven adventure-packed Caribbean island escapes.

The Over-Under

SABA, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

The most challenging part of a trip to Saba, a five-square-mile volcanic island 28 miles southwest of St. Maarten, is the arrival. Saba has the shortest commercial runway—1,312 feet—in the world. Think of it as an aircraft carrier made of rainforest and cliffs. But once you touch down, your toughest decision is whether to hike into a cloudforest or dive among coral-covered seamounts. Base yourself in a hot-tub-equipped cottage at Dutch marine biologist Tom van't Hof's Ecolodge Rendez-Vous (doubles, $85; ). Then hike past sweeping ocean vistas on the way up 2,877-foot Mount Scenery. Post-hike, head for the centrally located village of Windwardside, home to Sea Saba Advanced Dive Center. The outfitter leads half-day snorkeling trips and four-day scuba-certification courses in Saba National Marine Park, which van't Hof founded 20 years ago (snorkeling trips, $35; dive course, $450; ). Winair flies daily from St. Maarten to Saba (from $150; ).

Surf and Slip

BARBADOS

Among diehard surfers, Barbados is famous for Soup Bowl, a nasty curl off the eastern shore. Less known—and far more appealing for mortals—are the dozens of forgiving swells surrounding the 166-square-mile island. Newbies will find Freights Bay, near Barbados's southern tip, plenty welcoming. Fryers Well, outside of Speightstown, is a good intermediate option. And Tropicana, a left-hand break north of Holetown, offers hairball thrills. Seek lessons from Christ Church Parish–based surf master Melanie Pitcher ($70; ). On land, do as the locals do: Drink the world's best rum. First, hit the Mount Gay distillery (), where charred-oak barrels give the rum its caramel flavor. Then make for the parish of St. James, home to the John Moore bar, one of Barbados's finest rum shacks. Here, cricket matches are fiercely debated over strong punch and grilled bonita. A solid oceanside crash pad is the Peach & Quiet, in Inch Marlow (doubles from $110; ).

Little Big League

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In this nation of 9.5 million, béisbol is not the pastime we know in the States. It's a way of life. Discover as much in Santo Domingo's training grounds, where teams like Aguilas Cibaeñas play in front of crowds that make the Fenway faithful look like sushi eaters (tickets generally cost less than $20; schedule available at ). The pro season runs from October through January, but baseball never stops. Coming this winter? Head to Boca Chica, 45 minutes east of Santo Domingo, and see tomorrow's stars at the New York Mets' new 37-acre training complex. For off-field thrills, drive 2.5 hours north to the adventure ranch Rancho Baiguate, outside Jarabocoa (doubles, $145; ). The guides here are versatile. One day they'll float you eight miles down the Class II Yaque del Norte River ($50). The next, they'll start a multi-day trip up 10,417-foot Pico Duarte, the Caribbean's tallest peak ($385).

Where the Wild Things Are

MONA ISLAND, PUERTO RICO

Think of this as Puerto Rico's version of the Galápagos. Mona Island, 46 miles west of Cabo Rojo, is open to just a few hundred visitors at a time, with the only overnight stays at campsites along its white-sand beach. Inland, nearly 90 percent of the terrain is 200-foot cliffs, riddled with half-mile-deep caverns. These contain the skeletons of many a conquistador and pirate. (Legend has it Captain Kidd once stayed here.) But come for the wildlife. On a four-day trip with mainland-based Acampa şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Tours, let four-foot Mona iguanas come to you like poodles, chase after blue-footed boobies, and spy on feral boars (you can also hunt them with bow and arrow in winter). Acampa arranges pickups throughout Puerto Rico, and trips should be booked one month in advance (roughly $750 per person for groups of ten; ).

Ghost Fish

SOUTH ANDROS ISLAND, BAHAMAS

Bonefish are hard to catch. Don't let anyone tell you differently. They look alternately like the white sand and mirrory water they swim between, and hooking them can require pinpoint casts of up to 70 feet. And that's the easy part—they fight like Japanese motorcycles. A good guide is not just recommended but necessary. Raised within sight of the water they traffic, the crew at Andros South, a fishing-first lodge situated on the eastern shore of South Andros, are as good as it gets. Expect about ten of the hardest-fighting fish you've ever encountered on a fly rod, every day. Back at the no-frills lodge, munch on conch fritters and swill Kalik (Bahamian beer) as the sun gets low. Three-day trips from $2,000 ().

Blue Yonder

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

The 32 islands and cays of St. Vincent and the Grenadines offer the most varied cruising in the Caribbean. Find Barefoot Yacht Charters, the region's best outfitter, off the southern tip of St. Vincent. Their six-night, American Sailing Association–certified cruise school, aboard a 40-foot yacht, teaches guests to clear the anchor, trim the main, and laze on the beaches of Mayreau ($1,300; ). Already skippered? Hire a sail from Barefoot and drift ($1,800 per week). Your destination: the 16-square-mile Tobago Cays Marine Park, home to a sand-bottom lagoon and six island playgrounds (). Kick your feet up, bounce between islands, and tell your friend the hawksbill turtle you're never going home.

Time Out

CORN ISLANDS, NICARAGUA

Two chunks of sand 40 miles east of Nica­ragua, the Corn Islands are the Caribbean in its primal state. Beaches are empty and wet-T-shirt contests won't make landfall for another 20 years. What to do? Just wander around with a snorkel, a cerveza, and a grin. The puddle-jumper from Managua leaves twice daily for the airstrip on Grand Corn ($165 round-trip; ). The “Grand” part is relative—the island is about four square miles. Dive Nautilus runs trips out to a sunken 400-year-old Spanish galleon ($20; ). Sleep in a bungalow at Casa Canada, where the owners arrange guided jungle hikes (cabanas from $115; ). For dinner, spiny Caribbean lobster runs about $15 at the restaurants near the dock (try Lidia's Place). A trip to Little Corn, a patch of sand 30 minutes north via speedboat, is a must. The Dive Little Corn shop rents snorkeling gear (from $15; ). Crash at Casa Iguana, a wind-and-solar-powered eco-lodge (doubles from $35; ).

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