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 ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø 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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1. Trainer: Unlike lesser indoor cycling trainers, Kurt Kinetic’s collapsible Road Machine has a realistic pavement feel, drip-proof seals, and a rock-solid base ($370; ).

2. Pad: Experts say the first step to consistent workouts is to define a workout space. The seven-foot-by-two-foot Hugger Mugger High Performance Mandara mat does the trick and adds a quarter-inch of durable padding for floor exercises ($65; ).

3. Push-Up Stand: Turns out the infomercials are legit in this case. The rotating Perfect Pushup Mobile system turns standard push-ups into full-shoulder presses. When you’re done, it collapses and slides neatly into a bookcase ($60; ).

4. Weights: An ex-Soviet coach imported kettlebells to the U.S. ten years ago, and no weight system has proved better at full-body development ($40 for 20 lbs; $30 for 15 lbs; ). Want more versatility? Bowflex’s SelectTech 552 Dumbbells (not pictured) pack 15 free weights into one, with resistance from five to 52.5 pounds ($450; ).

5. Stability Ball: Like a weight bench, only better. By injecting a bit of wobble into your workouts, Fitball’s 30-inch Exercise Ball makes movements like presses, rows, overheads, back extensions, and, yes, crunches more effective at building strength for real-life activities ($35; ).

6. Medicine Ball: Develop explosive strength simply by incorporating Everlast’s classic 15-pound Leather Medicine Ball into your plyometrics and core work ($60; ).

7. Pull-Up Bar: Nothing works your lats like pull-ups. Altus’s steel bar slips easily into low- or high-set brackets to turn your doorway into the 5th Street Gym ($25; ).

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The wants to be the first person to complete all four legs of the race series in one year. He survived the and the , which he won last March. Next up, the —scheduled to begin this Sunday in Bahariya, Egypt—and the , at the end of November, in Antarctica.

“My intention is to not necessarily win any of the individual races (the Atacama win was a fluke), but to pace myself to successfully make it through all four,” Karnazes said in an email. “I also threw in the after Gobi because I wanted to run one of the great deserts in North America.”

He took fourth there. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø caught up with Karnazes just before his departure for Cairo and the 135-degree heat and grueling soft sand of the Sahara.

What’s the format of the race?

The 4 Desert series is always the same. They start the race at 8 in the morning, so you do whatever you can to get the finish line. You’re on the clock. It’s like the Tour de France. You can wait and try to run at night, but the advantage is going to belong to someone who can handle the heat during the day.

How do you plan on tackling the Saharan heat?

I’ve run across Death Valley in the Badwater Ultramarathon, eight times now. So I have some tricks that I’ve learned as far as the clothing I wear. Not necessarily being the lightest wicking material, because what I’ve found is that when the temperatures are getting up around 100, it’s better to wear a little bit thicker clothing and actually try to keep it moist. Below those temperatures what you try to do is wick away the moisture to remain dry and get that evaporative cooling effect. But approaching 100 degrees and above, I like to try to keep my clothing moist.

But this has the potential to get up to 135 degrees! What do you do about that?

Then you really want to be wet.

Except you’re in the middle of a desert.

Well, you sweat and your sweat is saline so it does create some moisture. Obviously, as well, you try to keep the sun off of you, as much as possible. I use a long-sleeve white shirt, a hat that’s got a huge brim, like a legionnaire hat, so I keep the back of my neck pretty sheltered. I have these UV protective pants that I might wear. I’m going to take them. It depends. When it’s really that roasting, even with 100 percent UV protective sunscreen, number 60, you can still blister. Because you’re still taking the sun on your skin.

The race is 250 kilometers. How fast do you think you can do it?

I hope in under thirty-five hours. The problem with the Sahara is with the depth of the sand. If you were running on a road or dirt, that’s one thing, but running through the soft sand, the way you post-hole, it’s tough. You’ve got to wear gaiters, which can create more heat as well, because you’re covering the collar of your shoe. You can’t have that hot sand coming in to your shoe.

is the toughest day. At 100 kilometers, it’s known as the “Black Desert March.” What’s your approach?

The same as every other stage: survival.

But this one is more than survival. It’s torture.

The long day is always tough, because you’re pretty beat up after what you’ve been through. And to put a long day at the end, as they always do, presents a lot of challenges. I do it in a single push. Even though the conditions are going to be brutal, I still plan on doing it in a single push. I don’t plan on overnighting. A lot of the competitors overnight.

You’re required to carry most of your equipment with you. What are you taking?

Light and fast. Some of the other deserts we’ve been to, principally Atacama, got really cold at night, because we were at elevation. The Sahara is a little bit different, because we’re not at elevation.

They give you water and a tent. And you share the tent with six other people. So what you need to bring is a pad, your sleeping bag. There’s , and not finish. The conditions out there can be dangerous. And if I let my ego get in the way, and really hammer it out with these guys and take some chances—that’s the balance of jeopardizing the completion of all of them in one year, versus doing well in this particular one race.

What was the Atacama like?

It was a trippy place. Bizarre. One of the areas we ran through, there’s been no recorded rain in 200 years. [Laughs.] Can you imagine? It was like running on the moon. There were no plants, there was nothing living there. Nothing visible, anyway.

Isn’t that the idea of the 4 Race series?

It’s a cool format. Most ultra-endurance athletes are drawn to extremes. Obviously. You don’t run 100 miles unless you’re drawn to extremes. This combines the extreme physical challenge of endurance, with the most extreme climates on the planet.

And Antarctica is last after this.

I literally haven’t started planning for that yet, because I don’t want to get ahead. The worst thing I could do is get ahead of myself. I’m taking it one stage at a time.

Do you prefer extreme cold or extreme heat?

They’re both pretty miserable. [Laughs.] To me the cold is a little easier to deal with, because you layer, and I’ve got a great sponsor in , so I’ve got all the right clothing to layer properly, whereas in the heat you can only take off so much.

What’s on the menu?

I go with foods that are primarily on the sweeter side. I avoid spices, because I found that if you don’t cook the spices all the way through, and there’s bits of raw pepper, things like that, those things ferment in your stomach. So I go with dehydrated granola. It doesn’t require heating and it’s a pretty good load of calories. It does the thing: 40 percent carbs, 30 percent fat, 30 percent protein. And it’s pretty high in calorie content. It’s all-natural, with yogurt and berries. That’s kind of a go-to; that’s what I eat a lot of at home. I don’t have to rely on heated water, and I know I’m getting the calories to sustain me. But there’s still going to be a negative balance.

How much weight will you lose during the race?

Hopefully no more than 5 pounds, because my body fat is really low. Unfortunately I’ll be shedding some muscle weight. I don’t have the fat reserves to draw upon. You prefer to burn fat. Muscle is a pretty inefficient fuel source, and recovery is a lot slower when you’re turning over muscle tissue.

How can we follow your progress?

will have as well uploads of photos nightly. They have these cool Intel satellite processors with really bomber laptops. I’ll be updating and linking to the video on the 4 Desert site.

You mean, you’re going to be running 100 kilometers across the desert and then walking into a tent to type a blog?

It’s far from ideal. You just want to die. But there’s so many school kids who email me and who follow this thing. They’re so into it, and they want to live the experience. So I kind of owe it to them. It’s such an exotic thing we’re doing, and I think it gives people hope. It’s an adventure, like living life.

Follow Dean’s progress—and that of 170 other competitors from 30 countries—on our .

Dean Karnazes

Karnazes gives out some hi-fives.

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A COUPLE of years ago, while living in Cambodia, I stumbled onto a sketchy street on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. My Khmer was good enough for me to understand that the residents really didn’t want me around but not good enough to negotiate a graceful exit. As one woman’s shouts began to elevate, I raised a finger and said the magic word: moto! Three moto-taxi drivers peeled out to my aid. The red Honda in the middle looked fast, so I leaped on and shouted, “Go! Go! Go!” The driver opened the throttle and weaved through pedestrians and cars until we reached the safety of the wider city.

That ride left me thinking, Why don’t we have these in the U.S.? They’re more efficient than the Prius, can slip through traffic jams, and don’t require waits at bus stops. And with the average U.S. vehicle occupancy at 1.63 at last count, room for one passenger is more than enough. They’re generally not illegal here, but insurance premiums and traffic laws negate a lot of a moto-taxi’s cost and convenience advantages. That’s a shame when you consider that subsidized buses in most cities are so poorly routed, underused, and burdened with air conditioners that driving a midsize car burns less fuel per passenger.

It’s hard to pin down the impact moto-taxis have on traffic, but it must mean something that, where regulations allow, they tend to proliferate. The Third World cities that rely on them don’t run precise studies, and the European cities, like London and Paris, that have high-end moto-taxi services don’t have enough volume to gauge an effect. Something you can measure, though, is popularity: One Paris moto-taxi operator says the city’s business doubled last year alone. And in any area with bad public transit, they will always catch on. Only, in this country, we won’t let them.

Some of the arguments against moto-taxis are predictable. Americans can’t abide disorder, and the moto-taxi thrives on the chaos of the developing world. Once you get past the extra crowding and honking, though, moto-taxis can help reduce congestion by scavenging the empty bits of pavement between cars. Street-legal moto-taxis in the U.S. would ideally use quiet, clean-burning four-stroke engines—like cars as opposed to lawnmowers. A ride on one might even seem luxurious. In 1995, billionaire Richard Branson hired a Euro-style moto-taxi and liked it so much that he bought the company—renaming it Virgin Limobike.

Motorcycles in general have a reputation for being dangerous, which is true when they’re poorly ridden and marginally respected by other drivers. With safety in mind, one French taxi company hires ex-military and former Tour de France motorcyclists—the guys who carry a cameraman along twisty Alps roads at 60 miles per hour. But anyone who spends all day in the saddle is less likely to have an accident. Limobike general manager Ceri Mort admits it’s a struggle “to deal with people’s misconceptions that we’re going to ride like Evel Knievel.” There’s also long-standing evidence that the more conspicuous motorcycles and riders—and, by extension, moto-taxis—are (reflective clothing, etc.), the more likely it is that drivers will see them and share the road.

A few of the moto-taxi’s shortcomings are less obvious—like comfort, the weather, and passenger helmet sharing. Virgin Limobike keeps its stable of Yamaha FJR1300’s tricked out with backrests, handles, and a stash of all-weather gear, including a waterproof blanket to protect your shoes. Mort says he also provides a “paper hat thing” for helmets if anyone is wary of lice or hair gel, but helmet sharing, he says, is “no worse than putting your head on an airplane seat.”

In the U.S., moto-taxis face two main obstacles. The first is insurance. When EagleRider, now the largest motorcycle-rental company, initially shopped for insurance, their rates were three times what they’re paying now. The second problem is a traffic law in 37 states that bans “splitting”—the practice of riding between lanes. Sounds unsafe, but even when allowed, it accounts for only 3 percent of motorcycle fatalities. When it’s outlawed, you’re stuck in crosstown traffic just like everyone else, only you’re breathing exhaust.

In California, there’s no prohibition against splitting lanes. Los Angeles—pay attention, entrepreneurs—has bad traffic, bad parking, good weather, and a fractured mass-transit system. It also has a city transportation department and taxi commission that are willing to consider just about anything. “Whether it’s the pedicab, the motorcycle concept, the jet pack—you know those exist, too Â…” says Bruce Gillman, spokesman for the L.A. DOT. “Who knows what the future holds?”

If we’re smart, it’ll hold moto-taxis.

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