Far out in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between New Zealand<\/a> and Hawaii<\/a>, lie the paradisiacal Cook Islands<\/strong>. The archipelago offers a spectacular escape to crystal clear lagoons, pearly white beaches and coconut palms, flowers and rainforest-covered interior. You can enjoy hiking in a jungle full of waterfalls, fantastic diving and snorkeling among colorful coral reefs and let the days slip by shamelessly with your feet in the sand.<\/p>\n The fifteen Cook Islands are sparsely populated and divided into the northern atolls and the southern islands. Still barely discovered by tourists, three of the southern Cook Islands are the most visited. Rarotonga<\/strong> – with a circumference of only 32 kilometers – is the largest island and the cultural center of the archipelago. It has a breathtaking coastline, lush inlands and a dizzying variety of landscapes. The rarely traveled Atiu<\/strong> is closest to Rarotonga, is densely covered with rainforest and renowned for its natural caves and limestone formations, unique birdlife and traditional culture. Then Aitutaki<\/strong>, famous for its beautiful lagoon, which is often considered one of the most picturesque islands in the world.<\/p>\n In addition to its natural beauty, the Cook Islands have a rich culture reflected in local traditions, arts and crafts, and lively dance and music performances. Meet the friendly islanders, participate in cultural activities and enjoy delicious Polynesian cuisine.<\/p>\n Whether you are looking for adventure or just want to relax in a peaceful setting, the Cook Islands offer something for every traveler. Where the world can’t find you…<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Spectacular escape in the Pacific Ocean<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":296329,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"country":[750],"continent_category":[257],"class_list":["post-296356","countries","type-countries","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","country-cook-islands","continent_category-oceania"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/countries\/296356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/countries"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/countries"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=296356"},{"taxonomy":"continent_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/continent_category?post=296356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Atiu<\/h4>\n
Polynesian culture<\/h3>\n