Redonda, AntiguaIt takes four hours to sail to Redonda, but only two minutes of wandering around here before the first dragon appears.

This tiny, secluded island in the Caribbean West Indies, an imposing piece of old volcano ringed by hundred-foot cliffs, is covered with bushes and knee-high grass that can obscure some of the unusual species that call it home. The nests of various boobies and frigate birds are scattered amidst the greenery underfoot, while their owners dot the sky overhead by the dozens. Tree lizards and pygmy geckos, both native to the island, linger in nearby patches of shade. And the Redonda ground dragon, a rare, six-inch, all-black lizard, is even bolder: I stop walking for a few