Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands draw a modest, mostly regional crowd of divers and history buffs rather than a global tourist trail. Saipan's turquoise Grotto and wreck-strewn waters are prized by scuba divers, while its cliffs and caves carry heavy memories from the fierce 1944 battle fought here. Nearby Tinian, from where the atomic bomb missions departed in 1945, feels almost frozen in time, with jungle reclaiming old runways and bunkers. WWII history and coral reefs are the main draws.