Mystery Island Tour

The Mystery Island Tour is a leisure activity in operated by Dodo Airlines. The tour can be embarked on in exchange for a Nook Miles Ticket by speaking to Orville at the airport. Each tour brings the participant to a random deserted island, known as a Mystery Island, where they can harvest materials for crafting and catch rare bugs and fish.

The player will be transported to the island in a seaplane piloted by Wilbur, who will remain stationed on the dock for the duration of the tour. Once the player leaves to go home the island can never be revisited as, according to Wilbur, the map with the island's coordinates is destroyed for security reasons. In actuality, the islands are randomly generated from templates each time they are visited and deleted once the player leaves, so care must be taken to ensure no wanted items are left behind as they will be permanently lost. The player is free to do as they wish on the island as any changes will not affect future island visits.

Various tools are necessary in order to fully explore the islands and harvest their resources, though each island contains a workbench in case the player needs to make their own while on tour. If the player cannot obtain the resources needed to make tools, they can purchase tools from Wilbur in exchange for Nook Miles. A vaulting pole and a ladder are the most crucial tools to have, as much of the islands are entirely inaccessible without these tools.

There are 20 archetypes in all for the Mystery Islands (with five missing in the game's data), some of which are much rarer to experience than others. Every island always contains a dock, a simple workbench for crafting, rocks, and beaches on the left and right sides containing palm trees and shells. Many of the islands will contain flowers, which is usually the same native flower as the player's town. A Note-in-a-bottle may be found washed ashore in the sand, and there is a chance for fossils to be buried. Each island that features regular non-fruit-bearing trees will have a least one that contains a Wasp nest and one with a Furniture leaf. The fruit-bearing trees most often bear the same fruit as the player's island.

Tourists
Potential villagers can appear when visiting the tour islands, and they can be asked to move to the player's own island as a resident. Initially these villagers will always be either lazy, normal or peppy; once a villager of a given type has been invited, only villagers of the remaining type(s) will appear. Should a tourist be invited to become a resident, they will not move to the island until 3 new housing plots are prepared for Tom Nook.

Tourists will stop appearing on the islands from this point until Resident Services is upgraded into a building and the campsite is built. The player will then be able to purchase housing plots to place around town. From this point, villagers of every personality will begin appearing on the islands, if and only if an open plot is available (including if a plot is opened up by a villager moving away). Once invited, the villager will occupy the oldest-placed housing plot the next day.

Types of Mystery Islands

 * Note that all Mystery Island names are conjectural unless otherwise stated.

Short river and pond
A fairly ordinary island with a pond in the south-west corner and a river flowing from a pond on top of a cliff in the north to a mouth in the east. Three rocks can be found on the lowest level, and one on the raised section.

Short river
Very similar to the previous island, but without the pond and a somewhat wider upper level. Three rocks can be found on the lowest level, and one on the raised section.

Spiral
The river on this island follows a spiral pattern, with rocks arranged around different points of the spiral. Despite the unusual layout, there is nothing special about the island. The flowers and fruit-bearing trees on this island are the same as the ones native to the player's home.

Fidget spinner
A small island with a large fidget spinner-shaped pond on the right half of the island, and a small raised cliff area in the upper left corner. Four rocks can be found in each corner.

Mountain
An island containing three levels of elevation. A ring of fruit trees surrounds the top-most cliffs, atop which many flowers and five rocks can be found. These rocks have a higher than normal chance to generate ore when hit, and may also spawn a Pill Bug or Centipede.

Money rocks
A island containing a large ring-shaped pond, forming an islet in the center. Fruit trees and flowers surround the pond. The islet contains 5 rocks, all of which will dispense Bells when struck with a shovel or axe. To only way to pole vault across is on a tiny strip of land at the back of the island that juts out towards it. A money rock blocks the way and must be destroyed to cross. Ideally the rock should be struck normally first to obtain Bells before destroying it.

Bamboo
A small square island covered entirely in Bamboo. Bamboo Shoots can be found buried next to the stalks.

The island is available all year round, and is statistically the island with the highest chance of appearing.

Fruit orchard
A somewhat wide island with a small raised section to the north, and a river that flows down and exits to the west. The island is covered with 19 fruit trees bearing non-native fruit, all of which can be harvested and sold for a large profit on the player's island. The fruit will always be the player's "secondary" fruit, which will always be the same when coming to this island. Three rocks can be found on the lowest level, and one on the raised section.

Scorpion island
A island with four triangular cliffs in each corner. The clearing in the center contains 7 rocks, all of which will dispense Bells when struck with a shovel or axe. Scorpions will generate en-masse within the clearing, making for a difficult but potentially very lucrative bug catching opportunity. If the player is bitten they will respawn back on the dock.

This island can only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Tarantula island
This island can only be visited at night. A small square island with a ring of water in the center. Tarantulas will generate en masse in the center, making for a difficult but potentially very lucrative bug catching opportunity. If the player is bitten they will respawn back on the dock. The ring of water in the center is narrow enough for the player to jump across without the need for a vaulting pole.

This island can only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Rugged woodland
An island with several isolated raised sections and no rivers or ponds. Hardwood trees can be found all over the island. Only insects associated with trees will appear here.

The following insects can be found on this island: • Atlas Moth

• Walking Stick

• Earth-Boring Dung Beetle

• Scarab Beetle

• Miyama Stag

• Saw Stag

• Giant Stag

• Rainbow Stag

• Cyclommatus Stag

• Golden Stag

• Horned Dynastid

• Horned Atlas

• Horned Elephant

• Horned Hercules

• Goliath Beetle

• Drone Beetle

• Giraffe Stag

• Blue Weevil Beetle

This island can only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Flat woodland
This island is almost identical to the Bamboo island, but with Hardwood trees instead of bamboo. Only insects associated with trees will appear here. Four rocks can be found in each corner of the island.

The following insects can be found on this island: • Atlas Moth

• Walking Stick

• Earth-Boring Dung Beetle

• Scarab Beetle

• Miyama Stag

• Saw Stag

• Giant Stag

• Rainbow Stag

• Cyclommatus Stag

• Golden Stag

• Horned Dynastid

• Horned Atlas

• Horned Elephant

• Horned Hercules

• Goliath Beetle

• Drone Beetle

• Giraffe Stag

• Blue Weevil Beetle

This island can only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Curly river
The island features a tiny raised section in the north-east corner, with a winding river that doubles back on itself and exists to the east, resembling a horseshoe. Three rocks can be found on the lowest level, and one on the raised section.

The following insects can be found on this island: • Red Dragonfly

• Darner Dragonfly

• Banded Dragonfly

• Pondskater

• Diving Beetle

• Giant Water Bug

• Damselfly

Big fish
The island features a raised section in the north-east corner, with two waterfalls that empty into a ring-shaped river that exits to the west. The waters of this island contain only large fish. It has a slightly lower chance of appearing than the other island with big fish, and contains only regular flowers and insects.

Only large fish appear on this island.

• ;Large

• Arowana

• Saddled Bichir

• Snapping Turtle

• Soft-Shelled Turtle

• Black Bass

• Carp

• Catfish

• Koi

• Giant Snakehead

• Salmon

• Red Snapper

• Football Fish

• ;Very large

• Dorado

• Pike

• Stringfish

• Gar

• King Salmon

• Ray

• Mahi-Mahi

• Sea Bass

• Olive Flounder

• Giant Trevally

• ;Extra Large

• Arapaima

• Sturgeon

• Blue Marlin

• Coelacanth

• Napoleonfish

• Tuna

• Oarfish

This island can only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Trash
The island features a large curved raised section in the north to north-east, with smaller raised sections in the south-east and south-west corners. A hook-shaped river on the lowest level flows from the center of the island and exits to the west.

The waters on this island contain no fish, only trash and there is little else of value on this island. The only insects that spawn are water-related ones.

The following insects appear on this island: • Red Dragonfly

• Darner Dragonfly

• Banded Dragonfly

• Pondskater

• Diving Beetle

• Giant water bug

• Damselfly

Dorsal-fin
An island where all dorsal-finned fish can be found in abundance in the island's waters. These fish include Saw Shark, Whale Shark, Great White Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Ocean Sunfish, and Suckerfish. The island contains a squared ring of water creating a small islet in the center, which features a formation of cliffs that resemble a dorsal-fin.

Notably, this is the only location in the game that features a fourth-tier of elevation. Towns cannot naturally generate with this, as they can only be created with the Island Designer Construction Permit.

This island can only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Waterfalls
A three-tier island with a river and multiple waterfalls, which empties into the sea on the eastern side, and a holding pond on the western side. Flowers cover the entire island.

Gold Nuggets
An island containing a small rectangular raised section, with very large squared pond behind it. A tiny square island lies in the center containing a single rock that dispenses up to 8 gold nuggets. The only way to get to the center is to climb up the cliff, and down the back, then vault over the pond. Scorpions are the only insect to spawn on this island.

This island can only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Previously available Islands
The following islands could previously be visited on the tour, but are no longer accessible in the most up-to-date version of the game.

Rare Flowers
An island containing a large pond surrounded entirely by rare hybrid flowers. Valuable butterflies spawn in abundance amongst the flowers, and Koi and Goldfish can be fished from the pond.

The following insects will appear on this island: • Common Butterfly

• Yellow Butterfly

• Tiger Butterfly

• Peacock Butterfly

• Monarch Butterfly

• Emperor Butterfly

• Agrias Butterfly

• Rajah Brooke's Birdwing

• Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

• Honeybee

• Common Bluebottle

• Paper Kite Butterfly

• Great Purple Emperor

• Madagascan Sunset Moth

This island could only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Rare Flowers and Big Fish
This island was accessible before v1.2.0.

The island features a very large raised section in the center, with several ponds and a waterfall that are shaped like a fish with a raised caudal fin. Rare hybrid flowers can be found on the upper levels of the island, with only flower-related insects appearing. The waters of this island contain only large fish.

The following insects can be found on this island: • Mantis

• Orchid Mantis

• Stinkbug

• Ladybug

• Man-Faced Stink Bug

The following fish can be found on this island: • ;Large

• Arowana

• Saddled Bichir

• Snapping Turtle

• Soft-Shelled Turtle

• Black Bass

• Carp

• Catfish

• Koi

• Giant Snakehead

• Salmon

• Red Snapper

• Football Fish

• ;Very large

• Dorado

• Pike

• Stringfish

• Gar

• King Salmon

• Ray

• Mahi-Mahi

• Sea Bass

• Olive Flounder

• Giant Trevally

• ;Extra Large

• Arapaima

• Sturgeon

• Blue Marlin

• Coelacanth

• Napoleonfish

• Tuna

• Oarfish

This island could only be visited a maximum of once per day.

Trivia

 * Each island is numbered within the game's data. Islands 3, 5, 9, 15, and 22 are not present, suggesting that they were either removed during development, or will be added in a future update.
 * Until update 1.2.0, there were two additional islands: a second big Fish island as well as a hybrid Flower island.