DK Isles connects the seven main worlds, Hideout Helm and K. Lumsy’s prison. Its twenty-five regular Golden Bananas include five blueprints. Tiny can earn a twenty-sixth banana after photographing every Banana Fairy. Several rewards require late-game moves, so revisit the hub rather than expecting to clear it on the first trip.
Recommended route
- Complete Cranky’s four training barrels and collect the free Simian Slam. Leave DK’s house, talk to K. Lumsy and collect the first banana at the newly opened Jungle Japes entrance.
- Activate every warp pad you reach. The hub’s useful destinations are K. Lumsy’s prison, the Angry Aztec entrance, the waterfall, the factory approach and Banana Fairy Island. Both ends of a pair must be activated.
- Return each boss key to K. Lumsy. Visit the newly available lobby, but check B. Locker’s Golden Banana requirement before committing to a long climb.
- After Tiny learns Mini Monkey, enter Banana Fairy Island. Speak to the fairy to receive the camera and shockwave. Photograph fairies in first-person view when they are centred in the frame.
- Finish the hub after learning Monkeyport, OrangSprint and Gorilla Gone. These late moves unlock the upper mechanical island, timed prison challenge and hidden pads.
Donkey Kong — Golden Bananas
1. K. Lumsy’s first reward
Talk to K. Lumsy, then return to the rock covering Jungle Japes. Take the banana where the entrance has opened.
2. Coconut gate on the mechanical island
Climb the lower vines on the mechanical island toward Snide. Shoot the coconut target at the barred alcove and collect the banana inside.
3. Frantic Factory lobby
Use Gorilla Grab on the lobby lever. Ride the activated lift, then play the bongos on DK’s music pad to receive the banana.
4. Crystal Caves lobby
Have Chunky punch through the breakable ice walls. Switch to DK, enter the Strong Kong barrel and cross the lava while invulnerable. Keep enough crystal coconuts for the return route.
5. Yellow blueprint in Hideout Helm’s lobby
Shoot the coconut target in Helm’s lobby to open the bridge to the yellow Kasplat. Defeat him as DK and redeem his blueprint at Snide’s H.Q.
Diddy Kong — Golden Bananas
1. Spring pad beside Snide
Use Simian Spring on the pad near Snide to reach the bonus barrel. Complete Batty Barrel Bandit by matching the displayed fruit rather than stopping each reel immediately.
2. Waterfall peanut gate
Have Chunky remove the boulder near Angry Aztec and Lanky play the trombone at the exposed pad. Use the new Rocketbarrel as Diddy, fly to the waterfall alcove and shoot its peanut target.
3. Above DK’s head
Use the same Rocketbarrel to reach the bonus barrel high above the rocky DK head. Approach slowly so that you enter the barrel instead of circling it.
4. Crystal Caves lobby guitar
In the Crystal Caves lobby, use the Rocketbarrel to reach Diddy’s high guitar pad. Land, play Guitar Gazump and collect the reward.
5. Red blueprint in Creepy Castle’s lobby
Have DK shoot the coconut target in Castle’s lobby. Switch to Diddy, defeat the red Kasplat behind the opened gate and hand in the blueprint.
Lanky Kong — Golden Bananas
1. Grape gate by the prison
Shoot the grape target at the alcove outside K. Lumsy’s prison. The banana is inside the newly opened gate.
2. Timed prison switch
Inside K. Lumsy’s prison, activate OrangSprint and hit Lanky’s switch. Race to the banana before the short timer expires; line up the route before pressing the switch.
3. Jungle Japes lobby trombone
Have Chunky lift the lobby boulder. Switch to Lanky and play the trombone on the uncovered pad.
4. Blue blueprint in Crystal Caves’ lobby
Have Chunky break the ice wall in the Crystal Caves lobby. Defeat the blue Kasplat with Lanky and redeem the blueprint.
5. Creepy Castle lobby bonus
Have Chunky remove the lobby boulder. Use Lanky’s Baboon Balloon pad to rise into the bonus barrel, then clear Searchlight Seek: shoot enemies while the light reveals them.
Tiny Kong — Golden Bananas
1. Banana Fairy Island gate
Swim behind Banana Fairy Island and shoot the feather target at its barred alcove. Collect the banana outside the fairy’s main chamber.
2. Top of the mechanical island
Use the Monkeyport pad near the island’s base. At the top, play the saxophone on Tiny’s pad to earn a banana and activate another hub objective.
3. Angry Aztec lobby bonus
Have Diddy charge both gongs in the Aztec lobby. Use Pony Tail Twirl to reach the bonus barrel as Tiny and complete its challenge.
4. Purple blueprint in Frantic Factory’s lobby
Have Chunky break the question-mark box in Factory’s lobby. Defeat the purple Kasplat with Tiny and exchange the blueprint.
5. Gloomy Galleon lobby pool
Have Chunky press the blue switch in Galleon’s lobby. Switch to Tiny, use Mini Monkey and swim through the small opening to the banana.
6. The 201st Golden Banana
Photograph all twenty Banana Fairies. Return to the Banana Fairy inside her island as Tiny and claim the extra Golden Banana. DK Isles will show six bananas for Tiny: this is expected.
Chunky Kong — Golden Bananas
1. Pineapple gate beside the pond
Shoot the pineapple target at the barred alcove near the waterfall pond. Collect the banana behind the gate.
2. Boulder near Angry Aztec
Lift the boulder by the Aztec entrance and play Triangle Trample on the pad underneath. Lanky can then use the nearby trombone pad for Diddy’s jetpack access.
3. The giant X
After Tiny plays her saxophone atop the mechanical island, use the Hunky Chunky barrel on the small palm-tree island. Travel to the island with the large X and ground-pound it while giant.
4. Green blueprint in Gloomy Galleon’s lobby
Defeat the green Kasplat in Galleon’s lobby as Chunky. Pick up the blueprint and redeem it.
5. Hideout Helm lobby bonus
Use Gorilla Gone in Helm’s lobby to reveal the climbing route. Follow the vines into the bonus barrel and clear Kremling Kosh by hitting the required enemies without shooting the Kongs.
DK Isles completion check
Twenty-five regular Golden Bananas, five redeemed blueprints, four fairies and two crowns. Tiny’s fairy reward raises the banana total to twenty-six. There are no coloured bananas or Banana Medals here.