In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players begin their journey on a cluster of Sky Islands where the game's tutorial takes place. After this introduction, players are able to dive down to Hyrule and continue the adventure, but that doesn't mean there's no reason to return to the Sky Islands.
Indeed, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hides all kinds of secrets and useful items on its various Sky islands and other floating structures, and players will definitely want to head back into the sky to find Zonai Devices, Shrines, and other valuable secrets. This guide will cover the vast array of methods Link can use to reach the Sky Islands.
How to Get Back to the Sky Islands in Tears of the Kingdom
Fast Travel
Players wanting to return to Sky Islands they've already visited, especially the tutorial islands, can make use of the game's fast travel mechanic to return from anywhere in the world.
All they need to do is open the map and use the Up button on the D-Pad to swap over to the Sky Map. Then players just need to move the cursor over the fast travel point they want to visit and hit the A button to warp.
Of course, this only works for places the player has already visited, so these next few suggestions will help with getting to new islands.
Skyview Towers and the Paraglider
Skyview Towers have the ability to launch players high into the sky, allowing them to skydive back toward Hyrule and deploy their Paraglider to cover more ground. This tremendous altitude gain makes Skyview Towers perfect for visiting Sky Islands near the towers.
Recall
Players will likely notice falling chunks of ruins when exploring Hyrule, which have dropped from the Sky Islands above. Fortunately, Link's new Recall Power can turn these falling ruins into improvised elevators, allowing him to stand atop them and rewind them into the sky to reach new heights and explore further.
Flying Machines
Another excellent method of reaching the Sky Islands over Hyrule is by constructing flying machines using Zonai Devices and nearby materials. Balloons are particularly useful for this, attaching them to something Link can stand on and burning some wood underneath them (or positioning a flame-emitter under them) to carry the whole assembly into the air at a very decent speed.
Balloons will eventually disappear after sustaining flight for too long without a break, so players should watch for them blinking green and plan their landing accordingly.
Players with access to Zonai Power Cells, a Glider, and some Fans or rockets might also be able to assemble improvised planes for traveling from island to island, though it's important to watch out for the Glider timing out and vanishing if it remains airborne for too long, much as the Balloons do.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.