DK Isles

"No! The time has come. Goodbye, DK Isles!"

- King K. Rool

DK Isles is the hub world of Donkey Kong 64. It is an archipelago consisting of Kong Isle, Banana Fairy Island, and several smaller islands. In addition to serving as a hub, DK Isles has its own set of collectibles to obtain, including a full set of five Golden Bananas for each Kong, as well as an extra one for Tiny acquired by catching all the Banana Fairies. During the events of the game, King K. Rool parked his own mechanical island in front of Kong Isle, hoping to destroy it with his Blast-o-Matic.

Kong Isle
Kong Isle is the home of the Kongs and the centerpiece of DK Isles. Much like in previous games, it is depicted as being shaped like Donkey Kong's head. It contains the starting area of the game, a small jungle region where DK's Tree House stands. To leave this area, DK needs to obtain the Simian Slam potion from Cranky after completing his Training Barrels. The outer portion of the island consists of a beach surrounded by a few cliffs and caves. The entrances to Jungle Japes, Angry Aztec, Fungi Forest, and Crystal Caves are located here. After K. Lumsy is freed from his prison, he causes K. Rool's airship to crash land on the beach, setting up the game's final battle.

Crocodile Isle
This is not a true part of DK Isles, but rather a large, fortified, mechanical island which K. Rool positioned in front of Kong Isle with the intent of firing the Blast-o-Matic from it and destroying the Kongs' home. Regardless, it is considered a part of the game's hub world. The entrances to Frantic Factory, Gloomy Galleon, Creepy Castle, and Hideout Helm are located here. Snide's HQ is also here. Attached to Crocodile Isle is a small prison where K. Lumsy is being held.

Banana Fairy Island
This island is the home of the Banana Fairies. It features a large structure shaped like a Banana Fairy's head, which Tiny is able to enter after learning the Mini-Monkey move, since the entrance is too small to go through otherwise. Upon doing so, she meets the Banana Fairy Princess, who asks her to find the other Banana Fairies, who have gone missing from the island.

Other islands
Several small, unnamed islands surround Kong Isle. Two of them feature large rocks that, when destroyed, reveal cannons, which are used to access Fungi Forest and Creepy Castle. Another one features a large "X" which can be Simian Slammed by Hunky Chunky to reveal a Golden Banana.

Trivia

 * The main theme of DK Isles was composed to be a theme in Banjo-Kazooie, while it was still known as Project Dream. The theme was titled "Lost" by the composer of both Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, Grant Kirkhope.