ANGUILLA

Travellers come to Anguilla for the natural beauty and quiet atmosphere, the 33 sparkling strands, art galleries, and other historical and cultural offerings.

For seaside experiences, the beach options are seemingly endless: Rendezvous Bay, Cove Bay and Mead’s Bay beckon with long curved strands of sand. Smaller pocket beaches include Limestone Bay, known for its snorkeling, and Little Bay, reached only by boat. Captain’s Bay and Junk’s Hole Bay are more remote. Shoal Bay East is undoubtedly the island’s most popular beach while Scrub Island, Prickly Pear and Dog Island are excellent snorkelling destinations...

Click here for more information on Anguilla

ANTIGUA

Antigua has an amazing 365 strands of sand, giving visitors a different choice for every day of the year. Begin your exploration at Nelson’s Dockyard. Part of a national park, it’s the only existing Georgian naval dockyard in the world, built in 1725 and once England’s most important naval outpost in the Caribbean.

Along the waterfront, buildings are sign posted with their dates of origin and former uses, from the Sawpit Shed to the Copper and Lumber Store. In the Erstwhile Naval Officer’s House, a museum gives the history of the area...

Click here for more information on Antigua

ARUBA

Aruba offers long gleaming beaches, many water sports activities, and is a favourite port for cruise ships, but visitors also lodge here to take advantage of upscale restaurants, lively nightclubs, and some of the best windsurfing in the world.

Oranjestad is the island's capital, and the bustling city has a distinct Dutch feel with colorful buildings painted in historical Antillean style. Shopping is abundant, with duty-free stores offering jewellery, perfume, linen, alcohol and designer clothing. Discos and nightclubs abound and gaming is on offer at 11 resort casinos...

Click here for more information on Aruba

BAHAMAS

Approximately 700 islands, spread over nearly 100,000 square miles of ocean, constitute The Bahamas. The term Out Islands (or Family Islands) refer to all of the islands except New Providence, home to Nassau and Paradise Island, and Grand Bahama, home to Freeport/Lucaya.

There are flights to all of the island centers from Nassau. It’s also possible to charter a plane, take a high-speed catamaran ferry, or hop aboard a chartered sailboat or motorboat. Home to the Bahamas capital of Nassau and the resort development of Paradise Island, New Providence Island is the most visited Bahamian island, thanks to its international airport and busy cruise ship dock. Freeport/Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island is a popular destination offering excellent golf courses including ones designed by Dick Wilson, Joe Lee and Robert Trent Jones Jr...

Click here for more information on the Bahamas

BARBADOS

Whether you seek soft beaches, powerful surf, refined sophistication or the up-tempo, festive feel, Barbados has something for everyone. It is the easternmost of the Lesser Antilles islands and, as such, enjoys the graces of two oceans – the Caribbean Sea on its west side and the Atlantic Ocean at its eastern end. The two bodies of water converge on the island’s southern shores, where smaller hotels – and legions of windsurfers – await.

The local Bajans, as they are known, display a brawn inherited from both 3 1 /2 centuries of British rule and the faith and endurance of the former slaves who populated the island to cultivate sugarcane. A wealth of traditions have influenced every facet of life, from music and dance to cuisine and herbal “bush” medicine.

Barbados offers luxurious hotels, inns and villas lining many beaches. Visit the famous Millionaires’ Playground (a.k.a. Platinum Coast). Barbados’ premier festival, Crop Over, which traditionally celebrated the end of the sugar season, lasts for five weeks and includes markets, carnival shows, calypso concerts and colorful parades...

Click here for more information on Barbados

BERMUDA

Shipwrecks. African drum beats. Knee socks. Culturally, our resort island is a unique blend of colonial history and African heritage. This has given birth to our colourful local legends and rich traditions. As Britain’s oldest colony, its influence continues to dominate our government, educational and legal institutions. You may spot one of our judges walking through Hamilton in a powdered wig, see a bobby directing traffic or overhear a passionate conversation about a local cricket match.

Although our first settlers in 1612 were most probably all English, our island's population rapidly became mixed. In fact, the first black man and first Native American arrived on the island in 1616 to dive for pearls. Today our population is a racial and cultural mix with strong British, African and Caribbean influences. Our island families trace their roots around the globe, including: The Azores, Great Britain, Madeira Islands, North America, Portugal, and the West Indies. African influences, while subtler, can be found in our dance and music, especially reggae, calypso and the rhythm of the Gombeys...

Click here for more information on Bermuda

BONAIRE

Bonaire is known primarily as a spectacular dive site, ringed by a series of offshore reefs. But Bonaire is also a landlubber’s destination, with a developing art and dining scene, and a slew of land-based activities.

In the main town, Kralendijk, visit Cinnamon Art Gallery, founded by a trio of artists or any number of fine restaurants featuring French, Italian, Argentine and creative cuisines. Still, Bonaire is a long way from becoming an urban mecca. Here, the flamingo population rivals the human one, building size is strictly limited, and the circumference of the island is a protected marine park...

Click here for more information on Bonaire

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Known internationally as a sailors’ paradise, the 60-plus islands of the British Virgin Islands also offer landlubbers all the charms of the natural Caribbean and few of the hassles. A necklace of islands and cays strung along Sir Francis Drake Channel between Puerto Rico and St. Kitts, the BVIs have an unspoilt setting, a high standard of living and a low-key atmosphere. Many of the islands are rich with indigenous fauna, including red-legged tortoises and Anegada iguanas.

Tortola is the largest island, and its capital, Road Town, hosts governmental offices, banks, shops,a ferry service and an international cruise-ship dock. It’s also the main location for charter boats. The north shore of Tortola is peppered with coves and isolated beaches like Brewer’s Bay and Smuggler’s Cove. The more populous Cane Garden Bay offers many restaurants and bars. The hilly roadways make for a four-wheel-drive challenge but provide spectacular views...

Click here for more information on BVI

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Grand Cayman's 7-Mile beach encompasses so many different activities a day at the beach has the ability to leave your head spinning. Whether or not you enjoy just relaxing and watching the waves roll in or taking your vacation up a notch and parasailing over the Caribbean sea 7-Mile Beach has what you’re looking for. With an abundance of watersports, operators hotels and beachside restaurants you will never be at a loss for what to do on 7-Mile Beach.

Nestled in the calm, turquoise waters of the western Caribbean, lies the peaceful British Overseas Territory known as the Cayman Islands. Consisting of three islands just 480 miles south of Miami, Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman remain our little piece of paradise....

Click here for more information on Cayman Islands

CUBA

There are few more fascinating destinations in the Caribbean than its largest and most populous island, Cuba – not least because it has been a socialist republic since the 1959 revolution, when Fidel Castro seized power. This last remaining vestige of state socialism, 90 miles south of Key West, Florida, was once the last stronghold of Spanish power in the region.

Comprising a surface area of 110, 992 km² and situated in the westernmost part of the insular Caribbean, at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba has more than 4000 keys and islets form part of the Cuban island, including the special municipality Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud), with a surface area of 2200 km². Also known as the key to the Gulf, Cuba is the largest of the West Indies and one of the largest in the world...

Click here for more information on Cuba

CURACAO

The winter-time Curaçao Carnival boasts parades with floats, Jump Ups (outdoors), Jump Ins (indoors) and outrageous costumes. Serious divers come for the spring Curaçao Dive Festival to participate in a weeks’ worth of workshops such as Underwater Digital Photography.

The western shores have a series of beautiful beaches, each one occupying a separate cove: popular Daaibooi, tiny Playa Lagun, and Knip, which opens onto a large bay of luminous water.

Also in the west is Christoffel Park. Drive, hike, or ride a horse through kadushi cactus, tamarind, divi-divi trees and lignum vitae trees, the road curving upward to amazing vistas of Mount Christoffel...

Click here for more information on Curacao

DOMINICA

In 2005, rugged, jungle-filled Dominica became the first nation to be certified by Green Globe 21 for sustainable development. Nature-oriented visitors appreciate Dominica’s rich culture and history, and this locale has a great deal to offer travelers with a quest for adventure.

Located between Guadeloupe and Martinique, Dominica’s mountains soar to nearly 5,000 feet, yielding a thriving rainforest, hundreds of rivers and waterfalls, rare orchids and colorful birds. Geothermal activity results in colorful hot springs, bubbling mud pools, small geysers and Boiling Lake, the second largest lake of its kind in the world. The sites are found in Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Did you know that Dominica was the location for the CBS reality TV show Pirate Master, and one of the locations used in Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3!

Click here for more information on Dominica

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

TheDominican Republic occupies more than half of Hispaniola, the second-largest Caribbean island, where travellers can indulge in a variety of activities!

Adventurers might seek out canyoning and windsurfing opportunities, and hikers can scale Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s highest mountain at 10,000 feet, while 1,000 miles of sublime coastline offer relaxation. For cultural immersion, visit the centuries-old capital Santo Domingo, the New World’s oldest city.

Within 19 national parks, 6 scientific reserves, 32 natural monuments, 15 natural reserves, 2 marine sanctuaries and 9 protected parcels of islands, there exist 5,600 plant species, 303 bird species and a rich underwater world. Many resorts are all-inclusive including those along the picturesque coastline in the Punta Cana/Bávaro area, where a sizeable coral reef draws scuba divers...

Click here for more information on Dominican Republic

GRENADA

Famed for forests fragrant with cinnamon, allspice, cocoa and nutmeg, Grenada is actually a three-island nation including Carriacou and Petite Martinique in the Grenadine chain of islands. Carriacou is a mecca for scuba divers and snorkelers and on Petite Martinique, many inhabitants build boats or make their living by fishing.

Back on the main island, this former British colony offers charming architecture, 300-year-old churches and narrow streets. Fort George and Fort Frederick date back to the 18th century. Restaurants and resorts centres line Grand Anse, a popular 2-mile stretch of sand. South and East of Grand Anse, other beaches line the coves of L’Anse Aux Epines, an upscale residential community...

Click here for more information on Grenada

GUADELOUPE

As part of the French West Indies, Guadeloupe has it all: rainforests, waterfalls, sandy beaches and charming villages. Guadeloupe is really two butterfly-shaped islands connected by a narrow channel.

The left “wing” is Grande-Terre, and the right “wing” is Basse-Terre. Offshore, on smaller surrounding islands, you can step into societies that have changed little over the centuries. On Terre-de-Haut, part of the Iles des Saintes, you’ll find pristine beaches and families descended from Breton sailors...

Click here for more information on Guadeloupe

HAITI

Haiti, once one of the most popular vacation destinations in the Caribbean, is now one of the least-visited destinations due to its political instability and a lack of tourism infrastructure.

Travel warnings keep visitors aware of the potential dangers and North American travellers should contact their local Embassy upon arrival. A car with a driver or escorted day tours is advisable, and for intrepid travellers intrigued by the country’s cultural offerings and natural beauty, Haiti offers fascinating castles, history, architecture, art, music and spiritual traditions.

Haiti Shares The Island Of Hispaniola With The Dominican Republic! The capital, Port-au-Prince, is located in the central region on the Gulf of Gonâve. Points of interest here include the Musée de Pantheon, Place des Héros, and the Basilica of Notre Dame. Inside the Musée Nationale is a treasure-trove of historical relics such as the pistol used by King Henri Christophe in 1820, which he used to end his life rather than face a coup. Visitors can also see an anchor allegedly salvaged from Christopher Columbus’ famous Santa Maria...

Click here for more information on Haiti

JAMAICA

Jamaica is surely one of the Caribbean’s most iconic destinations. The scenery offers everything from fish-filled coral reefs and white-sand beaches to breathtaking waterfalls and cloud-shrouded rainforests. The music is infectious, and the people represent one of the most diverse populations in the Caribbean, drawing from African, Chinese, Indian, British and German heritage.

Jamaica Is The Caribbean’s Third Largest Island

With six main tourist regions – Montego Bay, Negril, Mandeville and The South Coast, Kingston, Port Antonio and Ocho Rios. There are numerous tranquil places to visit: The 7,402 foot Blue Mountain Peak is a challenge to all serious island trekkers, and bird watching is increasingly popular with more than 200 native species, including at least 25 species that are endemic. Jamaica is also reputedly home to more than 3,000 species of flowering plants, some 720 of which are found nowhere else. Jamaica is rich with formal gardens, too, such as Hope Botanical Gardens, Shaw Park Gardens, Coyaba River Garden and the Cranbrook Flower Forest...

Click here for more information on Jamaica

MONTSERRAT

Long known as the Caribbean’s Emerald Isle for its Irish heritage and lush rainforests, Montserrat welcomes visitors with a green shamrock-shaped stamp in their passport. In fact Montserrat is the only Caribbean island that observes St. Patrick’s Day as an official holiday, with musical concerts, masquerades and other traditional activities.

The Volcano Is The Star Attraction...

Most easily viewed from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. Tours are conducted by scientists several days a week. The ruins of Plymouth are today a ghost town under a blanket of ash. Daytime access to the former capital is possible with a police escort, arranged through hotels or the tourist office.

Click here for more information on Montserrat

NEVIS

The charm and tranquility takes you back to a time when things were simpler, when life was more peaceful, when stress was just a word, not a way of life. Prior to the Columbus saga, Nevis was named Dulcina Sweet Island" by the Arawaks and later Oualie "land of beautiful waters" by the Caribs. Later in the 18th century Nevis became known as"Queen of the Caribees." Evidence of pre-ceramic people abounds with finely crafted stone tools and intricately coloured pottery found.

This 36-square-mile island lies near the top of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 200 miles south of Puerto Rico, and just west of Antigua. This island jewel is approximately 7 miles long and 5 miles wide, with natural vegetation that is unparalleled...

Click here for more information on Nevis

PUERTO RICO

Tunning beaches, uncompromising luxury, adventurous outdoor activities and flavourfull nightlife. Puerto Rico also boasts 23 golf courses, many championship-level, countless tennis courts, horseback riding outfitters, deep-sea fishing opportunities, watersports of all types, and 17 spas.

The beach at Isla Verde, which fronts the Atlantic Ocean, is just a five-minute cab ride from San Juan airport, and boasts a line of major hotels, a beautiful powder-white beach, crystal waters and easy access to Old San Juan and other cultural, dining, shopping and dancing attractions. Another popular destination is Condado Beach, with a natural rock barrier protecting Condado Lagoon...

Click here for more information on Puerto Rico

ST. EUSTATIUS

The locals refer to this 11.8 square-mile island in the Netherlands Antilles chain as Statia. Though small, the island reveals a surprisingly rich past to travellers. During the 1700s, Statia's capital, Oranjestad, was a trading hub for slaves, sugar, cotton and commodities from Europe and the Far East.

At its peak, the island's population reached 18,000, and Oranjestad was perhaps the richest port in all the region. However, in 1776 the government brought the wrath of England upon the tiny nation after recognising the newly independent United States by firing an 11-gun salute to a passing warship. The decline began, and today the sleepy island has under 3,000 inhabitants.

More than 100 sunken trading ships off the shores of Statia make this a diving mecca; submerged anchors, cannons and pottery shards create a silent testimony to the island's story. However there are things to do above the water too: visitors can take a half-day hike to the 2,000 foot Quill, a classically shaped volcano with a forest-filled crater. Orchids, fruit trees and ferns thrive in this unique environment...

Click here for more information on St. Eustatius

ST. KITTS

The exotically beautiful island ofSt. Kitts is like no other island in the Caribbean! This island seems to embody a kind of lush tropical paradise usually associated with the South Pacific, and the atmosphere offers an intoxicating blend of sunlight, sea, air and fantastically abundant vegetation.

The history is rich on St. Kitts, where Christopher Columbus named St. Christopher after the patron saint of travellers, and the appellation was eventually shortened to St. Kitts. Nine forts guarded the island’s coastline, none more impressive than the massive Brimstone Hill Fortress; it is a wonderfully preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site today and well worth exploration. For beaches and watersports, head south to Frigate Bay, where most of the hotel rooms are located, or just beyond, to the Southeast Peninsula, where the island’s best white-sand coves ring the peninsula’s rolling hills and salt ponds. Watch for green vervet monkeys scampering across the road, dodging into bushes or looking for a handout at Turtle Beach...

Click here for more information on St. Kitts

ST. LUCIA

St. Lucia’s iconic Pitons – a pair of volcanic spires that vault upward from the Caribbean Sea – define one of the region’s most romantic destinations. Though the trademark vistas that surround the Pitons are perhaps the most memorable, St. Lucia delivers robust, varied scenery from head to toe. Simply put, the island looks the way the Caribbean is supposed to look.

Castries, the island’s capital, is a busy hub of island commerce and culture. An active cruise-ship port, visitors can invest a few hours at one of two duty-free shopping pavilions along the waterfront. Artists showcase paintings and sculptures in several galleries. Just a few steps from the harbour is the market, where vendors have gathered for more than 100 years to sell a bounty of fresh produce alongside fishermen hawking king mackerel, mahi-mahi and wahoo...

Click here for more information on St. Lucia

ST. MAARTEN

St. Maarten is an island with a split personality, thanks to an international border between its two sides: Dutch St. Maarten to the south, French St. Martin to the north. Its capital, Philipsburg - a popular stop for cruise ships - began as a Dutch trading center, and forts around the city are reminders of its strategic importance in St. Maarten’s history. Fort Amsterdam, built in 1631, was the first Dutch military outpost in the Caribbean; the Spanish captured the fort soon after it was completed and kept it until 1648, when they abandoned it. Fort Willem, today topped by a television transmission tower, is great for a hike.

Today tourism is king; bustling Front Street in Philipsburg beckons bargain hunters with 500 duty-free shops. There are 36 sugary sand beaches to visit; one favorite strip is Cupecoy Bay Beach near the Dutch-French border, and windsurfers head to busy Maho Bay Beach, located near the airport. One of St. Maarten’s more private strands is Simpson Bay Beach. Simpson Bay Lagoon is enclosed, making the water a natural for water skiing. Dawn Beach, Oyster Pond and Guana Bay are favourites for snorkeling and windsurfing...

Click here for more information on St. Maarten

ST. MARTIN

When you enter St. Martin, you’ve entered France, and not just figuratively speaking. St. Martin is as much a part of France as Marseilles or Nice, and a flight here from Paris is a domestic flight.

Visit the capital Marigot on market day, when, in front of the harbourside bistros and boutiques, vendors fill the parking lots with goods from home-brewed alcohol to burlap sacks overflowing with cinnamon, nutmeg and chili peppers. St. Martin is action-packed but also laid back. Orient Beach, perhaps the Caribbean’s best-known clothing optional strand, is also its premier location for watersports from windsurfing and jet skiing to “parascending” on a boat-towed parachute...

Click here for more information on St. Martin

ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES

A necklace of 32 islands and cays, only nine of them inhabited, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is one of the most popular destinations in the world for leisure sailors, Snorkelers and divers.

St. Vincent, “the mainland,” is almost 18 miles long and made imposing by its seething giant, La Soufrière volcano, which last erupted in 1979. Guides lead hikes that wind through the surrounding forest for a close-up view.

St. Vincent’s other natural attractions include the Falls of Baleine, spectacular cascades that are accessible only by boat, and the Mesopotamia region, with rows upon rows of banana trees. Fort Charlotte, a 19th century British battlement atop a bluff in the capital of Kingstown, features an impressive interpretive display about the Carib culture.

Downtown Kingstown is a bustling area, and visitors should see the Botanical Gardens, the oldest such gardens in the Caribbean (founded in 1763) featuring a breadfruit tree that was brought to the island by Capt. William Bligh after surviving the infamous mutiny aboard the Bounty...

Click here for more information on St. Vincent & the Grenadines

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Siblings Trinidad and Tobago are vastly different. Larger, boisterous Trinidad parlayed its oil-boom riches into one of the region’s most industrialized economies. And while its famous and lively Carnival is one of the world’s great street parties, the destination’s bountiful countryside, with vast forest preserves and marshland, remains off the chart for many travellers.

Sleepy Tobago, on the other hand, just 21 miles away, is a haven for those seeking the quintessential Caribbean vacation with cozy resorts, picture-postcard beaches and a stunning marine environment. Since both islands were once part of the South American mainland, they offer a far more diverse variety of plant and animal species than those found elsewhere in the Caribbean...

Click here for more information on Trinidad & Tobago

TURKS & CAICOS

The Turks and Caicos Islands, archipelagos comprised of 40 low-lying and mostly undeveloped islands boast miles of white powdery beaches, superb diving, accommodations, and gourmet restaurants.

Much of the underwater excitement is found off the Turks, where wall dives are outstanding, and along West Caicos and Provo. Sport fishing is a big international draw, and the mangrove salt flats offer a prime habitat for bonefish.

Providenciales (known as Provo) is the hub for tourism

The island’s crowning glory is Grace Bay, a 12 mile stretch of velvety sand. Also on Provo, bird watchers enjoy acres of inland lakes frequented by white herons and pink flamingos. Just a dozen miles from Provo is North Caicos, which receives the most rainfall, making it notably greener with tall trees and lush vegetation. The southern part of North Caicos is swampy, with broad estuaries that are home to a vast colony of West Indian flamingoes. North Caicos is popular with holiday-home buyers, especially around Whitby, with its stunning seven mile beach...

Click here for more information on Turks & Caicos

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

The USVI - St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John – known as America’s Caribbean, is one of the Caribbean’s most popular destinations. This trio of islands is an easy flight from the U.S. mainland, prices are in American dollars. Oceanfront resorts, small inns, condos, campgrounds or luxury villas – the choice of accommodations will suit any style. Nearly 2.5 million vacationers flock here annually for the powdery beaches, plentiful watersports and fine dining. Like siblings, each of the three major islands has its own personality.

The largest of these islands at 84 square miles, St. Croix (pronounced CROY) features a varied terrain from dry cactus-studded hills out east to lush tropical forests in the west. Hiking, kayaking and kite boarding are popular pastimes, and the island boasts two 18-hole golf courses. Some scuba buffs claim this is the only place in the Caribbean where you can dive a wall, a reef, a wreck and a pier all in the same day. Chartered powerboats or catamarans will take you to the pristine beach and a marked snorkel trail at uninhabited Buck Island Reef National Monument. St. Thomas, the best known of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is the most bustling...

Click here for more information on USVI