Situated in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Freshwater Lake—aka Warmae Letang—is the largest lake on the island. It's the headwaters of the Roseau River and is a popular spot to visit if you want to see Carib hummingbirds in their natural habitat.
Situated between Rendezvous Beach and Maunday’s Bay in Anguilla’s West End, Cove Bay is one of the few beaches on the island with no resort development. As such, it attracts travelers wanting a quiet alternative to some of the busier beaches on the island.
Located just outside Falmouth, Jamaica Blue Waters Beach Club is a private beach experience close to the cruise port. Featuring a pretty white-sand beach, a designated swim area, food and drink options, along with music and entertainment, the beach club offers an easy way to enjoy a relaxing day by the water.
Located on the Samana Peninsula near the town of Las Terrenas, Playa Bonita lives up to its name of beautiful beach. With a crescent-shaped beach dotted with palm trees and clear waters suitable for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving, it’s no wonder Playa Bonita is considered one of the prettiest beaches in the world.
Found along the northeastern coast of Culebra, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico, Playa Zoni (Zoni Beach) boasts the region's familiar white sands and clear waters. Since it’s less crowded than popular Flamenco Beach, visitors come here for a more peaceful setting. It's ideal for sunbathing or enjoying activities like beach volleyball, soccer, or tennis.
The Caribbean’s islands are renowned for their crystal-clear waters and opportunities for diving and snorkeling. Grand Turk—in the Turks and Caicos Islands—is a hugely popular diving destination thanks to some of the finest reef and wall sites in the tropical Atlantic—including the famous ‘Wall’, located just off Grand Turk.
At this expansive covered market, expect an authentic Puerto Rican bazaar where you’ll find everything from fresh tropical fruits to shoes and apparel. Just outside the market is a popular plaza whose side streets are lined with cafes offering budget-friendly local fare.
The marine life of the Dominican Republic’s prized offshore reefs is preserved and exhibited at the Marinarium marine park in Cabeza de Toro, equidistant from Punta Cana and Bavaro. The ecotourism attraction is dedicated to creating a model of sustainable ecological conservation for local marine life.
Rising from the center of St. Maarten/St. Martin, Pic Paradis (Peak Paradise) is the island’s highest point as well as its wettest, which ensures the vegetation is lush and green year-round. Climb to the 1,391-foot (424-meter) summit for sweeping views of Orient Bay, Philipsburg, Simpson Bay Lagoon, Marigot, and the neighboring islands.
The former home of explorer and governor of Puerto Rico Juan Ponce de Léon, Casa Ponce de Léon is a simple stone building with an important place in history. Visitors come to travel over 500 years back in time to the days of great oceanic exploration and see an important landmark in the history of the Americas.
With its vibrant yellow exterior, the Savonet Museum stands out against its green grass surroundings and the brilliant blue Curacao sky. Wander through the museum, a preserved plantation house, to learn about the indigenous people of Curacao, slavery, and the former colony's independence.
Half moon-shaped Sun Bay Beach on Vieques boasts palm-lined sands, clear turquoise waters, and plenty of room for relaxing. As one of the most accessible beaches on this Puerto Rican island—and the only one with public facilities—it’s a popular spot for day-trippers. Plus, its calm waters with gentle waves make it ideal for swimming, especially at its far eastern end.
Duke Street is the main thoroughfare in historic Cockburn Town, the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Visitors will find all the usual vacation attractions here, from hotels and souvenir shops to restaurants and bars.
Each year between January and March, some 4,000 humpback whales descend on the cool turquoise waters of the Dominican Republic’s Samaná Bay. The Whale Museum and Nature Center (Museo de la Ballena), part of one of the world’s largest marine sanctuaries, celebrates these ocean giants and offers travelers uninterrupted views for winter whale watching.
Set within the grounds of a former sugar plantation and cotton ginnery, the Nevis Heritage Village at Fothergills Estate recreates the living conditions and examines the social history of the different peoples that have lived on Nevis, from the Carib Indians to the present day.
Located behind the Dominica Museum in Roseau, this atmospheric covered market along the seafront sells fresh fruits, spices, handmade knickknacks, and typical tourist souvenirs and t-shirts. Carrying a history of over 300 years, the market was the setting for important political meetings, the center of the island’s colonial slave trade, and where executions were carried out.
Salt Cay island is the smallest of the main inhabited Turks and Caicos Islands. At only 2 square miles (around 7 square kilometers) with no built-up tourist hotels or resorts, it attracts visitors hoping for something a little more adventurous than the typical Caribbean holiday, but with all the laid-back charm of the region.
This boardwalk winds along the Dominican Republic’s Samaná Bay, where tourists, locals, artists, and musicians gather to relax near the shoreline and take in epic views of the island’s striking blue horizon. Lively outdoor cafes serving strong brews and local cuisine and interesting shops selling handmade items line this strip, a popular destination for travelers to Samaná.
Spanning 494 acres (200 hectares), the Dr. Rafael María Moscoso Botanic Garden—or National Botanical Garden—is the largest botanical garden in the Caribbean. Named after the first Dominican botanist to catalog the island’s flora, the garden is home to nearly 70,000 different species of plants and flowers.
Located directly east of Port of Spain, the town of Sangre Grande is the economic hub of northeastern Trinidad and is a good base for visiting nearby attractions in the region by the same name. It is a particularly idyllic destination for nature lovers, as it has ample opportunities to hike, see howler monkeys in the wild, or do a bit of birdwatching.
A ship transformed into a restaurant and entertainment hub, D-Boat SXM draws visitors to the island of St. Maarten who come to eat, drink, and enjoy the Caribbean coastline from this unique floating viewpoint.
At only 10 miles (15 kilometers) long by 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide, Anegada, one of the British Virgin Islands, is affectionately referred to as the “drowned land” for its numerous salt ponds and its sunken feel, sitting just above sea level. Visitors enjoy miles of white sandy beaches and may even spot the curious-looking pink Caribbean flamingo, among other wildlife.
For one of the Bahamas’ best-smelling—souvenirs, nowhere compares to the Freeport Perfume Factory. Housed in a bubblegum-pink Bahamian mansion, you can blend and bottle your own island fragrances here. Of course, you can also choose from the factory’s most successful scents, such as Pink Pearl and Bahama Blue.
In the center of northern Trinidad is the town of Arima, less than an hour's drive or bus ride from Port of Spain. Nestled in the foothills of the island’s Northern Range, Arima is a good jumping-off point for visiting natural areas in the northeastern part of the island. While you’re in town, visit such destinations as the Asa Wright Nature Centre and the nearby Brasso Seco Community Centre, a popular base for waterfall hikes and birdwatching trips.
Lucaya Harbor serves as the official point of entry for Grand Bahama Island. This modern coastal suburb of Freeport appeals with its walkable collection of shops and restaurants, many centered on the open-air Port Lucaya Marketplace, which regularly features live music in Count Basie Square.
The highest point on the island of Nevis, Nevis Peak is a tree-covered, and now-dormant, volcano. Although it has not erupted since prehistoric times, there are still signs of volcanic activity in the area, including jets of steam and natural hot springs. Hiking to the peak is a popular activity for adventurous visitors.
At the entrance of Montego Bay’s famed Hip Strip, the family-friendly Aquasol offers more than just pristine snorkeling and lazy sunbathing. Here, travelers looking for more active beach time can enjoy water- and land-based fun, from banana boat rides, jet-skiing, kayaking, and glass-bottom boat trips to go-karts, tennis, and volleyball.
The tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda has an outsize claim to its name: the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, home to the largest population of frigatebirds in the Western Hemisphere. Situated within Codrington Lagoon National Park’s mangrove forests, the 5,000-bird-strong colony is most popular in the winter when the male birds’ unique mating ritual is on full display.
La Flor Dominicana produces some of the Dominican Republic’s most well-known cigars at their factory in La Romana. Visitors get a behind-the-scenes look at how tobacco plants are transformed into cigars, from leaf sorting and stripping to hand-rolling, aging, fermenting, and packing.
As the capital of French St. Martin, Marigot is a unique fusion of French and West Indian culture, alive in the ambiance, cafes, bakeries, wine shops, and the Creole gingerbread houses along Rue de la République. History buffs gravitate to Fort Louis, built in 1789 to overlook Marigot Bay.
