Travel Guide: The Caribbean
Visit & Explore The Caribbean In Summer 2021
The Caribbean is a region of the Americas that comprises the Caribbean Sea, its surrounding coasts, and its islands. The region lies southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and of the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America. The Caribbean is famous for its incredible sea life, boasting some of the world\’s best dives and more.
Saint Martin– Saint Martin is part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises 2 separate countries, divided between its northern French side, called Saint-Martin, and its southern Dutch side, Sint Maarten. The island is home to busy resort beaches and secluded coves. It\’s also known for fusion cuisine, vibrant nightlife and duty-free shops selling jewelry and liquor.
Nevis– Nevis is the smaller of the 2 islands comprising the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. It\’s known for sandy beaches, including palm-fringed Pinney\’s Beach and sheltered Oualie Beach. Booby High Shoals is a popular offshore dive site sheltering sea turtles and stingrays. The island\’s capital, Charlestown, is filled with Georgian-style buildings and other British colonial relics.
Antigua– Antigua is one of the 2 major islands that make up the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. Ringed with coral reefs, the island is known for its many sandy beaches. Set along English Harbour, restored Nelson’s Dockyard, which Admiral Horatio Nelson made his base in the 1780s, includes a marina and the Dockyard Museum. Trails lead up to Shirley Heights, a former military lookout with panoramic views.
Virgin Gorda– Virgin Gorda is a Caribbean island in the British Virgin Islands. It’s known for the Baths, a labyrinth of beachside boulders forming a series of pools and seawater-flooded grottoes. White-sand beaches nearby include Spring Bay and Devil’s Bay, plus Savannah Bay farther north. In the island’s mountainous north, trails lead up Gorda Peak to a lookout tower with views of the scattered surrounding islets.
Haiti– Haiti is a Caribbean country that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic to its east. Though it’s still recovering from a 2010 earthquake, many of Haiti\’s landmarks dating to the early 19th century remain intact. These include Citadelle la Ferrière, a mountaintop fortress, and the nearby ruins of Sans-Souci Palace, the baroque former royal home of King Henry I. Once the most popular tourist spot in the Caribbean, Haiti is home to miles of breathtaking beaches and crystal blue waters. In fact, tourism is currently the top money maker in the Haitian GDP and a beach vacation to Haiti can support the country\’s economy and help stabilize the island nation.
Barbuda– Barbuda is one of the 2 major islands that make up the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. It\’s known for its secluded pink- and white-sand beaches like reef-lined Spanish Point, and North Beach, backed by palm trees. In the large Codrington Lagoon, the Frigate Bird Sanctuary is a habitat for huge frigate birds and more than 150 other bird species. Nearby is laid-back Codrington, the only village on the island.
Anegada– Anegada is one of the British Virgin Islands, part of a volcanic archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. A low-lying coral island, it’s known for secluded beaches like Loblolly Bay and Cow Wreck Beach. Waterside restaurants feature Anegada lobster. The island is home to flamingos, rock iguanas and rare plant species like sea lavender. Offshore, Horseshoe Reef is rich in marine life and dotted with shipwrecks. Anegada is known for miles of white sand beaches and the 18-mile (29 km)-long Horseshoe Reef, one of the largest barrier coral reefs in the Caribbean.
Bequia– Bequia is the second-largest island in the Grenadines at 7 square miles. It is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is approximately 15 kilometres from the nation\’s capital, Kingstown, on the main island, Saint Vincent. Bequia means \”island of the clouds\” in the ancient Arawak. Bequia is renowned for idyllic & largely deserted beaches, many of which disappear into coves that are excellent for scuba diving, snorkelling & kayaking. The centre of the island is hilly with lush, green forests, providing a dramatic backdrop to the bays and beaches.
Staniel Cay– Staniel Cay is an island located in The Exuma Cays, a district of The Bahamas. Staniel Cay is located roughly 120 km south of Nassau and 400 km southeast of Florida. The island has a population of less than 118 full-time residents and has an area of less than 5 km². The Staniel Cay Pigs are the most famous pigs in the world! These Swimming pigs that live in the Bahamas have become a world-wide phenomenon, with visitors flocking to the island with pigs from all corners of the Earth.
Barbados– Barbados is an eastern Caribbean island and an independent British Commonwealth nation. Bridgetown, the capital, is a cruise-ship port with colonial buildings and Nidhe Israel, a synagogue founded in 1654. Around the island are beaches, botanical gardens, the Harrison’s Cave formation, and 17th-century plantation houses like St. Nicholas Abbey. Local traditions include afternoon tea and cricket, the national sport. Barbados is one of the best islands in the Caribbean to enjoy watersports. The island also offers superb deep-sea diving. There are lots of shipwrecks to explore as well as a wide variety of sea life such as stingrays, reef sharks, striped dolphins, flying fish, seahorses and some excellent coral reefs.
The Bahamas– The Bahamas, known officially as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is a country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago\’s land area and is home to 88% of the archipelago\’s population. With crystal-clear water and a variety of marine life, reefs and shipwrecks, the Bahamas is one of the world\’s premier destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling.
Jamaica– Jamaica, a Caribbean island nation, has a lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay, with its British-colonial architecture, and Negril, known for its diving and snorkeling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer.
Dominican Republic– The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west. It\’s known for its beaches, resorts and golfing. Its terrain comprises rainforest, savannah and highlands, including Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s tallest mountain. The Capital city is Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic is the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere. 42. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world to produce a rare blue variety of the silicate mineral pectolite. Its color changes from white, light-blue, green-blue to deep blue.
Cuba– Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is a country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is famous for its cigars, its rum made from sugar cane, its ladies, Salsa and other Cuban dance styles, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, 1950s-era cars, Spanish-colonial architecture, Cuban National Ballet, Buena Vista Social Club and Guantanamo Bay.
Puerto Rico– Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island and unincorporated U.S. territory with a landscape of mountains, waterfalls and the El Yunque tropical rainforest. In San Juan, the capital and largest city, the Isla Verde area is known for its hotel strip, beach bars and casinos. Its Old San Juan neighborhood features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive, centuries-old fortresses. Puerto Rico is known for its beautiful beaches, and with 270 miles (434 km) of sandy shores, there\’s no shortage on which type of beach you\’ll find there. But, it\’s not just the amount of beachfront that makes Puerto Rico a favorite Caribbean destination; it is the quality and variety of them.
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