The Caribbean...A Variety of Treasured Destinations

Known collectively as the Lesser Antilles and Trinidad & Tobago, the islands of the Eastern Caribbean make a 1000km long north-south sweep, beginning east of Puerto Rico and coming to a halt just off the coast of Venezuela. The Lesser Antilles include the Leeward Islands (from Anguilla to Dominica), the Windward Islands (from Martinique to Grenada) and Barbados.

The islands are mountainous, with rainforests and black-sand beaches. The coral limestone fabric of the outer arc of islands, extending from Anguilla to Barbados, reveals their marine origins. White-sand beaches, indented coastlines and low, scrubby hills characterize these islands. The islands of the inner arc, extending from Saba to Grenada, have volcanic origins, and craters and hot springs still steam, bubble and pungently belch their sulfuric gases. Volcanic activity has ceased on most of the islands with Montserrat the rumbling exception. Trinidad & Tobago have different origins again, having broken off from the South American continent. Trinidad's soils include deposits from Venezuela's Orinoco River, and its northern range is an extension of the Andes.

Philipsburg, In St. Maarten's Dutch capital, one of the favorite yachting destinations of the Caribbean, you can crew on a former America's Cup contender or ride in a submarine to see the underwater wonders. This duty-free port is a paradise for shoppers too. St. John, Robert Louis Stevenson's Long John Silver and his band of pirates made their home in the Virgin Islands. Almost all of St. John is protected by the US Virgin Islands National Park, a pristine tropical wilderness-mostly under water. St. Thomas, Take a 'jeepney' ride up the twisting spiny ridge of the island to Drake's Seat. This is where Sir Francis supposedly spied on and made plans to attack the treasure-laden Spanish fleet as it made its way through the lovely archipelago of the Virgin Islands.

Cozumel, Vibrant. Colorful. Vivacious. Mexico's favorite island is hot chili peppers and cold Margaritas. Ancient Mayan ruins and ultra-modern resorts. Mamacitas clothed head-to-foot in black, and sun-bronzed goddesses in the scantiest of bikinis. And the whitest powder sand and the clearest blue water you'll ever see! Ocho Rios, Float down a gentle river in a bamboo raft as your guide sings a Bob Marley tune. Climb through 600 feet of cascading waterfall at Dunn's River Falls. Explore a moldering Great House where ghostly apparitions make their apperance on a regular basis. Then, have a little Jamaican rum and feel all right!

You don't have to have a lot of time to have a great time in the Caribbean.

There's Grenada for the spices; Barbados for the British pubs and Trafalgar Square; San Juan for the narrow, cobbled streets; St. Maarten for a combination of French and Dutch influences and St. Thomas for the fabulous duty-free shopping.

Great beaches can be found from Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman to Cozumel. And islands like St. Lucia, Dominica, and St. Kitts offer scenery so breathtaking, you'll feel as though you've found heaven on earth.

Special adventures like the St. Maarten's America's Cup sailing regatta which lets you be one of the crew, the Tulum, Lost Mayan Civilization journey into the past, and rafting on the Martha Brae River in Jamaica make your vacation complete.

Southern Caribbean: Castries, St. Lucia's fiery origins are pretty obvious when you see the Pitons, the famous twin lava cones that rise steeply out of the sea. Be sure to visit the world’s only drive-in volcano! St. John’s, Antigua prides itself on being the yachting capital of the Caribbean. Another attraction with sailing lore is English Harbour, where Admiral Nelson created the largest navy base in the Caribbean. Basseterre, St. Kitts was considered the British mother colony of the Caribbean. At the infamous Brimstone Hill, learn about the endless colonial wars between the French and the British. St. Croix, Crumbling fortresses remind you of a time two centuries ago when St. Croix was a bustling colony of the Kingdom of Denmark. Today, its glorious beaches have brought the island to life again. St. Thomas, The turquoise waters around St. Thomas hold as many treasures as its duty-free shops. A visit to Coral World will show you an underwater wonderland. Or glide in a submarine to even deeper worlds. Dive a wreck off of Buck Island, or sail a catamaran to St. John