The Best Things to Do in the Caribbean

The Caribbean beach is one of the great travel experiences, but it is not the only one. The region contains some of the most extraordinary natural and cultural experiences in the world; experiences that have nothing to do with lying on sand and everything to do with the volcanic geology, the marine ecosystems, the cultural traditions, and the natural phenomena that make the Caribbean one of the most varied travel regions on earth. Diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean ranges from the accessible to the world-class, and the best of it is genuinely among the finest underwater experience available anywhere. Bonaire, the Dutch island off the coast of Venezuela, is the most accessible shore diving destination in the world; the marine park that surrounds the island is protected, the visibility is exceptional, and the coral reefs begin within swimming distance of the shore at dozens of marked entry points. Serious divers come to Bonaire instead of anywhere else in the Caribbean because the combination of accessibility, visibility, and marine life density is unmatched. The Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world, offers a different scale of experience; the Great Blue Hole, a 300-meter-wide underwater sinkhole, is one of the most famous dive sites in the world. The Cayman Islands are the benchmark for wall diving in the Caribbean; the walls drop thousands of feet and the marine life is extraordinary. Turks and Caicos offers the best snorkeling in the region, with the reef at Grace Bay accessible directly from the beach. The Pitons hike in St. Lucia is the most dramatic land-based experience in the Eastern Caribbean. The two volcanic spires (Gros Piton at 2,619 feet and Petit Piton at 2,438 feet) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the defining image of the island. The Gros Piton hike takes approximately three to four hours round trip with a guide (guides are required) and rewards the effort with views that extend across the island and out to sea. The trail is steep and requires a reasonable level of fitness, but it is not technical; it is a hike, not a climb. The view from the top, on a clear day, is one of the great natural spectacles of the Caribbean. Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques, off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, is the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world. The bay's extraordinary concentration of dinoflagellates (microscopic organisms that emit light when disturbed) creates a phenomenon in which every movement through the water produces a blue-green glow. Kayaking through the bay at night, with each paddle stroke illuminating the water around it, is one of the most otherworldly experiences available in the Caribbean. Tours depart from the town of Esperanza on Vieques and run on clear, moonless nights for the best effect. The bay is a protected natural reserve (swimming is not permitted, but kayaking is. Sailing the Grenadines) the island chain that runs between St. Vincent and Grenada, is the most beautiful sailing in the Caribbean and among the finest in the world. The islands are close enough together that a day's sail connects them, the anchorages are protected and uncrowded, and the combination of the Tobago Cays marine park, the private island of Mustique, the uninhabited beaches of Mayreau, and the spice island of Grenada creates an itinerary of extraordinary variety. Bareboat charters are available from Union Island and Grenada for experienced sailors; crewed charters are the more practical option for those without offshore sailing experience. The Blue Mountains of Jamaica are the most unexpected experience on the island; a landscape of coffee farms, cloud forest, and hiking trails that rises to 7,402 feet at Blue Mountain Peak, the highest point in Jamaica. The hike to the peak begins at 2am to arrive at the summit for sunrise, and on a clear day the view extends to Cuba, 90 miles to the north. The coffee farms of the Blue Mountains produce one of the most celebrated coffees in the world; the Blue Mountain Coffee designation is protected and the farms offer tours that explain the cultivation and processing. It is a completely different Jamaica from the beach resorts of Negril and Montego Bay. Carnival in Trinidad is the most spectacular carnival in the world outside Rio de Janeiro, two days of mas (masquerade) bands, soca music, and street celebration that culminate on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The J'ouvert morning (beginning at 4am on Carnival Monday) is the most visceral part of the experience: a street procession in which participants cover themselves and each other in paint, mud, and chocolate. The mas bands on Carnival Tuesday, with their elaborate costumes and the soca trucks providing the soundtrack, are a spectacle of color and energy that is genuinely unlike anything else. Accommodation books out a year in advance for Carnival; planning early is essential. The Barbados rum trail connects the island's distilleries, plantation houses, and rum shops into a coherent experience of the island's most important cultural product. The Mount Gay distillery tour in Bridgetown covers the history of the world's oldest rum brand and includes tastings of the range. St. Nicholas Abbey, a 17th-century plantation house in the Scotland District, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the Caribbean and produces a small-batch rum that is among the finest on the island. The rum shops (the informal bars that function as the social center of Barbadian life) are the final stop on any rum trail worth the name. Whale watching in Dominica is one of the most remarkable wildlife experiences in the Caribbean. Sperm whales live year-round in the deep waters off the island's western coast; Dominica is one of the only places in the world where sperm whales can be reliably observed in their natural habitat throughout the year. The whale watching boats out of Roseau operate daily when conditions permit, and sightings are frequent enough that the experience is genuinely reliable rather than speculative. Dominica is also one of the best diving destinations in the Eastern Caribbean, with volcanic underwater landscapes that are unlike anything else in the region. Practical notes: water safety in the Caribbean varies by location; the calm western shores of most islands are safe for swimming, while the Atlantic-facing eastern shores can have strong currents and significant wave action. The best snorkeling spots accessible without a boat include Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos, the reefs off Anguilla's beaches, and the bays of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Experiences worth booking in advance include Carnival accommodation in Trinidad (one year ahead), Pitons hike guides in St. Lucia (one week ahead in peak season), and bioluminescent bay tours in Vieques (several days ahead during busy periods).