Top 10 Places To Visit In The Caribbean
So, What Are the Top 10 Places to Visit in the Caribbean?
Old Havana, Cuba
A hospitable republic of Cuba is an amazing kind of an oxymoron – the architecture of the era of the Spanish colonisers, the automobiles reminding of the former Soviet Union, as well as the tropical landscapes that are pleasing to the eye.
A jewel of this incredible palette is Havana – or rather say, the area of Old Havana, located between the coast and the business centre of the capital. At first glance, Old Havana has no clear boundaries but you will immediately notice the difference when you will find yourself among the many old buildings and monuments.
One of the most visited places in the Old Havana is the Cathedral Square (Plaza de la Catedral), where you can see the Cathedral of St. Christopher, the palace of Marquis de Arcos and the old houses of the Spanish aristocracy.
The National Capitol Building (El Capitolio) built in the early XX century is the pride of Cubans. In the central hall of the Capitol is a statue of the republic (La Estatua de la República) – the world’s third largest among the sculptures installed in the building. But the most attractive element for visitors is the 25-carat diamond in the floor of the main hall, which symbolises the city’s Kilometre Zero.
By the way, originally it was a real diamond but in 1973, for safety reasons, it was replaced by a glass copy.
You will also have a great joy walking through the Malecon, a broad esplanade, which connects the main areas of Havana. It is here that you can get into an unusual vortex of events – festivals, carnivals, and other festivities.
If you are going to Havana and want to learn how to explore the authentic side of the city and really understand the culture, then Real Havana: Explore Cuba Like A Local And Save Money is a must-read book.
One thing is clear – once you visit Old Havana (and Cuba in general), be ready for the atmosphere of continuous fun and the Cubans’ zest for life.
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Montego Bay is one of the most famous and popular resorts and cities in Jamaica. Enumerating all its attractions and infrastructure can take a lot of time so I will concentrate on its natural attractions for the fans of eco-tourism – the Bird Sanctuary and the Montego Bay Marine park.
The Montego Bay Marine Park is a national nature reserve: in addition to the incredible variety of flora and fauna, you can also enjoy Jamaica’s Mangroves that are a very important part of its coastal ecology. For the maximum convenience, the Marine Park is divided into several zones, where you can study the inhabitants of the coral reef, dive into the underwater cave, go fishing, or just relax and enjoy nature.
Rocklands Bird Sanctuary in Montego Bay was opened with the help of the famous ornithologist Lisa Salmon (aka “The Bird Lady”). The park has become a haven for a variety of grassquits, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, hummingbirds and saffron finches. Travellers from around the world come here to admire the pristine nature and feed the birds.
Just imagine this: the tiny hummingbirds fly up to you and to sit on your hand to drink sugar water from a special bottle.
Such unique entertainment will certainly bring an unforgettable experience not only to children but also to adults.
It is worth mentioning that the best time to visit the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary is in the early morning or late evening. It is during this time period will you feel completely at one with nature and will be able to listen to the birds singing in complete silence.
Laferriere Citadel and Sans-Souci Palace, Haiti
Sans-Souci Palace was built in 1810-13 near the grand fortress Citadelle Laferriere. Located in the northern part of Haiti, both of these were designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Equipped with 365 cannons, today Haiti’s Citadel is one of the largest fortresses in the western hemisphere. When inside, the warehouses of cannon nuclei can be found in the most unexpected places, and when you go to the observation tower, you will get an excellent view of the surrounding area.
The mountaintop fortress, Citadelle Laferriere, was built exclusively out of fear by King Henri Christophe, who suffered from delusions of persecution by French invaders. (Or as so it is believed).
Now, let’s talk about Sans-Souci Palace.
“Sans souci” means “carefree”, which has its sad irony as, according to the legend, this is where Haiti’s King Henri Christophe committed suicide. Later, his son Jacques-Victor Henri was killed at the palace by the revolutionaries.
These events gave the construction a grim reputation and contributed to the birth of the frightening myths about the cursed land.
Haitians believe that even though there are a lot of tourists in search of thrills, visiting the Sans-Souci Palace and the Citadel (where now lies the body of the king) wouldn’t lead to any good.
However, if you are far from superstitions, then the excursions to Haiti’s Citadel and the Sans-Souci Palace will give you a lot of touristic pleasure. One look at these building is enough to understand that you are standing in front of absolutely amazing human creations.
Many travellers rightly wonder – “How in a country destroyed by the colonialists could appear such a miracle of architectural thought?“
El Yunque Rainforest and The Bioluminescent Bay, Puerto Rico
One of the largest in the world, El Yunque Rainforest is known for its rainy days, beautiful waterfalls and intricate paths, and it is a national pride of the country. The richness of the local flora and fauna is amazing: the millennial trees, exotic plants, fragrant tropical flowers, the rare green Puerto Rican parrots, and the “singing” frogs Coqui (despite its tiny size of less than 5 cm in length, these frogs have a very loud mating call).
Here, you can relax in the shade of the trees, watching the animals, or you can go hiking with professional guides.
The hiking trails were specially padded for tourists, which stretch over 40 kilometres.
About an hour away from all this beauty, in Las Croabas (Fajardo) is the Bioluminescent Bay – a mangrove lagoon, inhabited by a special kind of plankton, radiating a silvery glow. A truly amazing thing when you dip a hand and you see it outlined by twinkling lights.
This is something that can be seen only in 5 lagoons of our planet.
One of the favourite pastimes of tourists here is canoeing. Thanks to the glow of plankton, even in the moonless night, it’s possible to see the outline of the swimming fish.
Atlantis Resort Complex, Paradise Island, Bahamas
A very close friend of mine went to Atlantis resort a couple of years ago and from what I heard, this place is a must-visit if you are more of a “resort” person.
Located on the coast of Paradise Island, Atlantis resort is a real paradise for lovers of entertainment. Atlantis is a whole city, where you will find restaurants, boutiques, spas, swimming pools and gorgeous beaches.
It is here that you will find the famous waterpark “Aquaventure” – a very expensive waterpark, which adopted the style of ruins of the ancient Atlantis, the mysterious Mayan Temple and so forth. In addition to a variety of different slides for every age and taste, there is almost a real river, which stretches for 2 kilometres. Not to mention a huge swimming pool with simulated ocean waves.
There is also one of the scariest water slides in the world called “Leap of Faith”. This is where you go through nearly a vertical drop from the top of the famous Mayan Temple and propel through a clear acrylic tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon. (Check out an excellent video below).
Here is the comment that was found on TripAdvisor:
“Holy Crap! The good thing about this is that you go so fast it’s over in no time. The bad thing is that you go so fast you don’t really notice when you end up in a see-through tube surrounded by sharks. I let out a blood curdling scream all the way down.”
From the top of the water slide, you won’t necessarily notice the hidden under the water tunnel, but it does get scary as you slide down and end up being among water predators.
For those who love to gamble and play poker, you will find a casino at the Atlantis complex, which is among the largest in the Caribbean resorts.
Arikok National Park, Aruba
If you look at the map, you will realise that Aruba is an incredibly tiny island, and yet the Arikok National Park takes up about 20% of its territory, a true ornament of the island.
There is an amazing variety of natural and historical attractions of the park. You will find all kinds of aloes and cacti, the Holland colonial settlement in Masiduri, the gold mine ruins, and the Arawak Petroglyphs – the stone carvings on cave walls, which remind of the Indians who lived here in the past. Hiking trails in the Aruba National Park are full of tourists all year round.
Of particular interest are the cave complex Guadirikiri and the “Tunnel of Love”, located on the edge of the park.
- The first is famous for its underground halls, with an astonishing play of light and shade, thanks to the sun’s rays going through the holes in the cave. It is believed that pirates would hide here in the ancient times.
- The “Tunnel of Love” cave received its name thanks to the entrance heart shape, and that is why it became an incredibly popular destination for lovebirds.
Wildlife Reserve, Barbados
The North of Barbados is considered to be the wildest and the least visited part of the island but it is here you will find a wildlife reserve – the most popular tourist site in the area. It is located in St. Peter’s district, near the mountaintop Farley, and covers about 16 square kilometres of mahogany (type of wood) forest.
Both children and adults may freely walk across the territory and watch the inhabitants of the reserve, as well as attend the feeding, which takes place every day at 2 pm.
The reserve was founded by Canadian primatologist Jean Baulu and his wife, Suzanne. Initially, they became the founders of the Barbados Primate Research Centre, designated to preserve the green monkeys that were brought to Barbados in the 17th century. Later on, thanks to funding from Canadian International Agency, the Barbados Research became a real wildlife reserve.
Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua and Barbuda
Named after Horatio Nelson, Nelson’s Dockyard is Antigua’s largest national park. It is located in English Harbour and is still used as a working shipyard for numerous yachts and boats. A national treasure of the island, the English Harbour, served as an important strategic object of the English garrison in XVII-XVIII centuries.
Today, it is considered to be the most popular attraction of the island and has an incredibly rich collection of historical monuments.
In addition to that, you can visit the Nelson’s Dockyard Museum, where you can learn about its history in details. In the museum, you will find various navigational equipment, exhibits of archaeological finds, war trophies, as well as models of ships.
When walking through the local park, you will see restored, in its pristine form, the buildings of the XVIII-XIX centuries, as well as many craft workshops, souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels.
Antigua and Barbuda is definitely one of the places in the Caribbean to be visited.
National Marine Park, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands
The Caribbean island of Bonaire is surrounded by an extended coral reef and since 1979 it has the status of National Marine Park. The history of protection of its marine environment began with the protection of turtles, a coral reef and the prohibition of underwater hunting. It was here that the first mooring system appeared in the world, allowing ships to moor without using an anchor, and thus not harm the environment.
Marine Park visitors make a contribution of 10 USD (25 USD for divers), which allows the park management to carry out all projects to protect and care for the natural, cultural and historical resources of the island.
The untouched beauty of the nature of the Bonaire Marine Park invariably attracts many tourists. And the huge diversity of the underwater flora and fauna of the reef makes the park as one of the best places in the Caribbean for snorkelling and diving.
It is worth noting that you are not allowed to dive with the special permission of the administration but if you get a unique chance to see the local underwater world, then it is totally worth it.
The most attractive places to dive are the neighbourhoods near the Pink Beach coast, as well as Salt Pier, where you can observe the Hilma Hooker – a famous shipwreck.
Belmont Estate Cocoa Plantation, Grenada
If it is your childhood dream to watch the process of maturation and processing of cocoa beans, then you should visit the Belmont Estate cocoa plantation, located in Grenada. From the island’s capital to the plantation, it takes no more than an hour of a drive along the picturesque road.
The history of the plantation began in the XVII century. The art of growing cocoa and spices has been honed here for many years, passing valuable knowledge from generation to generation. In Belmont Estate there is a great respect for old traditions and even today you can see exactly how it happened many years ago.
For example, one of the most popular ways of polishing cocoa is to dance on beans (analogic to the crush of grapes).
Everyone will be able to taste a hot chocolate drink and appreciate the delicate taste with a mixture of nutmeg, cloves and other fragrant spices.
In addition to that, a small museum opened up at the plantation where you can learn interesting facts about the history of these places. At the plantation, you can also find an old sugar factory, where various instruments of the labour of past centuries and fragile antique furniture have been preserved.
So, this is my list of top 10 places to visit in the Caribbean. I hope you really enjoyed the articles as well as the images/videos attached.
And which place would YOU recommend visiting? If you haven’t been in the Caribbean, which of the above 10 places would you choose to visit first?
