Panama to Antigua

Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal

The San Blas Islands of Panama is an archipelago comprising approximately 365 islands and cays, of which 49 are inhabited. They lie off the north coast of the Isthmus of Panama, east of the Panama Canal. A part of the comarca Guna Yala along the Caribbean coast of Panama is home to the Kuna people.

Cartagena is a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. By the sea is the walled Old Town, founded in the 16th century, with squares, cobblestone streets and colorful colonial buildings. With a tropical climate, the city is also a popular beach destination. Reachable by boat are Isla de Barú, with white-sand beaches and palm trees, and the Islas del Rosario, known for their coral reefs.

Santa Marta is a city on the Caribbean Sea in the northern Colombian department of Magdalena. A busy port, it was also the first Spanish settlement in Colombia. It’s the gateway for trips into the Tayrona National Natural Park, and for multiday guided treks to the Lost City (Teyuna) archaeological site in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain

Oranjestad is the capital of the Dutch island of Aruba, in the Caribbean Sea. Near the marina, the 18th-century Fort Zoutman and the Willem III Tower, formerly a lighthouse, house the Historical Museum, which chronicles the island’s past. The Archaeological Museum displays indigenous artifacts dating back as far as 2500 B.C. Along the waterfront, L.G. Smith Boulevard is dotted with boutiques and shopping malls.

Kralendijk is the capital of Bonaire, a Dutch island in the Caribbean Sea. Colorful architecture dots the shopping street of Kaya Grandi. The Bonaire Museum displays archaeological finds, shells and old photos. Off the coast is Bonaire National Marine Park, with a coral reef sheltering tropical fish. This stretches west to Klein Bonaire Island, where the sandy beaches provide a nesting ground for sea turtles

Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island. It’s known for its old town center, with pastel-colored colonial architecture. The floating Queen Emma Bridge connects the Punda and Otrobanda neighborhoods across Sint Anna Bay. By the water is the 19th-century Rif Fort, now housing a shopping center. City restaurants serve dishes influenced by the island’s mostly Dutch and Afro-Caribbean cuisines.

The aromas of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla baking in the sun – these are the tropical flavours of Grenada. From the horseshoe shaped Carenage at St. George’s, follow the Sendall Tunnel (hand-built in 1895) to the Esplanade and old Ft. George for a spectacular view of Grenada.

Die Marigot-Bucht, eine der hübschesten Anlaufstellen der gesamten Karibik, ist umgeben von üppigen Hügeln und eingekreist von überbordenden Kokosnusspalmen. James Michener beschrieb die Bucht als den Archetyp der karibischen Paradieslandschaften. An der Bucht finden sich Restaurants (das Bekannteste heißt Doolittle), und wenn Sie sich weiter ins Landesinnere hineinwagen, können Sie dort Bananenplantagen besuchen. Unser alternativer Halt, die kleine Hafenstadt Soufrière, wurde von den Franzosen, die auf St. Lucia das Sagen hatten, bevor die Engländer kamen, nach einem nahegelegenen Vulkan benannt. Die Einheimischen nennen diesen den einzigen “Drive-in-Vulkan” der Welt. Die schönsten Plätze der Insel finden sich an den Diamond Falls und Mineral Baths, wo sie einen Spaziergang durch die Gärten unternehmen und sich im Pool unter den Wasserfällen abkühlen können. Die die von wild wucherndem Regenwald überzogenen Berge auf St. Lucia, zu denen auch die berühmten Pitons gehören, sind wahrlich ein Spektakel.

Guadeloupe looks like a butterfly from the air. Its giant wings are actually two islands, separated by the Rivière Salée, a natural salt water channel. Basse Terre, the southern or leeward part of Guadeloupe, is lush and rugged, dominated by La Soufrière. A stream of boiling water gushes from the top of the 4,800-ft. mountain, reminding you that this volcano is not dormant, but very much alive.

St. John’s is the capital and key port of the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda. The city is home to the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, with exhibits on indigenous tribes and plantation life. St. John’s Cathedral, a 19th-century Anglican church, is on a hill near the 17th-century Government House. A monument to the nation’s founder, V.C. Bird, is next to the Public Market, which sells crafts and produce