We’ve been to all the main islands, most of them more than once, and we have access to Fora’s extensive database with confidential reviews by hundreds of Fora advisors. We’ll use these sources to help you choose the islands, activities, and locations, and then we’ll investigate the specific places you want to visit in far more detail than is possible using online sources. If you have special interests such as birding, sea turtles, or early history, we’ll do a deep dive and let you know what we come up with.
Helping you choose…
Tourism overview
One of the world’s top destinations:
35 million stay-over visits,
15 million cruise passengers,
7000+ islands 100 inhabited,
32 main tourist destinations,
hundreds of resort hotels,
dozens of private island resorts,
20+ cruise lines
3000+ charter yachts, and
2500+ tourist beaches.
Regionwide, tourism accounts for about a third of GNP but on some small islands the figure is up to 90%. Leaders are well aware of how important tourism is. Tourists are welcome everywhere.
Numbers of tourists visiting
major islands annually
Bahamas
Out Island Explorers. 5.0/5 based on 102 reviews on Trip Advisor. Offers kayaking, snorkeling, camping, and charters.
Includes 700 islands covering 5,358 square miles, roughly the size of Connecticut. One of the two most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean (along with the Dominican Republic). Often divided into the (1) The Hub including Nassau, the capital and Paradise Island, home to major luxury resorts; (2) Freeport, known for its industrial economy, planned layout, and ecotourism; and (3) the Out Islands which includes the rest of the Bahamas, often divided into six groups. The Bahamas are world-famous for their beaches, night life, luxury hotels and restaurants, and other tourist opportunities such as yacht charters and high-quality guides, one of which we highlight (left).
Reading. An Evening in Guanima: A Treasury of Folktales from The Bahamas by Patricia Glinton-Meicholas (enjoyable).
Turks and Caicos
Belmont Car Rental and Tours. 4.9/5 based on 40 reviews on Trip Advisor. Tours by a former government employee and lifelong resident. Highly rated by numerous sources.
Most tourists go to the Caicos group, particularly Providenciales, for resorts, restaurants, and tourism facilities. Middle Caicos has the Crossing Place Trail (check conditions) and two noteworthy limestone caves, Conch Bar and Indian Cave. North Caicos has ponds that support flamingos and other wetland species. Grand Turk, east of Caicos, has the territory’s only cruise port. It also offers diving and the historic capital, Cockburn Town.
Reading: Turks and Caicos does not have a strong literary tradition but several major works are available from nearby Haiti. Our favorite is Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains, following physician and Harvard professor Paul Farmer in his crusade to improve health on Haiti. We also recommend two works by the noted novelist Edwidge Danticat, Claire of the Sea Light (charming) and After the Dance.
Jamaica
Jamaica Rafting. 4.6/5 on Google Reviews. Long-established, highly regarded local business with novel, two-person bamboo rafts.
Mountains, music, nightlife, and a fascinating history, along with the beautiful beaches and luxury operations you’d expect at a high-end Caribbean destination. The main tourist attractions are on the north and west coasts. Kingston, near the southeast corner, also has much to offer including the National Gallery of Jamaica and the Bob Marley Museum. But crime is an issue. If you’re going to spend an evening enjoying the night life there, let us get you a reliable guide. The Blue Mountains, with their extensive tropical rain forest and coffee planatations are also famous destinations for tourists interested in nature and seeing the countryside. In particular, visitors can explore mist forests on shorter walks and the remarkable Elfin Woods near some summits.
Reading: Marlon James’s A Brief History of Seven Killings, winner of the 2015 Booker Prize, recounts the attempted assassination of Bob Marley and its political aftermath (idiosyncratic, sometime dark).
Dominican Republic
Unicorn Trails
A highly-regarded, international company (Google rating of 4.9/5 based on 250 reviews).
Beaches, museums, mountain trails, and Dominican music. In Santo Domingo’s Colonial City, streets, forts, and former government buildings trace Spain’s early colonization of the Americas. The Resistance Museum explores the later struggle against dictatorships. Inland, Jarabacoa has waterfalls and guided walks. Visitors can explore coastal landscapes, visit numerous world-class beaches, watch humpback whales from January through March, and dance to live merengue and bachata bands.
Reading: Julia Alvarez’s novel, In the Time of the Butterflies. Junot Díaz’s Pulitzer-winning The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Puerto Rico
Kayaking Puerto Rico. 4.8/5 based on 7100 Google reviews. Famous for bioluminescence tours.
Historic cities, forest walks, and evenings of music or theatre. No visa required for U.S. citizens. In Old San Juan, streets and Spanish fortifications describe a port defended for centuries. The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico introduces the island’s artists. The Luis A. Ferré performing arts centre offers concerts and theatre. El Yunque provides opportunities to explore mountain rainforest. Enjoy the tradional dances, salsa, bomba, and plena.
Reading: Esmeralda Santiago’s memoir When I Was Puerto Rican; Julia de Burgos’s poem Río Grande de Loíza.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Big Beard’s Adventure Tours. 4.9/5 based on 1200 Google Reviews. Short cruises and snorkeling on Buck’s Island which the US National Park service calls “the finest marine garden in the Caribbean Sea.”
A US territory, consisting mainly of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John islands. Tourism is surging both in stayover visitors and cruise passengers. St. Croix, the largest island, has a rich Danish colonial history, historic forts in Christiansted, and interesting sites like the Cruzn Rum Distillery. On St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie is known for duty-free shopping, historic sites like the 99 Steps, luxury resorts, and popular beaches like Magens Bay. Nearby is tiny, laid-back Water Island, easily explored by golf carts. Over two-thirds of St. John is protected as the Virgin Islands National Park, offering secluded coves, hiking trails (such as Reef Bay Trail), and famous beaches like Trunk Bay.
Aruba
ABC Aruba Tours. An extraordinary 5.0/5 with 48,000 reviews on TripAdvisor and named one of their Best of the Best winners (placing in the top 1% of global experiences). Ranked #1 Overall Experience in Aruba.
Beautiful beaches, even by Caribbean standards, and more. Arikok National Park features dry cactus deserts and exposed bedrock unlike the other major destinations. Guided tours are available. The Park also contains the Quadirikiri Caves with beautiful sunlight penetrating into the cave and indigenous paintings at Fontein cave. San Nicolas has murals by Aruban and international artists, with guided mural walks available. The Museum of Industry, housed in a former water tower, explores the industries that shaped the island. The refinery attracted workers from abroad and helped create the town’s cultural mix. Finally, Boca Catalina and Mangel Halto offer snorkeling.
Reading: We suggest The Roar of Morning by Tip Marugg (who was born on nearby Curacao, not Aruba). The rather dark account follows a solitary man through a night of drinking, memories, and increasingly dreamlike visions.
And notes regarding a few hobbies…
Birding. Favorite places in the Caribbean include the Cabo Rojo salt flats in Puerto Rico, especially for shorebirds; Ecclesdown Road, eastern Jamaica, for wet forest endemics; the Aguacate–Zapotén trail in southwestern Dominican Republic which passes through several vegetation zones including pine forest and cloud forest, and Caroni Swamp and the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad for a wide range of wetland and forest species. The Caribbean Birding Trail and eBird provide extensive introductions to the region’s avifauna.
Follow your interests…
Whale watching. The prime opportunities are for humpback whales in winter in the northern Caribbean, especially Samaná Bay and Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic, and sperm whales year-round (as well as well as multiple dolphin species) off Dominica.
Surfing Perhaps the best known locations are the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, especially Rincón; Playa Encuentro and Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, which also ofters kitesurfing and windsurfing; Bathsheba and the Soup Bowl on Barbados which holds competitions and has introductory lessons; and Aruba, especially Fisherman’s Huts (Hadicurari), where schools offer instruction, and Boca Grandi, for kite surfing and wind surfing.
Into the widerness, Numerous opportunities exist in the Caribbean to visit remote islands seldom visited by tourists or anyone else. One such opportunity is Los Roques in the southern Caribbean near Aruba. We describe it as an example of a trip we could plan for you, not necessarily the very best one but a trip you would never forget. It would require boating and camping skills and optionally wind and kite surfing, and, to take full advantage of the opportunity, diving or at least snorkeling skills and a keen interest in seeing seabirds and a remarkable underwater ecosystem up close and with no one else around.
Los Roques is an archipelago with dozens to hundreds of small islands owned and managed by Venezuela and a large lagoon that hosts seabirds and supports extensive coral reefs. Much of the vast natural area is preserved as a National Park but camping is allowed with appropriate permits which we could secure. Only one island, Gran Roque, is permanently inhabited. It has an airstrip and is served by several local airlines so getting there should not be a problem. From there, one would rent a boat, suitable for a windy sea crossing of 8-20 km depending on the destination.
Gran Roque is the large island near the top of the image. Camping anywhere around the edge of the large lagoon would give access to wonderful birds and underwater marine species. The environment is harsh (e.g., no water) so careful preparation - and perhaps a guide - all of which we could assist with – would be necessary. A detailed socio-economic study published in 2021 suggests that a careful evaluation of local conditions would be needed as part of preparing for a trip to the area.