Caribbean: Bridgetown - Colon

Arrive at Bridgetown and board Sea Cloud II. 

More than 300 years of British rule have left their mark. The whole of Bridgetown, Barbados' historic center, with its colonial architecture surrounding Trafalgar Square, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gentle green hilly countryside and endless fields of sugar cane characterize the island's landscape. Old colonial houses are reminders of the high life of the plantation owners, while innumerable colorful chattel houses are evidence of their workers' "moveable property". The sweeping coastline is a picture postcard of fine sandy beaches and turquoise sea surrounded by colorful coral reefs.

Bequia is actually the largest island in the Grenadines, but still small and tranquil at just 18 square kilometers (87 square miles) in size. Elegant sailing yachts sway in the natural shelter of Admiralty Bay, while in lovely Port Elizabeth, with its attractive beach bars, you are right in the heart of a lifestyle that likes to take things easy. You can find Princess Margaret Beach just nearby, named because it was once visited by the British royal. On the eastern coast, you can find the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary which focuses on rearing and caring for endangered turtles.

Two famous volcanic cones are indisputably the emblem of St Lucia and have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Gros and Petit Piton tower over the southern, windward side of the island and, in Soufrière, seem close enough to touch. The volcanoes have in fact long been extinct, but the sulphur springs demonstrate the power of the earth's core and still bubble up. In the Botanical Gardens, natural abundance is combined with artistic arrangements to create a colourful tropical paradise. Some people claim that Josephine, who later became Napoleon's wife, used to bathe in the little pool in the garden.

Right in the south of the Grenadines are Union Island and the Tobago Cays. Union Island was given the evocative name "the Tahiti of the West Indies" thanks to its volcanic silhouette. Four small uninhabited islands, surrounded by a protective horseshoe-shaped coral reef, form the Tobago Cays. The Horseshoe Reef holds the Atlantic swell at bay and its unique animal and plant life make it an ideal place for snorkeling. The lagoon between the islets shimmers in all shades from turquoise through to emerald green and invites you to take a dip at the fantastic beaches.

Beautiful beaches, aromatic spice plantations, dense rainforests, waterfalls and a volcano that has long been extinct, picturesquely towering over this stunningly beautiful island. For many people, Grenada is the incarnation of a tropical paradise and St George's the most beautiful little port in the Grenadines. All around the horseshoe-shaped bay, there are numerous houses that remind you of colonial times. There is the good reason why nutmeg is immortalized on the national flag. Alongside cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, it is one of the island's biggest exports.

Enjoy this days offshore, relaxing and taking in the smell of the fresh ocean breeze up on deck.

The second largest island in the ABC islands, which forms part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is an idyllic natural paradise with many different faces. In the hilly northern region, lush tropical greenery prevails and in some areas have a desert-like character with cactuses as high as trees and natural salt lakes that attract whole flocks of pink flamingos. The island also gleams with rugged rocky cliffs, mangrove forests, several small bays, endless sandy beaches and a long offshore coral reef.

Curaçao, alphabetically the last of the ABC, is the largest in the Netherlands Antilles in terms of land area. The neat capital, Willemstad, a trading post for the Dutch West India Company in the 17th century, with its well preserved colonial architecture, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The picturesque location of the wide harbor canal, boulevards with beautifully restored facades and colorful, typically Dutch gabled houses make Willemstad a lively "Little Amsterdam", in the bright Caribbean light, beneath palm trees, with azure bays and pearl-white beaches. 

Aruba, the most westerly island in the Netherlands Antilles, is also the last in the arc of the Antilles before you reach the South American mainland. Its capital, Oranjestad, founded in 1796, shows that everything here is a bit different. Caribbean pastel-colored houses and Delft tiles, carved wooden doors and Dutch gables, all-around balconies and colonial galleries. All of these features combine to create a style which can only have one name - Aruban. Aruba also offers a distinctive natural landscape, with an inland desert, extensive sand dunes, oddly formed cliffs, impressive cactus forests, strangely shaped divi-divi trees and countless aloe plants.

Enjoy this day offshore, relaxing and taking in the smell of the fresh ocean breeze up on deck.

Cartagena was once the richest city in the New World and a popular target for pirate attacks since a large part of the Spanish treasure was stored there. Sir Francis Drake also instilled terror into the Spanish city. After Drake's invasion, the city was fortified with an 11-kilometer (7 miles)-long rampart and the immense San Felipe fortifications. Today Cartagena is one of the most beautiful colonial cities on the American continent and is protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Enjoy this day offshore, relaxing and taking in the smell of the fresh ocean breeze up on deck.

Since 1914, the Panama Canal has linked the Atlantic to the Pacific. This technological marvel of locks and canals also comprises two artificial lakes. The Gatúnsee, one of the world's largest dammed lakes, has now regained a unique range of flora and fauna. In fact, nature has reclaimed the lake for itself, with the rainforest sprawling over its banks. The former hills are now islands on which an astonishing variety of species has formed, due to its isolation. The largest island, Barro Colorado, is completely untouched and has been a nature reserve since 1923. Scientists from all over the world come here to try and discover the jungle's last secrets.