Must-see attractions in Southern Caribbean

  • Coral reef Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) on coral reef in Bonaire; Shutterstock ID 155480753; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Bonaire

    Bonaire National Marine Park

    Bonaire

    Bonaire National Marine Park is the island's star attraction, a unique and precious resource that allows divers and snorkelers to explore miles of…

  • Cactus stands tall in Christoffel National Park, with Mt. Christoffel in the background, Curacao. (Marjie Lambert/Miami Herald/MCT)

    Christoffel National Park

    Curaçao

    This 1800-hectare preserve is formed from three old plantations, including the Savonet Plantation, which is now the excellent Savonet Museum; combination…

  • Natural Pool Santa Cruz Aruba; Shutterstock ID 1031342485; Your name (First / Last): William Broich; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Aruba

    Natural Pool

    Aruba

    Powerful wave action has worn this depression into the coastal limestone ridge. The surrounding rocks break the surf, so – with waves crashing all around …

  • Museum Kura Hulanda

    Willemstad

    Located in a 19th-century merchant's house and slave quarters, this excellent museum documents the brutal history of slavery in the New World, including…

  • Eagle Beach, Aruba

    Eagle Beach

    Aruba

    Fronting a line of low-rise resorts just northwest of Oranjestad, Eagle is a long stretch of white sand that regularly makes lists of the best beaches in…

  • Blue Room

    Curaçao

    Curaçao's most majestic natural wonder is a hidden cave on its western shore, accessible only via the ocean. The prime attraction of the cave is its…

  • Landhuis Bloemhof

    Willemstad

    As visitors wander the leafy grounds of this 1735 plantation home they encounter a range of things. An old car covered in mosaic tiles depicting sea…

  • A tourist avoiding jungle vines as he explores a jungle path at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad,  Trinidad & Tobago
Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad, Trinidad & Tobago - stock photo

    Asa Wright Nature Centre

    Trinidad

    A former cocoa and coffee plantation transformed into an 600-hectare nature reserve, this place blows the minds of birdwatchers. Even if you can’t tell a…

  • Pitch Lake

    Trinidad

    About 25km southwest of San Fernando, and just south of the small town of La Brea, this slowly bubbling black 'lake' is perhaps Trinidad’s greatest oddity…

  • Pirates Bay, Small Antilles, Tobago, Caribbean

    Pirate’s Bay

    Tobago

    Past Charlotteville's pier, a dirt track winds up and around the cliff to concrete steps that descend to Pirate’s Bay, which offers excellent snorkeling…

  • Corbin Local Wildlife Park

    Tobago

    Established by hunter turned conservationist Roy Corbin in Tobago's forest-covered interior, just inland of the windward coast's Hope Bay, this nonprofit…

  • Queen’s Park Savannah

    Port of Spain

    Once part of a sugar plantation, formerly home to a racecourse and now the epicenter of the annual Carnival, this public park is encircled by a 3.7km…

  • Fort George

    Port of Spain

    Get a truly spectacular bird's-eye view of the Port of Spain cityscape and the Gulf of Paria from this colonial-era fort, with stone-built defensive walls…

  • Fort King George

    Tobago

    Atop a hill at the end of Fort St, this sizable fort was built by the British between 1777 and 1779, and is worth a visit to see its restored colonial-era…

  • Andicuri Beach

    Aruba

    Limestone cliffs, crystal-clear waters and crashing waves make this beach experience different from all others on the island. This east-coast beauty is…

  • National Museum & Art Gallery

    Port of Spain

    Housed in a classic colonial building, the rather dry historical exhibits range from the oil industry to Amerindian settlers, the colonial era and…

  • Botanical Gardens

    Port of Spain

    Resplendent with exotic trees and plants, and networked by paved paths, the Botanical Gardens date from 1818. Take a stroll or relax in one of the…

  • Nariva Swamp

    Trinidad

    Inland of the Cocal, the Ramsar-protected Nariva Swamp covers some 60 sq km of freshwater wetland inhabited by anacondas and a small population of elusive…

  • Mt Irvine Hotel Beach

    Tobago

    Just south of the main Mt Irvine Beach, a turnoff from the main road leads to an adjoining swath of sand, where the swimming in calm emerald waters is…

  • Rio Seco Waterfall

    Trinidad

    Just past the bridge over the Rio Seco, a signposted trail leads inland to the Rio Seco Waterfall in Matura National Park. This stunning swimming hole and…

  • Stonehaven Bay

    Tobago

    Northeast of Mt Irvine, this fabulous sweep of coarse yellow sand, also known as Grafton Bay, offers some fabulous swimming and bodyboarding in clear…

  • Washington Slagbaai National Park -Views around the Caribbean Island of Bonaire in the ABC Islands; Shutterstock ID 459862570; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Bonaire

    Washington-Slagbaai National Park

    Bonaire

    Comprising almost 20% of the island's area, this vast desert landscape is a fantastic place to explore on foot, by bike or by car (preferably 4WD). Stop…

  • The pristine Grote Knip beach on the tropical Caribbean Island of Curacao

    Grote Knip

    Curaçao

    This West End beach is a stunner. In fact, you've probably seen it on the cover of a Curaçao tourist brochure: a perfect crescent of brilliant white sand,…

  • UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 20: Queen Emma pontoon bridge in St Anne bay at Willemstad (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1997), Curacao Island, Netherlands Antilles. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

    Queen Emma Bridge

    Willemstad

    Spanning Sint Annabaai, this local landmark is sometimes called Our Swinging Old Lady. It's a pontoon bridge that swings open to make way for oceangoing…

  • Tobago Forest Reserve

    Tobago

    A 20-minute drive east of Castara, at Bloody Bay, the Roxborough–Parlatuvier Rd strikes inland, meeting the Windward coast at Roxborough. This smooth,…

  • Little Tobago

    Tobago

    Also known as Bird of Paradise Island (though it isn't home to any of the eponymous birds), Little Tobago was a cotton plantation during the late 1800s,…

  • Gallery Alma Blou

    Willemstad

    Housed in the 17th-century Landhuis Habaai plantation house, this cooperative gallery has the city's largest collection of works by Caribbean artists. The…

  • Caroni Bird Sanctuary

    Trinidad

    This 5611-hectare estuarine swampland of dense mangrove thickets crisscrossed with tea-colored channels is best known for its scarlet ibis, T&T's national…

  • Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust

    Trinidad

    A wonderful exercise in contradiction, this picturesque bird sanctuary covers 29 hectares of lake and forest within the incongruous setting of PetroTrin…

  • no name island in Bonaire, Caribbean coast; Shutterstock ID 476991604; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Bonaire

    Klein Bonaire

    Bonaire

    About 1km off the coast of Kralendijk, this little deserted island is where you'll find the region's most attractive beach: No Name Beach. There are no…

  • Waterloo Temple

    Trinidad

    Beautifully situated at the end of a causeway striking off from the central west coast, Waterloo Temple was constructed almost entirely by indentured…

  • Terramar Museum

    Bonaire

    This small museum provides an overview of the history and archaeology of Bonaire. There's an assortment of artifacts, accompanied by audio clips that put…

  • Calfornia Lighthouse on Aruba

    California Lighthouse

    Aruba

    Up the hill from Arashi Beach, this tall sentinel is named for an old wrecked ship called the California, which is not the ship of similar name …

  • Cadushy Distillery

    Bonaire

    Drinking a cactus sounds like a prickly affair, but it's not as scary as it sounds. Pay a visit to this small-scale distillery to see how the prickly…

  • The Yellow-naped Amazon or Yellow-naped Parrot, Amazona auropalliata, ranges from southern Mexico to northern Costa Rica. (Photo by: Jon G. Fuller/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images)

    Echo Parrot Sanctuary

    Bonaire

    Bonaire's most beloved bird is the yellow-throated Amazon parrot, but the loquacious lora (as she is locally known) is threatened with extinction: there…

  • Hooiberg Mountain, a volcanic formation, Aruba
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    Hooiberg

    Aruba

    Aruba's second-highest peak attracts lionhearted souls with its 165m, 587-stair climb. Summiting Hooiberg (it means 'haystack' in Dutch) takes most people…

  • Woodford Square

    Port of Spain

    This grassy square with its central Eros and Aphrodite fountain and ornate bandstand is the symbolic center of downtown Port of Spain. Dr Eric Williams,…

  • Central Bank Money Museum

    Port of Spain

    Newly refurbished and with ferocious air-con that provides a welcome break from the downtown heat, the Money Museum is a surprisingly absorbing affair,…

  • Hanuman Murti and Sri Dattatreya Ashram

    Trinidad

    Towering 26m over the Sri Dattatreya Ashram, the brightly painted Hanuman Murti is a potent icon of Trinidad’s Hindu community. Devotees from all over the…

  • Klein Curaçao

    Curaçao

    Remember the one book/song/food/friend you would bring if you were going to be stuck on a desert island? That'll come in handy when you take a trip to…