Things to Do in Caribbean

Magens Bay is just one of the reasons why the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas is such a popular holiday isle.

The island’s favorite beach is a curving arc of white sand and bright blue water. It’s protected by a forested arboretum and palm trees, ensuring calm waves for swimming and kayaking.

From the vantage point of Mountain Top, you can easily make out the bay’s unusual rectangular shape and mile of white-sand beach, but the best view is up close from the sand.

Being so popular, the beach has some great facilities, including lifeguards, showers, snack stall and windsurf rental.

A nature trail winds from Magens Bay Road down the beach, just over a mile, taking you through tropical forest and mangroves via boardwalks and well-maintained steps and paths.

This incredible 40-acre park has some of the most spectacular secluded beaches in all of the Bahamas. Filled with mangrove, pine, and palm trees, Lucayan National Park features incredible plants in bloom as well as a plethora of waterbirds and saltwater fish. 

Snorkel in the amazing turquoise waters or explore the world's largest underground cavern system. If you're interested in the history of the area, look into a tour of the burial grounds of the indigenous Bahaman people.  

Surround yourself with true Bahaman beauty in this lovely national park, and enjoy the protective care that its delicate environment demands. 

About 12km down a dirt road and tucked into a corner of the Dominican Republic lies one of the country’s most spectacular hidden gems: Los Haitises National Park. Extravagant landscapes and postcard-worthy waters make this place one of the Hispaniola’s most hallowed (and protected) sites. Untouched virgin rainforests house untold pleasures, while the unforgettable waters of shimmering Lorenzo Bay, the petroglyphs of the caverns, and the wilds of the mangrove swamps will deeply impress visitors.

Any trip to Los Haitises is special, but for bird-watchers, the park is a treasure trove of frigate birds, parrots, owls, brown pelicans, and royal terns. Winged wildlife flock by the hundreds around the bay’s transparent waters, and the mangrove swamps provide a safe home for all sorts of small sea creatures. Trails lead into the subtropical forest for 4x4ing, biking, hiking, and horseback riding adventures. In January, the park opens up to whale-watching tourists hoping to spot these oceanic giants mid-migration.

While it might not be the flashiest—or even the largest—of St. Martin’s many beaches, Le Galion Beach is undoubtedly the island’s family-friendliest. Also known as “Coconut Grove,” “L’Embouchure,” and “Baby Beach,” Le Galion makes a perfect day at the beach for visitors traveling with young children. For one thing, the turquoise waters are exceptionally shallow—and you can literally wade out 300 feet and still be in waist deep water. There also aren’t many rocks or hazards located anywhere inside of the bay, and much of the sea floor is covered in a bed of gently waving seaweed. Perhaps most importantly, the north end of the bay is often protected from the consistent easterly tradewinds, which also make the offshore reef so popular with surfers and kiteboarders. While not as happening as Orient Bay, there are still a couple of beachfront restaurants with bathroom facilities and drinks, as well as a number of rental shops for whatever board you might need. This is also the only beach on the French side where nude sunbathing is discouraged, and is a safe, sunny, and simple option for a family day at the beach.

An interesting attraction of the Turks and Caicos are the rather large iguanas that are native to the little island archipelago. While they may seem to jar with your traditional notion of a Caribbean getaway, these green guys are actually native to the islands. To find them, head on over to Little Water Cay (known locally as Iguana Island) for some white sand and good old fashioned lizard-hunting.

Little Water Cay is just shy of 500 yards from Providenciales, so it’s easy to spot while looking for things to do on the island. You can take a tour boat or ferry over to the island, and the exercise enthusiast or outdoorsman of the group will enjoy a brisk kayak over to the shores of Little Water Cay - but be careful of the currents that run between the two islands (for this reason, a swim is not recommended).

Once here, there’s little to do aside from hoofing it around the island, lazing about on the white sand beaches, or exploring what is Little Water Cay’s best attraction – the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana. Little Water Cay has two boardwalks installed that make loops around the north and south of the island. These are perfect opportunities to get out and see the iguanas in their natural settings without disturbing them – and not disturbing them is a good thing – the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana is protected as it’s an endangered species; the introduction of cats and dogs to the islands all but wiped them out.

So do yourself a favor and see them while you can – the little green charmers are oddly appealing. Find them sunning on rocks and scurrying through the brush!

Find Saint Martin’s main airport on a map and you've found Maho Beach. How close is it, you ask? Well, if you’ve ever seen a photo of sunbathing tourists gawping as 747s approach the runway just yards above their heads, it was probably taken here. So come by all means and get your own snap, but you may well find that the roar of engines and the smell of jet fuel deters you from staying too long. 

Thankfully things are calmer on Mullet Bay Beach, a short walk away. This is the tropical paradise you've always dreamed of: white sands, swaying palms, clear water. Waves can get surprisingly high here, making it a magnet for the island’s surfers. Mullet Bay is also the site of the island’s only 18-hole golf course.