Caribbean and South American Escapades

Fly from the UK to Miami.

On arrival, take your private transfer to your five-star hotel in Fort Lauderdale for your two-night stay.

Florida Keys Eco, Paddle and Snorkel tour.

See Florida Keys wildlife and coastal ecosystems on a day trip from Fort Lauderdale or Miami that’s led by a marine biologist or naturalist guide. Paddle a kayak or stand-up paddleboard through the mangrove forests and seagrass flats, eat lunch on the water, then snorkel two reef locations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Watch for dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, and much more, with an expert guide to help identify wildlife and explain the fascinating ecology of the Florida coast.

Take your private transfer to the port and embark Zaandam for your 27-night Caribbean and Amazon cruise. Depart Fort Lauderdale.

Philipsburg is the capital of Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the Caribbean island Saint Martin. Beachfront bars line the boardwalk along Great Bay. Voorstraat, or Front Street, has duty-free shops and casinos. The St. Maarten Zoo is home to parrots, monkeys and a playground. Sint Maarten Museum displays artifacts from the indigenous Arawak people. The ruins of 17th-century Fort Amsterdam stand on a nearby peninsula.

Stunning mountain peaks, lush rainforest, and perfectly turquoise water. Discover this Caribbean gem on a Cruise to St. Lucia. This Caribbean island offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the raw power of Mother Nature at her finest. On a Cruise to St. Lucia, visit the only drive-in volcano in the world, explore the natural wonders of the wild or simply relax with a good book on an even better beach. St Lucia truly has it all. Book a Caribbean cruise and discover St. Lucia’s sandy white beaches, vibrant tropical foliage, and authentic island food.

Perched on the hillsides above the Southern Caribbean Sea, Scarborough was the site of numerous territorial disputes between England, France, and the Dutch Republic; the island gained independence in 1962. Explore Fort King George, an 18th century fortification and historic and archaeological museum; discover rare flora at the Botanical Gardens and Orchid House; and shop for local crafts and taste treats at the local market.

Devil’s Island, part of a three-island chain called Îles du Salut, in French Guiana, was home to one of the most infamous—and impregnable—prisons of the 19th and 20th centuries. Opened in 1852, it received worldwide renown in the mid-1890s when French military captain Alfred Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment after being wrongly convicted of selling military secrets to Germany. Although Dreyfus’s sentence was commuted after five years, more than 80,000 political prisoners and hardened criminals endured years of mistreatment and abuse among disease-ridden conditions. Few were able to escape, though Henri Charrière, author of the book Papillon, allegedly succeeded by filling sacks with coconuts in order to float to the mainland. The prison was officially closed in 1953. In 1965, the French government transferred responsibility of the island to the Guiana Space Centre, and in recent years, tourism facilities have been added. Devil’s Island and its two smaller neighboring islands receive more than 50,000 visitors each year.

At the mouth of the mighty Amazon River, Macap is a city surrounded by encroaching jungle and the lush greenery of the Brazilian rainforest. The Amazon region is unique, in that it is home to an estimated one third of the planet’s living species, including birds, sea and river turtles, giant alligators and more. The many rivers of the basin, through which one-fifth of the world’s fresh water flows, lead to the heart of the jungle. The Amazon River itself is 4,000 miles long.
Take a jungle cruise along the Amazon River to see the jungle in more detail – and from the safety of a boat. Nearby, art and pottery from native Indian tribes can be found in the popular Ver-o-Peso market.

A lively trading center on the Amazon (Henry Ford invested millions in rubber here in the 1920s). Here, see rubber and Brazil nut trees; learn how the locals make tapioca, staple of the Amazon; swim in the clear blue waters of the Rio Tapajos. Sample shore excursion: City Tour of Santarém; Tapajos National Forest.

Surrounded by the Amazonian rain forest, Boca da Valeria, a small Brazilian settlement of fewer than 100 people, boasts no tourism infrastructure. Yet the destination lures travelers by offering an authentic glimpse of the simple river life that the Amerindians have followed for centuries. Meaning “Mouth of the Valeria River,” the remote fishing and trading village sits at the convergence of the Amazon and the Rio da Valeria. The local children guide visitors along a dirt footpath and pose for pictures in their native costumes, often with exotic animals in tow. Boca da Valeria, which is located between the towns of Parintins and Santarém, stands in stark contrast to nearby urban centers such as Manaus, where residents live with all the comforts, and complications, of contemporary life—but therein lies the appeal to the world adventurer.

If ever a city were a model for boom and bust, it would be Manaus, which lies at the confluence of Brazil’s Amazon River and Rio Negro, more than 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean. Like in America’s Old West, great fortunes were amassed in no time here and vanished just as quickly during the boom years of rubber production in the late 19th century. The most enduring memorial of that time is the great opera house and theater that are still in use today, and whose existence in the Amazon helped inspire the 1982 movie Fitzcarraldo, about one man’s maniacal obsession with bringing opera to the jungle.

These days, Manaus is downright huge—perhaps surprisingly, it’s Brazil’s seventh-largest city. A swank new soccer stadium was added for the 2014 World Cup, and a three-kilometer-long (two-mile-long), cable-stayed bridge opened in 2011 across the Rio Negro. The Ponta Negra suburb has modern high-rises, buzzing restaurants and beaches that rival those of any town on the sea. But within minutes, visitors can find themselves in the watery jungle, the source of the Amazonian specialties like pirarucu fish and acai berries on the menus of Manaus’s restaurants.

If ever a city were a model for boom and bust, it would be Manaus, which lies at the confluence of Brazil’s Amazon River and Rio Negro, more than 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean. Like in America’s Old West, great fortunes were amassed in no time here and vanished just as quickly during the boom years of rubber production in the late 19th century. The most enduring memorial of that time is the great opera house and theater that are still in use today, and whose existence in the Amazon helped inspire the 1982 movie Fitzcarraldo, about one man’s maniacal obsession with bringing opera to the jungle.

These days, Manaus is downright huge—perhaps surprisingly, it’s Brazil’s seventh-largest city. A swank new soccer stadium was added for the 2014 World Cup, and a three-kilometer-long (two-mile-long), cable-stayed bridge opened in 2011 across the Rio Negro. The Ponta Negra suburb has modern high-rises, buzzing restaurants and beaches that rival those of any town on the sea. But within minutes, visitors can find themselves in the watery jungle, the source of the Amazonian specialties like pirarucu fish and acai berries on the menus of Manaus’s restaurants.

Steeped in tradition, Parintins celebrates its centuries-old Indian culture each June at the Boi-Bumba Festival, a lavish event that rivals Rio’s Carnivale, re-enacted for visitors at a local club. Sample shore excursions: Parintins by Tricycle; Boi-Bumba Festival Show.

Not for nothing is Alter do Chão known as the Caribbean of the Amazon. Taken as a whole, the village’s white powdery beaches, transparent blue-green waters and hang-loose vibe would make a perfectly convincing addition to the Lesser Antilles. Of course, there are tip-offs that you’re still in the midst of South America’s River Sea, not least the neighboring rain forest and the pink dolphins—those local mascots—that periodically surface in the water.

This uncommon tropical charm lies at the heart of Alter do Chão’s appeal—but the place becomes outright irresistible when you factor in the curiously cosmopolitan inhabitants (expat hippies, herbalists and nature lovers in addition to Brazilians) and the cute little shops, cafés and businesses they’ve created.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more relaxing or beautiful stop in which to enjoy a drink by the water (or even sometimes in the water, seated in a slightly submerged chair—a local tradition) before doing a little exploring by boat or on foot.

Barbadians, or Bajans in local parlance, consider their island nation the most British of the Caribbean: Queen Elizabeth II is still head of state, and English products are stocked in many of its stores and restaurants. Barbados is known as the birthplace of international pop star Rihanna, but it has also produced some of the biggest Caribbean calypso and soca music stars. The summer Crop Over festival is a huge carnival event. With live music and crafts for sale, the popular Friday fish fry at Oistins Bay is a fun place to mingle with the locals.

Centered around a waterway called the Careenage and its handsome Chamberlain Bridge, the historic center of Bridgetown, the country’s capital, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011 for its wealth of British colonial architecture dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Among the famous figures who visited Bridgetown when it was at its peak was none other than George Washington, who spent two months in 1751 in a house that still stands today, on his only trip abroad.

Barbados is only 34 kilometers (21 miles) long, and even if your time is limited, you can explore much of the island using Bridgetown as your base. The less populated, rugged east coast of this coral island is strikingly beautiful and home to a number of different turtle species. The west coast, often nicknamed the “Platinum Coast,” is where you’ll find some of the island’s most popular beaches and biggest mansions. The interior, with its 340-meter-high (1,115-foot-high) Mount Hillaby, historic sugar plantations and lush gardens, will lure you away from the beach for a few hours.

Wonderfully untouched. Take in the thunder of Trafalgar Falls, breathtaking in triplicate; watch for the rare and beautiful Sisserou parrot, found only here.

An enticing mix of pink and blue buildings, yachts, rum cocktails and pirate lore. Play on a soft-sand beach or sail away to islands of buccaneer legend. Sample shore excursions: The North Shore & Pusser s Landing; Wreck of the Rhone Two-tank Certified Dive; Virgin Gorda & The Baths; Swim with the Dolphins.

Disembark Zaandam in Fort Lauderdale and take your private transfer to the airport for your return overnight flight to the UK.

Arrive in the UK.