Bridgetown – Santo Domingo · 21 December 2027 – 5 January 2028

If you are looking for a sunny, dreamy Caribbean bay, the options are nearly endless in the northeast of Tobago. As soon as the windjammer enters Man-o-War Bay, smaller hidden bays are revealed. A real island paradise: From Hermitage Bay to Pirate's Bay, the tropical forest grows up to the golden sand beach, while under water colorful reef inhabitants cavort below the surface. Tobago is a pioneer in environmental protection: As early as 1764, the Main Ridge Rainforest was declared a nature reserve here, enabling it to preserve its impressive biodiversity.

Beautiful beaches, aromatic spice plantations, dense rainforests, waterfalls, and a volcano that has long been extinct define this stunning 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 reminiscent of colonial times. There is good reason why nutmeg is immortalized on the national flag. Alongside cloves, cinnamon and ginger, it is one of the island's biggest exports.

Right in the south of the Grenadines are the Tobago Cays – four small uninhabited islands, surrounded by a protective horseshoe-shaped coral reef. The Horseshoe Reef holds the Atlantic swell at bay and its unique animal and plant life make it an ideal place for snorkelling. 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.

Bequia is actually the largest island in the Grenadines, but still small and tranquil at just 87 square miles. 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. And on the eastern coast, you can find the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary focuses on rearing and caring for endangered turtles.

Dominica, nicknamed the Nature Isle of the Caribbean, is one of the most untouched of the Windward Islands. It boasts some of the highest mountains in the Lesser Antilles, as well as many beautiful national parks. Its interior is characterized by thick forest, where rivers plunge into the depths and tiny streams wind through the jungle. Two extinct volcanoes are at the center of the Cabrits National Park and, recaptured by nature, the former strategically important Fort Stanley appears like a picturesque backdrop in the heart of the lush woodlands.

With a population around 15,000, Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe – and euros are common currency. If you want to splash out, visit one of its picturesque markets. The traditional Marché La Darse takes place around the harbor on weekdays, where local traders sell mainly vegetables, fruit, and fresh fish. The best place to find exotic jams and spices is around the Saint-Antoine Market in the market hall. The name Pointe-à-Pitre goes back to a Dutch fisherman named Peter, who settled there in the 17th century.

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 colorful tropical paradise. Some people claim that Josephine, who later became Napoleon's wife, used to bathe in the little pool in the garden.

The 'Paris of the Islands,' the 'Pearl of the Antilles,' or the 'Venice of the Tropics' – Saint-Pierre in the northwest of the French dream island Martinique has always inspired romantic comparisons. Founded in 1635, the city at the foot of the volcanic mountain Pelée flourished due to sugar and slave trade, becoming the economic and cultural center of the island. Prosperity continued until 1902 when Pelée erupted, destroying Saint-Pierre and burying 30,000 people under lava, embers, and ash. Today, the coastal town is officially classified as a 'City of Art and History': In addition to the ruins of the theater and the old church, the intricate buildings of the Chamber of Commerce and the cathedral are worth a visit.

Climbing the rigging, untying ropes, setting sails – today is all about sailing. Time to lean back and relax in the deck chair and watch the passionate crew hoisting the sails by hand.

With an area of 100 square miles and a population of only around 53,000, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is one of the twelve smallest recognized states in the world. Located to the southeast, Nevis is the smaller and quieter of the two leeward islands – and a true Caribbean dream. Lush green rainforests stretch along the slopes of its extinct volcano, flowing into long sandy beaches that shimmer seductively in various shades of yellow, black and red toward the ocean. Charlestown itself is quite manageable, and offers two museums as cultural alternatives to splashing around in the warm Caribbean waters.

Explorers once used to cross swords in the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Nowadays the sea around the British Virgin Islands is one of the world's best sailing areas. Heavenly bays, gorgeous beaches, idyllic anchoring spots, smart yacht clubs and charming little beach bars make the island a popular haunt for sailors. On Virgin Gorda, once called "The Fat Virgin" by Columbus due to its shape, you can find "The Baths", one of nature's most beautiful oddities, in the National Park. Ground to a sphere and polished to a shine, the huge granite formations on the beach and in the water create a multi-branched labyrinth of giant boulders.

The Sir Francis Drake Channel, where swords once crossed, is now one of the most beautiful sailing spots. Jost van Dyke, the smallest of the main islands in the British Virgin Islands, is a mountainous volcanic object of beauty with fewer than 300 inhabitants. One of them, Foxy, has been mixing his cocktails since 1968 and the bar of the same name enjoys a legendary reputation as perhaps the most famous beach bar in the Lesser Antilles. The island's past is less reputable – it was named by a Dutch pirate. The island gives its most beautiful treasures to all who visit – fine sand, green palm trees, colorful beach bars and the luminous blue of the sea.

On this island, which is part of Hispaniola, Columbus founded the first Spanish colony in America. Santo Domingo, the present capital of the Dominican Republic, is the first and oldest European-founded city in the New World. Old in the New World still means relatively young – it corresponds to Renaissance visions of the ideal and was the model for many cities in Latin America. A visit to the historic old city is like a journey through time. The splendid stone buildings are testament to the era of the colonial conquests and have been smartened up as World Heritage Sites under the protection of UNESCO.