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Now that winter is underway in many parts of the world, folks might be in need of a warm and sunny Caribbean vacation. Nothing beats the winter blues like feeling the sand beneath your feet while sipping on a tasty cold rum beverage. That said, after a couple of years of travel restrictions, it’s time to get the muscles moving, the heart pumping and the mind blown by experiencing the natural wonders that the Caribbean has to offer. Slip into the warm Caribbean Sea to peak below the waves at a colourful alien world or hike through a lush green rainforest to awaken the senses – This is nature’s best medicine. Of course, a round of golf or a warm relaxing day at sea would also fill the prescription for what the doctor ordered! If you’re thinking of heading south for a warm-weather vacation, here’s our thoughts on the best Caribbean adventure destinations to visit in early 2023.
For this article, we’re highlighting the Caribbean Islands that provide the best opportunities for getting out in nature by enjoying snorkeling (and diving), hiking, fishing, watersports, and golf. With the Euro the lowest it’s been for several years, we also gave the French Caribbean an extra, and well deserved, look.
Located south of Cuba, between Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Jamaica, the British territory of the Cayman Islands is more than just about lazing on the sands of Seven Mile Beach – It is a great Caribbean destination to experience snorkeling, diving, fishing, and a wide variety of watersports, as well as golf!
With several vibrant coral reefs surrounding Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, the islands offer some of the best spots in the Caribbean for snorkeling, diving as well as fishing! The west coast and large protected bay in Grand Cayman’s North Sound are great places to snorkel and dive. You can slip into the warm Caribbean sea from shore and swim out to a nearby reef, or take a short boat ride to some of the best snorkel & dive spots in the Caribbean. Snorkelers can enjoy shipwrecks sitting in as little as 20 feet of clear blue sea, while divers can also explore the deep plunging terrain of the underwater mountain range known as the Cayman Trench. There are plenty of caves, chutes, and swim-through tunnels to examine, making the Cayman Islands an epic destination for wall diving.
It’s also worth noting that a trip to Grand Cayman is incomplete without visiting Stingray City – A once in a lifetime experience to swim with and even gently hold a Stingray! If that’s not enough, Grand Cayman is also home to Starfish Point, a place with shallow waters with plenty of starfish.
For more tips on snorkeling in the Cayman Islands, including contact info for local tour/boat operators who can help you get the most out of your day, check out our Cayman Islands Snorkeling page.
While some Caribbean Islands have a beach for every day of the year, the Caymans offer 365 different dive sites along with dozens of Dive Centers and Dive Boat Operators. For more details on diving in the Cayman Islands, including contact info for local dive shops and boat operators who can get you in the water, check out our Cayman Islands Scuba Diving pages.
As for fishing, Grand Cayman‘s flats, reefs and stunningly deep waters of the Cayman Trench offer an amazing year-round variety of angling options. There’s something for everyone, from the true fishing enthusiast to folks just looking for a day at sea to bond with friends and family. Anglers can enjoy bottom fishing, reef fishing, fly-fishing as well as Cayman Island deep sea fishing. If it’s big game you’re after, there’s plenty of Blue Marlin, Wahoo (kingfish), Mahi-Mahi (dolphin), Tuna and Barracuda to pull in over the trench. The Cayman Islands are truly one of the best places for Caribbean fishing.
For more details on fishing in the Cayman Islands, including contact info for local and boat operators who can get a reel in your hands, check out our Cayman Islands Fishing page.
With miles of beachfront and blessed with a mangrove forest ecosystem, as well as the natural wonder of a bio-luminescence bay, Grand Cayman is also a great place to enjoy Caribbean watersports. Stand-up paddle-boarding is popular in the calm waters of Seven Mile Beach and North Sound. Stronger winds can be found along the East end of the island near Gun Bay, making it ideal for windsurfing. Great kayaking can be found all around the island, although when the sun drops below the horizon, be sure to try the once-in-a-lifetime experience of kayaking in the bio-luminescence waters near Rum Point – Where the motion from the paddles and boats make the sea glow an eerie blue. For those with a need for speed, you can try jet skiing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding or parasailing as well.
For more tips on watersports options in the Cayman Islands, including contact info for local tour operators, surf shops and places to rent gear, check out our Cayman Islands Water Sports page.
Finally, if you yearn to hit the links on every Caribbean Island you visit, golf is available at two gorgeous courses 10 minutes north of Grand Cayman’s capital George Town. The North Sound Golf Club is an 18-hole / par 71 championship golf course that plays to 6,605 yards with great views of the bay. Minutes from Seven Mile Beach, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club offers a Greg Norman designed 9-hole / par 36 golf course that also provides a stunningly beautiful setting for a tropical round of golf. For more info on playing golf in the Cayman Islands, check out our Cayman Islands Golf page.
For a complete listing of things to do in the Cayman Islands, including contact info for local tour operators who can help you get the most out of your stay, check out our Cayman Islands Vacation Ideas page.
Martinique is located in the southern Caribbean between Dominica and St. Lucia. The French Caribbean’s “Island of Flowers” is a great tropical destination to experience snorkeling, hiking, a diverse variety of watersports, as well as rhum! The relatively low Euro makes it even more attractive right now to travelers from the Americas and UK.
With easy-to-reach reefs and rocky areas close to shore, Martinique is a great place for Caribbean snorkeling. Slip into the warm Caribbean sea right off the beach along the northwest, southwest and south coasts of Martinique. Some beaches have warm black sand, others powdery white. Some are quiet and remote, others hopping with action. There are plenty of things to see beneath the surface of the sea, including underwater statues, tropical fish, and other incredible marine life, although sea turtles are sure to be the main attraction in Martinique. While the Anses-d’Arlet region is popular for spotting turtles, the Atlantic side has an underwater route to follow called the Le Francois snorkel trail.
For more tips on snorkeling in Martinique, including contact info for local tour/boat operators who can help you get the most out of your day, check out our Martinique Snorkeling page.
One of the best islands for Caribbean hiking, Martinique offers a variety of nice relaxing walks as well as some very challenging, mountainous volcano hikes. Martinique has dozens of well-marked and maintained trails all over the island. Hiking is a great way to explore the natural beauty of Martinique, with several hiking trails leading to amazing waterfalls or hilltops and ridges providing spectacular panoramic views. The mountainous north end of Martinique is home to the 10th tallest peak in the Caribbean, the iconic Montagne Pelee towers 4,583 feet (1,397m) above sea level.
For more tips on hiking in Martinique, including contact info for local tour operators and hiking guides, check out our Martinique Hiking pages.
With precious mangrove forests, several protected bays as well as coastlines that get plenty of those famous Caribbean tradewinds, Martinique is also a great Caribbean island for watersports. Well protected from the ocean waves, the mangroves of Génipa are made to be explored by kayak, while the beautiful beaches of Les Anses d’Arlet are ideal for Stand-Up-Paddleboarding, kayaking and a variety of fun and exciting watersports like jet skiing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing and more. Meanwhile, the Atlantic side of Martinique is ideal for surfers (and SUP). There are several surf schools and a variety of great beaches that can be surfed by beginners as well as experienced tube-riders. The southeast coast of Martinique has a couple of great spots for kitesurfing and windsurfing as well.
Spending the day on or near the sea is a great way to experience the Caribbean, and Martinique definitely provides a number of amazing water sports options. For more tips, including contact info for local tour operators, surf shops and places to rent gear, check out our Martinique Water Sports page.
While many of the Caribbean Islands produce Rum, Martinique could be considered the rum capital of the World with more than 10 distilleries and over a hundred different rhums produced. The island’s “Rhum Agricole” is made directly from sugar cane juice, not molasses like most other Caribbean rums. Most of Martinique’s distilleries are open to the public, offering affordable plantation (habitation)/distillery tours, along with rhum tasting and storefronts to purchase the rhum(s) of your choice!
For more details on the rhums of Martinique, including contact info for local tour operators who can get to a distillery, check out our Martinique Rhum page.
For a complete listing of things to do in Martinique, including contact info for local tour operators who can help you get the most out of your stay, check out our Martinique Vacation Ideas page.
Located just north of South America’s Venezuelan coast, Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands. Famous for its pink flamingos, the small island is a “diver’s paradise” as well as a great Caribbean Island for snorkeling and watersports, along with being a surprisingly good destination for cycling and hiking as well!
With healthy coral reefs and rich marine life, Bonaire is one of the best islands in the Caribbean for snorkeling and diving! Bonaire and its small offshore island Klein Bonaire is encircled by reefs providing homes for an amazing biodiversity of colourful fish, corals, sponges and more. You can slip into the warm Caribbean sea from shore and swim out to a nearby reef, or take a short boat ride to Bonaire’s Marine Park to experience some of the best snorkel & dive spots in the Caribbean. Explore shallow coral reefs, steep underwater cliffs as well as underwater caves. Bonaire is also one of the best Freediving locations in the world.
For more details on snorkeling or diving at any of the over eighty dive sites in Bonaire, as well as contact info for local dive shops and boat operators who can get you in the water, check out our Bonaire Snorkeling and/or our Bonaire Scuba Diving pages.
With its near-constant trade winds, year-round warm air and water temperatures, Bonaire is one of the best places in the Caribbean to enjoy water sports. The southwest coast of the island seems to be made for kiteboarding and kitesurfing, while the mangroves and waterways of Lac Bay on the southeast side of the island are ideal for kayaking and windsurfing. Spending the day on the sea is a great way to experience the Caribbean and Bonaire definitely provides a number of watersports options to satisfy everyone!
For more tips on watersports options in Bonaire, including contact info for local tour operators, surf shops and places to rent gear, check out our Bonaire Water Sports page.
With over a hundred kilometres of cycling trails, Bonaire is one of the best Caribbean destinations for bicycle riding. Exploring Bonaire by bike provides you with jaw-dropping views of the island and picturesque views of the Caribbean Sea. There are road courses that include amazing scenic coastline routes, as well as off-road trails in desert-like terrain. The surprising hiking trails of Bonaire offer opportunities for some easy relaxing walks as well as a couple of intermediate–difficult outings. Perhaps the best Bonaire hiking can be found in Washington-Slagbaai National Park at the north end of the island.
For more details on biking and hiking in Bonaire, including contact info for local tour operators, hiking guides, and places to rent gear, check out our Bonaire Cycling and/or our Bonaire Hiking pages.
For a complete listing of things to do in Bonaire, including contact info for local tour operators who can help you get the most out of your stay, check out our Bonaire Vacation Ideas page.
Don’t worry, there’s more to come… check out our Top 7 Caribbean Islands to Visit in 2023 (part 2) article.
FYI (Full Disclosure): We are not being compensated in any way by the islands listed above. These islands were chosen as our top destinations based on the criteria outlined in the opening paragraphs.
We hope you liked our assessment and it has motivated you to enjoy some quality time in the Caribbean!
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ACT Staff
