 In the early 2019, I had only seen a small part of
the amassing Caribbean Islands. In 1997, I went around
Cuba,
I enjoyed
Bonaire
and its fantastic diving
in 2006 and again in
2008,
and I explored
Trinidad & Tobago
in 2018. (The last two major islands was visited in
2025:
Guadeloupe
and
Martinique).
In an attempt to escape the Danish winter (which is like a freezer; cold and
dark), I planned a tour around the
remaining countries and two colonies in the early 2019.
Due to some bold American ESTA rules:
I am only aloud in American Airspace for 90 days. And American Airspace is Mexico,
the entire Caribbean and way more. And they start the clock as I leave London till I
touch down in Paris. I ended up spending 28 hours in Gatwick! And my new
ticket to Bahamas turned out to be to Barbados! I spend a night and
headed on. A waste of one day
and 7.000 DKK/US$1100.
Then I get on track, and I started out in the north-western corner and ended down south-east. It is the
perfect time of year, although it did rain a bit more than the average year. Just after the
rainy season, when things are green and lush, no hurricanes and perfect
temperatures.
The little backpack is fare from full, and it weights only 3,0 kg, but I
doubted I would need much more, and things can be bought. All I bought was
an umbrella. I will be wearing
additional 1,7 kg: Flip-flops, camera, trouser and alike. A total below 5
kg, and real comfortable.
The plan for the three months: (read the diary and see the pictures
under each country):
25/1
Bahamas: Only New Providence and Great Bahamas
The best photos
3/2
Jamaica
The best photos
15/2
Haiti
The best photos
22/2
Dominican Republic
The best photos
7/3
Puerto Rico (US)
The best photos
14/3
Virgin Islands (US): Thomas, St John and St
Croix The best photos
19/3
Saint Kitts and Nevis
The best photos
25/3
Antigua and Barbuda, but not Barbuda
The best photos
30/3
Dominica
The best photos
6/4
Saint Lucia
The best photos
11/4
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but not the
Grenadines The best photos
13/4
Grenada
The best photos
20/4 Barbados
The best photos
27/4 Denmark
(2025:
Guadeloupe
and
Martinique)
That kept me warm and entertained for three months. Besides from the ESTA
problems in the beginning, and a riot in Haiti, it pretty much went real
smooth, and I did see a lot of nice nature, besides from the perfect beaches.
That said, some islands are significantly more interesting than others. I
especially enjoyed the
Virgin Islands (US)
and
Dominica.
The best 117 photos
The flights of the 2019 tour.
I
have only visited some of the minor islands and colonies
(The rest are too small for a
tour, I think):
Aruba (NL) Breathly
Curaçao (NL)
Guadeloupe
(F) 25
Martinique (F) 25
Montserrat (UK)
Virgin Islands (UK)
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
Anguilla (UK)
and Cayman Islands (UK) |