Raw, wild and packed with amazing scenery and wildlife, Denali National Park covers an incredible 6 million acres made up of mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, forest and tundra. Dominating the scenery is the majestic Denali – rising to 20,310 ft this is North America’s highest mountain peak. The park has just one road which weaves …
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Sweeping through more than a thousand miles of Bering Straits and Pacific Ocean waters on Alaska’s western edge can be found the Aleutian Islands archipelago. Towards the outermost tip of this chain of 100 or so remote islands is Amaknak – the island which is home to the port of Dutch Harbor. This is a …
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Thanks to its supply of fresh water, Papeete has long been a gathering place – the name means “water basket.” Today it’s the main population center of the Polynesian islands. The bustling city meets the sea on a long, walkable waterfront. Peruse the lively Marche de Papeete, where local venders sell food and handicrafts, and …
Moorea is not as well-known to travelers as Bora Bora, but the lush green scenery topped by spectacular volcanic peaks is no less stunning. Your ship will enter the blue waters of a bay that was once the crater of a volcano. Exploring the island, you’ll find waterfalls, fruit tree-filled valleys, and colorful houses in …
You may feel like you and the one you love are having a private “Gilligan’s Island” experience when you explore the deserted soft white sands of this private islet, dotted with swaying palms. Take a dip in the crystal-clear water, go snorkeling and enjoy kayaking and other watersports activities. Or sit back and just enjoy …
Approaching this legendary island’s darkly mysterious volcanic peaks feels like one of those good-to-be-alive movements. There’s something almost sacred about the sight. Once on shore, the swaying palms, white-sand beaches and sea in various shades of turquoise are so seductive they’re nearly hypnotic. Romance is quite literally in the air. Get in the water to …
Alaska’s only interior city and second in size only to Anchorage, Fairbanks and its surrounds served as a summer camp location for Athabascan people for thousands of years, long before any outsiders arrived. However, its present metropolitan scale can be traced from the days when the gold rush hordes descended in the early 1900s. Much …
Deep within Alaska’s longest fjord on a narrow peninsula of land can be found the beautiful port town of Haines which was originally named for the founder of a 19th century mission. Surrounded on all sides by stunning mountain scenery punctuated with waterfalls, ancient glaciers and true wilderness, Haines can boast a truly breathtaking setting. …
Lapped by the Caribbean Sea and in its entirety a beautiful treasure chest of history full of incredible jewels, Cartagena is magnificent. Founded by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, Cartagena quickly became a highly significant cog in the mighty machine of the Spanish Empire. Plundered gold, silver and emeralds along with tobacco and …
Today, although it wasn’t always so, Juneau is Alaska’s capital city with a population of around 30,000. However, despite its first city status, it still holds onto something of a charming small town air which is perhaps due to its being entirely cut off from everywhere else. Surrounded by dramatic mountains topped by a vast …
The city of Kodiak, located on an island of the same name and Alaska’s largest, has known human habitation for at least 7,000 years. The Alutiiq people had learned how to live from the land and ocean long before the Russians arrived in the 1700s to establish a fur trade. While many Alaska destinations have …
Often touted as one of the most magnificent and lovely of the Caribbean islands, St. Lucia is rich in natural splendor. Cascading waterfalls, lush rainforests alive with hovering hummingbirds, spectacular beaches fringed by coconut palms and the twin volcanic spires of the World Heritage Pitons which are this exotic island ́s most iconic landmark; all …
Sitting in the south of Alaska, Anchorage takes the title of the state’s largest city. Its story is a little different to that of the majority of other Alaskan larger settlements in that neither fishing nor mining played a hand. Here it was the railway which sowed the seeds of what would grow into Anchorage …
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For thousands of years the lands of the native Tlingit, for decades under Russian rule as a valuable fur-trading resource and port and then sold at 2 cents an acre to the United States in the 1860s, Sitka has a multi-faceted and fascinating heritage. Today all three of these aspects combine together to make it …
Bridgetown, Barbados Barbados is, simply put, a gem. Justifiably lauded for its fine, white sands and sparkling crystal seas, the island is considered by many to be the loveliest of all the Caribbean and it isn’t hard to see why. To this stunning idyllic tropical scenery you can add a people famed for their warmth …
If you could conjure up a picture in your mind of the most quintessentially Alaskan town possible Talkeetna is almost certainly it. Charming in the extreme, Talkeetna nestles at the foot of North America’s highest peak -Denali -and is filled with flower-draped log cabins where early 20th century pioneers once lived and worked, tranquil streets …
