Activities in Caribbean Islands
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FEATURED
St Lucia Rainforest Walk
4 hours (Departs St Lucia)
by Viator
An excellent excursion for nature lovers! St. Lucia possesses a topography and ecology of stunning beauty, matched by no other location in the Caribbean. Take a…Not LP reviewed
from USD$47.99 - All activities
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Refuge
This refuge is about a mile north of the Hwy 3301 turnoff to El Combate. Its visitors center contains displays on local wildlife and wildlife management techniques. Outdoors you will find bird-watching trails among the ruins of an old farmstead in the Valle de Lajas (Lajas Valley). This area around the coastal plains and shores of Cabo Rojo is a major winter ground for migratory ducks, herons and songbirds, and more than 130 bird species have been sighted here. You can arrange guided hikes through the refuge at the Centro Interpretativos Las Salinas de Cabo Rojo.
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A
Varadero Golf Club
While it's no Pebble Beach, golfers can have a swinging session at this uncrowded and well-landscaped club: Cuba's first 18-hole course. The original nine holes created by the Du Ponts are between Hotel Bella Costa and Dupont's Mansión Xanadú; another nine holes added in 1998 flank the southern side of the three Meliá resorts. Bookings for the course (par 72) are made through the pro shop next to the Mansión Xanadú (now a cozy hotel with free, unlimited tee time). A 50-minute lesson costs CUC$30.
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B
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de la Popa
For a bird's-eye view of Trinidad, walk straight up Simón Bolívar, the street between the Iglesia Parroquial and the Museo Romántico, to the destroyed 18th-century Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de la Popa, part of a former Spanish military hospital. It's on a hill to the north of the old town, a favorite sunset-watching spot (use insect repellant).
From here it's a 30-minute hike up the hill to the radio transmitter atop 180m-high Cerro de la Vigía, which delivers broad vistas of Trinidad, Playa Ancón and the entire littoral.
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Marlin Náutica
There are many water activities available at Marina Hemingway in Barlovento, 20km west of central Havana. Fishing trips can be arranged at Marlin Náutica from CUC$150 for four anglers and four hours of bottom fishing, and CUC$280 for four anglers and four hours of deep-sea fishing. Included are a captain, a sailor, an open bar and tackle. Marlin season is June to October. Scuba packages for CUC$35 per dive and tours of Havana's littoral (CUC$60 in a catamaran) can also be arranged.
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Instituto Intercultural del Caribe
The Instituto Intercultural del Caribe was founded in 1994 and is the Spanish Department of Edase, a German-Dominican Language and Culture Institute. It offers Spanish courses of 20 and 30 hours per week in small classroom settings. There are more than a dozen price combinations, depending on the length and intensity of instruction and whether or not accommodations are included. Call for current course listings and prices. It also offers merengue dance lessons (eight hours of private lessons US$55) and maintains a language school in Sosúa.
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Garfield Diving Station
Virtually the entire shoreline east of Ocho Rios to Galina Point is fringed by a reef, and it’s great for snorkeling and scuba diving. One of the best sections is Devil’s Reef, a pinnacle that drops more than 60m. Nurse sharks are abundant at Caverns, a shallow reef about 1km east of the White River estuary; it has many tunnels plus an ex-minesweeper, the Kathryn. You can arrange dives and snorkeling at the Garfield Diving Station. Most resorts have their own scuba facilities.
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C
Caribe Aquatic Adventures
Caribe Aquatic Adventures operates out of the Normandie Hotel in Puerta de Tierra, but you needn’t be a guest to use the services. This outfit does dives near San Juan, but also further afield around the islands off the coast of Fajardo (Icacos for snorkeling and Palomino and Palominito for diving). Lunch and transportation from San Juan are included in trips to Fajardo. The company’s shore dives from the beach behind the hotel are regarded as some of the best in the Caribbean. Cruise passengers love utilizing this place.
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Escuela Internacional de Cine, Televisión y Video
The Escuela Internacional de Cine, Televisión y Video educates broadcasting professionals from all over the world (especially developing countries). Under the patronage of novelist Gabriel García Márquez, it’s run by the foundation that also organizes the annual film festival in Havana. The campus is at Finca San Tranquilino, Carretera de Vereda Nueva, 5km northwest of San Antonio de los Baños. Prospective filmmaking students should apply in writing in advance (personal inquiries at the gate are not welcome).
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Laguna de Maya
The Laguna de Maya is a Flora and Fauna Reserve where professional Ecotur guides can rent you snorkeling gear and guide you out to the reef for a bargain CUC$5. There are a reported 300 species of fish here and visibility is a decent 15m to 20m. The Laguna de Maya also incorporates a snack bar, a ranchón-style restaurant overlooking a small lake with boat rental and opportunities for horseback riding. A package including all the activities is offered for CUC$25. You can hike 2.5km to the Cueva Saturno from here.
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Mt Britton Trail
If you are short on time and want to feel as if you have really 'summited,' take the 0.8-mile, 45-minute climb up through the midlevel types of vegetation into the cloud forest that surrounds this peak, which is named after a famous botanist who worked here. This is a continuous climb on paved surfaces to the Mt Britton Tower, built in the 1930s. The trailhead is at the side of Hwy 9938, which veers off Hwy 191 south of Palo Colorado.
The more adventurous and fit can connect to El Yunque Trail via the 0.86 mile Mt Britton Spur.
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Rocky Point Stables
For horseback trail rides, you can’t do better than Rocky Point Stables just west of Half Moon Village. This full-blown equestrian center leads excursions into the mountains rising from the Rose Hall Estate and a classic bareback beach ride during which you and your horse splash straight into the turquoise sea. For the kiddies there’s also a pony ride. Riding lessons cost US$50 per 45 minutes. Transportation from your hotel can be arranged.
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Entrena
Providing Spanish-language instruction since 1982, Entrena has a long list of former clients, ranging from Peace Corps volunteers to professional baseball players. Its base program is a four-week intensive Spanish and Dominican Culture course, which includes six hours of one-on-one instruction, competency-based language training and a homestay (US$1650). Programs can also be coordinated on a per-hour basis (US$8 to US$13) allowing students to take as many or as few classes and hours as they wish.
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Scuba Dogs
You will find spectacular 150ft visibility (or better) in the waters around the island Isla Mona. There are excellent barrier and fringe-reef dives filled with lagoons and ruts on the south side of the island, with eight different kinds of coral. Divers particularly enjoy the sharp drop-off along one reef that creates an overhanging wall; some fascinating creatures come to drift in its cool shadow. Scuba Dogs is a San Juan–based diving outfit that organizes diving trips to the island.
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El Yunque Rainforest Half-Day Trip from San Juan
5 hours 30 minutes (Departs San Juan, Puerto Rico)
by Viator
Sit back and relax on this leisurely half-day trip to the El Yunque rainforest. You'll discover an amazing world of nature trails, waterfalls, scenic views and…Not LP reviewed
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Sierra de las Casas
It's possible to climb to this distinctively shaped hill from the west end of Calle 22. A few hundred meters along a dirt track, you will see a trail on the left toward the hills. At the very foot of the hill is a deep cave with a concrete stairway leading down to the local swimming hole. A trail beyond this leads to the mountaintop, from where you can see most of the north of the island.
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D
Water Sports Enterprise
For an extensive range of water sports and touring opportunities, Water Sports Enterprise offers activities including glass-bottom boat rides (US$30), snorkeling at Marine Garden (US$25) or Paradise Reef (US$30), windsurfing (US$30), sunfish sailing (US$80), jet ski (US$60/100 per half/full hour), scuba diving (1-/2-/4-tank dives US$45/70/140) or lessons (US$20), and parasailing (single/tandem US$50/100). Beach chairs, umbrellas and lockers are available to rent (US$5 each).
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Jarabacoa Golf Club
This golf club has a decent though rather nondescript nine-hole golf course that will do for anyone desperate for a golf fix. The course has two par-fives, the longest being 433m. Green fees are US$20 for two laps around the course. Club rental is US$10 with balls – oddly, rental is for one round only, so you have to pay it twice if you play 18 holes. To get there, take the turnoff to Salto de Jimenoa and look for signs for the Campo de Golf, about 3km down.
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Catamaran Cruise to Saona Island from Punta Cana
10 hours (Departs Punta Cana, Dominican Republic)
by Viator
Relax on the beach, enjoy the crystalline waters or explore the tropical surrounds on a relaxing catamaran cruise to Saona Island. White sandy beaches, coconut…Not LP reviewed
from USD$93.99 -
Hispaniola Academy
Offering six levels of Spanish-language instruction, the Hispaniola Academy is the only language school in the Zona Colonial. A week-long course – the shortest of those offered – consists of 20 lessons per week (ie four 50-minute classes per day) and your choice of accommodations. Prices begin at US$260 (with a homestay) and rise to US$580 (with hotel accommodations). Private classes available. Cooking (private US$48) and dance classes are also offered.
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Gaviota
This operator features a variety of helicopter tours in Russian M1-8 choppers; the Trinidad trip (CUC$229) is popular. The Tour de Azúcar (sugarcane tour) visits a disused sugar mill and takes a steam train ride to Cárdenas station. Prices are CUC$39/30 per adult/child. It also organizes 4WD safaris to the scenic Valle del Yumurí. The excursion (adult/child CUC$45/34) includes a visit to a campesino family and a huge, delicious meal at Ranchón Gaviota.
reviewed
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San Juan Snorkel and Picnic Cruise
8 hours 30 minutes (Departs San Juan, Puerto Rico)
by Viator
Relax and unwind on a leisurely catamaran sail to Icacos, a deserted island paradise off the coast of San Juan, with miles of white sand beaches and crystal…Not LP reviewed
from USD$94.99 -
Canoe Tours
For a less regimented (and a more authentic) experience, you can easily hire a guide to take you upriver by canoe or boat. Ask near the bridge in town. Or, if you're continuing on to Treasure Beach, you can hire a boat there for a round-trip tour that includes a stop at the Pelican Bar and a journey up the Black River.
Midday tours are best for spotting crocodiles; early and later tours are better for birding. Take a shade hat and some mosquito repellent.
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Gipsy Ranch
The fully equipped Gipsy Ranch riding stables are situated right near Playa Encuentro. Gipsy Ranch charges US$16 per person for an hour’s ride on the beach, or US$52 for a longer, half-day ride. It can also organize longer excursions along the beach and in the nearby hills. The French owner is trilingual. From the entrance to Encuentro, continue down toward the beach and turn left. You’ll find the stables opposite the Coconut Palms Resort.
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Club Hípico Iberoamericano
This is in the northwestern corner of Parque Lenin. Horseback riding through the park on a steed rented from the club costs CUC$12 an hour, but horses rented from boys at the nearby amusement park, or at the entrance to Parque Lenin proper (you'll be besieged), costs CUC$3 per hour, guide included. Watch out for undernourished or maltreated horses.
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La Mina Trail
The forest's newest trail was opened in 1992 as an extension of the Big Tree trail, although it can be done in isolation from its starting point at the Palo Colorado Visitors Center. The trail heads downhill through palo colorado forest to La Mina Falls and an old mine tunnel. Mostly paved, it's an easy 0.7 mile walk down, but a bit of a hike back up. The La Mina trail connects with the Carrillo trail at La Mina Falls and with La Coca soon after.
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