8 December

Guadeloupe: Marie-Galante

9 December

Saint Lucia: Pigeon Island

Connected to the mainland by a man-made causeway, Pigeon Island is one of Saint Lucia’s most important historical sites. The British admiral George Rodney gave his name to the fort built here in the 18th century to spy on the French in Martinique, as well as the beautiful bay that the fort overlooks.

9 December

Saint Lucia: Soufrière

Soufrière is Saint Lucia’s oldest city, founded by the French in 1746 in the stunning south of the island. Nearby natural wonders include the iconic Piton mountains, the Diamond Botanical Gardens and the world’s only drive-in volcano, where you can soak in the restorative sulphur springs.

10 December

St. Vincent & Grenadines: Union Island

Situated at the southern end of the Grenadines, Union Island is an important regional hub for trade and transport. The striking silhouette of Mount Parnassus is the backdrop to the bustling town of Clifton, where you can jump on a water taxi to the famous Happy Island, a man-made islet with its own bar that sits out in the middle of the harbour.

11 December

St. Vincent & Grenadines: Mayreau

Situated just to the west of the Tobago Cays, Mayreau is a tiny, barely inhabited island that can only be reached by boat. There is very little to do, which is the main attraction for those lucky few who wash up here; the palm-fringed beaches and gently lapping waters are the Caribbean island idyll par excellence.

12 December - At sea

13 December

Caribbean Netherlands: Kralendijk (Bonaire)

The quiet, cactus-covered Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire is internationally renowned for its diving, ringed by spectacular coral reefs that teem with life. The capital, Kralendijk, is home to some pretty colonial architecture, and the island is also known for its flamingos and pink sand beaches.

14 December - At sea

15 December

Colombia: Santa Marta

Situated on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Santa Marta is the oldest surviving Spanish colonial city in South America. The modern city lacks some of the charm of nearby Cartagena, but tourism has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, with a number of ambitious regeneration projects and a host of new restaurants and bars.

16 December

Colombia: Cartagena

Cartagena was founded by Spanish conquistadors in 1533, and the beautifully preserved centre is a real highlight of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The walled old town, the Ciudad Amurallada, is a camera-friendly collection of cobbled streets and colourful, colonial-era buildings.

17 December

Panama: San Blas Islands

Situated just off the coast of Panama, the idyllic San Blas islands are home to the Kuna Indians, who enjoy political autonomy from the mainland and have an unusual degree of control over tourism to their homeland. Visiting these simple island communities is a privilege, and an insight into an indigenous way of life unsullied by mass tourism.

18 December

Panama: Portobelo

The sleepy fishing village of Portobelo, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, was once the busiest port in Spanish America, funneling vast quantities of Inca gold back to Europe. Ruined forts still litter the coast, and the legacy of the colonial era also lives on in the Congo people, descendants of African slaves brought here by the Spanish.

19 December

Arriving in Colón

Situated at the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, Colón is not somewhere you will want to hang around for long, and serves merely as a gateway to the Canal, which will carry you to much nicer places.