From exploring rainforests to cycling in Havana, 25 trips of a lifetime in the Americas and the Caribbean - iNews
In the second instalment of our four-part series, 100 Trips of a Lifetime, we bring you suggestions from the Americas and Caribbean. While it might not be possible to visit now, writer Karen Gardiner – who has lived in the US for the past decade, as well as Chile – suggests her top bucket-list trips to start planning for the future. From gliding through the Caribbean to adrenalin-pumping activities in Ecuador, exploring the Amazon and meeting bears in Canada, there's plenty of inspiration. Also in this series, we offer inspiration for the UK and Europe, Africa and Asia, Oceania and Antarctica.
Island-hop – by road – in the Florida Keys
Come as you are to the free-spirited Florida Keys. Hit the Overseas Highway – the 113-mile route that sweeps above the Florida Straits from Key Largo to Key West. Along the way there are opportunities for snorkelling and kayaking and meeting mainland castaways and the six-toed descendants of Ernest Hemingway's cats. Abercrombie & Kent can tailor-make an eight-day tour from £1,635pp with car hire and flights.
abercrombiekent.co.uk
Winter in Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park's best-kept secret? It is best in winter. Naturetrek takes guests in search of the world's first national park's grey wolves, as well as its abundant elk, bighorn sheep and bison, often spotted huddled around steaming geothermal pools. There are geysers, hot springs and fumaroles to marvel at, which will be particularly steamy. With most roads closed, it is also possible to ski and snowshoe across the frozen landscape. Expert-led 11-day group tour in January 2022 from £6,695pp with flights. naturetrek.co.uk
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Southwest US National Parks
It might be difficult to single out one of the US's famous National Parks to visit. However, a multi-park holiday in Arizona and Utah can take you to four of the big guns. Hike in or helicopter over the Grand Canyon, explore Monument Valley with a Navajo guide, look for mountain lions in Zion and watch the stars over Bryce Canyon. Steppes can tailor-make a two-week tour from £3,700pp, excluding flights.
steppestravel.com
California road trip
Picture yourself cruising over the Golden Gate Bridge, winding across clifftops as surf crashes below before relaxing on a palm-fringed beach. With almost 900 miles of coastline, as well as national parks, theme parks, vineyards, desert and mountains to explore, alongside its big-hitting cities, the Golden State is road-trip heaven. Trailfinders' fly-drive holidays offer the chance to drive one of the world's best coastal routes, from San Francisco to San Diego. Twelve days from £1,089pp, excluding flights.
trailfinders.com
Sail the Maine coast
The north-easternmost state in the US is defined by glorious national parks, a rocky coastline, elegant lighthouses and mighty moose – not to mention superlative seafood. Cruising on one of the Maine Windjammer Association's fleet of historic ships, you will see lighthouses and puffin colonies; go hiking on deserted islands, and enjoy lobster bakes on the beach. Three days from £455, including meals but not flights.
sailmainecoast.com
Cycle Cuba
A leisurely two-wheeled tour of western Cuba is a slow-travel experience to remember. Soak up the island nation's culture as you cycle from Havana's colourful streets to a lakeside eco-village, the limestone peaks of Viñales and the pristine shores of Cayo Jutias. Intrepid offers a week-long group tour from £895pp, excluding flights.
intrepidtravel.com
Diving in Grenada
The waters surrounding one of the most southerly Caribbean islands harbour colourful coral reefs and marine life, multiple shipwrecks and even an underwater sculpture park. The Scuba Place's holidays include 10 guided dives in Grenada's gin-clear waters and free time to enjoy its spectacular beaches, forested interior, and cocoa and spice plantations. Two weeks from £2,499pp including flights.
thescubaplace.co.uk
Northern Lights in Nunavik
Head north – far north – to Kuujjuaq in northernmost Quebec, part of the Inuit homelands in Canada. With Inuit guides, it is possible to hear stories from elders, hear a throat-singing performance and marvel at the shimmering colours of the aurora borealis, if you are lucky. Four days from £2,800pp including domestic flights.
aventuresinuit.ca
Yacht charter in the British Virgin Islands
A skippered yacht charter enables you to explore as many of the British Virgin Islands' 60 sun-soaked islands and Caribbean-lapped cays as you care to over the course of a week, without the need for prior sailing experience. Set sail for where the wind takes you and drop anchor at secluded anchorages whenever the mood strikes. One week from £1,328pp based on four sharing, excluding flights.
moorings.co.uk
Churchill's polar bears
Few wildlife experiences are more thrilling than a close-up encounter with polar bears. From the safety of a tundra buggy, it is possible to get face-to-face with the beautiful animals when they take up residence in the tiny town of Churchill on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, central Canada, each autumn. Five days from £3,710pp, excluding flights.
lazybearlodge.com
Grizzlies in British Columbia
The Great Bear Rainforest is a pristine wilderness on the Pacific coast of Canada, roughly the size of Ireland. It is also home to the rare, white Kermode ('spirit') bear, as well as grizzlies, sea otters, whales and dolphins. Sail through glittering fjords on a Maple Leaf Adventures small-ship expedition and you will also learn first-hand about the area's cultural history from First Nations residents. Nine days from £2,418pp, excluding flights.
mapleleafadventures.com
Mexican Day of the Dead
Experience one of Mexico's most intriguing festivals, which takes place on 2 November, while journeying around the Yucatán Peninsula, a land steeped in history and lapped by the Caribbean on one side. See Mayan ruins, natural wonders and get a front-row seat for Day of the Dead festivities. 12-day group tour from £2,995pp excluding flights.
wildfrontierstravel.com
Barbados R&R
The appeal of this Caribbean island is hard to beat. You can create your own adventure with a tailor-made itinerary with Turquoise Holidays. Explore the Unesco-listed capital, Bridgetown and visit distilleries, or simply indulge in some serious relaxation on one of its many palm-fringed beaches with a rum punch in hand. One week from £1,775pp, including flights.
turquoiseholidays.co.uk
Costa Rica's wildlife
Small but mighty Costa Rica is a world leader in sustainability. It's not hard to see why, with so much to protect, from cloud forests to rainforests, volcanoes to Pacific and Caribbean coast and reefs. A small group tour that showcases its biodiversity will reveal monkeys, sloths, toucans and more. Sixteen days from £4,789pp including flights.
responsibletravel.com
Belize: reef to rainforest
Pint-sized Belize is packed with idyllic islands, lush rainforests, wildlife – including pumas, jaguars and more than 500 bird species – and the world's second-largest barrier reef. Discover it all while staying in sustainability-focused lodges with Reef and Rainforest's small group holidays. Twelve days from £2,975pp, excluding flights.
reefandrainforest.co.uk
Argentina's diverse landscapes
No need for tough choices – Journey Latin America's 'Signature Argentina' tour covers all the highlights, from teeming Iguazú Falls in the north, to Patagonia's shimmering glaciers at the continent's southern end. In between, there is the opportunity to spend time in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires and the gorgeous lake district. Thirteen days from £2,710pp, excluding flights. journeylatinamerica.co.uk
Panama: canal and beyond
Journey through history on a voyage along the Panama Canal. Black Tomato's tailored Panama holidays also take you to some of the country's lesser-known gems, including unspoiled islands, lush rainforest, a coffee plantation and the capital's bohemian haunts. Twelve nights from £4,100pp, excluding flights.
blacktomato.com
Peru from the Andes to the Pacific
Many who visit Peru venture little further than Lima and Machu Picchu. Venturia's trips offer a more rounded perspective. They take in the wildlife-rich Ballestas Islands, fly over the ancient Nazca Lines and see storied Lake Titicaca and the Sacred Valley's Inca ruins. Fifteen days from £4,789pp, excluding flights.
venturia.com.pe
Go wild in Alaska
The perfect location to embrace the great outdoors is 'the last frontier'. In the north-west extremity of the US, it is possible to spot whales, Grizzly bears and moose as you journey from the shimmering glaciers of the Kenai Fjords National Park to the spectacular landscapes surrounding mighty Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Two-week group tour from £1,375pp, excluding flights. explore.co.uk
Colombian jungle trek
There is so much to see in Colombia, from the Caribbean coast to coffee country and beyond. If you want to venture off the tourist trail, consider a challenging 60-mile trekking and white-water rafting adventure in the centre of the country. Journey through different ecosystems teeming with wildlife, to secluded beaches and hidden waterfalls. Eight days from £1,212pp, excluding flights.
muchbetteradventures.com
Culinary tour of Mexico
Audley Travels' food-focused tour takes you from Mexico City's taquerías to Oaxaca's colourful street food stalls to enjoy the very best of the country's cuisine – seafood tostadas, rich chocolatey mole, blue-corn tlacoyos and more. Two weeks from £4,070pp, including flights.
audleytravel.com
Ultimate Galapágos
Bucket lists are made for trips like Pura Aventura's Galapágos Islands cruise. Not only will you meet giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, penguins and many more of the famed archipelago's creatures, you will also spend a few nights on land soaking up the local scene. Sixteen days from £7,850pp, excluding flights
pura-aventura.com
Mountain-biking Ecuador
Not for the faint-hearted, H+I Adventures' cycling tour puts you through your paces in the Ecuadorian Andes. You will tackle challenging terrain from the cloud forest to the slopes of an active volcano. Ten days from £2,150pp excluding flights.
mountainbikeworldwide.com
Brazilian Amazon
A journey deep into the Amazon rainforest reveals one of the planet's great biodiverse habitats. Sumak Travel's adventurous trips offer the chance to witness its dazzling flora and fauna while learning from its indigenous peoples why it must be protected. Ten days from £1,990pp excluding flights. sumak-travel.org
Guyana: falls and fauna
See how massive Kaieteur Falls puts Niagara Falls in the shade. Wilderness Explorers' trips immerse you in Guyana with stays in indigenous community lodges, mountain hikes, river trips and wildlife-spotting in the rainforest. Nine days from £2,393pp, excluding flights.
wilderness-explorers.com
Don't miss part three next week: Africa and Indian Ocean
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