Jamaica

Birthplace both of reggae and its greatest icon, Bob Marley, Jamaica is a lush nation full of jewel-bright rainforests, verdant mountains, British colonial buildings, and soft beaches fringed with coral reefs. One of the largest islands in the Caribbean, it’s also known for mouthwatering cuisine and rum production.

Visitors can see Bob Marley’s former home, now turned into the Bob Marley Museum, in capital city Kingston. Kingston is also home to other notable buildings, including the 17th-century Fort Charles and colonial-era mansion Devon House. Offshore, the tiny island of Lime Cay offers snorkelling and swimming opportunities from its wooded shores.

Behind Kingston, you’ll find the Blue Mountains, an area known for coffee production and shot through with streams, waterfalls, and scenic hiking trails. Reggae is alive and well, as you’ll see if you head to Montego Bay in July, where a weeklong reggae festival, the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest, becomes a non-stop party. Hippie hangout Negril is known for spectacular beach sunsets and laid-back, good vibes. Once the pirate capital of the Caribbean, Port Royal’s swashbuckling history lies just beneath this sleepy fishing town’s surface.