Category: Travel

Dip your toes into the U.S. and British Virgin Islands with an extended weekend getaway to St. Thomas. Sample the beaches, snorkeling, shopping, and dining, and return home revived and refreshed. Good air connections make this a practical choice for visitors from the eastern United States.

If you love beaches, you’ve come to the right place. Authors Gary Chandler and Liza Prado point out the best spots in the Riviera Maya, Tulum, and more.

Guatemala’s history is complicated and fascinating, though it often reads like a tragic novel. A basic understanding of its history is a crucial element for the well-informed traveler hoping to get the most out of a visit to this mystifying land of culture and contrasts.

Many islands in the Virgins have salt ponds where crystal salt was collected, but no island had a larger or more productive pond than Salt Island. It's also home to the wreck of the RMS Rhone, the preeminent dive site in the British Virgin Islands and one of its most visited attractions. Learn about the…

Filled with national parks and wildlife reserves, Belize home to an estimated 145 species of mammals, 139 species of reptiles, and at least 500 species of birds, many of which can be spotted along the cayes. An island vacation doesn’t mean missing out on any of the wildlife—here is what to look out for both…

Trunk Bay is a vision of fluffy white sand, sea grape trees, and coconut palms. Trunk Cay, just offshore, is a tiny island of rocky cliffs, tufted by hardy palm trees. Named for the leatherback turtles, locally called trunks, which nest here, and fully equipped with facilities, this is what Caribbean beach dreams are made…

The site of Annaberg Sugar Mill is the best place to learn about the colonial-era life of both planters and slaves on St. John. The site includes the ruins of a windmill, a sugar factory, a mill round, a rum still, and slave quarters.

Big Bend offers more than 200 miles of hiking trails ranging from short, easy nature walks and day hikes to primitive mountain trails for experienced hikers and overnight backpackers.

Guatemala’s list of native land mammals is impressive, with a large variety of exotic cats, primates, and other furry creatures. Here's a little about popular and common species, along with when and where you're likely to sight them.

The Maya ruins of Cobá make an excellent complement—or even alternative—to the memorable but vastly overcrowded ruins at Tulum. Its structures are much larger and more ornate–Cobá’s main pyramid is the second tallest in the Yucatán Peninsula, and it’s one of few you are still allowed to climb. The ruins are also surrounded by lakes…

Mayflower Bocawina National Park in the Belize Cayes comprises more than 7,100 acres of Maya Mountain wilderness set aside to protect and showcase the area’s five waterfalls and green-fringed Mayan ruins. A trail system offers excellent independent hiking with guides and tours offered to enhance the experience, and plenty of other adventures.

Located on and around the northern tip of Ambergris Caye, Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve hosts an incredibly diverse array of wildlife, offers excellent snorkeling and diving, and is rich with history. Here's your guide to planning a visit, from all about the reserve's sights to where to stay, what to eat, and…