Travel

A Caribbean adventure across nine islands

Rainforests, history, and sparkling seas: a voyage to remember

DRESSED in a white suit and carrying a cane, Anthony Hunte led a group of tourists into a collapsed cave filled with exotic trees, shrubs, and flowers.

The land used to be part of the Castle Grant sugar plantation. In 1990, Hunte bought ten acres of this plantation and transformed it into a lush garden in the heart of Barbados.

"I half expected him to say 'Welcome to Jurassic Park,'" a young woman said in a stage whisper. Indeed, Hunte's Gardens is an exotic destination in the rainforest that seems like a fairy tale away from reality. Mini-gardens make up the three acres, showcasing precious flora.

The exotic adventure is part of a Viking Sea excursion. The West Indies Explorer itinerary whisks passengers to nine islands: Puerto Rico, Tortola, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua, St. Martin, and St. Thomas.

Viking Ocean Cruises offers guests included excursions and optional tours for a fee every day. My daughter and I took the included "overview" tours every morning, allowing us the rest of the day to explore independently or take an optional tour like Huntes Garden in the afternoon.

Anyone who cruises knows the joy of unpacking once, relaxing completely, and exploring ports of call. With Viking you dan expect complimentary beer, wine, soft drinks with meals, free Wi-Fi and quite few other enticements.

All 930 passengers enjoy a stateroom with a veranda.

Anthony Hunte welcomes guests to his garden paradise on Barbados

Nine Islands

After embarkation day and one day to explore, we left rainy Puerto Rico and headed for Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We were up bright and early to enjoy eggs and bacon delivered nice and hot to our stateroom. We then joined our tour group on an open-air safari bus to explore.

Tortola is one of the over 50 islands comprising the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago.

On the tour, an excellent driver and guide stopped and pointed out many other islands as we circled Tortola and enjoyed the lovely views of stunning scenery. The second half of the tour was Cane Garden Bay, with its palm-lined beach and pure-white sand. We were offered rum punch and had the opportunity to swim or relax on a lounge chair.

In the afternoon, we decided to enjoy the ship.

Viking Sea is a charming Scandinavian-designed ship with warm colors and gracious public areas.

We enjoyed afternoon tea several times during our cruise in the Wintergarden, a serene space complete with either a string duet or a pianist providing lovely background music as passengers chose their tea from an extensive list and then enjoyed finger sandwiches and pastry delicacies.

Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden on St. Kitts

Exploration continues

St. Kitts and Nevis is a two-island country located in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles. In terms of area and population, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere and the world's smallest sovereign federation.

Viking Sea docked in the capital, Basseterre, St. Kitts, one of the oldest towns in the eastern Caribbean.

Our small group of 12 boarded a small bus and toured the island, ending at Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden at the foot of Olivees Mountain.

The property, dating to 1701, was once a sugarcane plantation. It now represents colonial life on the island.

A significant part of the cruise was relaxing in each island's beauty. I particularly love the mountain and seaside landscapes in St. Lucia. The small tour group stopped at Stony Hill, a private home, where we strolled its lush tropical gardens and enjoyed rum punch and the delightful sound of a steel drum musician.

St. Martin's shoreline beauty

Island beauty

Each island's local tour guide and driver offered history and stops for time to take in the beauty. Each island seemed more lovely than the last.

Barbados, inhabited by the Kalinago people since the 13th century and previously by other Indigenous peoples, first appeared on a Spanish map in 1511.

The Portuguese Empire claimed the island between 1532 and 1536 but abandoned it in 1620. Five years later, an English ship arrived in Barbados, with the first permanent settlers coming from England in 1627. The colony operated on a plantation economy, relying on the labor of African enslaved people. Slavery continued until it was phased out through most of the British Empire by the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Our first stop was at St. John's Parish Church. Initially built in 1645, its current incarnation was built in 1836. This Gothic-inspired church sits atop a cliff and offers sweeping views of the coast and Atlantic Ocean. The trip next visited Oistins, a fishing village. We walked along the shore, where sandpipers skittered in the waves.

Our next port was Roseau, the capital of Dominica. Docked close to the city, we again boarded a small bus that took us to several stops in the capital.

Hummingbird at Roseau, Dominica Botanical Garden

Abilities Unlimited is a local craft workshop that helps the visually impaired learn skills and earn an income by producing baskets and other craft items. The employees worked as we gathered in a small area to hear a short presentation about the program.

We also visited the Botanical Garden. Hummingbirds dart in and out of colourful blooms. The "Bamboo House" was a fun stop, too—a circle of Bamboo stems joining to create a roof to explore.

Another took us beyond Roseau into the mountainous rainforest—mile after mile of palm trees, flowers, and scenery worthy of a painting.

Our final destination was Jacko Falls, which has a 200-foot drop into a stunning pool below, surrounded by lush vegetation and towering trees.

Our tour options took a British turn in Antigua as we visited English Harbor, used by the British fleet in the 18th century. At Shirley Heights Lookout, 446 feet above the sea on a sheer cliff, was a principal British fortification. Our final stop is Nelson's Dockyard, named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, the last remaining Georgian dockyard still used today.

St. Martin is a fascinating island shared by France and Holland since 1648—the world's smallest inhabited island with two sovereigns.

We explored Marigot, only four streets wide, where we had free time to wander around the small village and made stops for sweeping views of the glimmering sea and neighboring islands.

All too soon, we arrived at our last port: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We journeyed to Mountain Top, 2,100 feet above sea level, for amazing views of cascading hills and the shore below.

For more information: www.vikingcruises.com