When is the best time to vacation in the Caribbean? Holidays on the Caribbean islands. Visas for the Caribbean Islands

Everyone knows where the Caribbean islands are - in the tropics, between North and South America. Cuba is located closer to the United States, so the sun here is not so hot, and sometimes cool cyclones come from the north. It turns out that due to the more pleasant weather, a holiday in Cuba is easier for those who do not like the heat. But because rapid development industry, the air and water here are not very clean, but the nature and ocean are incredibly beautiful.

The Dominican Republic has a very active sun and a completely unpredictable climate - clear days are easily replaced by downpours, and vice versa. The rainy season on the Caribbean islands lasts from May to October, but warm tropical showers pass within 15 minutes, bringing relief to vacationers; nevertheless, the air temperature here in the summer months reaches +35 ° C.

Hurricane season lasts from August to October, and during this time many hotels and restaurants even close.

Oleg Yarovoy

Travel agency manager

“The holiday season on the Caribbean islands opens in December and lasts until the end of April. At this time, there is a very comfortable climate and optimal humidity, there are no rains or hurricanes, therefore hotel prices are 20-50% higher than in summer period. The peak season is New Year, Christmas and February carnival. The holiday season by month in Cuba and the Dominican Republic is approximately the same. Most budget holiday— in May, since the rainy season has not yet begun, but prices have already dropped.”

Cuba and Dominican Republic: several differences

If you like a comfortable and relaxing holiday with high level service and you have an unlimited budget, go to the Dominican Republic. This country has a very developed tourism industry, which, combined with a high economic level, creates a special atmosphere of luxury that is so attractive to many tourists. Naturally, the prices here are much higher. But this money is worth it, because you will live in comfortable hotels with well-trained staff in an incredible environment beautiful scenery, spas, gourmet restaurants and sea activities. The pristine Dominican beaches have many cozy lagoons where you can retire for romance or meditation. In the Dominican Republic, most attractions are natural objects. For example, Bounty Island with snow-white sand and clear water, as well as many other picturesque islands, National parks, waterfalls and mountains.

Cuba is a socialist country; you won’t find luxury or high service here. On the other hand, the prices here are quite affordable. The spirit of the USSR of the 1980s reigns in the country, so if you are interested in the unusual and colorful Cuban history, a trip to Liberty Island will definitely interest you. Soviet cars drive along the streets of Havana, many shops resemble pre-perestroika department stores, and socialist posters hang on the walls of houses. All this revolutionary surroundings, combined with beautiful nature and fiery Latin American dances, is real exoticism. Cuba is a party place where fun always reigns, with many exciting festivals, such as the Havana Rum Festival.

Cuban beaches are clean and picturesque, and they also have less algae compared to the Dominican coast. In both countries, they feed well in cafes and restaurants and treat little tourists with warmth.

The most striking sights of Cuba

If you find yourself in Havana, be sure to visit Plaza Vieja - Old Square with an Arabic market located on it - and admire the ancient architecture of the XVIII century. Sit in the evening on the Malecon promenade, watching old men with fishing rods, listening to the sound of the surf and salsa tunes. Stop by the famous Bodeguita del Medio bar, where Hemingway, Marquez and Fidel Castro visited. Here you can smoke a cigar, try Cuban rum and see on the walls unusual photos, telling about the history of Cuba.

U south coast The island is home to the Jardines de la Reina archipelago, the world's third largest coral reef, where people come to dive and see sea turtles.

The list of popular attractions in Cuba includes the Hemingway House Museum with preserved furnishings, one of the largest cemeteries in America with more than 500 beautiful sculptures, monuments and memorials, as well as the Havana Club Rum Museum, where you can learn about the history of the legendary drink and buy a bottle of the real thing. Roma

Cuba is also home to sugar cane plantations, where excursions are constantly organized, while tourists are additionally taken to sugar factories and to a workshop for the production of sugar cane juice with a tasting of the drink. Also check out the Tropicana show, which is held in Botanical Garden under the starry sky. Salsa, rumba, cha-cha-cha, bright costumes, laughter, sunny beaches, warm ocean, rum, cigars - this is a vacation in Cuba!

Holidays in the Dominican Republic: what you need to see

One of best areas in the Dominican Republic - Punta Cana, where the most picturesque beaches, luxury hotels and huge fields for golf. The province of Samana is famous for its tropical forests, national parks, coconut groves and cozy small beaches, many of which tourists do not know about. Here, humpback whales swim to the shores, and special sea excursions are organized for daredevils who want to swim with the whales. The Nacional del Este Park is interesting for its coral reefs, rich marine flora and fauna, rare birds, tropical forests, beaches and rock paintings of the indigenous people of the Caribbean islands.

And be sure to take a walk around Zona Colonial - this is the ancient district of Santo Domingo with cobblestone streets, ancient buildings in pastel colors and cozy family coffee shops. Visit the fishing village of Saona Island, relax on the most beautiful beach on the planet, Bahia de las Aguilas, accessible only by boat, and swim in Damayacua Falls in the hills of the Northern Corridor.

In addition, excursions are organized from the capital of the Dominican Republic to Constanta - in the mountains with green forests and statues left over from ancient civilization, trips to Lake Enriquillo, where crocodiles and iguanas live, as well as to the deserted island of Paradise Island and Mangroves, where you can go diving or fishing. By the way, the caught fish will be cooked right in front of you in the fisherman’s cafe.

Beach holidays in the Dominican Republic, sea activities, luxury restaurants and romantic walks across the ocean bring joy and peace. Tourists who have visited the Caribbean claim that if there is paradise on earth, then it is here, in the Dominican Republic...

What to bring from Cuba

“When leaving the Caribbean islands, you want to take a piece of this heavenly happiness with you, so the question arises about souvenirs,” avid traveler Oksana Lyutova shares her experience. — And here I would like to immediately say about one important thing. Souvenirs purchased in the Caribbean must have an export license, so you need to purchase them either in large shopping centers or in specialized stores at hotels. Otherwise, you will have to part with these wonderful things at customs.”

Cigars and rum are usually brought from Cuba; the Havana Club rum brand is especially popular, many varieties of which are aged for 25 years. Remember that you can take out no more than two liters of drink and no more than 50 cigars per person. Jewelry made from black coral is highly valued, since this stone, according to Cubans, has magical properties. However, when buying at the market, gullible tourists are sometimes sold, instead of coral, a coralline stone similar to it or an artificial fake. Remember that natural coral shimmers red in the light.
Cuba produces good natural cosmetics, nutritional supplements from shark cartilage and sugar cane, high-quality coffee, spices and delicious marmalade made from exotic fruits. They also usually bring original dishes from Cuba as souvenirs. musical instruments, sombrero and images of Che Guevara.

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The Caribbean is comfortably located in the geographical “hollow” between North and South America. Large and small, sunny and tasty, firmly inhabited by tourists and uninhabited, the Caribbean islands are a paradise for people tired of running around and lovers of tranquility in life, and at the same time one of the most popular destinations beach exotica.

On more than fifty islands Caribbean Sea lies the perfect combination of natural and man-made: the rich heritage of the colonial past in the form of a mass of house-museums and pompous mansions emphasizes the exotic nature, where greenery tropical forests gives way to volcanic landscapes, and the expanses of coffee plantations give way to thickets of sugar cane and bananas.

What does the Caribbean include?

The Caribbean includes Great and Little Antilles. The first include those “stretching” to the mainland 4 large islands: Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The second includes small geographical formations, in turn divided into leeward and windward islands: the bustling Bahamas and authentic Turks and Caicos, divided between the USA and Great Britain Virgin Islands, outlandish Antigua and Barbuda, discovered by Columbus Guadeloupe and the birthplace of Josephine Beauharnais Martinique, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and finally - Dominica, famous for the saga of Jack Sparrow. By the way, the island of Curacao (the one that gave the name to the popular liqueur) is also located here.

When is the best time to fly to Caribbean resorts?

On different islands The Caribbean climate varies slightly, ranging from tropical temperate to humid. At any time of the year, the temperature here is not lower than +25°C, varying up to approximately +30°C. The water off the coast is also very warm - from 22°C to 26°C all year round. The rainy season begins in September and lasts until November inclusive. There is also quite a lot of rainfall in May. But September and October are the period of hurricanes in the Caribbean islands; before traveling during this period, it is better to make sure the situation is safe.

"Crown" Caribbean cuisine

Caribbean cuisine - recipes from thousands of islands and islets Central America. Local Indian traditions are smoothly but firmly intertwined here with those brought to different times culinary habits and new products of Europeans, Asians, Africans. The result is Caribbean cuisine - as bright, colorful and rich as the entire nature of this region, as generous and interesting as the local residents. No wonder Columbus once called these islands “ Garden of Eden on the ground".

The basis of the dishes here is the “Indian trio” - corn, beans and pumpkin. They are eaten boiled and stewed, and they are used to make flour for flatbreads, porridges and soups. Vegetables are stuffed or added to stews.

In addition to the ancient “trinity”, wheat, yams, yucca, sweet potatoes, potatoes, salads, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, peppers imported from different parts of the world are cultivated and prepared here... Very popular dishes in the Caribbean: local bean soup, corn porridge with cinnamon and vanilla , salsa with red onion and pineapple, rice with tomatoes and even beans and rice (one of the traditional dishes)!

Do you know that, according to some researchers, the term “barbecue” comes exactly from these places? This is what the local Indians called the process of frying meat over a hole with an open fire (“barba koa”). Actually here and today this is the most traditional way cooking.

The islands' main exports are coffee and sugar. Moreover, both plants from which they are produced are not local, but brought long ago by settlers: coffee trees from Arabia, sugar cane from the Canary Islands. Now guess what the most popular drink is here? That's right, rum! And this is hardly a joke, although, of course, they also love coffee here. Especially sweet, with cane sugar. But sugar cane is much more readily used on the islands to prepare the local symbol - rum, of which there are several varieties. All of them in their pure form and as part of numerous cocktails can be tasted in the Caribbean.

Cost of a trip to the Caribbean?

Country tour price Caribbean starts from 3 5,000 rubles per person based on double occupancy for 9 nights. But the price, as always, depends on the seasonality of the trip and the star rating of the desired hotel.

For tour selection details:

Call: 3-75-57; 8 915 703 03 50
WhatsApp, Viber 8 915 703 03 50
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Autumn is perhaps the most treacherous time of the Caribbean year, characterized by particularly tricky weather conditions and unpredictability. The fact is that in the fall from Atlantic Ocean Tropical cyclones, accompanied by heavy rains and hurricanes, hit the Caribbean.

Masters of all the world's oceans except the Arctic, tropical hurricanes (aka cyclones, aka typhoons) remain one of the most mysterious and dangerous natural phenomena nature. The most powerful of them, the so-called super-hurricanes, are comparable in their destructive energy to a nuclear explosion (!).

Hurricanes are born far in the ocean due to atmospheric disturbances caused by pressure surges and overheating of the ocean surface above 27 °C. Under certain conditions, this “outrage” develops into a whole “scandal”: a huge vortex funnel, the “eye of the hurricane,” is formed at its epicenter.

The problem is further aggravated by the fact that a hurricane never comes alone: hurricanes are always accompanied by heavy downpours, thunderstorms, gusty winds and stormy seas.

It is impossible to know for sure when and where exactly the next hurricane will originate, or with any force it will hit the shore - one thing is known for certain: it will come, and it will come this fall!

To understand the mechanism of tropical hurricanes, I invite you to familiarize yourself with the map of hurricane zones globe:

As you can see, in the Caribbean (zone 7), hurricane season begins in June and lasts until the end of November with a peak in September.

Depending on the strength of the wind, hurricanes are divided into three categories:

Tropical depressions (50…65 km/h),
Tropical storms (65…120 km/h)
and hurricanes themselves (above 120 km/h), which in turn are divided into 5 subcategories. The most dangerous of them are super hurricanes, blowing with wind speeds of over 250 km/h.

Hurricane fronts in the Caribbean islands are variable and depend on the island's proximity to the equator. The northern Caribbean islands farthest from the equator suffer more from hurricanes: than south of the island, the more chance he has of NOT getting into the danger zone.

It’s clear now why the famous resort islands of Saint Barth and Saint Martin ( northern islands French West Indies) suffer from hurricanes more than southern Guadeloupe and Martinique:

Saint Barth and Saint Martin - once every 6 years,
Guadeloupe - once every 8 years,
Martinique - once every 10 years.

The mechanism of hurricane development can be clearly seen from the super-hurricane Matthew that recently swept through the Caribbean, October 2016.

The island of Haiti suffered the most from Matthew, but everyone was hit hard, right down to the coast of Florida (Haiti was at the epicenter, and Florida was in the final phase of the hurricane).

The French West Indies were even more fortunate: while passing through our latitudes, Hurricane Matthew had not yet had time to gain destructive power, and therefore we “got away” with a tropical storm.

Alas, it is impossible to calculate the trajectory of tropical hurricanes 100% accurately. This means it is impossible to calculate on which Caribbean island you can “sit out” the harmful cyclone season without risk to health.

But even if your island is “blown away” this time, unstable windy weather, frequent rains and rough seas are guaranteed. Incl. succumbing to the temptation of low autumn flight fares and tour operator discounts on autumn holiday

in the Caribbean, you risk spoiling both your vacation and your nerves. Well, what if “what the hell is not joking!” and “what Russian doesn’t like driving fast?” at least try not to go to the Caribbean in September - the very dangerous month

cyclonic season.

It is in September-October that the peak of bad weather occurs on the island. Guadeloupe. The most destructive hurricanes modern history

The French West Indies happened precisely at this time: super-hurricane Hugo - in September 1989, with its epicenter on the island. Guadeloupe; super hurricane Luis - in September 1995, with its epicenter on the island of St. Maarten.

The latter, by the way, was included in the pages of the book “Caribbean: Restaurant under the Palm Trees” by the English authors Melinda and Robert Blanchard, I recommend it. Russians are also last years We fell in love with these resorts, despite the long and expensive flight. And also, because of the exoticism and romance Caribbean resorts

, many newlyweds choose this destination as their honeymoon destination.	Resort	Prices		Visa
			All year round. It can be rainy in May and November
		All year round, the best time to go is from December to April	Electronic registration of permission
All year round. May to October are the hottest and wettest months			Bahamas All year round, but best time for visiting Bahamas
		The period is considered to be from September to May	Placed on the border
All year round. It can be rainy in May-June and October-November. Typhoons are likely in August-September			Virgin Islands
All year round			Antigua and Barbuda
From December to May			Barbados
All year round. July can be humid and there can be storms from May to October			All year round. From May to October there is a possibility of hurricanes and storms
Costa Rica			Antigua and Barbuda

Varadero, Cuba

Holidays in Cuba will be interesting for both amateurs beach activities(parasailing, diving, sailing, snorkeling) and for nature lovers, which is simply fabulous here. Besides pleasure beautiful beaches and sunny weather, you can walk around the colorful old Havana, visit tobacco and coffee plantations, and breathe in freedom deeply.

How to get there: Direct flights from Moscow to Havana, travel time from 12 hours, or with a transfer in Paris, Frankfurt or Amsterdam - travel time from 16 hours.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

There are a number of resorts in the Dominican Republic that will appeal to scuba diving enthusiasts, because here you can see picturesque coral reefs, many different types of exotic fish, and sometimes even wrecks of sunken ships. In addition, the Dominican Republic is very popular for organizing beach weddings and holidays for newlyweds.

How to get there: Direct flights from Moscow to Punta Cana, travel time from 13 hours.

Cancun, Mexico

Cancun is recognized as one of the best resorts Mexico and now it is gaining popularity among tourists from Russia. Cancun is famous for its stunning white beaches, clear water and developed infrastructure. You can also see in Mexico extraordinary beauty waterfalls, cenotes, Mayan pyramids - Chichen Itza, Palenque.

How to get there: Direct flights from Moscow to Cancun, travel time from 13 hours.

Bahamas

The Bahamas are synonymous with " luxury holiday" The archipelago of the Bahamas includes about 700 islands, only 30 of which are inhabited. There are beautiful beaches here developed infrastructure hotels, exotic nature. One of the best beaches in the Bahamas is Pink Sand Beach, the sand of which is an unusually beautiful shade of pink.

How to get there: international Airport Freeport, Nassau. There are no direct flights. You can fly with a transfer in London or the USA, travel time is from 13 hours.

Jamaica

Every year more and more more tourists visit Jamaica in order to see exotic nature, gorgeous beaches, cane fields, listen to live reggae...Jamaica will also appeal to fans pirate stories, museums and monuments. Here you can snorkel and even hunt sharks.

How to get there: Kingston and Montego Bay International Airports. There are no direct flights from Russia; transfers are made in London and Frankfurt. Flight time is approximately 16 hours.

Virgin Islands

Trunk Bay Beach, which is located on the island of St. John of the Virgin Islands, according to the National Geographic Community, is recognized as the most best beach Caribbean. Coral reefs and rich undersea world attract hundreds of tourists from all over the world to the Virgin Islands. The water near the islands is so clear that visibility is 40 m deep.

How to get there: St. Croix and St. Thomas International Airports. There are no direct flights; you can get there with a transfer to the USA or Puerto Rico.

All year round

On the islands of Antigua and Barbuda you can find both pristine nature and a variety of tourist attractions in the form of yacht clubs, bars, hotels and casinos. There are many cozy bays which are protected from storms by coral reefs, snow-white beaches- of which there are as many as 365 on the island of Antigua.

How to get there: St. John's International Airport. There are no direct flights from Russia, only with transfers in London or Frankfurt.

From December to May

Since Barbados was once a British colony, some English traditions are still preserved here - for example, the game of cricket is widespread, and golf competitions are held. In addition, Barbados will delight holidaymakers beautiful nature, great beaches and many modern hotels. Holidays here in English are measured and relaxed, so not all hotels accept families with children.

How to get there: Bridgetown International Airport. Transfer in London or Frankfurt, journey from 14 hours.

Cayman islands

The Cayman Islands will be ideal for those who want to take a break from the metropolis and crowds and feel like they are... desert island- here you can find many beautiful secluded beaches. There is a variety of flora and fauna here.

How to get there: International airport on Grand Cayman Island. Transfer in London or Miami, journey from 20 hours.

Costa Rica

The sand on the beaches of Costa Rica comes in a variety of colors and shades: white, gold, silver and even volcanic black. At the resorts, in addition to sunbathing, you can go surfing, diving, sport fishing, and also watch how sea turtles lay eggs. Besides all this, there is Exotic fruits, national parks, mountains and volcanoes.

How to get there: San Jose International Airport. Flight - there are no direct flights, only connections in Madrid, Frankfurt, Havana are possible. On the way from 13. hours

It is difficult to say which of the Caribbean islands or resorts is the best. Despite the long, expensive and often indirect flight, a visit to one of the above resorts is a must. Holidays in the Caribbean are available almost all year round, recently it has become easier visa regime and more and more direct flights are appearing. Kilometers of snow-white beaches with fine hot sand, green palm trees bending over the water, exotic fruits, nature and an intoxicating sense of freedom will remain in the memory for a long time.

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

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