Countries Most Frequently Visited
|
 |
Cuba
You can describe it as, confounding, frustrating and
bewitching: Cuba does it all. Historic colonial
architecture, exotic young salsa dancers, murals of
Che Guevara , white sandy beaches, swaying fields of
sugar cane - the images of Cuba are transfixing and
timeless. This is an island of unique historical
heritage floating amid a sea of encroaching
globalisation. Travel in Cuba can involve anything
from sipping mojittos at an all-inclusive resort in
Varadero to scraping the spit and sawdust off your
shoes outside the Casa de las Tradiciones in
Santiago. The burgeoning tourist sector rubs up
against the Cuba of communist myth. |
| |
|
 |
Mexico
Mexico is a traveler's paradise, crammed with a
multitude of opposing identities: desert landscapes,
snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, teeming
industrialized cities, time-warped colonial towns,
glitzy resorts, deserted beaches and a world-beating
collection of flora and fauna. This mix of modern
and traditional, clichéd and surreal, is the key to
Mexico's charm, whether your passion is throwing
back margaritas, listening to howler monkeys,
surfing the Mexican Pipeline, scrambling over Mayan
ruins or expanding your collection of posable Day of
the Dead skeletons. |
| |
|
 |
Panama
Falling under the radar of tourist crowds, Panama's
divine natural gifts shine. While Panama is known
mostly for its famous canal, the country's natural
attractions offer an irresistible lure to
far-sighted travelers. This oft-overlooked country
offers some of the finest birding, snorkeling and
hiking in the Americas. Panama's charms include its
stunning coastline of palm-fringed beaches, its
astounding wildlife - boasting an incredible
diversity of tropical birds - and its proud, vibrant
indigenous peoples, such as the Kuna. While in
Panama, you'll find it hard to shake the inescapable
feeling that you're in on a secret the rest of the
traveling world has yet to discover. |
| |
|
 |
Puerto Rico
A bustling island whose shiny consumerism rubs up
against an unspoiled interior. Puerto Rico is where
four centuries of Spanish Caribbean culture comes
face to face with the American convenience store.
This leads to some strange juxtapositions - parking
lots and plazas, freeways and fountains, skyscrapers
and shanties - but it's all apiece with the
Caribbean's hybrid history. Travellers who venture
into the island's mountainous interior or explore
its undeveloped coasts come across stately hill
towns where the locals in the plaza seem to have
been feeding the same pigeons for decades, and reefs
where divers can see 30 species of fish in as many
seconds. |
| |
|
 |
Venzuela
If you could channel-surf for landscape, Venezuela
would tire out any remote. Venezuela is epic in
proportion: it boasts South America's largest lake
and third-longest river, the highest waterfall in
the world, the longest of all snakes, and some of
the most spectacular landscapes you'll ever see.
There are the snowcapped peaks of the Andes in the
west; steamy Amazonian jungles in the south; the
hauntingly beautiful Gran Sabana plateau, with its
strange flat-topped mountains, in the east; and
miles of white-sand beaches fringed with coconut
palms on the Caribbean coast. |
| |
|
 |
Dominican Republic
Bounce between carnivals and glide between manatees.
The white-sand beaches, impressive mountain ranges
veined with spectacular rivers and waterfalls, and
saltwater lakes teeming with exotic wildlife are
just part of the Dominican Republic's appeal.
Whether you're looking to party, relax or explore,
the Dominican Republic has a lot to offer. |
| |
|
 |
Costa Rica
Hang ten in this peaceful oasis: the local wildlife
highly recommends it. Mention Costa Rica and people
think paradise. The country's Disney-like cast of
creatures — ranging from howler monkeys to toucans —
are prolific and relatively easy to spot. The waves
are prime, the beauty is staggering and the sluggish
pace seductive. Costa Rica, despite being such a
tiny nation, draws well over a million visitors
every year - and you can see why. The incredibly
varied topography means you can cruise a cloud
forest one day, climb a volcano the next, and finish
passed out on a hot sandy beach. |
| |
|
 |
El Ecuador
Ecuador may be tiny, but it sure packs a spectacular
punch. The smallest country in the rugged Andean
highlands, Ecuador has an array of vibrant
indigenous cultures, well-preserved colonial
architecture, otherworldly volcanic landscapes,
dense rainforest and sublime islands - all in a
nation no bigger than the US state of Nevada. Once a
banana republic, Ecuador's politicians still pocket
the wealth accumulated from its treasures: a
picture-perfect capital, the all-consuming Amazonian
jungle, breathtaking wildlife reserves, ancient
sites, remote indigenous villages, and, of course,
world-famous tropical beaches. |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
