The Caribbean Amazon Explorer from Miami Beach

The Magic City has countless charms—rustling palms and star-studded beaches, electric nightlife, and a dynamic art scene. Stroll down Ocean Drive. You’ll find luxury restaurants and art deco buildings alongside low-key sandwich shops. Stop for a bite. Like everything in Miami, the cuisine is ahead of the curve. Visit Little Havana, an enclave known for Cuban bakeries, cigar shops and a walk of fame of Latin stars. If you need a break from the constant thrum of the city, find tranquility in nature. Go to Oleta State Park, a secluded oasis not far from downtown. Paddle lush mangrove forests or take in skyline views at Biscayne Bay. A tour of Everglades National Park presents another option. This vast wetland is a haven for Florida’s captivating wildlife. Manatees, alligators, and wading birds, like the roseate spoonbill, name a few of many Everglades inhabitants. Whatever you do on your Miami cruise, you’ll want to visit again and again.

Embark ship

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

When you take a St Maarten cruise with Holland America Line Cruises we not only want you relax and enjoy yourself, we want you to have and experience like no other. This Leeward island has been famously bisected into French and Dutch territories since 1648, and is referred to both as Saint Martin and Sint Maarten. In their respective capitals—Marigot and Philipsburg—there are ancient stone forts and candy-colored buildings lining winding streets. The Dutch side has a slightly larger population but is a bit smaller, at 34 square kilometers (13 square miles), versus the 53-square-kilometer (20-square-mile) Saint Martin.Named for its founder John Philips, Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side, has some excellent international art galleries, thumping discos and popular casinos. Farther afield are beautiful beaches and a seemingly endless array of nature conservancies. With them come extensive opportunities for adventure—hiking, biking and zip lining—and amazing wildlife sightings in the sea, on land and in the sky.On the French side, there are cafés serving café au lait and and sidewalk bistros offering chilled rosé and savory crepes. A variety of luxury shops and cosmopolitan boutiques beckon to sophisticated shoppers who love a good bargain—the entire island has no sales tax. So, when you cruise to St Maarten with Holland America Line Cruises be sure to bring your sense of adventure and prepare to make unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime.

Stunning mountain peaks, lush rainforest, and perfectly turquoise water. Discover this Caribbean gem on a Cruise to St. Lucia. This Caribbean island offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the raw power of Mother Nature at her finest. On a Cruise to St. Lucia, visit the only drive-in volcano in the world, explore the natural wonders of the wild or simply relax with a good book on an even better beach. St Lucia truly has it all. Book a Caribbean cruise and discover St. Lucia's sandy white beaches, vibrant tropical foliage, and authentic island food.

Think of the Caribbean island of Tobago as the little sister to Trinidad, the larger part of this two-part nation and home to the capital, Port-of-Spain. Only 30 kilometers (19 miles) of open water separate the two islands, and Trinbagonians (as they're sometimes called) often fly between them for day trips. But in many ways Tobago feels like a separate country. Its population is more Afrocentric than the ethnically mixed Trinidad, and its dialect is its own. The two islands do share many of the same foods, like the Indian-style roti, a flatbread that's eaten with everything. Curried crab and dumplings, however, is particular to Tobago—the popular (and very messy) dish is something that all visitors must sample and can be found at the island's ubiquitous food shacks. And music played on a tambrin is a sound you will hear nowhere else. The goatskin drum is similar to a tambourine and was invented in Tobago by slaves using the materials they had at hand.Tobago is far less developed than Trinidad, which makes it a prime destination for nature fans. Rare species of birds make their home on the thickly vegetated volcanic ridge that runs the length of the island. Those who crave water sports show up for the extensive dive scene around Tobago's fine beaches, bays and offshore isles. Fans of popular music who arrive in April for the Tobago Jazz Experience have opportunities to hear favorite performers (2016 brought J. Cole and Lauryn Hill to the stage). And many come simply to get away from it all on this very laid-back island.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Devil's Island, part of a three-island chain called Îles du Salut, in French Guiana, was home to one of the most infamous—and impregnable—prisons of the 19th and 20th centuries. Opened in 1852, it received worldwide renown in the mid-1890s when French military captain Alfred Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment after being wrongly convicted of selling military secrets to Germany. Although Dreyfus's sentence was commuted after five years, more than 80,000 political prisoners and hardened criminals endured years of mistreatment and abuse among disease-ridden conditions. Few were able to escape, though Henri Charrière, author of the book , allegedly succeeded by filling sacks with coconuts in order to float to the mainland. The prison was officially closed in 1953. In 1965, the French government transferred responsibility of the island to the Guiana Space Centre, and in recent years, tourism facilities have been added. Devil's Island and its two smaller neighboring islands receive more than 50,000 visitors each year.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

If you are looking for a destination where you can have the bragging rights of being the first one of your friends to have visited, Macapá will fit the bill. The Brazilian city may describe itself as the capital of the middle of the world because the equator runs through it, but there is no denying it is far off the beaten tourist path. In fact, there are few paths at all that reach Macapá; most visitors arrive by air or sea to this city, which straddles the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Amazon.For many, a visit to Macapá is just a stopping point en route to the Amazon, but the city, which enjoys tropical warmth moderated by ocean breezes, does have some interesting attractions to fill a day's visit. While Macapá is Brazil's fifth-wealthiest city, and even if you are used to heading out fearlessly in foreign cities, this is a destination where the company of a group or a knowledgeable and trusted guide is highly recommended.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Perched alongside the Rio Tapajós deep inside the Amazon between Manaus and Belém (but 800 kilometers, or almost 500 miles, from both!), Santarém is a muggy but intriguing jungle town and a jumping-off point for a bevy of surrounding attractions. Established as a Jesuit mission in 1661, Santarém suffered from the same rubber boom-and-bust cycle as Pará's capital, Belém. The town later had a moment in the spotlight as the nearest major significant port to Henry Ford's American utopian jungle experiment, Fordlândia, which tried and failed between 1928 and 1945 (its ruins are located 12 hours downriver by boat).Today, Santarém does a brisk business in tourism thanks to the crystalline waters of the Tapajós River, which account for over 105 kilometers (65 miles) of postcard-perfect river beaches in its environs. Alter do Chão, a Brazilian dream destination of idyllic sands, has been called the Caribbean of Brazil; and Floresta Nacional (FLONA) do Tapajós, a pristinely preserved 2,100-square-kilometer (811-square-mile) piece of Amazon beauty, boasts massive Samauma trees and a few burgeoning eco-tourism enterprises. Both Alter do Chão and FLONA can be experienced as day trips from Santarém. The city itself boasts a pleasant riverfront promenade, a few worthwhile museums (keep an eye out for evidence of the city's little-known past as a refuge for sympathizers to the Confederate cause who emigrated here after the Civil War; their descendants, , still live here today) and several great restaurants.

Surrounded by the Amazonian rain forest, Boca da Valeria, a small Brazilian settlement of fewer than 100 people, boasts no tourism infrastructure. Yet the destination lures travelers by offering an authentic glimpse of the simple river life that the Amerindians have followed for centuries. Meaning 'Mouth of the Valeria River,' the remote fishing and trading village sits at the convergence of the Amazon and the Rio da Valeria. The local children guide visitors along a dirt footpath and pose for pictures in their native costumes, often with exotic animals in tow. Boca da Valeria, which is located between the towns of Parintins and Santarém, stands in stark contrast to nearby urban centers such as Manaus, where residents live with all the comforts, and complications, of contemporary life—but therein lies the appeal to the world adventurer.

If ever a city were a model for boom and bust, it would be Manaus, which lies at the confluence of Brazil’s Amazon River and Rio Negro, more than 1,450 kilometers (900 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean. Like in America’s Old West, great fortunes were amassed in no time here and vanished just as quickly during the boom years of rubber production in the late 19th century. The most enduring memorial of that time is the great opera house and theater that are still in use today, and whose existence in the Amazon helped inspire the 1982 movie , about one man’s maniacal obsession with bringing opera to the jungle.These days, Manaus is downright huge—perhaps surprisingly, it’s Brazil’s seventh-largest city. A swank new soccer stadium was added for the 2014 World Cup, and a three-kilometer-long (two-mile-long), cable-stayed bridge opened in 2011 across the Rio Negro. The Ponta Negra suburb has modern high-rises, buzzing restaurants and beaches that rival those of any town on the sea. But within minutes, visitors can find themselves in the watery jungle, the source of the Amazonian specialties like pirarucu fish and acai berries on the menus of Manaus’s restaurants.

If a world record exists for the most remote festival on the planet, then Parintins should win hands down. This cow town of sorts sits on an island in the Amazon River, some 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) inland from the Atlantic. Its claim to fame: the spectacular Boi Bumba festival, held over three days in June. The town’s 60,000 inhabitants spend the year preparing for the festival, building fantastic floats that depict giant pink porpoises, fierce jaguars and the like. Two rival camps, the red-colored Garantido and the blue-colored Caprichoso, compete in song and dance performances staged in a massive stadium glowing like a UFO that landed in the Amazon jungle.The festival is based on a long-told folk tale with indigenous, African and European elements: A cowboy kills a prized bull ( in Portuguese) for his pregnant wife, who craves ox tongue; facing death by the landowner, he is ultimately saved when a shaman brings the bull back to life. As tens of thousands of spectators cheer wildly, 'Indian' maidens sing while perched high on the floats, and huge dance troupes move to the rhythms of hundreds of samba drummers. The winning team grabs bragging rights for the year. During the rest of the year, visitors are treated to samples of the big shows to come in June.

Not for nothing is Alter do Chão known as the Caribbean of the Amazon. Taken as a whole, the village's white powdery beaches, transparent blue-green waters and hang-loose vibe would make a perfectly convincing addition to the Lesser Antilles. Of course, there are tip-offs that you're still in the midst of South America's River Sea, not least the neighboring rain forest and the pink dolphins—those local mascots—that periodically surface in the water.This uncommon tropical charm lies at the heart of Alter do Chão's appeal—but the place becomes outright irresistible when you factor in the curiously cosmopolitan inhabitants (expat hippies, herbalists and nature lovers in addition to Brazilians) and the cute little shops, cafés and businesses they've created.You'd be hard-pressed to find a more relaxing or beautiful stop in which to enjoy a drink by the water (or even sometimes in the water, seated in a slightly submerged chair—a local tradition) before doing a little exploring by boat or on foot.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Barbadians, or Bajans in local parlance, consider their island nation the most British of the Caribbean: Queen Elizabeth II is still head of state, and English products are stocked in many of its stores and restaurants. Barbados is known as the birthplace of international pop star Rihanna, but it has also produced some of the biggest Caribbean calypso and soca music stars. The summer Crop Over festival is a huge carnival event. With live music and crafts for sale, the popular Friday fish fry at Oistins Bay is a fun place to mingle with the locals.Centered around a waterway called the Careenage and its handsome Chamberlain Bridge, the historic center of Bridgetown, the country's capital, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011 for its wealth of British colonial architecture dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Among the famous figures who visited Bridgetown when it was at its peak was none other than George Washington, who spent two months in 1751 in a house that still stands today, on his only trip abroad.Barbados is only 34 kilometers (21 miles) long, and even if your time is limited, you can explore much of the island using Bridgetown as your base. The less populated, rugged east coast of this coral island is strikingly beautiful and home to a number of different turtle species. The west coast, often nicknamed the 'Platinum Coast,' is where you'll find some of the island's most popular beaches and biggest mansions. The interior, with its 340-meter-high (1,115-foot-high) Mount Hillaby, historic sugar plantations and lush gardens, will lure you away from the beach for a few hours.

Dominica, an Anglophone island between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, may well be the most unspoiled of the larger Caribbean islands. With few hotels and no mass tourism to speak of, Dominica is called 'the nature island” for good reason. One of the most dramatic natural wonders in the West Indies sits at the bottom third of the isle. The Boiling Lake is a flooded fumarole (volcanic fissure) whose water emits sulfurous vapors as it bubbles and boils at around 92 degrees Celsius (nearly 200 degrees Fahrenheit). Surrounding the lake is the lush rain forest of Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This vital habitat is teeming with birds, tiny tree frogs and vibrant bromeliads.Getting around mountainous Dominica means negotiating winding, twisty roads. The offshore waters are known for some fine diving and whale-watching. With little room to grow, the small capital of Roseau never exploded in size; it still retains many of its colorful colonial-era wooden houses. Street vendors sell everything from fresh fruits and barbecued meats to medicinal herbs and elixirs.

Road Town, on the island of Tortola, sits at both the literal and figurative center of the British Virgin Islands. As the BVI's capital, it serves as the administrative hub for the islands. Its central location also makes it an ideal jumping-off point for cruising the islands of the Sir Francis Drake Channel and for visiting spots like the Baths on Virgin Gorda and the legendary Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke’s White Bay Beach.Most visitors to Road Town make a beeline for the water. Sailors have long loved the BVI for its idyllic island-hopping. Excellent scuba diving and snorkeling can be found at spots like the Norman Island Caves and the shipwreck. For those who prefer to explore on dry land, the beach at Cane Garden Bay is only a 20-minute drive from Road Town, and a great spot to enjoy the Caribbean sun and sea while sipping a rum cocktail. While you're at Cane Garden Bay, save time to visit the historic Callwood Rum Distillery. Sage Mountain National Park, home to the tallest peak in the Virgin Islands, is also nearby. Hikers can explore the park's shady tropical forest and take in breathtaking island views.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Disembark ship for overnight flight to UK