A Journey through Coastal History & the Heart of the Amazon

San Juan, the capital and most populous city of Puerto Rico, is the oldest city on US territory. It is the Caribbean commercial hub, best known for its beautifully restored historic district of Old San Juan. It is situated on a rocky peninsula girded by thick walls jutting into the crashing Atlantic surf. Read more about San Juan, Puerto Rico

Montserrat (‘Serrated Mountain’), also known as the ‘Emerald Isle of the Caribbean’, is a lush green volcanic island in the Leeward Islands of the NE Caribbean. It is a British Overseas Territory. The island is 16.5km N-S and10kmE-W, and one-third of its area is covered by lava flows from the 1995-2000 eruptions of Soufrière Hills volcano (French: “sulfur outlet”; 915m). Read more about Montserrat, Montserrat

The city of Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of the island country of Barbados, a major tourist destination in the West Indies. The city has numerous attractions, landmarks, monuments, museums, and art galleries of an international standard. It is also a starting point for visiting many other popular cities on the island. Read more about Bridgetown, Barbados

Devil’s Island (14ha), along with Île Royale (28ha) and Saint-Joseph Island (20ha), form the Salvation’s Islands, lying 13km NE off the coast of French Guinana in the Atlantic Ocean. The islands were part of the penal colony of Cayenne from 1852 to 1953, that also included mainland sites. Most of the 80,000 prisoners never returned to metropolitan France, dying from tropical diseases and brutal conditions. Read more about Devil's Island, French Guiana

Macapa, Brazil, is a river port and capital of the territory of Amapa, lying on the northernmost and largest arm of the Amazon River delta, opposite the Marajo archipelago. The city lies exactly on the Equator, and the football stadium is the only one in the world where each half of the field is located in opposite hemispheres. Macapa retains some of the history of the region in its monuments. Read more about Macapa, Brazil

Santarem in Brazil, some 800 km up the Amazon, is located on the southern bank of the clear emerald blue waters of the Tapajos River, a tributary of the Amazon. Not far from here these waters encounter the muddy waters of the magnificent Amazon River. A natural phenomenon, the two rivers flow side by side and are known as the ‘meeting of the waters’. Read more about Santarem, Brazil

Located at the confluence of the Amazon and the Valeria rivers in Brazil, Boca da Valeria is a small remote Indian village consisting of a wharf, wooden homes on stilts, a school, a church and a bar that doubles as the village meeting place. It is hidden amid jungle lake lands where the screeches of colorful parrots fill the air and trees stand waist-high in water. Be sure to take your camera on the tender ride, because there is a very distinct line where the waters of the Valeria River meet the Amazon. Read more about Boca da Valeria, Brazil

Manaus is a main port on the banks of the Negro River 1450 km inland in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, and is the main transport hub for the entire upper Amazon Basin. It also attracts crowds of tourists who find a variety of land and boat trips into the jungle. Wildlife is plentiful, even within the city, and it is home to the Pied Tamarin, one of Brazil's most endangered primates. Read more about Manaus, Brazil

Manaus is a main port on the banks of the Negro River 1450 km inland in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, and is the main transport hub for the entire upper Amazon Basin. It also attracts crowds of tourists who find a variety of land and boat trips into the jungle. Wildlife is plentiful, even within the city, and it is home to the Pied Tamarin, one of Brazil's most endangered primates. Read more about Manaus, Brazil