Star Collector: Costa Rica, Panama & Aruba

The tropical city of Puerto Caldera is located in the Esparza Puntarenas Province on Costa Rica's western coast. The province has close proximity to many of Puntarenas’s major tourist attractions and nature reserves, such as Puerto Caldera, which is a great place to parasail. Perfect for the adventure tourist looking for some action, this small port town has some amazing steep cliffs, from which one can take off to see some truly breathtaking views of the country’s Pacific Coast. Read more about Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

Playa Flamingo in northern Costa Rica faces the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the country’s most popular beaches, with its fine white sand and lagoons attracting upmarket clientele. The region has wet and dry seasons, much sunshine, and during ‘the wet’ rain falls early morning or late in the day. Read more about Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica

Quepos, located in a tropical inlet surrounded by rainforest, is a city in Puntarenas Province on the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It has moved on from its banana-growing roots to be a premier holiday destination. The locals go out of their way to make visitors welcome, and their ‘love of life’ is reflected by the fact that dancing in the streets is a local pastime, that culminates and explodes in the month long Festival del Mar. Read more about Quepos, Costa Rica

The Golfo Dulce is a unique and interesting area in beautiful Costa Rica. From the ship can be seen emerald jungles surrounding a delightful gulf with calm waters. The millions of trees comprise one of the most diverse tropical rain forests in the world. Read more about Golfo Dulce, Panama

Read more about Isla Parida, Panama

Fuerte Amador (Fort Amador, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, is part of an artificial peninsula jutting out into the Pacific from Balboa, which connects four small islands to the mainland. On the west side of Fuerte Amador is the Pacific entrance to the Canal, and on the east side is Panama Bay facing Panama City. The surrounding ocean is always filled with vessels patiently awaiting their turn to transverse the Canal, while on the skyline a few kilometres to the north are the skyscrapers of Panama City. Read more about Fuerte Amador, Panama

Gatun Lake is a large artificial lake situated in the Republic of Panama that forms a major part of the Panama Canal. The lake was created between 1907 and 1913 by the building of the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River. At the time it was created, Gatun Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world, and the dam was the largest earthen dam. Read more about Gatun Lake, Panama

Bocas del Toro Archipelago is situated in an isolated region on the coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea, in the Bay of Chirqui. Located on Colón Island, it is the capital city of Bocas del Toro Province. The entire island group is a unique place with its lush tropical vegetation and fauna found only in this part of the world. Read more about Bocas del Toro, Panama

The Panamanian San Blas Islands archipelago of 378 islands and cays (only 49 inhabited) lie 130 km to the NE of the Panama Canal entrance at Colon. This southernmost part of the Caribbean Sea is free of cyclones and popular with eco-tourists, due to the pristine environs and undeveloped tourist industry. The islands’ past history includes the period of the Spanish invasion, notable visits by explorer William Dampier (c. Read more about San Blas Islands, Panama

Cartagena is a Mediterranean city and naval station located in the Region of Murcia, SE Spain. The rich Carthaginian heritage extends as far as the Sea Wall, built by Charles III in the 18th century, and which defines the old quarter. Overlooking the Mediterranean there are two elements that are clearly connected with the sea: the prototype of the submarine by the inventor Isaac Peral; and the National Museum of Maritime Archaeology. Read more about Cartagena, Spain

Cartagena is a Mediterranean city and naval station located in the Region of Murcia, SE Spain. The rich Carthaginian heritage extends as far as the Sea Wall, built by Charles III in the 18th century, and which defines the old quarter. Overlooking the Mediterranean there are two elements that are clearly connected with the sea: the prototype of the submarine by the inventor Isaac Peral; and the National Museum of Maritime Archaeology. Read more about Cartagena, Spain

In the southern Caribbean, Oranjestad is the capital of the small island of Aruba, and an island territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is an attractive and historic harbour town just 27 km north of Venezuela. It can be divided into Upper and Lower Towns. Read more about Oranjestad, Aruba, Aruba

Read more about Willemstad, Curaçao, Curaçao

Read more about Kralendijk, Bonaire, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

Read more about Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy

Read more about Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Islands (British)

Virgin Gorda (‘Fat Virgin’) is the third largest and the second most populated of the British Virgin Islands. The main business centre is Spanish Town, to the SW of this elongated island. Ships tender to port. Read more about Virgin Gorda, Virgin Islands (British)

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