Top 10: Caribbean holidays for activity and adventure

Everyone’s first scuba dive retains a special memory, so Curaçao in the DutchCaribbean looms large and wondrous in my memory, the vibrant sealife reflecting the pastel-coloured Dutch colonial buildings of the island’s lively and cosmopolitan capital, Willemstad. However, nearby Bonaire also called, as it does to all devoted divers. It is known for its sloping drop-offs and brightly coloured corals. Peacock flounders change colour at you; sea fans wave on the current. And at night beware the 6ft barracuda sliding over your shoulder like a silver battleship. A trip with Regaldive (01353 659999; regaldive.co.uk) staying at Buddy Dive Resort (buddydive.com) costs from £1,567 BB. James Henderson

3 Sailing, British Virgin Islands

Thanks to protected waters, line-of-sight navigation and short hops between the archipelago’s 60 green islands, the BVI is as good as it gets in the Caribbean for a sailing holiday, especially for novices. Sunsail (0844 273 2177; sunsail.co.uk) has a sailing school in Tortola. It offers yacht charters and flotilla holidays round the BVI: from £1,542 for a week’s flotilla, based on four sharing a yacht between November 2015 and May 2016, when conditions are best. Fred Mawer

4 Exploration, Haiti

Haiti may still be recovering from the devastating 2010 earthquake. But it’s theCaribbean’s most extraordinary country, without a doubt. With its naïve art, magnificent gingerbread buildings, tap tap buses dressed like circus caravans, extraordinary history and, of course, voodoo, it is compelling like no other. Seven nights (one in Miami because of the flights) with Undiscovered Destinations (0191 296 2674; undiscovered-destinations.com), visiting Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and flights up to the Citadelle, costs from £1,884, including a guide, entrance fees and some meals. James Henderson

5 Diving, Cayman Islands

It’s the vertical submarine walls that make diving the Cayman Islands so spectacular. They plummet down in to the deep blue as deep as 2,000ft. And Little Cayman’s Bloody Bay Wall is the most pristine there is – with lobsters wiggling their antennae at you and a grouper that lets you tickle his chin. Stay at the Southern Cross Club (southerncrossclub.com) on Little Cayman: with Original Diving (0207 978 0505; originaldiving.com) from £2,200, full board. James Henderson

6 Canoeing diving, Belize

In Belize, follow the water. Take a serene canoe ride through the jungle from Black Rock Lodge (blackrocklodge.com) along the Macal River, among butterflies and birds, then among swamps and flatlands where Mayan cities poke out of the forest. You eventually reach the coast, where the diving on Belize’s barrier reef is superb. Steppes Travel (0843 7789926; steppestravel.com) offers a seven-night itinerary (includes a night in Miami), three nights up country and three on the coast, from £1,995 BB. James Henderson

7 Cycle tour, Cuba

Cuban Revolutions cycle tour reaches parts of Cuba most bike spokes don’t cover. It includes the most exciting road in Cuba – the southern coastal route west of Santiago de Cuba, where the road is straitjacketed between the Sierra Maestra mountains and the wild Caribbean. The tour combines colonial cities with rural idylls, and offers nights in casas particulares (private BBs). Booked through Skedaddle (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.co.uk): from £1,795 for a 15-day trip including most meals but excluding flights; bike hire £150. Claire Boobbyer

8 Hiking diving, St Eustatius

Commonly known as “Statia”, this quiet and scenic Dutch island can only be reached by flying from St Maarten. Hiking and wreck diving are key attractions, along with the historic buildings in the capital, Oranjestad. I recommend the two-hour hike up the 1,968ft Quill, a dormant volcano. The entire coastline is a marine park, and many visitors are keen to find historic blue beads once used by traders and slaves working on the island. Stay at the 20-room Old Gin House (00 1 678 534 7125; oldginhouse.com; from £177 with breakfast). Nigel Tisdall

9 Trekking on Dominica

Mountainous, covered in dense rainforest, with impressive waterfalls and a boiling lake, Dominica is known as the Caribbean’s Nature Island. To get the best out of a visit, pack hiking boots and employ a guide. keadventure.com has 11-day, small-group trekking holidays on the island, walking 4-8 hours a day: from £3,145 full board in December.

10 Birding in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago have the richest and most diverse birdlife in the Caribbean – more than 450 species have been recorded on the twin islands. Booked through motmottravel.com: £2,665 half board for 16 days, visiting Trinidad’s Asa Wright Nature Centre (the region’s most famous birdwatching spot).

Tell us about your favourite active holidays in the Caribbean at telegraph.co.uk/caribbeanawards

Tell us about your favourite Caribbean family holiday destination at telegraph.co.uk/caribbeanawards

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