Six of the best Eastern Caribbean cruise ports

Trinidad Tobago: There is a February festival frenzy at Carnival time in these two islands, but the mix of Indian, Chinese and African heritage means there are plenty of other celebrations festivals during the year, too.

Most cruise ships go to Port of Spain on Trinidad, which has vibrant streets with great shopping, an excellent National Museum and Art Gallery plus botanical garden and zoo.

Head for the Northern Range of hills for rainforest, waterfalls and hundreds of bird species or go east for most of the best beaches.

You could also try the Caroni Bird Sanctuary at Caroni National Park Lagoon, a wetland area full of birds, turtles and fish.

St Vincent The Grenadines: There are 32 islands, with the warm waters around the marine park of uninhabited Tobago Cays home to sea turtles, colourful fish and coral reefs. These islands are far behind others in developing tourist attractions, but

they have natural wonders including St Vincent’s La Soufriere, an active volcano covered in rainforest, banana and coconut plantations.

Three-mile guided hikes to the top are available with minibus transport from the main town, Kingstown, a five-minute walk from the cruise dock.

Alternatively, visit the oldest botanical gardens in the western hemisphere, two miles from Kingstown, set up in 1762 as a storehouse for all the tropical plants of the British Empire.

Guadeloupe: The setting for television’s Death In Paradise detective series, Guadeloupe is actually two islands – Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre – joined by a road over mangrove swamps. Centre Saint-John Perse cruise terminal on Grande-Terre is a few minutes’

walk from the main town of Pointe-a-Pitre, full of elegant French architecture, restaurants and markets.

There are good beaches on Grande-Terre’s south coast, while the Parc National de la Guadeloupe is a UNESCO designated biosphere around an active volcano which extends to the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin lagoon with fish, turtles and birds such as pelicans and kingfishers.

The Jacques Cousteau Underwater Reserve has glass-bottom boat trips over the coral in this marine conservation area.