Windstar Cruise

11 Days - Colombian & Southern Caribbean Coastlines [Colón to Bridgetown]

11 Days - Colombian & Southern Caribbean Coastlines [Colón to Bridgetown]
Starting from $2,999*

Colón to Bridgetown

Ship: Wind Star / Wind Spirit

Departure Date : Mar 10 2024 | Mar 16 2024 | Mar 15 2025

Optional tours are available from most ports for an additional charge.

Itinerary

Day Colon, Panama
Depart 06:00 PM
The town was built as the Caribbean terminus of the Panama Railway and is adjacent to the Caribbean end of the Canal. A trip through the coastal rain forest to the old Spanish fortress of San Lorenzo gives great views of wildlife along the way and the seacoast at the end. Visitors often tour to the Miraflores or Gatun Locks of the canal from here. The Chagres National Park offers visits to the indigenous Embera people, and nearby Portobelo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose church holds an unusual statue of Christ depicted as a black man.
Colon, Panama
Day At Sea

Day Cartagena, Colombia
Arrives 09:00 AM Departs 06:00 PM
The Spanish founded Cartagena, officially known as Cartagena de Indias, in 1533. The city rapidly became a thriving commercial port, where precious stones and minerals from the New World awaited shipment back to Spain. Situated in a bay on the Caribbean Sea, Cartagena had the most extensive fortifications in South America, once guarded by 29 stone forts and a high wall of coral-stone measuring 16-miles long, 40-feet high and 50-feet wide. Completed in 1657, the Castle of San Felipe de Barajas is said to be the most grandiose work of military architecture erected by Spain in the Americas. Today, Cartagena's riches are found in the Boca Grande, an area of the city with beautiful waterfront hotels, trendy restaurants, casinos and boutiques.
Cartagena, Colombia
Day Santa Marta, Colombia
Arrives 11:00 AM Departs 06:00 PM
Romantic Santa Marta has it all: history (Colombia’s oldest city), natural beauty (from gentle bays and beaches to the highest coastal mountain range in the world), and its very own celebrity. Simon Bolivar (“The Liberator”) is known as the George Washington of South America, and this was his Mount Vernon. Visit his beautiful estate or head to one of the two UNESCO Biosphere Reserves nearby.
Santa Marta, Colombia
Day At Sea

Day Oranjestad, Aruba
Arrives 10:00 AM Departs 11:00 PM
"Located off the coast of Venezuela, the windswept Dutch island of Aruba is otherworldly. Here, the beaches are spectacularly pristine, the waters are romantically restless, the island interior is lunar-like and filled with cacti, and the trees are—quite famously—bent in the wind. The island's consistent trade winds are part of the destination's allure: They keep the humidity, rain and hurricanes common in much of the Caribbean during its off-season at bay. The main port and capital city, Oranjestad, is a maze of Dutch-colonial architecture painted in a palette of Caribbean pastels. There are some historic sites of note and myriad shops, from boutiques to megastores, selling all sorts of keepsakes, with jewelry and gold being popular items—in fact, gold was mined here in the 19th century. In Oranjestad and along the beaches you'll also find a treasure trove of excellent seafood restaurants, while farther afield are lighthouses, gold mine ruins and natural wonders that reflect the rugged appeal of Aruba. "
Oranjestad, Aruba
Day Willemstad, Curacao
Arrives 09:00 AM Departs 09:00 PM
"The capital of Curaçao, Willemstad, is almost as old as a more famous Dutch settlement—it was founded in 1634, just 10 years after New Amsterdam, later called New York. But while the Dutch control of New Amsterdam was relatively brief, Curaçao remains a part of the Netherlands to this day. Its historic center is a unique mixture of Dutch architecture and Caribbean pastels, its gabled row houses overlooking Sint Anna Bay, a waterway dividing the city in two and connecting the Caribbean to the protected Schottegat Bay. The entire historic center of Willemstad has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While Willemstad's legendary days of yore can be explored at institutions like the Kura Hulanda and Curaçao Maritime Museum, this is a vibrant, living city too. Highlights of this multicultural melting pot might include a stop at its floating market and a visit to a curaçao distillery to taste the famous local liqueur. Natural wonders await as well: Some of the Caribbean’s most stunning diving and snorkeling spots are here. Finally, a meal in Willemstad will let you experience the diversity of the island through the surprising flavors of its cuisine, which reflects European, Caribbean and Latin American influences. "
Willemstad, Curacao
Day Kralendijk, Bonaire
Arrives 07:00 AM Departs 01:00 PM
Almost as soon as you pull into the port of Kralendijk, you’ll realize it’s one of the most laid-back landings around. Though there are some colorful streets to stroll nearby—remnants (mostly) of Bonaire’s Dutch-colonial era—even the busiest lack the bustle of other Caribbean capitals. Which is a good thing. The comparative sleepiness helps maintain the island’s chief attributes: legendarily pristine wilderness, both above and below the surface; mangroves full of baby fish; and salt flats full of flamingos. And reefs full of . . . everything. Nature’s cup overfloweth here. And, by the way, so will yours (have the cactus liqueur even if you try no other local beverage). There’s also an embarrassment of cultural riches, thanks to the layers of Amerindian, Spanish, African, Dutch and British influences on the island. In fact, you’ll hear traces of the languages of all of the above (plus some French and Portuguese) during any given conversation in Papiamento, the creole language spoken throughout the Netherlands Antilles. You'll find you can get by just fine with a few key phrases: por fabor, danki and bon dia—all of which mean exactly what you think they do.
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Day At Sea

Day St. George's, Grenada
Arrives 01:00 PM Departs 10:00 PM
Inhale the intoxicating aroma of the “Isle of Spice” as your eyes feast on what is widely claimed to be the most beautiful city in the Caribbean. Spend the day on 2-mile-long Grand Anse beach, and before you go, a taste of nutmeg ice cream is a must.
St. George's, Grenada
Day Mayreau, St. Vincent Grenadines
Arrives 08:00 AM Departs 04:00 PM
With fewer than 300 inhabitants and miles of secluded beaches, it's easy to feel as if you're on your own private island. Saline Bay is a delightful anchorage that separates the Caribbean from the Atlantic - and a perfect place to play with some of the toys from the Watersports Platform.
Mayreau, St. Vincent Grenadines
Day Bridgetown, Barbados
Arrives 08:00 AM
"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."
Bridgetown, Barbados
 
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