Dominica and Montserrat
Local legend dictates that visitors drinking the fresh spring water in Montserrat will be drawn to return to the island time and time again. And it's hardly surprising.
The island offers visitors the chance to experience the Caribbean 'the way it used to be', before the onset of mass tourism, chain resorts and glitzy casinos. Instead, the island thrives on its natural attractions - its lush landscapes criss-crossed with walking trails; its unspoiled coral reefs just waiting to be explored; its unpopulated beaches and even its famous volcano, which has become a tourist attraction in itself. And, of course, there's a chance to see the national bird, the extremely rare and endemic Montserrat Oriole, along with other colourful species.
In Montserrat, the locals welcome visitors like friends. This long tradition of hospitality dates backs as far as the 17th Century, when the island's reputation as a safe-haven for persecuted Irish Catholics gave rise to a large Irish population and its present-day nickname, 'The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean'.
Many visitors leave the island with a taste for amateur geology after viewing the active Soufriére Hills Volcano. Join a tour of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory to find out how activity is constantly monitored by scientists; possibly take a boat trip around the south of the island for views into Plymouth, the island's capital which lies under 30 feet of ash like a modern-day Pompeii; or simply 'lime' (hang out) in the island's rum shops where locals are often happy to share their own volcano stories.
As for Dominica, well it's an old favourite of ours and, like Montserrat, unspoilt by tourism development. Known as "the nature island of the Caribbean", its lush wooded landscape is wild and wonderful, whilst its deep inshore waters are home to a pod of Sperm Whales with many other species of whale and dolphin regularly seen. It's some of the best whale watching anywhere in the world and the chances of close encounters with these amazing animals are high.
As well as enjoying some birding - and Dominica has two endemic species of parrot - and, of course, whale watching, we'll take time to explore the island including the World Heritage site, the Emerald Pool and the dramatic Trafalgar Falls.
Altogether this new tour promises to offer the very best Caribbean experience - and in the middle of our dreary old winter!
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