U.S. Virgin Islands

A small uninhabited island surrounded by one of the finest barrier reef systems in the Caribbean, featuring a marked underwater trail, diverse marine life and critically important hawksbill and green turtle nesting beaches.

The restored Danish colonial capital of St. Croix, with a waterfront of colorful 18th-century warehouses, the imposing Scale House where enslaved people were weighed for sale, and Steeple Building museum explaining three centuries of Caribbean colonial history.

A sweeping crescent of white sand on St. Thomas's north coast, cupped between forested hills in a sheltered bay that provides calm swimming, a scenic overlook viewpoint and one of the most photographed beaches in the Caribbean.

A confluence of ecosystems and histories at the site of Columbus's 1493 landfall, preserving Taino archaeological sites, the remains of a colonial plantation, salt flats and a forested hillside with sweeping views across the bay.

A signature beach inside Virgin Islands National Park with an underwater snorkeling trail marked by interpretive plaques, set in a sheltered bay backed by green hills and facing a reef that rivals any in the Caribbean.

A tropical park covering nearly two-thirds of St. John island, protecting both underwater coral reefs and historic Danish plantation ruins surrounded by emerald hills and turquoise bays.