Over 1.5 million people will visit Alaska this year, the vast majority arriving by 3,000+ passenger cruise ships that crowd into a handful of Alaska’s largest ports. While these huge vessels have their onboard attractions, small-ship guests know there’s a better, more intimate way to experience the “real” Alaska: the up-close, casual and personal way.

Cruise West small ships carry 78 to 138 guests and show you an Alaska the big ships can’t — up narrow channels and into secluded waterways, positioning in the ideal spots and pausing to catch every spectacular display of scenery and wildlife. Sail this summer in the company of naturalist guides and a small number of people who share a passion for exploration and discovery. Experience Alaska at its best with Cruise West. With over 60 years of experience exploring Alaska’s rugged coastlines, ice-carved fjords, towering glaciers and wild interior, not only do we have an intimate knowledge of its land and waters, but we are also allowed more permits than any other cruise line in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Our 8 Alaska itineraries range from 3- and 4-night getaways in Glacier Bay or Prince William Sound to classic Inside Passage trips with true wilderness exploration to epic 25-day cruises to the far reaches of the Bering Sea. All of our cruises can be combined seamlessly with Cruise West land tours in Denali National Park and Preserve, Fairbanks and Anchorage. So no matter what you’re after, you’re bound to find an Alaska vacation that fits your interests, your timeframe and your budget.

Newcomers to The Islands of The Bahamas quickly realize that they have stumbled upon not one, but many destinations. Between the "poles" of Grand Bahama and Great Inagua are 23 inhabited islands and thousands of unpopulated islets and cays (pronounced "keys"). Cosmopolitan Nassau, once ruled by pirates, seems a world away from the desert-like wildlife sanctuary of Inagua. On many of the islands, tiny villages seem lifted from the Massachusetts coast and set down amongst palms and pines and iridescent sands. These beautiful islands lie only 50 miles off the Florida coast - far closer than any destination in the Caribbean. Calm waters and cooling tradewinds have rightfully earned

Calm waters and cooling tradewinds have rightfully earned The Bahamas an international reputation for sailing, with regattas and races held year-round. The islands are actually the birthplace of the Gulf Stream, a phenomenon that also accounts for their astonishing variety and abundance of marine life. Legendary gamefish draw sport fisherman in search of the "big one," and more than 50 international fishing records have been set in these waters. The great writer / fisherman Ernest Hemingway considered the Bahamian island of Bimini a home. The same conditions that make these islands so amenable to sailors and fisherman draw visitors to the vast and diverse underwater parks. With more than 5% of the planet's reef mass, The Bahamas offer inexhaustible pleasures and challenges to snorkelers and divers. The natural beauty of the water extends to the thousands of miles of shoreline, which has some of the world's most stunningly beautiful and unsullied beaches. From the pink sands of Harbour Island and Eleuthera to the deserted strands of the Exumas and San Salvador, there is a lifetime of beaches to experience. Further inland are gardens and National Parks with rare and endangered species, such as the exotic Abaco Parrot and the Bahamian Iguana.

Although The Bahamas are as diverse and numerous as the days of the year, the reassuring unifier is the charm and hospitality of its people. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism offers a People-to-People programme; an opportunity for visitors to experience a genuine and informal taste of Bahamian hospitality and culture. Volunteers holding interests similar to yours give you a taste of Bahamian life and potentially a lifelong friendship.  Bahamians will be more than happy to introduce you to the richness of their history, folklore, culture and cuisine. Over a succulent dish of cracked conch and guava duff, you'll hear tales about the nefarious pirate Blackbeard and the mysterious blue holes of Andros. They'll tell you about the original Eleutheran Adventurers, the playful the Junkanoo troupes.  You can start exploring the Islands of the Bahamas by using the clickable map. Please sign our guest book and let us know what you think, share some stories of the Bahamas, or leave a hot tip. You can also read the tales of other readers on our Bahamas Browser's Page. Finally, we hope that this presentation convinces you to leave that computer screen behind and come visit us in person.

Bermuda is one of the oldest, smallest but most populated of the British Overseas Territories - and oldest British Commonwealth member (not shown by name but via Great Britain). The whole of Bermuda is tiny - with a land area of only 21 square miles or 56 square kilometers. It includes all the islands mentioned below. Residents and visitors travel from one end to the other in just over an hour and from north to south in 10 to 15 minutes. Bermuda is said to have begun some 100 million year ago as a volcanic mountain, with the volcanoes having disappeared 70 million or so years ago. Oceanographers say the Bermuda Rise either juts up from the deep Atlantic Ocean floor in the form of three steep-sided mountains, the largest of which supports the Bermuda today, on the southern margin of a shallow water platform, with Challenger and Argus (or Plantagenet) Banks to the southwest, or that the Bermuda Rise is five mountains including the more distant Bowditch and Muir Seamounts (the furthest of which is about 150 miles to the northeast).

The Bermuda Mountain is longer - 32 miles - than the land area width and much wider - 16 miles wide - than the maximum land width of 1.5 miles. At sea, the Argus and Challenger Banks are round and about 6 miles across. Below the level of limestone and 450 feet below sea level is volcanic rock; and below that, only black lava and other igneous volcanic rock. Only in one place in Bermuda - 60 feet below sea level at the southern end of Bermuda International Airport -is volcanic rock found so near to sea level.

The nominal Head of State is Queen Elizabeth II. See Bermuda's Links with Britain. Most visitors' maps portray Bermuda, wrongly, as only one island. It has 6 principal islands or former islands and 120 others for practical purposes (138 in total, including mere rocks) in its total land area of under 21 square miles (33 square kilometers).

Going from northwest to east, the six principal islands or former islands are Ireland Island (north and south), Boaz Island, Somerset, Main, St. David's and St. George's, about 22 miles by road in total length. They are the contiguous mass of Bermuda. The largest by far is Great Bermuda or Main Island, neither of which phrase is used locally. It is a mile wide on average, 14 miles long, 259 feet above sea level at its highest point, with hills and fertile depressions.

All six principal islands are now joined together and to other accessible islands or former islands such as Coney Island and Cooper's Island - by 12 bridges and a causeway. Most visitors confine themselves to these six principal islands without knowing they are going from one to the other (because there are no island signs) or are discouraged from seeing islands which are not among the principal group because there is no scheduled service to them. But some of the smaller ones are fascinating. The bridges linking the principal islands are less than 100 years old. Before then, ferries were used at most crossings. Some were mere rowboat ferries.

Most islands are in Castle Harbor, Great Sound, Little Sound, Hamilton Harbor and Harrington Sound (an internal lake, accessing the sea via Flatts Inlet). All islands have a limestone rock, with coral formation caps. On the north, west, and south they are surrounded by reefs

Mexico is located in the northern region of the American continent between the Gulf of Mexico on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It is bordered by the United States on the north and by Guatemala and Belize on the south. Mexico’s land area extends 1,964,375 sq km, which is divided into six tourist regions. Northern Mexico. Known for its extreme weather conditions and characterized by its deserts, nature reserves and rugged mountain ranges. Some cities in the region are key industrial and business centers. Central Mexico. The Mexican heartland. Here you’ll find plenty of natural surroundings, picturesque towns full of life and color, and beautiful colonial cities, some of which have been declared World Heritage sites. Southern Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. Lined with the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, this region offers an abundance of marshes, mangrove swamps and forests, all of which are ideal for ecotourism outings and exciting outdoor adventures.
The Yucatan Peninsula. The gateway to the Mayan world. Here you can enjoy the white-sand beach resorts and the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, where you can scuba dive along the world’s second largest coral reef. You can also swim in fresh water pools in submerged caverns, known as cenotes.
The Pacific Coast. In this region, you’ll find cities and towns with rich cultural and culinary traditions, as well as some of the best beaches for water sports like surfing and fishing.
The Baja California Peninsula. Territory that has been inhabited from time immemorial, in this region you can play golf on world-class courses, discover the underwater treasures of the Sea of Cortez, and witness the amazing migration of the Gray Whale.

Mexico’s 32 states are truly diverse, as each one has countless tourist destinations offering a wide array of activities.