Explore The Caribbean

Caribbean Islands Guide: Everything To Know Before Choosing A Destination

In this guide, we cover the most luxurious, most expensive, cheapest, safest, most dangerous—and even the dirtiest—destinations in the Caribbean.

In this Caribbean Travel Guide, we will let you which islands are known for what, and you can use this as a guide to help you plan the best Caribbean Islands for upcoming trips, or to add to your bucket list, and which islands you may want to avoid.

There are over 700 islands, islets, reefs, and cays in the Caribbean region — but not all of them are inhabited or considered distinct destinations.

When people refer to “Caribbean islands” in a travel or geopolitical context, they’re usually talking about:

Around 30 main island nations and territories — including independent countries like Jamaica, Barbados, and Saint Lucia, as well as territories like Puerto Rico (U.S.) and Guadeloupe (France).
About 100+ islands that are large or developed enough to support tourism or permanent residents.

This Caribbean Islands Guide will allow you to quickly determine which islands may or may not be for you.

Most Beautiful Caribbean Islands

St. Lucia (#1)
Antigua and Barbuda (#2)
Saint Barthélemy (#3)
Virgin Gorda (#4)
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands (#5)
Barbados (#6)
Bequia Island (#7)
Turks and Caicos (#8)
Martinique (#9)
Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe (#10)

Most Expensive Caribbean Islands

Saint Barthélemy (#1)
Anguilla (#2)
British Virgin Islands (#3)
Turks and Caicos (#4)
Cayman Islands (#5)
Barbados (#6)
Antigua and Barbuda (#7)
Saint Martin (#8)
Saint Kitts and Nevis (#9)
Curaçao (#10)

Cheapest Caribbean Islands

Dominican Republic
Cozumel (Mexico)
Haiti
Jamaica
Roatán (Honduras)
San Andrés (Colombia)
Corn Islands (Nicaragua)
Livingston (Guatemala)
Bocas del Toro (Panama)

Best Caribbean Islands for Snorkeling

Culebra
Saint John
Bonaire
Turks and Caicos
Ambergris Caye (Belize)
Bahamas (Exumas)
Aruba
Curaçao
Grand Cayman
Sint Maarten (French Side)

Best Caribbean Islands for Scuba Diving

Bonaire
Cozumel
Turks and Caicos
Cayman Islands
Roatán
Saba
Saint Lucia
Ambergris Caye (Belize)
Grenada
The Bahamas

Safest Caribbean Islands

Montserrat (#1)
Cayman Islands (#2)
British Virgin Islands (#3)
Saint Barthélemy (#4)
Anguilla (#5)
Turks and Caicos (#6)
Bonaire (#7)
Aruba (#8)
St. Lucia (#9)
Grenada (#10)

Most Dangerous Caribbean Islands

Jamaica (#1)
Haiti (#2)
U.S. Virgin Islands (#3)
Trinidad and Tobago (#4)
Saint Kitts and Nevis (#5)
The Bahamas (#6)
Puerto Rico (#7)
Curaçao (#8)
Guyana (#9)
Dominican Republic (#10)

Flattest Caribbean Islands

The Bahamas
Cayman Islands
Turks and Caicos
Aruba
Anguilla
Bonaire
Barbados
Anegada
Cozumel
Saint Martin / Sint Maarten

Most Mountainous Caribbean Islands

Hispaniola (Dominican Republic & Haiti)
Jamaica
Dominica
Puerto Rico
Saint Lucia
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Saint Vincent
Grenada
Montserrat

Windiest Caribbean Islands (Consistent Trade Winds)

Aruba
Bonaire
Curaçao
Turks and Caicos
St. Martin / Sint Maarten
Barbados
Antigua
Saint Barthélemy
British Virgin Islands
Grenadines

Hottest Caribbean Islands (Avg. Yearly Temps)

Aruba
Bonaire
Curaçao
St. Kitts and Nevis
Saint Martin
Trinidad
Saint Lucia
Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico

Caribbean Islands With the Most Rainfall

Dominica
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Saint Lucia
Grenada
Jamaica
Trinidad
Puerto Rico
St. Vincent
Montserrat

Most Jungle-Covered Caribbean Islands

Dominica
Saint Lucia
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Grenada
Jamaica
Trinidad
Saint Vincent
Puerto Rico
Montserrat

Most Populated Caribbean Islands

Cuba
Hispaniola (Dominican Republic & Haiti)
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Trinidad
Haiti
Dominican Republic
Barbados
Bahamas
Saint Lucia

Least Populated Caribbean Islands (With Tourism)

Saba
Montserrat
Salt Cay
Anegada
Mustique
Little Cayman
Carriacou
Bequia
Nevis
Anguilla