The white sand and crystal clear water of many Caribbean islands are dotted with honeymooners, spring breakers and family vacationers year round. To experience the quiet charm and natural wonders of the Caribbean, you’ll have to venture off the beaten path. Traveling to a quieter Caribbean island may take a bit more planning, but skipping the resort towns popular with other tourists is worth it. These crowd-free Caribbean islands offer travelers secluded accommodations, cute coastal cities, mountainside hikes, beautiful beaches, and wildlife throughout the trees and reefs.
- Barbuda: You’ll find huge swaths of both white and pink sand beaches on Barbuda, the less popular sister island to Antigua. You’ll find fewer accommodations and activities here. If you’re looking for secluded beaches without another soul for miles, Barbuda is a beautiful option.
- Carriacou: This island may be the most populous of the Grenadines, but much of Carriacou’s 33 square miles is white sand beaches and protected forests. Here, you’ll find more local festivals, coral reefs and traditionally crafted boats than tourists.
- Dominica: What this crowd-free Caribbean island lacks in beaches, it makes up for with beautiful waterfalls, natural swimming holes, geothermal hot springs and turtle sanctuaries. This island is also home to the Waitukubuli National Trail, the Caribbean’s longest hiking trail.
- Grenada: Working spice plantations dot the hills in Grenada, flavoring the food and the air here. There are 45 beaches along the island’s coast, as well as trails through the mountainous rainforests of Grand Etang National Park.
- Nevis: You don’t have to trade luxury accommodations for crowd-free beaches on Nevis. The island’s resorts are located on land that used to be home to sugarcane plantations. Now, you’ll find delicious local food, hilly hikes dotted with birds and monkeys, and long stretches of beach.
- Saba: This Caribbean island is so quiet because it lacks a beach. However, after hiking through the cloud forest of Mt. Scenery, snorkeling through the reefs of Saba Marine Park and retiring to one of the island’s few resorts, you’ll forget all about the beach.
- San Blas Islands: There are more than 365 islands off the coast Panama that belong to the San Blas Islands. Only 49 are inhabited, many by native people. You’ll find ecotourism-based accommodations and activities here, without the crowds.
