Santa Cruz, Galapagos

Almost everyone will visit Santa Cruz during a Galapagos stay.

It’s popular because of the incredible variety of habitat and animals go alongside its strategic location.

The famous Charles Darwin Centre is a must, as is a visit to see Giant Tortoises and a kayak in the turquoise waters at Garrapatero beach.

There are a plethora of great dive and snorkel sites nearby, lively bars and some good beaches for relaxing, like Tortuga Bay.

Most cruises start or end here, and the majority of flights come to Santa Cruz, plus there are many accommodation options, from basic to luxury.

Santiago (James), Galapagos

Curious, dark sand greets the visitor to this centrally-located island.

Marine iguanas may join you for a snorkel after warming up in the sun, along with white-tipped reef sharks, rays, surgeon and parrotfish and turtles.

Crabs, sea lions and spectacular blowholes line the shore.

On the other side of the island, red sand cliffs are home to many seabirds, and Bucaneer cove tells its own whaling and pirate history.

A group of nearby small rocky islands called Bainbridge Rocks feature a stunning, turquoise saltwater lagoon that is home to flamingos.

Santiago, Cuba

Santiago de Cuba lies at the foot of the Sierra Maestra Mountains on the southern coast of the island and has around  500,000 inhabitants.

It is the second largest city in Cuba after Havana, and is undoubtedly the most important city for Cuban music and dance, and the local people are known for their warm hospitality.

The city has a strong cultural identity, evident in numerous  dance and music groups based here and the variety of music venues.

The historic centre is a mix of colonial style architecture and grand civic buildings. The promenade area of La Alameda has been renovated recently and the central avenue of Enramadas is pedestrianised, offering the chance to browse a wide range of shops, craft markets and to enjoy the many bars and restaurants.

Sierra Maestra mountains, Cuba

The Sierra Maestra mountain area is the highest part of Cuba, with Pico Turquino at 1,974m (6,477ft) the highest peak in Cuba.

The Sierra Maestra has a long history of guerrilla warfare. After Fidel Castro returned to Cuba in 1956 from exile, he and the few other survivors from the failed 1953 attack on Moncada Barracks hid out in Sierra Maestra.

This is where they planned and started the revolution that eventually overthrew Fulgencio Batista on 1 January 1959.

La Comandancia, Fidel Castro’s secret hideout is now a national monument and museum.

Sossusvlei dunes

One of the highlights of your trip is likely to be the iconic red dunes at Sossusvlei, a formidable sea of rolling sand.

The light over the vast sea of dunes is most stunning at sunrise and sunset and it’s well worth making an extra effort to get out and explore before the heat kicks in.

Climbing to the top of a dune is worth the effort. From the top you can see the vleis, the Afrikaans word for a shallow depression sometimes filled with water.

Water is normally scarce here but life still exists. You will see the tiny track  of the toktokkie beetle. Other creatures have evolved to live under the hot sand such as the shovel-snouted lizard and Grant’s golden mole.

Black-backed jackal, springbok and ostrich, and larger animals like Gemsbok (oryx) that can last weeks without drinking water have evolved to live in this extremely hostile environment.