Nestled in the heart of the Caribbean Archipelago with turquoise Atlantic waters lapping at its shores, Martinique is one of the many islands to make up the group of Lesser Antilles, affectionately referred to as the 'Breezy Islands'. This vibrant island has all the charm of a small village in the south of France stirred together with a little Créole flavor and a lot of spice.
With such a rich and diverse history, culture vultures will enjoy the many historical sites including La Pagerie, where Napoléon's Empress Joséphine was born in 1763, Diamond Rock, a 600-ft (182m) pinnacle
in the sea and St-Pierre, a somewhat modern day Pompeii, if you will. It was Martinique's principal city until 1902 when Mt. Pelée volcano erupted, wiping out the city and its 30,000 people in just three minutes.
Featuring two beautiful peaks, Carbet and Mont Pelée, the now dormant volcano that is the highest mountain on the island at 4,586 feet (1398 meters), this area is also home to Martinique's legendary tropical rainforest. The unspoiled beauty of this area will inspire visions of the lush Caribbean landscape from centuries ago, romancing visitors into believing the Garden of Eden still exists.
There is something for just about everybody on the beautiful island of Martinique, with plenty of water activities such as kitesurfing, yachting, diving, surfing and sailing as well as mountain biking, hiking and the adventure sport of 'canyoning', throwing yourself down waterfalls into pools below. For the less adventurous, warm sunny days can be spent lazing on the sandy white palm-fringed beaches, many of which are something to write home about. Salines Beach at the southernmost tip of Martinique is like something straight out of a picture perfect postcard.
