Three Caribbean-kissed countries made it into the list of the 25 best places to travel in 2025, compiled by BBC Travel (16 January 2025): Dominica (# 1), Panama, and Nicaragua (but with a focus on its Emerald Coast, on the country’s Pacific side!) Here are excerpts from the descriptions of Dominica and Panama.
1. Dominica
Ever wanted to swim alongside sperm whales? Dominica now offers the chance to do it in an ethical, sustainable way as part of the Caribbean island’s groundbreaking commitment to marine conservation and regenerative tourism. The island nation recently established the world’s first sperm whale reserve, a protected marine area designed to safeguard its resident giants. Limited permits for whale swims ensure intimate, respectful encounters, offering visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience to share the water with these incredible cetaceans while facilitating research and creating sustainable tourism opportunities for local residents.
New for 2025, expanded infrastructure and systems are set to welcome visitors, including digital immigration forms to ease arrival and the development of a cable-car system taking riders from Roseau Valley up to Boiling Lake, one of the world’s largest thermal springs. [. . .]
Dominica is also home to Project CETI, a groundbreaking international effort to decode whale language, clicks and codas, led by National Geographic Explorer David Gruber. Elsewhere, visitors can explore hidden gorges, towering waterfalls and feast on local cuisine at unique eateries, such as the farm-to-table Lacou. Dominica isn’t just a destination – it’s a movement to support a burgeoning model of eco-tourism that balances biodiversity conservation with economic growth, ensuring that your adventure helps protect this natural paradise for generations to come. – Pier Nirandara
[. . .] 10. Panama
After managing the Panama Canal for decades, the US handed control of it over to Panama at the end of 1999 in a treaty signed by the late US President Jimmy Carter. [. . .]
Yet, there’s more to see in this nation of vast jungles, idyllic islands and mountainous forests beyond the canal. In 2024, the Meaningful Travel Map to Panama launched in partnership with non-profit Tourism Cares to make it easier for visitors to find locally led travel experiences across the country. After embarking on a Localinpty walking tour through Panama City’s Casco Antiguo and El Chorrillo neighbourhoods, head south-west to the La Pintada district, where artists weave fibers to make traditional Panama hats by hand – a UNESCO-recognised practice known as sombrero pintao. In El Valle de Anton (named one of the best community tourism villages by UN Tourism in 2024) take a hike through a lush cloud forest on the Cerro Gaital Lookout Trail where you can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea on a clear day from the summit. This newly opened path is part of Panama’s ongoing 1,000 km of Trails project, which seeks to boost sustainable tourism in rural communities while bringing hikers face to face with Panama’s staggering biodiversity. – Kathleen Rellihan [. . .]
For full article, see https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250115-the-25-best-places-to-travel-in-2025