12 Surreal Places You Won't Believe Are in the Caribbean

When you think of the Caribbean, you probably imagine long white sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters, luxury beachside resorts, and picturesque islands. While the Caribbean offers all those things in abundance, there’s more to this breathtaking region than first meets the eye.

The land of tropical islands is also home to some of the most unique, scenic, and surreal places on earth. Whether it be a quirky town, an exciting landscape, or something that looks like it belongs on another planet, the Caribbean has it all. Here are 12 surreal places you won’t believe are in the Caribbean to show you what’s on offer. Only the places you have to see to believe make our list!

Table of Contents

The Pink Lakes of Bonaire, Bonaire

Let’s start with the Pink Lakes of Bonaire, an otherworldly location famed for its enormous salt pyramids and vibrant pink lake. Also referred to as the Salt Flats, the Pink Lakes of Bonaire can be found at the Cargill salt exportation facility on the southern tip of Bonaire island in the Southern Caribbean.

The biggest draw to this location is the bright pink water, given its color by a microorganism called halophilic bacteria. However, the 50-foot (15-meter) salt pyramids are also a sight to behold. Incredibly, this facility can produce up to 500,000 metric tons of salt yearly, and the salt flats take up almost one-tenth of Bonaire’s entire surface area.

Willemstad, Curacao

Willemstad is a vibrant Dutch town on Curacao in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. How did a Dutch town end up here? The Dutch took control of the town from the Spanish in the 1500s. As a result, the town is home to a fascinating collection of Dutch-style houses and business buildings, all painted in bright colors.

Interestingly, properties in the town aren’t allowed to be painted black. This ensures the town sticks to its signature colorful appearance. Add to this the sandy beaches and crystal clear waters surrounding the town, and you’re in for a real treat. Curacao is also famed for its marine life, so travelers can also expect a fascinating snorkeling experience!

Andros Island Blue Holes, Bahamas

Andros, the largest island in the Bahamas, is home to the Andros Barrier Reef and the Tongue of the Sea. This is the third largest barrier reef in the world, measuring approximately 140 miles (225 kilometers) long. Unsurprisingly, this makes it one of the premier diving spots in the world.

The Barrier Reef is teeming with marine life; however, that isn’t the island’s biggest draw. Instead, the island is most famous for its blue holes. Also referred to as ocean caves, there are 180 blue holes found in or around Andros Island, which is the highest concentration of blue holes anywhere in the world. A diver’s Mecca, most of these caves are yet to be explored, which only adds to the area’s appeal.

Great Blue Hole, Belize

While Andros Island might be home to the world’s highest concentration of blue holes, Belize has the biggest in the Caribbean. The Great Blue Hole is a massive marine sinkhole that lies just off the coast of Belize in the center of Lighthouse Reef.

The hole is almost perfectly circular, measuring 1,043 feet (318 meters) across and a terrifying 407 feet (124 meters) deep. Its total surface area is approximately 760,470 feet (70,650 square meters). Inside the cave, scientists found stalactites. This find suggests the Great Blue Hole was once a dry cave. It might even have been home to prehistoric life.

Pig Beach, Exuma

Big Major Cay is on an uninhabited island in Exuma. It has inviting turquoise waters, soft white sand beaches, and almost all-year good weather. However, the area is best known for Pig Beach. On the aptly named Pig Beach, tourists can glimpse Exuma’s wild pigs.

Making the beach their own, the pigs can be seen swimming in the water, sunbathing on the beach, and eating food straight from travelers’ hands. It’s believed the pigs first arrived in Exuma when sailors dropped them off to cook them later. Meanwhile, other people think they came when a ship crashed, so the pigs took refuge on the island. Either way, the whole situation is very cool.

The Pitons, St. Lucia

The Caribbean has mesmerizing landscapes, but none are more iconic than the Pitons in St. Lucia. St. Lucia features a stunning landscape covered in dense rainforest and dotted with white sand beaches and blue waters. However, the island’s skyline is dominated by two volcanic peaks.

🏨 Explore all your hotel options here

Gros Piton is the biggest of the two peaks, standing at 2,618 feet (798 meters) high, and Petit Piton is the smallest, with a height of 2,437 feet (743 meters). Connected by the Piton Mitan ridge, these peaks make up the Pitons. Most travelers prefer to admire the Pitons from their luxury villa or jungle lodge. However, hiking enthusiasts can hike to the top of Gros Piton.

Stingray City, The Cayman Islands

Save this

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

A 25-minute boat ride from Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman island is a unique tourist attraction called Stingray City. Unlike any aquatic experience you’re likely to experience anywhere else, Stingray City is home to approximately 90 Southern Stingrays.

A visit to Stingray City allows you to snorkel with stingrays. This area is so surreal, though, because of how the stingrays interact with people. Despite being a 100% natural occurrence, the wild stingrays are super friendly. They enjoy swimming with visitors and being stroked. So much so they are often called the “puppies of the ocean.” If you’ve always wanted to get up close to marine life, this is the place for you!

The Baths, Virgin Gorda

Virgin Gorda is famous for its stunning natural beauty. The island features quaint white sand beaches, quiet coves, and national parks filled with vibrant flora. Perhaps the most beautiful and surreal attraction on the island, though, is the Baths. Found at the southwestern tip of the island, the Baths is a secluded seaside area with a vast collection of giant granite boulders.

Some boulders here reach a whopping 40-foot (12 meters) in diameter. While the rocks are a joy to look at, the picturesque saltwater pools and hidden grottos they create are the biggest draw to the area. Spend time climbing over the rocks, jumping in the saltwater pools, and finding new grottos to explore.

Sulphur Springs Volcano, St. Lucia

The Caribbean has 19 live volcanoes in total. However, the most unique is arguably the Sulphur Spring Volcano in St. Lucia because it’s the only volcano you can drive into. Driving into a volcano might sound insane, but this isn’t your traditional cone-shaped volcano.

Due to its untraditional shape, visitors can literally drive right up to the volcano’s crater, where they’ll find hissing thermal pools and muddy pools. When you’re not admiring the volcano’s views, dip in the muddy pools and enjoy a mud facial. The mud baths at Sulphur Springs are said to be therapeutic and rejuvenating.

Cayman Crystal Caves, Cayman Islands

Another surreal place you’ll find in the Cayman Islands is the Cayman Crystal Caves. Tucked away in the dense Old Man Bay rainforest, this natural attraction is home to three limestone caves filled with stalagmites and stalactites.

You can visit the caves on a guided tour. Tours usually take visitors on a hike through the forest and into the caves to explore. Inside, you’ll find beautiful crystal-like columns and surprisingly clear blue waters. The caves formed over millions of years, so it’s not uncommon to see fossilized shells and animals in the caves, so keep your eyes peeled as you explore the caverns.

Old Havana, Cuba

Tourists can step back in time in Old Havana. Founded in 1519 on Cuba’s northwestern shore, Old Havana has maintained much of its old-time charm and character. The area still features its original urban layout, traditional Baroque and neoclassical architecture, and fortifications.

However, the most surreal sight in Old Havana is the vintage cars you see driving around. Quite bizarrely, Cuba still has approximately 60,000 classic American cars from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. You can see these vibrant vintage cars driving around Old Havana every day. Cuba is home to so many vintage American cars because Castro banned the importation of American vehicles and mechanical parts after the Cuban Revolution, so residents had to stick with the cars they already had.

The Underwater City of Port Royal, Jamaica

If you love all things pirate-related, whether Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean or the infamous tales of Blackbeard, you’ll fall in love with Port Royal in Jamaica. Today, Port Royal is a small fishing village. However, up until the 17th century, it was a pirate stronghold.

Often referred to as the “Wickedest City on Earth,” Port Royal was a haven for smugglers, pirates, and privateers until an earthquake in 1692 sunk much of it into the sea. Now, tourists can admire Port Royal’s pirate history on a diving trip to a surreal underwater world of architecture dating back to the pirate era.