Rotterdam is divided north and south by the River Nieuwe Maas with the city centre located on the northern bank of the River. Built mostly behind dykes, large parts of Rotterdam are below sea level. There is a whole host of attractions - a city of modern architecture and delightful culture. Over the centuries, Rotterdam has grown from a fishing village into an international centre of trade. From Rotterdam choose to take an optional tour to Delft & The Hague or the UNESCO World Heritage site Kinderdijk.

Complete with cobblestone streets, candy-coloured colonial buildings and yachts bobbing in the peaceful harbour, Mindelo, which has long been the country's cultural centre, is Cape Verde's answer to the Riviera.

Santarém is located at the joining of the Tapajos and Amazon rivers. Formally a village of the indigenous Tapajos Indians, it was later colonised by the Portuguese and today is the second largest town in the state of Pará. Just outside the city, the turquoise waters of the Tapajos meet the ochre-coloured waters of the Amazon, which flow alongside each other without mixing. In this area are flooded forests, swamps and savannas.

Founded by the Portuguese, Manaus became one of the world's wealthiest cities at the height of the rubber boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today its former glory lingers in some of the grand buildings dotted about the city, including the ornate Teatro Amazonas opera house. Nearby is the famed 'Wedding of the Waters', where the dark Rio Negro and light Rio Solimoes join to form the Amazon, at first flowing side-by-side without merging.

This is the site of the annual Bois Bumbas festival said to be second only to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Don’t miss the colourful folkloric presentation of some of the elements of the festival during your visit to Parintins.

Icoaraci is your gateway for Belem, Brazil's chief port of the lower Amazon River. The cultural centre of northern Brazil, Belem has numerous fine public squares and streets with many intriguing reminders of how thousands of tons of rubber were once loaded from here for transit to the markets of the 19th Century.

The Îles du Salut are a group of small volcanic islands off the coast of French Guiana. The islands were used as a penal colony (Île du Diable) from 1852 onwards, earning them a reputation for harshness and brutality.

Known as ‘Robinson Crusoe’ island, beautiful Tobago is a tranquil destination with calm waters, fine beaches and amazing wildlife. You can sample Caribbean cooking at its best in Tobago: cream of crab is an aristocrat among soups; red snapper, scallops, swordfish or kingfish could be the ‘catch of the day’ but try the speciality dish, a succulent stew of pork and beef known as pepper pot. Scarborough is dominated by Fort King George, an 18th century fortification named for King George III.

The mountainous island of St. Lucia with it’s distinctive Pitons provides a splendid backdrop to the thriving capital, Castries. Enjoy the vibrant Creole atmosphere and hustle and bustle of this colourful town or venture further afield to explore this most scenic of Caribbean Islands.

Since 1546 Ponta Delgada has been capital of São Miguel, which is the largest of the nine islands in the Azores archipelago. In the last twenty-five years the cosmopolitan little town has seen rapid expansion bringing the archipelago its first university, shopping mall and dual carriageway. Yet, it still has a small town charm with squares paved with black and white tiles, beautiful churches, and public buildings with white-painted facades and dark volcanic stone trim. Volcanic activity has produced spectacular scenery on the islands and this extraordinary natural beauty is a highlight of optional excursions.