Barbados

Barbados is famed for its easy-going calypso culture, where a strong sense of history and culture fuses with a laid-back vibe. On landWith music as one of its societal bedrocks, Barbados revels in a vibrant nightlife. Pristine sandy beaches and glass-clear water are hemmed with palms and vibrant flora on a backdrop of impressive 18th-century colonial streetscapes, like in the capital, Bridgetown. Land-based attractions run from lush botanical gardens and historic plantation houses to sumptuous tropical spas and first-rate golf.At seaFrom the little-developed rugged coastline of the Atlantic eastern flank to the attractive resorts of the Caribbean shoreline, Barbados offers world-class, warm waters for diving and snorkelling. Underwater caves teem with colourful fish amidst vibrant coral reefs. OrientationMount Hillaby, the highest point in Barbados, rises to 336m (1,102ft) in the north-central part of the island. To the west the land drops down to the sea while the east stretches to rugged upland regions. Southward, the highlands descend steeply to wide valleys. An absence of any significant lakes or rivers means Barbados relies on rainwater-fed underground streams and springs for its water supplies. A mixed terrain comprises clay, limestone and chalk covered by a thick coral layer.