Cozumel: 23 Feb 2009 to 25 Feb 2009

Mexico’s largest island in the Caribbean, Cozumel, Cozumel was settled by the Mayans over 2000 years ago. Just twenty kilometers (12 miles) off the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, the island was home to a thriving population of some 40,000 inhabitants when the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. Sadly, the Mayans were decimated by smallpox or shipped off to Cuba as slaves, leaving just 30 non-Spanish inhabitants by 1570.

Thanks to a visit by Jacques Cousteau many years ago, Cozumel has grown to become a prime dive site, attracting enthusiasts from around the world. The placid, protected waters along the west coast are ideal for all things aquatic. Visitors with a penchant for archaeology may want to arrange a trip to the mainland (forty minutes by ferry) to see the Mayan ruins at Tulum or Chichén Itzá.