The Americas have a strong yacht charter presence from the Northern United States through the Southern Caribbean. But beyond those destinations you can often find more exotic itineraries in up-and-coming locales. Mexico’s west coast, for one, is beginning to welcome charter yachts in greater numbers, carving out private islands and luxury locations away from the traditional cruise-ship and spring-break haunts. Some yacht owners own five-star resorts there and offer “surf and turf” charters, combining the experiences of land and sea. Nearby, the Sea of Cortez offers unusually scenic cruising combining crystal-blue waters with a dry, sandy, red rock landscape filled with cacti.
In Panama, yacht charter is emerging on both costs. Along the pacific are the Las Perlas Islands, an archipelago of about 100 islands, many of them small and uninhabited. Charters can include snorkeling, swimming and fishing here along with a transit through the Panama Canal.
Or start on the Atlantic coast of Panama in the San Blas Islands, which comprises several hundred islands, many of them also uninhabited. The Kuna Indians call these islands home, and any charter here can include a glimpse of into their lifestyle and culture.