Columbus's Voyages

First Voyage
Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera, Spain and first sailed to the Canary Islands, where he made repairs and restocked the provisions. He then started his voyage and a land was sighted. He called the island "San Salvador" (in what it is now The Bahamas). He also explored the northeast coast of Cuba and the northern coast of Hispaniola. He found the settlement of La Navidad (in what it is now present-day Haiti). Columbus headed for Spain, but another storm forced him into Lisbon, Portugal. After spending more than one week in Portugal, he set sail for Spain. This was his first voyage out of the Mediterranean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

Second Voyage
Columbus left Cádiz, Spain to find new territories to colonize the region. He sighted a rugged island that he named "Dominica". Later, he landed at Marie-Galante, which he named Santa Maria la Galante. After sailing past Les Saintes (The Saints), he arrived at Guadeloupe where he explored. He also sighted the island chain of the Virgin Islands and he also named the islands of Virgin Gorda, Tortola, and Peter Island. He continued to the Greater Antilles, and landed at Puerto Rico. Columbus then returned to Hispaniola, where he intended to visit Fuerte de la Navidad, built during his first voyage, and located on the northern coast of Haiti; Fuerte de la Navidad was found in ruins, destroyed by the native Taino people. He moved more than 100 kilometers eastwards, establishing a new settlement, which he called La Isabela, likewise on the northern coast of Hispaniola, in the present-day Dominican Republic. However, La Isabela proved to be a poorly-chosen location, and the settlement was short-lived. He left Hispaniola & arrived at Cuba, exploring the southern coast of it and several nearby islands like the Isle of Pines. He reached Jamaica and retraced his route to Hispaniola, before finally returning to Spain.

Third Voyage
Columbus left for his trip to New World. He went to the Portuguese islands of Porto Santo. He then sailed to Madeira before sailing to the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. He landed on the south coast of the island Trinidad. He also explored the Gulf of Paria (a shallow inland sea) which separates Trinidad from Venezuela. Next, he explored the mainland of South America, including the Orinoco River. He also sailed to the islands of Chacachacare and Margarita Island and sighted and named Tobago and Grenada.

Fourth Voyage
Columbus made a fourth voyage nominally in search of the Strait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean. He sailed to Arzila on the Moroccan coast to rescue Portuguese soldiers. They landed at Carbet on the island of Martinique (Martinica). After a brief stop at Jamaica, Columbus sailed to Central America, arriving at Guanaja (Isla de Pinos) in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. Then, he landed on the American mainland at Puerto Castilla, near Trujillo, Honduras. He spent two months exploring the coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, before arriving in Almirante Bay, Panama. He sighted the Cayman Islands, naming them "Las Tortugas". He His ships next sustained more damage in a storm off the coast of Cuba. Unable to travel farther, they were beached in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica. For a year Columbus and his men remained stranded on Jamaica.