The Caribbean is filled with a wonderful collection of unforgettable critters. Drunk monkeys in St. Kitts, potcake puppies in Turks & Caicos and swimming pigs in the Bahamas. Well, Barbados is no different, ‘cause they’ve got turtles. Sea turtles.

Barbados is home to a protected and growing population of beautiful hawksbill and leatherback turtles. And these turtles are surprisingly sociable, despite being real homebodies, too. They’re accustomed to their routines and love the humans who come to swim with them around the coral. In fact, local fishermen even feed and care for them and have been know to scrape barnacles off their backs! (Hey, we’d stick around for free spa treatments, too.)

Now if these turtle adventures give you goose bumps, the good news is that Barbados has built a thriving cottage industry around these endangered creatures. There are literally dozens of tours to choose from with unforgettable catamaran trips, including a delicious local lunch, rum punch (the real seller) and, of course, snorkeling with the friendly turtles. But unlike the pigs in the Bahamas, these cute creatures won’t try to jump into your boat. Nope, they’ll just steal your heart.