Pirates of the Caribbean: Islands Behind the Sets

For The Curse of the Black Pearl the crew chose St Vincent because it had the quietest beach they could find, and built three piers and a backlot there. Wallilabou Bay became the harbour of Port Royal, in this film and again in Dead Man's Chest, and also stood in for Tortuga. Here the crew of the Black Pearl storm Port Royal by night in search of the medallion. Several hundred locals were hired as cast, and filming ran into December 2002.

Location precision: The sources name the bay, not the spot where the piers stood; the pin marks Wallilabou.

Pelegosto, the island with huge cliffs and deep caves, is where the Black Pearl lands and its crew end up in cages made of human bone, hung over a cliff. The tribe's main village was built south of Roseau; other scenes were shot in Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a World Heritage Site since 1997. The 500-strong crew occupied around 90% of the island's roads.

Location precision: Only the park and a village site south of Roseau are named; the exact set locations are not.

Visitor guidance: The park is a protected World Heritage Site with no settlements inside.

Dominica was chosen for Dead Man's Chest, and filming there began on 18 April 2005. The Indian River stood in for the Pantano River, with Tia Dalma's shack on stilts among cypress swamp. It is the widest river on the island, and boat rides along it are still one of Dominica's tourist attractions.

Visitor guidance: Boat rides run on the river near Portsmouth.

Isla Cruces is the island where Davy Jones's chest lies buried; in the DVD commentary the writers imply he chose it because it is a deserted plague island. Its dilapidated church, graveyard and mill were filmed at Vieille Case, a village on Dominica's northern tip. The beach of the same sequence was shot hundreds of miles away in the Bahamas, so the island on screen is stitched from two countries.

Location precision: The sources name the village, not the exact church or mill.

Visitor guidance: A working village on Dominica's northern tip; be respectful of residents.

Jack, Will and Norrington all want Davy Jones's heart, and the argument becomes a three-way sword fight. Director Gore Verbinski used Hampstead, on Dominica's northeast coast, for these scenes. Today the village has Batibou Beach, a popular attraction, and an 18th-century water wheel, a surviving relic of the old sugar estate.

Location precision: The sources name the village, not the exact clearing where the duel was shot.

Visitor guidance: Batibou Beach is the village's main attraction.

The beach where Norrington, Jack and Will duel on Isla Cruces was filmed near Little Exuma in the Bahamas. Torch Cay, a privately owned island east of Little Exuma at the southern end of the Exuma chain, served as a location for Dead Man's Chest. Access is restricted to residents, members and authorised staff, so this stop is one to see on screen rather than in person.

Location precision: Only 'near Little Exuma' is given for the duel beach; the pin marks Torch Cay, a named location nearby.

On 18 September 2005 the Dead Man's Chest crew moved to Grand Bahama, the northernmost of the Bahamas, to shoot ship exteriors, including the working Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman. It was a rough shoot: the tank had not actually been finished, and Hurricane Wilma damaged many of the accessways and pumps, though no one was hurt and no ship was destroyed. The film ends at sea, with the Kraken dragging Jack and the Pearl to the depths.

Location precision: The sources name only the island; the pin marks Freeport.