- First voyage (1492-1493): Columbus arrived in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, and explored the islands of the Caribbean for several months. He returned to Spain in March 1493.
- Second voyage (1493-1496): Columbus returned to the Caribbean with a larger fleet of ships and explored the islands of Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. He also founded the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, at La Isabela on Hispaniola.
- Third voyage (1498-1500): Columbus sailed to the mainland of South America and explored the coasts of Venezuela and Trinidad. He also discovered the mouth of the Orinoco River.
- Fourth voyage (1502-1504): Columbus sailed to Central America and explored the coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. He also discovered the Gulf of Urabá and the San Blas Islands.
Columbus never realized that he had reached a new continent, and he believed until his death that he had reached Asia.