At 12 miles wide and 21
miles long, Grenada is the largest of the islands. Lush and mountainous,
with gorgeous beaches and picturesque villages, it has several waterfalls
and small rivers that flow into the sea. Grenada is the world's
second-largest producer of nutmeg, and also grows cinnamon, cloves,
vanilla, mace, turmeric, and ginger—which is why its breezes are sweetly scented with spice.
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The next-biggest island, Carriacou
(Carry-a KOO) is far less mountainous than Grenada and offers
wonderful sandy beaches, natural harbors, terrific diving, and great views of the northern Grenadine
islands. It's also the home of Kick 'Em Jenny, an active underwater
volcano. With its hilly-to-flat terrain, Carriacou is ideal for walking.
With less than 500 acres,
Petite Martinique is the smallest of the "big three," but possesses one of
the highest per-capita incomes in the entire Eastern Caribbean. This small
island is about 2-½ miles off Carriacou's northeast coast, and until
recently had no tourist infrastructure.
Also
See: Caribbean Index |
Antigua & Barbuda |
Aruba |
Bahamas |
Barbados |
Bermuda |
Caymans |
Curaçao
Jamaica |
Martinique |
Puerto Rico |
St. Croix |
St. John |
St. Lucia |
St. Thomas |
Turks & Caicos |
Virgin Gorda/BVI
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St. George's Town:
A spicy scent fills the air in Grenada's picturesque capital, with its red
tile roofs and pastel-colored buildings. Founded by the French in the
early 1700s, St. George's is built on a horseshoe-shaped bay known as the
Carenage. To get an overview while soaking in local sights and sounds,
take a leisurely stroll along the walkway that sweeps around the bayfront.
Climb the steep bluff overlooking the harbor to
Fort George,
built in 1706, and be rewarded with awesome views of the tile-roofed city and the
sea. The Grenada National Museum, lodged in an 18th Century French army
barracks and prison, holds archeological finds, petroglyphs, a rum still,
and historic artifacts and memorabilia. Shop for produce and local
handicrafts in bustling and colorful Market Square, the town's heart for
the last 200 years (Saturday morning is the best time to come).
The Shopping Scene: With nutmeg
such an important crop hereabouts, be sure to bring some home for
yourself, family, and friends. You can buy it whole, or bottled up as jam,
jelly, syrup, and even as a medicinal ointment called Nutmed. The best
buys here: batik and screen printed textiles, locally made handicrafts,
leather goods, and wood carvings.
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Gouyave: Meander up the island's west coast to
this fishing village, whose name was derived from the large number of
guava trees it contains. Here you can watch fishermen haul in the catch of
the day, tour a
Nutmeg Processing Cooperative, or sample any kind of
fresh local seafood—cooked over
open fires, on grills, and in steamers or fryers—at the weekly
Fish Friday street party.
Get ready for conch, jerked marlin, fish kebabs, lobster, fish cakes,
shrimp, snapper, and lots more... accompanied by all kinds of goodies,
beers, juices, rums, and on and on. Careful with the hot pepper sauce:
that stuff is fiery! Everything gets going about 6:00, music and all, and
finally winds down early the next morning.
Grand Etang National Park: Breathtaking natural beauty
awaits in the 30-acre tropical forest of
Grand Etang
NP. Thanks to the Park's varied
elevation, you'll discover distinct eco-zones. There's also an
azure-colored lake—actually a volcanic crater that long ago filled with
water—sitting more than 1700 feet above sea level. Guided tours are
available, or take a self-guided hike
around the lake along a trail that meanders
past waterfalls and through jungle touched with every shade of green you
could dream up. You'll spot bright-colored tropical birds, tiny
bright-chartreuse lizards, a variety of orchids, and maybe even an
armadillo. In one section you can glance across the lake and see Mount Qua
Qua covered with mist. Trail hikes range from 15 minutes to 4 hours,
so there's one to suit just about anyone. It's good luck to spot a Mona monkey in the towering trees.
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Carriacou: Take a breezy catamaran cruise to Grenada's
sister island. Nearly encircled by a healthy reef system, the island is
perfect for peaceful swimming as well as memorable diving and snorkeling.
(The island's name descends from the ancient Carib
Indian name, Kayryouacou, which translates to "land surrounded by reefs"). While you're
there, don't miss a visit to the Carriacou Museum, housed in a restored
cotton gin mill, with its exhibits recalling the early years of French and
British occupation, as well as works by celebrated local artist Canute
Calliste.
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Levera National Park: 450-acre
Levera NP
constitutes what is probably Grenada's most spectacular strip of coast.
The lagoon, an extensive mangrove swamp, is an important wildlife habitat,
sheltering abundant bird species such as herons, black-necked stilts,
scarlet ibis, and snipes. The waters contain excellent coral reefs and sea
grass beds that shelter lobsters and colorful reef fish. Levera
Beach—quite long, with golden sands—serves as a leatherback sea turtle
hatchery in season (May to September). An unforgettable walk here traces
the lagoon perimeter. Visit 23-acare Levera Pond, formed when an ancient
volcanic caldera filled gradually with a mixture of fresh and seawater.
Stroll into the mangroves on Birdwatch Bridge for glimpses of wildlife and
feeding or nesting birds.
Honeymoon Falls: Recently discovered,
beautiful Honeymoon Falls is situated at the base of Mount Qua Qua in an open-air cave
concealed by jungle canopy (you reach it by hiking through a hummingbird
nesting area). The fall descends into a pool shaped like a heart. Various
guided hiking tours can bring you here, but you might want to make the
trek yourselves with hopes of time alone in that heart-shaped pool (need
we say why?). Of Grenada's seven waterfalls, the easiest
to reach is 50-foot Annandale Falls; it's in a nice area with picnic
tables, just off the road to
Grand Etang
National Park. It's about a half-hour hike to Seven Sisters Falls,
whose crystal-clear waters make a great swim hole. Victoria Falls requires
a longer hike, but offers the best chance to be alone.
Leapers Hill:
In 1498, when Columbus sailed by without stopping, the island
was inhabited by Carib Indians. For one-and-a-half centuries, various
European powers tried to settle here, but the fierce Caribs fought them
off. Finally, in the 1600s, a French expedition managed to exchange beads,
hatchets and knives for large land tracts. Fierce hostilities continued
between the French and the Caribs for decades, but for the latter it was
inevitably a losing battle. In 1650, the last 40 surviving Caribs,
pushed by the French to the edge of a sheer cliff near the town of Sauteurs,
jumped to their deaths rather than be massacred. The jump-off spot
came to be known as Le Morne de Sauteurs (Leapers Hill) by the
colonists. Today a miniature Carib village and various exhibits are
located at the site.
Petite Martinique:
Volcanic in origin, this small islet is little more than a 756-foot high
cone jutting from the sea. Most inhabitants are fishers, selling their
catch (snapper, grouper, and other small fish) to Grenada and the large
French island of Martinique. Though tranquil, Petite Martinique offers
plenty of activity. You can walk around the entire island in an hour or
climb the central peak for a boffo view. Only one
beach is really good for swimming, on the island’s northwest. What’s interesting
about being here is that the residents are still deeply in touch with
tradition, so if you’re around during a Big Drum Dance, a tombstone festival, or a boat
launch, you’ll be seeing something that hasn’t been gussied up for
tourists. Not yet, anyway.
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Grand Anse: Located in
the southwest, with two miles of soft white sand liberally dotted with
sea grape and palm trees, Grand Anse is the
most famous beach on Grenada. Splash around in the transparent surf or
snorkel in the nearby coral reefs, where you'll be dazzled by the sight of
rainbow-colored tropical fish and sea turtles. Many hotels and resorts are
located here, but since laws prohibit hotels from exceeding the height of
palm trees, they are relatively unobtrusive (and offer such great views to
their guests).
River Antoine Rum
Distillery: Rum is made on Grenada in the ancient manner, using
local sugar cane molasses, water power, fermentation in copper pots, and
hand bottling. A number of distilleries welcome guests and allow you to
taste (and hopefully buy) the rums produced.
~ The machinery and distillation process used in
the
rustic
River Antoine Rum Distillery have hardly changed since the operation opened in 1785;
it's the oldest working, water-propelled rum distillery in the Caribbean
(and probably the world). The boiler used in distilling the fermented
juice here uses the crushed cane residue as fuel.
~
A mere twelve years younger, the
Dunfermline Rum Distillery also uses a watermill in its distillation
process. ~ On the grounds of the
Westerhall Estate in St. David's is the island's third-oldest distillery,
Westerhall.
More Info:
Grenada
Tourism
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