From the moment you set your eyes on St. George's, you'll see why
it's considered one of the most picturesque ports in the Caribbean.
Lush vegetation, mountainous terrain and colorful colonial
architecture make up the landscape. And if the sights don't wow your
senses, the aroma will. Grenada is also filled with spice trees and
is a leading source of many different spices, including nutmeg,
cloves, ginger, cinnamon and cocoa.
Everybody who visits Grenada goes home with a basket of spices,
better than any you are likely to find in your local supermarket.
Wherever you go, spice vendors will besiege you. These hand-woven
panniers of palm leaf or straw are full of items grown on the
island, including the inevitable nutmeg, as well as mace, cloves,
cinnamon, bay leaf, vanilla, and ginger. Grenada is no grand
merchandise mart of the Caribbean like St. Thomas and St. Maarten,
but you may locate some local handcrafts, gifts, and even art. If
you like to attend Caribbean markets, head for Market Square at the
foot of Young Street.
The best buys in Grenada are batik and screen printed textiles,
locally made handicraft, leather craft, and woodcarvings. Spice
Island Jewelry sells attractive jewelry. Spices, locally made jams,
jellies, and syrups, especially nutmeg, local fresh fruits and
vegetables are other good buys. Grenada also offers fine duty-free
bargains.
St. Georges with its horseshoe-shaped harbor is a colonial-era town
that spills down a hillside. St Georges is the capital of Grenada.
It received the full brunt of Hurricane Ivan's high winds, and the
bevy of new terracotta-colored roofs stand in testament to the power
of the wind. Ivan, however, was not the first disaster to strike
this picturesque town, dominated by British colonial architecture
but with a distinctly Mediterranean feel.
Hiking
Grenada's lushness and beauty make it one of the best Caribbean
islands for hiking. For sheer scenic beauty, the number-one choice
on the island is the Lake Circle Trail, which makes a 30-minute
circuit along Grand Etang Lake, the crater of an extinct volcano
amidst a forest preserve and bird sanctuary. You are likely to see
the yellow-billed cuckoo and the emerald-throated hummingbird. The
park is also a playground for Mona monkeys. The Morne LeBaye Trail
is another easy hike, beginning at the park's forest center and
offering a view of Mount Sinai and the east coast.
Levera Park
Levera National Park, a 450-acre park has several white-sand beaches
for swimming and snorkeling. The park is also a hiker's paradise.
Levera Park contains a mangrove swamp, a lake, and a bird sanctuary,
where you might see a rare tropical parrot. Offshore are coral reefs
and sea grass beds. You will also find a beach here. Levera Beach is
located at the northeastern tip of the island. It is one of the most
beautiful beaches on Grenada, and visitors should make this a
priority stop. It is a good place to enjoy some terrific views. The
sea at this beach are not recommended for swimming because of its
rough waters, but the more adventurous visitor can try their hand at
surfing or boarding.
Grand Etang
Forest Preserve
The most popular area in Grenada for hiking and trekking is
undoubtedly the rainforest around the Grand Etang Forest Reserve,
high up in the mountains of the island's interior. Grand Etang's
varied elevations and terrains maintain several different ecological
subsystems, culminating in the elfin woodlands high up the slopes of
the reserve's central mountains. The focal point of the forest
reserve is Grand Etang Lake, which fills the crater of one of the
island's extinct volcanoes. The rainforest around the lake holds a
stupendously rich diversity of flora and fauna. Colorful tropical
birds, tiny frogs and lizards, and rare orchids punctuate the dense
rainforest vegetation, and the trails meander around the area's
stunning waterfalls as well as the azure waters of Grand Etang Lake.
Grand Etang's flora includes towering
mahogany and giant gommier trees as well as a multitude of ferns,
tropical flowers, and other indigenous plants. The lush vegetation
provides shelter for a wide variety of animals, particularly for the
island's many species of birds. The broad-winged hawk (known here as
the gree-gree), Lesser Antillean swift, Antillean euphonia,
purple-throated carib, Antillean crested hummingbird (known as the
little doctor bird), and the Lesser Antillean tanager (known as the
soursop) are all common sights. In addition, plenty of frogs and
lizards, as well as playing host to opossums, armadillos, mongooses,
and the mona monkey populate the Grand Etang. Hikes at Grand Etang
range from easy 15-minute jaunts to rigorous expeditions of several
hours.
La Sagesse Nature Center
La Sagesse Nature Center would be another
scenic stop. It is a quiet mangrove estuary along the southwestern
coast with one of the best bird-watching locales on Grenada. In
addition to the estuary, La Sagesse includes three fine beaches
edged with palm trees, a very good coral reef for snorkeling, a
pristine example of dry thorn scrub and cactus woodland, and a salt
pond. Of course, a good salt pond is the avian equivalent to a
stunning beach, and this is one very inviting salt pond. It attracts
an abundance of different species, including the brown-crested
flycatcher, Caribbean coot, green-backed and little blue heron, and
the northern jacuna. La Sagesse also maintains a restaurant that
serves very tasty lunch fare.
Grand Anse
Beach and Bathway Beach
Grand Anse Beach is the granddaddy of the best of the 45 beaches on
Grenada. It offers almost 3 miles of sugar-white sand fronting a
sheltered bay. This beach is really beautiful and many of the major
resort hotels are situated here. Many visitors never leave this part
of the island. Protected from strong winds and currents, the waters
here are relatively safe, making Grand Anse a family favourite. The
clear, gentle waters are populated with schools of rainbow-hued
fish, and palms and sea-grape trees offer shade to visitors. Water
sports on offer include water-skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, and
scuba diving. There is a multitude of vendors in this area, peddling
coral jewelry, local crafts, and the inevitable T-shirts. For the
hungry, there are numerous food and drink stands, or you can enjoy
lunch at one of the nearby resorts.
If you're looking for a pretty beach in a natural setting, you may
fall in love with Bathway Beach. Bathway Beach is on the Atlantic
coastline of Grenada, and the water gets fairly choppy at this
undeveloped beach of speckled coral sands. Although some of the
beaches in Grenada are more secluded than Bathway Beach the
combination of natural setting, personality and atmosphere provided
by this beach could be just right for you. The beaches found
throughout Grenada are usually fairly quiet, however, Bathway Beach
offers something unique. One of the main attractions at Bathway
Beach is the sheltered area where non-swimmers can bathe in relative
safety, because the waters of this Atlantic-facing beach can get
pretty rough. This beach is located on Grenada's southern coast, 1.2
miles from Levera National Park. Bathway Beach is near Morne Fendue,
so a trip into town is a definite option.
Dive Sites
There are also great opportunities for
snorkeling along Grenada’s fabulous
coastline. A particular favorite is to the Underwater Sculpture Park
at Moliniere Bay. The brainchild of Jason Taylor, a sculptor from
England, it contains a series of underwater installations on the
theme of Grenada’s history and folklore. As you snorkel or
dive your way around Moliniere Bay, shapes and bodies appear to you
from the depths. The sculptures were
transported, submerged and assembled by the Dive Grenada team. It is
quite possible to free-dive the five meters to the deepest
installation, where you will be greeted by such sights
as the Ring of Children, 26 boys and girls
slowly turning into coral, as well as the
Lost Correspondent or perhaps a few divers meandering through the
coral networks.
History
If you are interested in history, a trip to
Fort George or Fort Frederick is a must.
Fort George is situated on an elevated peninsula that commands the
harbor entrance, a position that has given the fort enormous
strategic importance since the French constructed it in the first
decade of the 18th century. Although it continues to serve as the
police headquarters, Fort George is most appreciated today for the
views that it offers to sightseers. Much of its elaborate colonial
structure remains intact, and part of the pleasure of a visit is
rambling around among the passages and stairs of the ancient stone
fortifications. Fort George still maintains a battery of old
cannons, which are used on special occasions to fire off a
resounding salute. In the 1980s, Fort George once again played a
prominent role in Grenadian history as the site of the assassination
of Maurice Bishop, along with several members of his cabinet. In
1983, the fort was bombed by American troops.
Fort Frederick was started by the French to secure their position
after they had so easily captured the island from the British in
1779. There isn't a whole lot to do or see on Fort Frederick itself.
But there are many things to see from Fort Frederick. Perched atop
Richmond Hill at the center of St. George's, Fort Frederick is a
smaller and more recent complement to the imposing Fort George.
Built by the British, it was completed in 1791, during the French
Revolution.
