Grenada

Grenada is the southernmost of the Windward Islands and also governs Carriacou and Petite Martinique. It is volcanic and wet, with a ridged forest interior and a crater lake near its centre. The economy was built on nutmeg, cocoa and cinnamon, which is why it is known as the Isle of Spice; Hurricane Ivan destroyed most of the nutmeg trees in 2004.

Known for nutmeg and mace, oil down, Grand Anse Beach, underwater sculpture park and Spicemas carnival.

Highlights

  • Grand Anse Beach, Saint George Parish: A two-mile arc of pale sand on the sheltered south-west coast, about ten minutes from St George's, with the capital's harbour and the hills in view. Most of Grenada's hotels and the craft market sit along it.
  • Grand Etang National Park, Saint Andrew Parish: A forest reserve in the central highlands around Grand Etang Lake, a shallow volcanic crater lake at 530 metres. Trails climb Mount Qua Qua through elfin woodland, and mona monkeys, brought from West Africa during slavery, live here.
  • Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park, Molinere Bay, Saint George Parish: The world's first underwater sculpture park, started by Jason deCaires Taylor in 2006 in a bay north of St George's. Concrete figures set on the sea floor at snorkelling depth now act as an artificial reef inside a marine protected area.
  • River Antoine Rum Distillery, Saint Patrick Parish: A rum estate working since 1785 on the north-east coast, where cane is still crushed by a water wheel fed from the River Antoine and the juice fermented and pot-distilled on site.

Places in Grenada

Getting around

Grenada's minibuses are privately run and start from the terminal on Melville Street in St George's, with each route's destination on a sticker at the stand. Fares run from about EC$2.50 to EC$6.50 by route, and the buses work Monday to Saturday. Osprey Lines runs the fast ferry from St George's to Carriacou and Petite Martinique. A visitor's driving permit costs EC$60 from the Central Police Station on the Carenage.