Grenada

Understand

History The Caribbean Plate is a tectonic structure stretching 2000 km east from the Pacific coast of Central America. For the last 80 million years it's been shifting east at 10 mm a year, compressing the Atlantic ocean floor beneath it, and this has thrown up an arc of volcanic islands along the boundary. Grenada arose maybe two million years ago, and volcanic activity continued on the main island until 12,000 years ago, blasting out the craters (now flooded) of St George's carenage, Grand Etang, Levera and St Antoine. Mount St Catherine the highest mountain is dormant but by no means extinct, with geothermal hot springs, and the wonderfully-named "Kick 'em Jenny" is an active underwater volcano ten miles north of main island. The legacy of this is rugged terrain with mountains that draw clouds and rain, reasonably fertile volcanic soil, a great natural harbour, and lush scenery. Land animals were from time to time able to migrate here, and humans could island-hop along the chain from South America by canoe. The standard story is that the first settlers were Arawaks, then in the centuries before European contact they were attacked and subjugated by Caribs. But this doesn't square with the linguistic, genetic and cultural record, and the Spanish used "Arawak" to mean indigenous people friendly to them, while "Caribs" were hostile and therefore to be demonised and slaughtered. The first European to sight Grenada was Christopher Columbus in 1498. He didn't land, but named it Concepción, which didn't catch on. The Andalusian city of Granada symbolised the ascendancy of Spain after its recapture from the Moors in 1492, and "La Granada" was how the island became shown on maps. However for the next 150 years its inhabitants repelled colonisation, until in 1649 the Frenc

See

St. George's is an interesting old town, with the natural harbour of the carenage, Fort George on the knoll above it, and the historic Church Street district. But many buildings are dilapidated or still wrecked from the 2004 hurricane. The inland streets are steep so consider taking the little "tourist train". Beaches: Grand Anse is the one in all the tourist brochures, a classic sweep of palm-fringed sand. But it's narrow, having suffered erosion, and waves may break right over it. All the water sports facilities are based here. Beyond the headland west are the much quieter BBC or Morne Rouge Beach, then Paradise Bay towards Sandals resort. Small sandy coves are found right round the island though the coast is mostly rugged, and the east is exposed to the Atlantic. Black beaches are made of volcanic sand, for instance Black Bay near Concord on the west coast. Grand Etang is a crater lake and nature reserve mid-island, with Mona monkeys, birdlife and tropical flowers. Mount Qua Qua stands above it. Waterfalls tumble down the slopes: best known are Annandale west side, and Seven Sisters and Honeymoon Falls east side. Other crater lakes and parks are at Antoine to the northeast and Levera to the north. Plantations: see below for rum distilleries. Spice plantations include Dougladston Estate and Gouyave Nutmeg Factory both near Gouyave, and Belmont to the north processes cocoa beans for chocolate. Carriacou has several atmospheric ruins. Tibeau on the east coast of Carriacou has a macabre beach where an old cemetery is being washed away by the sea.

Do

Scuba diving and snorkelling are on the reefs a mile or two west of Grenada island and Carriacou. Dive shacks are concentrated in Grand Anse and offer training, with the dive sites just a 5-10 minute boat ride away. The shallower reefs have soft coral within snorkelling depth and the usual cast of Caribbean critters. There's usually a current so dives are drifts. The signature dive is Bianca C, a 600-ft cruise ship which caught fire and sank in 1961, now lying

Getting there

Entry requirements You need a passport valid for at least six months and a return or onward ticket. As of 2019, and still applicable in Jan 2023, visas are not required from citizens of the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and its dependencies, British Commonwealth countries, Caribbean countries, Venezuela, Brazil, European Union countries and their dependencies, Norway, Japan, South Korea, India, Israel, China, Hong Kong, Macau and Russia. Duty-free allowances: Personal items, one quart in total wines and spirits, half-pound tobacco or 50 cigars or 200 cigarettes. No restrictions on the amount of money that can be brought in. Restricted items are fruits, vegetables, meat, soil, illegal drugs, firearms and ammunition.

By plane Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND IATA) is on the southwest tip of the main island of Grenada, 8 km from the capital. It's the principal point of arrival in Grenada, with long haul flights from North America and Europe, and inter-island short hops. See Grenada (island)#Get in for connections, airport facilities and onward transport. Lauriston Airport (CRU IATA) is a small airstrip on the island of Carriacou. As well as daily flights from Maurice Bishop, it has direct flights from Saint Vincent, with connections from Barbados and other islands. See Carriacou#Get in for practicalities.

By boat Cruise ships dock in St George's, and October to May there are usually a couple in port - there's room for five. See Grenada (island)#Get in for practicalities. Carriacou has no dock for large ships, but these sometimes park offshore and bring passengers in by tender. Osprey foot-passenger ferries ply between the islands of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. There is a small passenger ferry connecting Carriacou and Union Island on Mondays an

Getting around

Minibuses are the staple public transport, see Grenada (island)#Get around. Eight routes fan out from St George's bus terminal next to the cruiser dock, very frequently along Route 1 to Grand Anse and Calliste. Route 9 crosses the top of the island between Grenville and Sauteurs. On Carriacou they radiate from Hillsborough and on tiny Petite Martinique you just walk. A water taxi plies between St George's cruiser dock and Grand Anse beach. Taxis carry an "H" on their licence plates. There are ranks at the bus terminal and airport, else just flag them on the street. Hiring a cab for the day is for most visitors a much better way to tour the island than self-drive, as the drivers know the poorly-signposted turn-offs, and the worst of the potholes, police traps and landslips. Car rentals are available from a few international companies - the advantage of these is that they can issue a temporary Grenada driving permit on the spot, so you can drive straight off. There are also some two dozen local operators, but you may need to factor in a two-hour visit to the local police station to have your permit issued. Cycling is not much fun on the busy narrow roads of the main island, with frequent gradients, humid tropical weather, and the stiff Atlantic breeze somehow always against you. It's less daunting on the quieter, smaller island of Carriacou.