Grenada Nature Page

PO Box 3119, St. James, Barbados, W.I.
Tel: 1 (246) 434 3434 E-mail: info@skyviews.com

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Grenada Nature Page

Grenada is known as the "Isle of Spice" and though there may be many beautiful banana, cocoa and nutmeg plantations about the island, steep, rugged, volcanic peaks have fostered an even more beautiful eco-system. There are volcanic crater lakes , waterfalls, rugged mountain streams, hot sulphur springs and thick rainforest supporting a wide array of animal and plant life - there are iguanas, snakes, manicou (opossum) agouti (small pig-sized mammal) plus a myriad of plant species ranging from huge canopy trees to small mosses. Many rivers scour the landscape and have produced deep gullies, ravines and waterfalls.

Crater lakes can be found at the Grand Etang Forest Reserve and at Lake Antoine - these are flooded volcanic craters. Grenada's highest point is Mount Catherine at 2757ft (920m) and steep rivers flow from these mountain ranges producing waterfalls at various points - the best known are at Annadale, Concord (shown above) and Seven Falls, Fontainbleu and Mt. Carmel. Hiking trips visit most of these.

Whilst agoutis and lizards might not be your cup of tea, Grenada contains one particular creature that deserves a mention - the Grenada Dove (Leptotila Wellsi). It is found only in Grenada and there are less than a hundred of them. They are an endangered species and thankfully now protected by law. The greatest threat to the bird is habitat loss and thankfully the Forestry and National Parks Department and many other local agencies are working together to sensitise the public to the precarious nature of the dove's situation.

Grenada's natural environment has much to offer both from the comfort of your 4x4 and half way up a mountain, covered in mud and hanging on to a rope. The natural places of interest are not doctored or commercialised, they are just part of an immensely beautiful natural environment that Grenadians and visitors are appreciating more and more every day.