The Island of Species
The center of the nutmeg industry is Gouyave, a small town in the west coast, at 10 km. north of St. George. In this place there’s only one street, with ancient buildings, where a small fishermen community lives. With as many goats as people, here in the Nutmeg Processing Station (open from Monday to Friday, Saturday mornings, entrance fee), visitors can closely follow the complete process to elaborate nutmegs. Just before arriving to Gouyave, a dusty road takes you to Dougaldston Spice Estate, a property dedicated to the farming and elaboration of species, and that, surely, has seen better times. For a few dollars, you can buy little bags containing nutmegs, cinnamon cloves and other species.

From Gouyave, the road goes north, parallel to the coast, with splendid sights, before turning into the inner lands, through a series of poor villages, until reaching the Sauteurs, a city in the north coast, whose French name means, literally, “jumpers”, with reference to the last Caribbeans Indians, that in 1651, preferred to commit suicide, jumping from a 30m cliff into the sea, before surrendering to the French troops that besieged them. From a promontory, close to St. Patrick’s church, you’ll see the foam the sea water forms, while crashing against the reef’s rocks.

A highway going east, takes you to Levera National Park, a park of 200 has., with wild nature, including mangrove swamps, and beautiful beaches surrounded by coconut trees, just in the place where the Caribbean and Atlantic waters converge. From the top of a hill, you’ll see a group of empty isles, located in front of this coast, called Sugar Loaf, Green and Sandy. Just in front of Sandy, is Bathway Beach, a large white sandy strip that, surprisingly, is frequently deserted. Despite the protection of a coral reef, the Atlantic currents are very strong here. But those willing to swim, may use the natural, 10m long, pool formed by the rocks.

A Traditional Meal from Grenada
From Sauteurs, the main road goes south to Morne Fendue Plantation House (phone no. 442-9330), a house built with gray stone in an old plantation. For a reasonable price, Betty Mascoll, the kind owner of this place, offers her clients a menu, including some of the most traditional dishes of the island. Following south, leaving behind the small town of Mount Rose, a signal will show you the way to reach River Antoine Rum Distillery (open from Monday to Friday; Saturday mornings; entrance fee). A guided visit will disclose you some of the secrets in the elaboration of rum, and also they will show you, the distillation techniques used in the XVIII century. A few minutes more, by car, you’ll be arriving to lake Antoine.

Nature in its Pure State
From Grenville, the second city of the island, though it is an ugly place, with a dirty beach in the east coast, the colorful coast road takes you to Centro Natural La Sagesse, some 16 km. south.

But where, nature lovers will really enjoy, is at the Grand Étang a park including the mountains at the heart of the island, covered by a thick tropical jungle, from Mount St Catherine (840m) to Mount Sinai (703m). The highway from Grenville to St. George, goes along this exuberant landscape, where green is predominant. At half way, more or less, is the Grand Etang (580m), an extinguished volcano with a blue water lake in its crater. According to popular belief, there is no bottom here; but the truth is that nobody has enough courage to dive into this mysterious lake.

At the tourist center, you’ll be furnished with information about the surrounding flora and fauna, as well as the itineraries, properly signaled, where you can practice trekking.

Back to St. George, a stop is worth at the Annandale falls, where a water current falls down from 15m. into the river, where islanders and tourist are swimming.

South of St. George is Grand Anse, the most beautiful and visited beach of the island, a long white sand strip bordered by palm trees and hibiscus. Even more to the south, is Morne Rouge, a smaller and peaceful beach, whose sand forms an almost perfect semicircle of around one kilometer. Following south by the coast, east of the airport of Point Salines (of which the US Government said, during the cold war days in 1983, that was financed by Cuba, as part of the expanding intentions, of the Castro regime, in the Caribbean, is Prickly Bay, where is the popular sporting port of Spice Island, near to some of the most exclusive and luxurious hotels of the island, like The Calabash.

Two Perfect Hiding Places
Northeast of Grenada are the little islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique. A trip of three or four hours by ship, will take you to these heavenly places, two authentic refuges for those willing to set aside the world, for some days. From Carenage, twice a week, ships sail to Carriacou, where you can also go in small planes. But sailing to this diminutive island, is a experience worth living. Carriacou, is famous for its wooden boat builders, the great drum dance, of African origins, and, so they say, smuggling. The little volcanic island of Petit Martinique, is also famous for being a place where whisky smuggling takes place.