Article by Karen Burshtein.
Walking is the latest fitness obsession. It’s something that fits with another travel trend: quiet travel.
For me, the best time to go for a walk on a Caribbean stay is the morning. Nothing is easier than getting out of bed bright and early (even on holidays) and heading out for a hike, when the morning weather is a warm embrace not a hot bash on the head.
The perceived wisdom is that an island’s scenic treasures and most spectacular views are often accessed via remote parts of an island and that that entails a daunting hike. But it doesn’t have to be that way because the trails that take you to these island’s natural wonders are easily walkable. Join a tour or head out on your own (in some cases) and enjoy the sites in the best possible way – via a nice, easy walk.
Cactus and Meditation Rocks: Bushi Trail, Aruba
The Bushi Trail in Aruba offers a fairly easy hike…best done in the morning; photo by Karen Burshtein
Aruba continues to surprise with its diverse terrain. Going from wide sandy beaches to cacti studded desert atmosphere in just minutes is one of the things I like about the island. Even locals that have grown up in Aruba remain enthusiastic about it. My favourite early morning walk in Aruba takes me to and around the Bushi Trail, as it offers a variety of flora.
This walk is easy to moderate. The trailhead is at Calbas before forking off to one of two directions, one takes you down to the beach, the other to the mountainside. The trail to the beach is downward with a gentle incline for getting back up. I like to stop and rest on one of the giant rocks and gaze out at the sea or meditate. Even on an organized walk, guides let you perform this lovely little ritual. They are also very good at describing the various vegetation you will see along the way.
Seeing Double: Dark Views Fall, Saint Vincent
A double fall, Dark View Falls on the island of St. Vincent, is worth the short walk through the rainforest; photo courtesy of the St. Vincent Tourism Authority
Dark Views Fall in St. Vincent and The Grenadines is a mysterious, beautiful and history-laden waterfall accessed by an off-the-beaten path that’s easy to navigate once you access it. Local lore has it that the falls were unknown until quite recently. A guided tour tells a different story: Indigenous islanders have long known about them.
A little more insider info: Dark View Fall is a double fall, one of one of the Caribbean’s most spectacular. It’s located on the Leeward side of the island surrounded by natural pools, and lush and bio-rich flora.
You need to drive (or go with a tour) starting from Kingstown, and driving north for about an hour and a half. The falls are then accessed by a short and easy walk through a patch of rainforest. A bamboo bridge brings you to a bamboo grove which then opens spectacularly onto the first waterfall. The second is further away and more challenging to get to but in eyesight from the first.
An easily hikeable volcano: Cerro Negro, Nicaragua
Aside from enjoying the stunning view at the top, adventurous hikers can choose to sandboard down the volcano after their climb; photo courtesy of the Nicaragua Department of Tourism.
Everyone likes the idea of climbing to see a volcano up close but the idea of such a hike is often daunting. I’ve been on a few of these which are sometimes more treacherous than advertised and if it’s rained before the hike (which it often does in such climes), it can be slippery going up and descending even gentle inclines. That’s just one a small detail about why I recommend the Cerro Negro Volcano hike in Nicaragua. It’s easy and accessible. The loop is 3.5 km long with the trailhead at the Cerro Negro Car Park. It’s under an hour to get to the top and there’s a natural path along the rim (that said, a guided tour is recommended).
Once at the top, you’re treated to a spectacular 360-degree view of forest and neighbouring volcanoes for miles. The descent is easy, although the path is pebbly and there’s some loose scree. Some more adventurous hikers try a unique method for descending: Volcano boarding down the volcano slope. This is an extreme sport really associated with the Cerro Negro. It means you must lug the toboggan up with you but if you like thrills, this is a great, and truly unique experience.
Walking through History: Sint Eustatius
This Dutch Reformed Church in St. Eustatius was built in 1755; photo courtesy of the Sint Eustatius Tourism Board
Not all Caribbean walking tours are strictly through nature. We like the ones that give us some of the history of a place, too. Of course, Sint Eustatius, the tiny island in the North Eastern Caribbean, has some wonderful walks in the wild, including the trail around the Quill, the dormant volcano on the island. But this little jewel, a part of the Dutch Caribbean, has a fascinating and outsized (and often dark) history. In the 19th century it had one of the most active ports in the Atlantic, attracting thousands of ships each year.
Over the course of the centuries, the tiny but strategically located island, has been fought over between the French, Dutch and English, all of whom left their mark on the capital, Oranjestad. (The island changed hands twenty two times over the centuries.) Walk through the capital on a guided tour with Sint Eustatius Historical Foundation. A tour takes you from the port, through the major sites in town including Fort Oranje, the sites of centuries old synagogues and churches, and the old slave path. The island is an open air museum and you definitely get a sense of that on a walking tour.
Ruins and Black Sand: The Beach and Ruins of Anse Couleuvre, Martinique
The lushness of Martinique is on display walking the Anse Couleuvre trail as is the beauty of the waterfalls found here; photo courtesy of the Martinique Tourism Authority.
The Beach and Ruins Anse Couleuvre trail is a short easy to moderate walk on the north part of Martinique. The eastern Caribbean island is a French overseas region, whose culture is a distinctive blend of French and West Indies. It’s popular with French vacationers (it’s the birthplace of Josephine, of Napoleon and Josephine fame). Many Quebecois come as well. The walk incorporates the ruins of a 17th century cocoa farm, which later became a rum distiller and then a lemon orchard harvesting citrus for essential oils.
It is now under the ownership of a conservation society; a half mile walk through thatch of almond trees and the highlight: the wild and stunning black volcanic sand Anse Couleuvre Beach. The beach is striking against the turquoise waters of the sea with steep cliffs in the background. After visiting the ruins, continue along and to the right of the house towards the beach. This is the kind of trail that you could do on your own but there’s an option to take a guided tour, a good idea if you don’t have a car.
Article by Karen Burshtein. Karen Burshtein is an award-winning Toronto-based travel and culture writer with a love of history, saltwater and open water swimming.
She was born in Winnipeg, Canada and writes about all aspects of Canadian culture and history. She also travels the world where she likes to seek out the untold, the unconventional, and the quirky.
