Adventure in Grenada

Into the woods

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With one-third of the island covered in either woodland or rain forest, no trip to Grenada would be complete without a trek into the heart of all this green — Grand Etang National Forest. For a nominal fee, visitors may pick up a trail guide and wander among thick stands of giant, creaking bamboo (which can grow up to an inch a day), twisty-barked mahogany, neon-streaked eucalyptus, ferns aplenty, and ficus trees big as banyan clusters.

Slippery with red clay even during the drier months, the forest's footpaths crunch with nutmeg shells — lining hiking trails is just one of the plant's many uses. Camping is allowed in Grand Etang, but you may want to avoid roughing it during hurricane season (June through November). Interestingly enough, pine trees were introduced in 1955 to reforest areas that Hurricane Jane swept bare.

With such lush plant life (Grenada receives 160 to 280 inches of rainfall each year), the park's wildlife can be difficult to spot; keep an eye out for iguanas, lizards, tree boas — the snakes here are harmless — and frogs, as well as opossums and armadillos. Mona monkeys, imported from Africa some 350 years ago, inhabit the treetops, so listen for their tell-tale grunts.