World Country Guide

Introduction

The island of Grenada dwarfs the chain of islands spinning off to the northeast known as the Grenadines. The capital of Grenada, St George’s, is on the southwest coast near one of the island’s best beaches at Grand Anse; another is at Levera Bay near the island’s northern tip. At Grand Etang, an extinct volcano cradles a beautiful 30 acre- (12 hectare-) lake.
There are several waterfalls in Grenada, the most spectacular of which are the Annandale Falls, a 15m (50ft) cascade that flows into a mountain stream, and the Mount Carmel Waterfall, the island’s highest waterfall, which has two falls cascading over 21m (70ft) to clear pools below.
The Carenage, a picturesque inner harbour with 18th-century warehouses and restaurants, and Fort George (built by the French in 1705) are both worth a visit. See also the outer harbour, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and Fort Frederick.
On the way here, north from the capital, visitors pass through some of the prettiest fishing villages on the island. Hidden among the red roofs of Gouyave is the factory where spices are sorted, dried and milled. The Dougaldston Estate is a traditional plantation in the centre of the nutmeg- and cocoa-growing region.
From these rocks, the last of the island’s Carib Indians plummeted to their deaths in 1650.
In ‘the Grenadines of Grenada’, this island is a yachtsman’s paradise. The Carriacou Museum in Hillsborough has an impressive collection of Amerindian artefacts and mementoes dating back to occupation by the French and British.