Grenada Excitement – From Underwater Shipwrecks to Remote Mountainous Waterfalls
Grenada is the most southern of the Caribbean’s Windward Islands – About 165 miles (265km) southwest of Barbados. The mountainous main island and nearby Carriacou may be the Caribbean’s best-kept secret offering unspoiled natural beauty and a wide variety of activities sure to please any traveler looking for adventure. Grenada is home to Grand Etang National Park, a tropical rainforest attraction featuring a crater lake, hikable mountains and waterfalls. A Grenada vacation has plenty to offer travelers seeking action on both land and sea – Both a ‘hiker’s paradise’ and a ‘diver’s wonderland’, the islands also have plenty of snorkeling, fishing, a variety of watersports, and more.
Explore Beneath the Waves – Snorkel Grenada & Carriacou
With beach-accessible coral reefs and the world’s first underwater sculpture park, Grenada is a top Caribbean destination for snorkeling. Marine Parks protect a number of snorkeling spots in Grenada and Carriacou, making it safe and easy to explore healthy coral reefs brimming with marine life. Slip into the warm Caribbean Sea and snorkel in warm clear waters from a handful of Grenada’s white sandy beaches or take a short boat ride to experience underwater statues and reefs in shallow waters. Peek below the waves and you’ll see colourful tropical fish as well as octopus, eels, lobsters, urchin and starfish. You might even spot a seahorse! A few of our favourite snorkeling spots include:
Moliniere Bay Marine Protected Area is home to half a dozen excellent dive sites, including Dragon Bay, Grenada’s Underwater Sculpture Park and Magazine (AKA Aquarium) Beach. The Sculpture Park offers a unique experience with over 50 statues that can be explored in calm shallow waters. This is a once in a lifetime experience to visit a place National Geographic once named in its “Top 25 Wonders of the World”.
Levera National Park contains a beach with a nearby coral reef, beds of seagrass and even an offshore island to explore. La Sagesse Beach is located in a beautiful bay on the Atlantic side of the island with a couple of small coral reefs that are great for snorkeling.
Enjoy remote snorkeling at Carriacou’s Paradise Beach which offers a reef brimming with diverse marine life. Nearby Sandy Island is only a short boat ride away and offers great snorkeling in depths starting at 6 feet (2m). The island features a healthy coral reef and unique underwater boulders – The whole area is alive with corals, sponges and a wide variety of Caribbean fish as well as turtles.
For more detailed information, including local Boat Operators to get you outfitted and snorkeling, check out our Grenada Snorkeling pages.
Hike a Remote Grenada Waterfall Trail or Mountain Peak
One of the best islands to experience Caribbean hiking, Grenada offers a number of rainforest and mountainous hikes. The tallest peak on Grenada, Mount St. Catherine is 2,760 feet (840m) above sea level, making it the Caribbean’s twentieth highest peak. Grenada and Carriacou offer well over a dozen hiking trails in all.
The most popular hiking destination in Grenada is probably Grand Etang Lake and National Park, with its iconic Crater Lake, Mount Qua Qua and a variety of waterfalls, including Concord Falls and Concord Falls. There are several hiking trails within the park, from beginner to advanced, offering something for everyone.
Outside the park, there is another half a dozen waterfall trails, including Tufton Hall Waterfall and Golden Falls. These trails will take the better part of the day to explore, and will reward you with cascading waterfalls and inviting pools at the bottom for a mid hike cool-down.
Other great Grenada hiking areas on the island include Levera National Park which is home to the relaxing Levera Pond Shoreline ‘Loop’ Trail, as well as the Welcome Stone trail which culminates with spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea and nearby offshore islands.
Meanwhile, over in Carriacou, you can hike the High North Trail which includes views of the southern Grenadines from the island’s highest peak. Other trails on Carriacou takes you to beaches, ruins and quaint villages.
For much more information, including local Hiking Guides to get you on the trail, check out our Grenada Hiking pages.
Fish the Blue Waters of Grenada
One of the southern Caribbean’s most diverse fishing destination, Grenada has reefs, shoals as well as an abundance of deep-water fishing spots close to shore. There is plenty of opportunity to catch deep-sea sport fish like sailfish, blue marlin, white marlin and the occasional tuna. There’s also wahoo, mahi mahi (dolphin/dorado), king fish, mackerel and barracuda to be reeled in. Local fishing boat operators know the best places to catch the fish you are looking for, and will make sure you have an enjoyable day at sea.
For the serious fisherman looking to join like-minded individuals for a few days of competitive fishing, the Spice Island Billfish Tournament is held every January. Dozens of boats and anglers gather for a week of fun on the blue waters of Grenada!
For more information, including local Fishing Boats to get you on the sea, go to our Grenada Fishing page.
Kayak Grenada’s Bays and Mangroves / SUP, River Tube Fun & More
The whole family will enjoy kayaking offshore of beaches, protected bays and mangroves while visiting Grenada and Carriacou. You will all enjoy paddling a ‘see-through’ kayak that allows you to view the beautiful reefs and fish below the waves without even getting wet! Experienced kayakers can get your heart rate pumping by paddling through the waves while you journey around a nearby offshore island.
Grenada is also a great place to give SUP (Stand Up Paddle-boarding), aqua-biking and other watersports a try.
Fun seekers will have a ‘wet & wild’ day river tubing down Grenada’s Balthazar River. The river flows down from the Grand Etang Forest mountains, providing a fun meandering ride through the lush green rainforest.
For more information, including local Tour Operators & Equipment Rental Shops to get you on the water, take a look at our Grenada Watersports page.
Dive the Wrecks and Reefs of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique
With its healthy coral reefs and marine life biodiversity, Grenada is a top Caribbean Scuba Diving destination. With more than 30 dive sites, ranging in depth and habitat, Grenada offers something for everyone. If you like shipwrecks, Grenada has more divable wrecks than any other island in the Caribbean. There are great dive spots for beginners as well as experienced divers, most close to shore needing no more than a 15-minute boat ride to reach.
North of Grenada is a special place for experienced divers featuring clear waters and uncrowded coral reefs. You will have an enjoyable day cruising the west coast of Grenada to dive and lunch on the near-deserted Ronde Island. Of course, Grenada’s Moliniere Bay Marine Protected Area provides divers with sites featuring reefs, wrecks and gardens. For some, the feature attraction is the unique Underwater Sculpture Park with over 100 individual displays capturing the island’s history, culture and folklore as well as promoting conservation awareness.
Considered by some to be one of the top-10 wreck dives in the world, the ‘Bianca C’, the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean, and is the feature attraction of the Grand Anse Marine Protected Area. That said, there are plenty of other great reefs and wrecks to enjoy in the area as well!
Dive sites off the south-west coast of Grenada provide a variety of interesting reefs and wrecks for beginners and experienced divers alike. Some sites are made for drift diving and provide great opportunities for underwater photography. The dive sites south of the island are mostly for experienced divers looking for invigorating drift dives over reefs and wrecks with lots of rays and sharks!
Then there is the diving gem that is Carriacou, known as the ‘Island of Reefs’, where you can enjoy another 20 plus dive sites. The west coast of Carriacou offer opportunities for beginners as well as experienced divers to get beneath the waves, all close to shore. The Carriacou Marine Park has some amazing dive sites for beginners as well as experienced divers, with some ideal for underwater photography! The south side of Carriacou provides some amazing drift dives for beginners as well as experienced divers, along with opportunities to see plenty of sharks. Another ideal location for underwater photography!
For more detailed information, including local Dive Shops and Boat Operators to get you outfitted and deep below the waves, check out our Grenada Diving pages.
Sail Grenada’s Sparkling Turquoise-Blue Waters
Wonderfully situated to take full advantage of the Windward Islands’ trade winds, Grenada and Carriacou are uniquely within reach of the southern Grenadines, making them premier Caribbean yachting destinations. Get out on the water and experience the Caribbean under the power of sail, as it has been for hundreds of years.
View Grenada from the sea and you will get a better appreciation of the west coast’s abundance of sandy beaches situated between a panorama of mountainous green patches and quaint villages. Grenada’s numerous marinas and good year-round weather make it an ideal spot for Caribbean sailing tours. The island has many inlets, protected bays and offshore islands to drop anchor for an amazing swim and snorkel!
Vacationers can sail Grenada with tour/sailboat operators offering a variety of sailing adventures. For the more experienced, you can even charter a monohull or catamaran yacht for yourself, with or without a crew. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to sail, you can do that in Grenada as well! For salty sailors, Grenada holds a number of annual Sailing events, including Grenada Sailing Week every January featuring four race days and Grenada Sailing Festival (Workboat Regatta) every February for two days of racing action. One of the Caribbean’s longest-running sailing events, the Carriacou Regatta is a four day festival every August, and Petite Martinique holds their own Whitsuntide Regatta every May for a weekend of sailing fun.
For more information, including local Sailboat Charters, check out our Grenada Sailing page. You might also be interested in our Grenada Ocean Excursion page as well.
Enjoy a day of Golf in Grenada
Its easy to get to the Grenada Golf Club (AKA the Grenada Golf & Country Club) for a sunny day of Caribbean golf. Its located within walking distance of Grand Anse beach. The golf club was originally built in the 1930s as a 9-hole course measuring about 2,700 yards. Alternate tee boxes can now be used to make an 18-hole, Par 67 course measuring over 5,000 yards. Long, wide fairways and some elevated greens make the course interesting. Of course, views of the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean always help to make a great day of golf.
For more information about getting out on the links, check out our Grenada Golf page.
Have fun out there!
ACT Staff
Once you’ve had your fill of action and want to slow-it-down a bit, check out our recommended Things To Do in Grenada blog post.
For an overview of the “Spice Island of the Caribbean”, take a look at our Grenada Vacations page
