Of all the Leeward Islands, I was most excited to visit Dominica. We love the outdoors and we couldn’t wait to explore its untouched beauty. Known as Nature Island, Dominica’s green countryside is brightly colored with beautiful exotic flowers. Its mountain peaks reach the clouds and the waterfalls are dramatic in both height and volume. More than once, we were told by locals that Dominica has 365 rivers, “one for every day of the year.” It was time to get our hiking shoes muddy.
Tag: hiking
Tis’ The Season for Christmas Winds
We had heard that strong northerly winds in December wreak havoc on otherwise calm anchorages, but we had never experienced this first hand. Last season we didn’t leave our safe harbor until February and saw normal trade-winds most our way south. We saw that these ‘Christmas winds’ were in the forecast, so the first chance we got, we booked it from Nevis to Deshaies, Guadeloupe. We planned to ride out the strong winds in a well-protected anchorage while munching on baguettes and sipping espresso.
50 Shades of Green: St. Kitts and Nevis
At first glance, the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis look like the green section of a Crayola crayon set. All shades are visible: Fern, Granny Smith Apple, Medium Chrome Green, Sea Green, Forest Green, Shamrock, Mountain Meadow, etc. It’s no wonder the African Green Vervet Monkey thrives on these two islands. The monkeys are believed to have originally arrived on the island via slave ships. The island’s fertile soil and tropical climate created the perfect environment to grow sugar cane, so sugar and tobacco plantations were a key part of St. Kitts and Nevis’s history. To provide the large amounts of labor needed for the industry, African slaves were imported in large numbers in the 1600s.
A Hike, a Waterfall, and a Swimming Hole: Exploring Inland Puerto Rico
It is now low season in Puerto Rico. Tourism season is from November to May. This actually works out great for us, because we often get to enjoy even the most popular Puerto Rico attractions all to ourselves. We recently discovered that we can rent a car from the Enterprise down the street for just $16 a day (all fees included). When we rent cars from marinas, we typically spend around $40 a day, so this is a bargain. Of course the price will go up in November. But since renting a set of wheels is so affordable right now, we’ve been exploring inland in search for rivers, waterfalls, and more.
El Yunque National Forest: Jurassic Park Sans Dinosaurs
With the power out all over the island, many Puerto Ricans woke up Thursday (9/22) morning in the smothering heat without air conditioning. Since most businesses were closed, people had the day off and needed to find a way to cool off. So everyone flocked to the beach, but Rob and I had different plans. We’ve been wanting to visit El Yunque National Forest since we arrived in Puerto Rico. What better way to beat the heat than to hike up into the clouds and swim under waterfalls?
Utuado: Exploring Inland Puerto Rico
With nearly 300 miles of gorgeous beaches, it’s no wonder why many people visiting Puerto Rico never leave the coast. Even though the coastline is breathtaking, there’s also a lot of beauty to explore inland. Puerto Rico is only a third of the size of Massachusetts, but it has several different ecosystems, including tropical rain forests, tropical dry forests, coastal mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and coastal plains. We rented a car last week and after checking on Kairos (she’s doing great by the way), we decided to head inland to explore the mountainous forests in Utuado.
Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park
We left Palm Cay Marina in Nassau on Sunday March 6th and headed to the Exumas Cays. The Exumas are arguably the best cruising in the world and we couldn’t wait to get there. The first places we visited are inside the Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park. These islands are all uninhabited and are protected by the Bahamas National Trust. It’s considered a NO TAKE ZONE, so fishing and lobstering are not permitted. You aren’t even allowed to take shells out of the park. These are absolutely gorgeous islands and the Trust does a great job of protecting and managing them—so we were happy to obey the rules. Not to mention we still had a freezer stocked with mahi mahi to consume.