Grenada & Carriacou / Special Interests / Culture & Heritage

There is no escaping the fulsome flavour of Grenada, not just relating to its bountiful trade in spices, but its tumultuous history dating back thousands of years to when Amerindian tribes made their home on the island. But the Carib Indians who settled here were driven out by European colonialists and Carib’s Leap is the place where a group of them deliberately plunged to their deaths to avoid being enslaved. The subsequent colonial powers of France and then England, who ruled Grenada and its two sister islands until Independence in 1974, both left their mark, but today they have their own distinct personality formed from these and African and East Indian influences.

Grenada has a history of sugar and rum production, but where many islands have gradually lost their distilleries, Grenada still has some working ones. Another similarity is music, which plays a strong part in island life wih the annual Carnival precipitating a month of festivities every summer. However, unlike neighbouring islands, Grenada is partly defined by its spices which have been the catalyst for a whole industry based around growing, havesting and exporting them.

Grenada is not that developed a tourist destination, and getting out and about is fun and bound to bring a strong West Indian experience, whether you are in a rum shop or on a plantation tour. The Grenadians themselves are typical of the Windward Islanders: welcoming and easy going, and they make exploration of the island a real pleasure. Carriacou and Petite Martinique are completely different in character. Here you will find classic Caribbean small island life, Grenadines style. Quiet, sleepy and enchanting.