MT. QUAQUA DRIVER

Grand Etang Lake will also now come in to view behind you and what a sight that is! A glistening lake encircled by light green vegetation, with a backdrop of craggy, dark green peaks. If you are anything like us, you will probably find yourself stopping at regular intervals to marvel at the wide variety of exquisite views on offer. As a result, glimpses of the sparkling ocean beyond the thick carpet of dark, lush forest become visible for the first time. One of the steep sections Views Open Up!Īs the elevation increases, the canopy gradually opens up and regular gaps begin to appear in the undergrowth off to both left and right.

The canopy also works nicely as a parasol, shielding you from the strong Caribbean sunshine. The forest does a great job of acting as a natural windbreak as the trail winds its way up the ridge. Head right for Grand Etang Lake and the Shoreline Trail Off we go!Īt this point, the Mount Qua Qua hike gradient increases but some helpful man-made steps integrated into all the steeper sections greatly aid your climb. After a short distance, there is a route off to your right which leads down to Grand Etang Lake and the Shoreline Trail, if you fancy a little further exploring. The first section of the trail is relatively flat and leads you through pleasant forest on a well-defined track. We negotiated a EC$100 (£30 approx) fee for the hike and headed 200-300 metres down the road in the direction of St Georges, to the trailhead on the right-hand side of the road. At the same time, a friendly young man, called Gemry, introduced himself as our guide to Mount Qua Qua. We then looked up to see a number of tour coaches arrive and within minutes hoards of cap and camera-clad tourists marched in our direction. We were the only people there and at first, we weren’t even sure that the park was open. Here we enquired about a hiking guide as we were unclear as to the difficulty and state of the trail to the summit of Mount Qua Qua. Upon arriving at Grand Etang National Park just after 09:00, we headed straight to the visitor’s centre where we signed in.

The national park entrance is situated just off the main road connecting Grenada’s capital, St Georges, with the island’s second biggest town, Grenville. Mount Qua Qua is located in Grand Etang National Park, in Grenada’s mountainous centre. Next, we took the number 6 bus which deposited us right at the entrance to Grand Etang National Park and the starting point of the Mount Qua Qua hike. “Looking for another Rainforest hike? Head to Concord Falls…” So, early one morning, our Airbnb hosts dropped us in River Sallee where we jumped on the number 9 bus to Grenville. No need for a bug repellent or even that brimmed hat.Our opportunity arose when we were staying in the village of Bathway, on the northeast coast of Grenada. The air in the mountains is so much cooler and cleaner as opposed to that down in the valley or in the town of St. It's just that your running shoes will need a good scrub and wash afterwards. This shady path can be muddy in places (January) but you can still do without your waterproof walking boots. It is generally easy, with only a few short ascending stretches, although if you are used to walking poles, you will make good use of these on this path, particularly going down. The path is very visible, it is marked well so you really need to try hard to get lost.

MT. QUAQUA DRIVER

It can be done with or without a guide (ask a cab driver to drop you off at the Visitors Centre and pick you up later if you are on your own). The hike offers numerous views of this crater lake and lots of opportunities for great photos. Qua Qua is a very pleasant and easy two hour hike (total, there and back), and I would definitely recommend it if you are in the area of Grand Etang Lake.

Mt. quaqua