Gouyave and the north: Grenada's spice coast

Why go

If you want to see what made Grenada the Spice Isle, this is where to go. The coast road passes black sand bays and colourful fishing boats, the hills are full of nutmeg and cocoa trees, and the towns are small, friendly and unhurried. Few visitors stay overnight, so the north feels far from the resort strip.

Gouyave

**Gouyave** in St. John is a fishing town and the self proclaimed fishing capital of Grenada. The **Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station** is a working co-operative where nutmeg and mace are sorted by hand, and a short tour explains how the spice is graded and exported. Nearby **Dougaldston Estate** shows old drying trays for cocoa and spices.

Every Friday evening, **Fish Friday** turns the main street into an open air feast, with stalls grilling and frying fish, lobster in season, lambi, fish cakes and fish broth, with music and rum punch. It is fun for families, cheap and very local. Around the end of June, the **Fisherman's Birthday** festival blesses the boats and nets on St. Peter's Day.

Concord and the west coast

Inland from the coast road, **Concord Falls** has an easy lower waterfall by the road and longer hikes to the upper falls. Fishing villages such as **Victoria** and **Black Bay** are good for a quiet stop, and petroglyphs carved by the island's early Amerindian peoples survive at **Mount Rich**.

St. Patrick

In the north, **Belmont Estate** is a working plantation from the 1600s with cocoa processing, a heritage museum, gardens and a Grenadian buffet lunch. The **Grenada Chocolate Company** pioneered organic bean to bar chocolate made on the island. **River Antoine Rum Distillery** still uses a water wheel to crush cane, and its rum is very strong, so sip carefully.

**Sauteurs** is the northern town where, in 1651, the last Kalinago people leapt from the cliff at **Leapers Hill** rather than surrender to French forces. It is a solemn and important place. On the Atlantic side, **Bathway Beach** has a reef that forms a calm swimming pool, and **Levera National Park** protects mangroves, a lagoon and turtle nesting beaches. **Lake Antoine** is a quiet crater lake for birdwatching.

Food

This is the place to try fresh fish at Fish Friday, a buffet of callaloo, breadfruit and stewed meats at Belmont, and cocoa tea. Look for oil down, the national dish, cooked in big pots for family gatherings and fundraisers.

Getting there

Most visitors come on a full day island tour. West coast minibuses run from St. George's to Gouyave and on to Sauteurs; the journey is scenic but winding. For Fish Friday, arrange a taxi back in advance, since minibuses thin out late at night.

Good to know

The Atlantic coast has strong currents and waves outside the reef pools, so swim only where locals do. Leatherback turtles nest on northern beaches roughly from spring to early summer; join only licensed, guided turtle watches and follow their rules.