Climbing the Caribbean's peaks - 6 mountains your clients should conquer
There’s more to a Caribbean holiday than rum punch and relaxing. Encourage clients to see more of the islands by heading to their highest peaks, suggests James Litston.
St Lucia
The Pitons are without doubt the Caribbean’s most iconic peaks. St Lucia’s signature sight, these Unesco World Heritage-listed twin pinnacles dominate the island’s west coast. The taller of the two, Gros Piton, reaches 800 metres above sea level and is the only one accessible to hikers. The trail to the top is steep in places and requires some scrambling over boulders; but clients only need get halfway to enjoy the spectacular views. Depending on fitness and ability, the round-trip hike takes around six hours, so it makes sense for clients to stay nearby and avoid the need to set out too early. Luckily, Jade Mountain – one of the island’s best hotels – is so close that the Pitons fill the view from its open-fronted suites. The concierge can arrange guided Piton hikes for $85pp, with clients setting out at first light to take advantage of cooler temperatures. They’ll be back by Jade Mountain’s infinity pool, looking out at the mount they’ve just conquered, by lunchtime.
Book it: Abercrombie & Kent offers seven nights all-inclusive, in a Sky Jacuzzi Suite at Jade Mountain from £3,200pp, including flights and transfers (all prices based on two sharing). The price is valid for travel during July and August.
Dominica
Sparsely-populated Dominica (pronounced Dom-in-ee-ka, and unrelated to the Dominican Republic) counts Guadeloupe and Martinique among its nearest neighbours. Nicknamed “The Nature Island”, its towering topography is two-thirds covered with verdant, species-rich tropical rainforest. The island is so hilly that its indigenous name, Waitukubuli, means “tall is her body” in the indigenous Kalinago language, in recognition of its mountainous landscape. According to David Pointer, senior product manager, Western & Oriental, the mountains are easily accessible for adventures. “The tallest peak, Morne Diablotin, has trails leading to its 1,447-metre-high peak,” he says, “taking active clients directly to the highest point in the Eastern Caribbean”. He recommends Rosalie Bay Resort as a convenient base. “Set among the foothills of the Morne Trois Pitons national park, the property is wind and solar-powered, and perfectly positioned for setting off on guided hikes.” Advise clients that guides (bookable locally) are essential as not all the trails are well-marked; they can also ensure that routes incorporate interesting points such as waterfalls and hot springs.
Book it: Western & Oriental offers seven nights on a B&B basis at Rosalie Bay Resort from £1,585pp, including flights and private transfers. westernoriental.com
Nevis
When Christopher Columbus first saw the clouds around this island’s highest point, he named it “Las Nieves”, as it reminded him of snow. Today Nevis Peak draws active travellers keen to tackle one of the Caribbean’s most challenging climbs. Nisbet Plantation Beach Club – a boutique property with just 36 rooms – can arrange hikes to the summit with Lynell Liburd, a renowned local guide. Clients with a head for heights and good grade of physical fitness can follow Lynell up the mountain’s forested slopes on a four-hour adventure to the very peak itself. The view from the top takes in St Kitts and Montserrat among an island-studded seascape, and there’s wildlife such as hummingbirds and tree frogs to spot en route. Afterwards, hikers receive a certificate of achievement, and can recover back at Nisbet Plantation’s spa, or in one of the island’s hot springs.
Book it: Caribtours offers seven nights’ half-board at Nisbet Plantation from £1,665pp, including flights and transfers. The price includes two nights free (book by February 29 for travel between April and December). The mountain hike, bookable locally, costs $40pp.
Dominican Republic
The Caribbean has many peaks, but only one can be the tallest of them all. That accolade goes to the Dominican Republic’s Pico Duarte, which reaches an elevation of more than 3,000 metres above sea level. There are three main hiking routes to the top, each of which takes several days to complete. But not all of the country’s mountains require such legwork to ascend. Should clients staying in the beach resorts near Puerto Plata, in the north of the island, feel like leaving their loungers, they’ll find a readily accessible peak lying just outside the town. Mount Isabel de Torres, named in honour of a Spanish queen by Christopher Columbus, stands proud at 712 metres. “A five-minute ride in a cable car (the only one in the Caribbean) will whisk clients all the way to the top to enjoy panoramic views reaching far out to sea,” says Annabel Cove, head of trade sales for DoSomethingDifferent.com.
Book it: DoSomethingDifferent offers a five-hour Puerto Plata City Tour and Cable Car excursion from £32 per adult (£16 per child), which includes hotel pickup, the cable car, lunch and visits to a fort and the Amber Museum.
Jamaica
At 2,256 metres above sea level, Blue Mountain Peak is Jamaica’s highest point. It’s protected as a Unesco World Heritage Site and, according to Elizabeth Fox, Jamaica Tourist Board’s UK director, it features “stunning biodiversity, with more than 200 bird species and 500 kinds of flowering plants, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world”. A 14-mile trail leads hikers all the way to the summit, but clients can gain a head start by staying at Strawberry Hill. The resort, whose 12 Georgian-style cottages sit among 26 acres of gardens looking down towards the sea, is located in the Blue Mountains at an elevation of 915 metres. To make the nine-mile ascent more extreme, daredevil hikers can tackle it at night, arriving at the peak to watch the sun rise over the sleeping island.
Book it: ITC offers seven nights’ B&B at Strawberry Hill from £1,779pp, including flights and private transfers. Price valid from April to mid-December.
Antigua
You’ve got to admit that Mount Obama sounds much more appealing than Boggy Peak – but that’s what Antigua’s highest mountain was called before being renamed eight years ago in honour of the American president. It is now a national park with trails leading up both north and south flanks to the 400-metre high summit. “I hiked to the peak myself last summer,” says Jean-Marc Flambert, Antigua’s UK vice-president of sales and marketing. “The views from the top are breathtaking, and the walk itself allows clients to work off the Antiguan cuisine if they’ve over-indulged!” The ascent itself is relatively straightforward and follows well-marked trails, though guided hikes with Trek Tours Antigua can be arranged for £47pp. Those who reach the summit are rewarded with views of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Nevis and St Kitts. Access to Mount Obama is easy from Curtain Bluff, a luxurious, 72-room resort occupying a headland on the island’s south coast. Facilities here include a tennis centre, plus watersports, two beaches and a spa.
Book it: Kuoni offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at Curtain Bluff from £3,222pp, including flights and transfers.
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