TRAVEL | UNIQUELY CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCES
If you see yourself as a traveller – as opposed to a vacationer – you no doubt search for unusual encounters and authentic activities that are particular to a destination. For the curious and the intrepid, the Caribbean offers an abundance of unique experiences. This is a taste of what the region has in store.
TRAVEL | UNIQUELY CARIBBEAN EXPERIENCES
Words by Natasha Were.
Piggy Paddles in Paradise, Bahamas
On Big Major Cay in the Bahamas, 25 pigs are living their best lives, sunbathing, snoozing, swimming and delighting visitors. How they came to call Big Major Cay their home nobody quite knows. Perhaps sailors took them there intending to eat them but left unexpectedly, or perhaps farmers from nearby Staniel Cay relocated the swine there when villagers complained of the smell. Either way, the adorable creatures now associate boats with food, and so eagerly swim out to greet them.
There’s more: A short swim from Pig Beach brings you to Thunderball Grotto, a stunning underwater cave system rich in marine life, where sunlight filters in from above causing the water to glow an ethereal blue. It’s also only a short boat trip out to Compass Cay where tame nurse sharks will brush alongside swimmers in the crystal clear shallows.
Stay: Staniel Cay Yacht Club’s waterfront bungalows and suites offer gorgeous views and plenty of Caribbean charm. Book the all-inclusive package and the complimentary kayaks, bikes, paddle boards and a 17-foot skiff are yours to play with.
Cenote Serenity, Dominican Republic
Although most of the world’s cenotes are found in Mexico, the Dominican Republic has a few spring-fed fresh water lagoons of its own. Blue Hole and Dudu Lagoon at Skape Park are two cool, crystal clear, intensely blue swimming holes that visitors can bathe in. The question is: will you cliff jump or zip line into the cerulean pools?
What else? Nearby Samana Bay in the northeast of the island is home to a renowned whale sanctuary. Each winter hundreds of humpback whales congregate here to mate, calve and nurse their young. Day trips with trained naturalists and liveaboard trips are an unforgettable way to see and hear these gentle ocean giants as they put on their acrobatic displays.
Stay: Situated on the mountainside within easy reach of numerous points of interest, Casa el Paraiso’s open-to-the elements rooms embrace sensational views of Samana Bay.
Panoramic Peaks, St. Lucia
St. Lucia’s Pitons – the spectacular twin mountains that appear to soar out of the sea almost vertically – have to be some of the region’s most dramatic scenery. The sight of these volcanic plugs, which rise to well over 2,000 feet, can be enjoyed from land or from the ocean – but nothing beats climbing to the top. The hike up Gros Piton is challenging and must be undertaken with a guide, but the trail – which leads through lush forest – is beautiful and the panoramic views from the peak are the ultimate reward.
Add ons: St. Lucia’s natural wonders include waterfalls, rivers, jungles, volcanoes and sulphur springs, as well as beaches and reefs, but one of its most memorable experiences is Hotel Chocolat’s Tree to Bar tour, where you can experience the entire chocolate-making process
from bud to bite, including crafting your own bar of ethical deliciousness.
Stay: Set above a remote sandy beach, Ti Kaye is a tranquil collection of rustic-chic sea-facing cottages, where the management will craft itineraries and book treatments in the cliff-edge spa.
Into the Deep, Cayman Islands
Black water diving – the latest frontier in recreational diving – entails travelling a mile or more offshore, where the sea is thousands of feet deep, in the dead of night. Because it is here that one can see an extraordinary sight: mysterious, otherworldly creatures – reef fish in their larval stages and baby dwellers of the deep – rising up through the water column, their translucent bodies and long, feathery fins glowing eerily as flashlights sweep over them. Due to the need for a cool head and expert buoyancy, this is for experienced divers only, available exclusively through Don Foster’s.
Alternatively: For less experienced divers, multi-colour night dives promise an equally unusual perspective of the watery underworld. Within the safety of a shallow lagoon, divers equipped with lights with ultraviolet, red night vision and warm white colour options can experience fluorescence, where creatures and corals glow in psychedelic hues under the cover of night.
Stay: From barefoot-luxury beachfront estates to secluded retreats, Cayman Villas offers sun-drenched escapes where sandy toes, post-dive unwinding and sweeping sea views are standard – all just steps from Cayman’s best beaches and dive sites.