Tour guides honest about Grenada conditions?

[MOMofONE]

I'm curious what others are hearing about the current condition of Grenada after the devastation from Hurricane Ivan.

Initially optimistic, after questioning 3 tour guides, the responses started sounded canned rather than honest. I was told " there is still much natural beauty to explore" and "the hardest hit areas are not in the area we will explore".

Ian from Sunsation tours provided a more blunt assessment when I inquired about hiking in Grand Etang area:

"We used to advertise this as a rainforest walk, but Ivan 'took' the rainforest".

and

"not everywhere is open after Ivan yet".

 

I'm waiting to hear back from Ian after emailing some additional questions about wildlife, impact on reef & beaches, spice production, etc. since he seemed to be the only one offering a realistic view.

 

I'm deciding whether I should book a customized tour for our port day in November, adjusted to current conditons, or keep my reservation for the standard 1/2 day tour (apparently designed pre-Ivan).

 

What have you heard fron guides/companies in Grenada?

Thanks in advance for sharing

[denboy]

I'll start from the top to answer your points.

"there is still much natural beauty to explore" Ivan did cause a lot of damage and took out a lot of trees but if you had not visited before would you know what it looked like. There is still masses of greenery and fantastic views around every corner. In some places you get better views than you did prior to Ivan because the forests were that thick.

"we used to advertise this as a rainforest walk but Ivan took the rainforest" and "not everywhere is open after Ivan yet".If only one place had not reopened you could make that generalised comment. The majority of the sites have reopened with the exception of the Belmont Estate and hiking is still restricted as some of the paths in the forests have still to be cleared of fallen trees. There is no shortage of places to be visited and of sites to be seen.

Lets move on to some of the questions you have raised with Ian at Sunsation Tours.

1)Wildlife- the amount of wildlife you will see in Grenada has always been limited but Mona monkeys are still to be seen at Grand Etang.

2)Impact on beaches and reefs-Ivan had no impact whatsoever in this department ( if anything Grand Anse now has more sand than it did before Ivan's visit)You would be right to say the beaches have less trees to provide shade but otherwise they were not affected.Similarly the reefs are as before as Ivan was not accompanied by any significant sea swell.

3)Spice Production. Of course spice production has been badly hit, as you are probably aware the nutmeg trees were Ivan's main victims with approx 80% of the trees uprooted and it will take some years before there are the number of cropping trees again but is that reason enough not to take a tour.The nutmeg processing stations are still operational and accepting visitors for tours although it is noticeable they hve far smaller stocks but at least 20% of capacity is still there.

I would conclude that you are worrying overmuch about the current position on Grenada- just enjoy the visit and tour. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[MOMofONE]

Thanks denboy for your view.

I think you misunderstood the root of my curiosity - I never questioned whether Grenada was "worth visiting" and wasn't "worrying overmuch" at all. Seeking knowledge about hurricane damage does not automatically translate to worry.

 

I felt schmoozed by some tour operators when I asked direct questions. None of the websites I visited mentioned Ivan at all- you'd think they would address it positively, as you did, if there has been little or no impact on their advertised tours.

I did tell them I was arriving for a day by cruise ship so it wasn't as if I was going to turn around and change the itinerary based on their answers! lol

 

My post was inquiring what other cruisers are being told by tour operators - same story? Or were they lucky enough to find someone like I did who finally answered my direct questions, directly.

Those answers determine WHERE and HOW I choose to experience beautiful Grenada not IF I will tour. For example, I considered spending half a day hiking in the rainforest and the other half exploring spice plantations. I now feel a couple of hours for both of these interests would be more prudent and I would enjoy Grenada more by devoting the rest of the day to coastal activities. (And will likely cost more than their standard tours)

 

I appreciate you sharing what I assume to be 1st hand experience. I also appreciate Ian's view. I had no intention to slander Grenada or unneccessarily worry future cruises by sharing information although it seems you were spurred to defend.

Heck, I'm a Pride of Aloha Repositioning cruise survivor! While most of the ship was flaming NCL post cruise, I was posting an 8 page review with the message "be prepared because some concerns are REAL but NOTHING can ruin a Hawaii cruise except you"! I approach all travel this way, Grenada won't be an exception. : )

Thanks again,

Tina

[denboy]

Hi Tina,

I am glad to hear that you plan to go ahead with a tour. May I suggest for a hike you opt for the Seven Sisters Falls, although only the bottom part has reopened it is still very enjoyable with good views ( don't forget your swimming costume if you want to take a swim in the pool to cool off).

Dougaldston Spice Estate is also very interesting taking you back in time and is also a good opportunity to purchase spices at a much cheaper price than in the main tourist spots.

Trusting that you enjoy your visit