The island of Grenada, known as the Spice Isle, is one of the most southern of the Windward Islands. Most people imagine pristine beaches when they think of a beautiful Caribbean island, but Grenada has much more to offer than just white sandy beaches! Grenada is home to numerous waterfalls, along with a lush tropical rainforest to discover. After experiencing almost all there is to do in Grenada, I want to share the top 4 waterfalls on the Island so you don't miss out on all there is to experience!
Things to Remember:
Before you head out on your waterfall adventures, it's important to be prepared. Each waterfall is different and unique, but you don't want to show up forgetting something important!
First things first: the waterfalls are located mostly towards the center of the island, in the mountainous, rainforested area. This means you may need to rent a car to get to the falls. Alternatively, you can book an all-inclusive tour with a local tour company that will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the falls (as well as other destinations!) I would recommend Get Up and Go Tours Grenada if you are looking for an island tour!
Things you should remember to pack include: a towel, swimsuit (I suggest wearing it under your clothes, most places don't offer changing facilities), bug spray, shoes to walk in (some falls have a hike, others have paved pathways- choose accordingly), cash (most of the falls do not take card payments for entry fees), and drinks or snacks! You may or may not need sunscreen, depending on the falls you visit, but it is never a bad idea to have some on hand in case you see a beach you want to stop off at on the way!
Annandale Falls
Annandale Falls is definitely the easiest of the four to access, but this also makes it one of the more crowded destinations. It is the closest of the four to the city of St. George's, so the drive isn't very long. When you arrive to Annandale, you are greeted with a little welcome booth, with an attendant, where you pay the $2.50 EC entrance fee. You will walk past some vendors, through a beautiful garden with a paved walkway, to the falls. There are locals that you can pay to jump off the face of the falls if you want to see an impressive jump, but is not required. There is a small jump platform for us as visitors to use, and a pretty big swimming area! The water can be chilly, but I would highly recommend jumping in for a swim!
The entire area is filled with gorgeous, lush vegetation, and even has some really cool Jurassic-park style plants that hangout on the face of the cliff. The falls are gorgeous and definitely a great visit if you've got a lot going on in one day! It's the waterfall that most people have been to that visit the island, if they haven't been to more than one.
This waterfall is definitely one to visit if you don't have a lot of time in Grenada, but isn't my favorite. It feels very "touristy" compared to the others, but since it is so much closer than the others, you should have time to visit another location on the island in the same day!
Concord Falls
Concord falls is another more popular waterfall due to the ease of access. The falls are on the west side of the island in St. John's Parrish. After a longer drive up the coast, and a back road drive through gorgeous farmland, there is parking located right at the falls. The pathway to the actual waterfall is paved with stairs, so no hiking is necessary. There is a gift shop, some monkeys, and a rum shack that you can buy beers at. There are also restrooms to use, which is not common when visiting these waterfalls. When you park, you will walk down the steps to the falls, so you will have a great view of the whole area from above! There is a really shallow area that you can sit and enjoy the sunshine in, a deeper swimming area, and no entrance fee!
Concord is also one of a chain of waterfalls that you can access from this area. The others require a pretty long hike, so if you plan to visit more than the main Concord fall, I would give yourself the whole day!
As I mentioned, it is a bit farther than Annandale, but the drive up the coast is beautiful. It is important to note that some of the roads you will be driving on can get very narrow, with barely any, if no passing room at all. That can get tricky when a car is coming down the opposite direction, drive slow and pay attention to the sides of the road if you encounter another vehicle!
Concord is a gorgeous waterfall, and still has the luxuries of a popular destination, but because of it's distance from St. George's, seems to stay a little less crowded than Annandale. Plus, the longer drive offers lots of cool places to stop off and take pictures!
Seven Sisters
As the name suggests, Seven Sisters falls is actually a chain of seven waterfalls all cascading like a staircase. When you go to visit Seven Sisters, however, people are generally referring to two falls in one area, rather than all seven. These falls are about twice the distance of Annandale, and are up in the Grand Etang area. The drive takes a while, but allows for plenty of places to stop off and enjoy, like the Grand Etang lake, a winding rainforest drive, and plenty of little rum shacks to pass before venturing into the rainforest.
When you arrive to the parking area, you will walk into the little shop to pay the small entrance fee (I think it was $5 EC, but I don't recall if I am being honest). From there, you have about a mile or so walk to the trailhead. None of the hike is paved, and can be slippery from the tropical weather and rainforest ecosystem. The hike takes about an hour, and is mostly downhill on makeshift steps or unpaved path. There is a little stream that you have to cross by navigating over the rocks before you get to the area with the falls.
nce you are at the falls, there is the main waterfall, standing about 40 ft tall, and the smaller one below the swimming area. There are people that you can pay to jump off of the falls (and do a backflip!!!) but again, is not required. They can also help guide you to the top of the falls to jump if you are feeling brave, however, I was not feeling up to it when we visited. There is a nice sized swimming area at both feet of the individual falls, and shallower areas to hang out in!
The mosquitos can be pretty bad throughout the hike and at the actual falls, so I would recommend bringing an insect repellent. I like to carry citronella essential oil with me when I know I'm going to be around mosquitos, it seems to work better (and smell better) than some of the other repellants that you can find, and is chemical free, so is better for the environment and your skin!
The drive to Seven Sisters is winding through the mountains and is a gorgeous drive, but be prepared for these falls to take most of the day. If you plan to hike the full 7 falls, I would give yourself all day, with an early morning and later evening. Seven Sisters was the first waterfall I visited in Grenada, and is definitely still one of my favorites!
Mt. Carmel Falls
Mt Carmel Falls has got to be my favorite of the four falls mentioned here. Carmel falls is actually the tallest waterfall on the island of Grenada, standing 70 feet high! Pictures don't do the size justice, but it is absolutely breathtaking!
Like Seven Sisters, this fall is quite the distance from the city of St. George's. It is probably the furthest of the four, and is towards the east coast of the island. You can drive up the coast or through the mountains, but I would plan for it to take at least half the day to experience. Like Concord falls, the drive is long enough that there are plenty of places you can stop off and experience! It is also pretty close to the Westerhall Plantation (chocolate!!!) and the Antoine Rivers Rum Distillery, so if you get up early enough, you may be able to experience all three in one day!
I will mention, that the falls are kind of hidden when you are driving. I only stopped driving because I found a group of locals shortly after the sign that were kind enough to let me know that I could park on the side of the road and the guide would take us down!
I'm not usually one to ask for a tour, but the guide mentioned it was only a $2 EC or so charge for the tour, and would let us learn more than if we just walked on our own. He guided us through a short hike (it is unpaved, but is definitely an easier hike than the Seven Sisters hike), to the base of the falls. We got to spend some time climbing on the rocks and enjoying the mist in our face. The falls here do not have a large swimming area like the others, but there is an area the guide took us to afterwards with a huge swimming area.
After we left the main falls, we walked to an area of farmland and got to see the local foods growing and learn about them all. We even got to taste fresh cocoa, something that I learned to love for a quick snack on the island! After our walk around the farmland, our guide brought us to a small cascading fall that we could slide down! If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that there's not a whole lot that makes me nervous, but for some reason I was pretty nervous to slide down. I went second after my friend Julianna, and I HIGHLY recommend you all try it! It was so much fun, and then we had a huge area to swim around in!
Which one will you visit?
A day at a waterfall is a day well spent, it's definitely tough to choose one over the others! When you take a trip to Grenada, I hope you give the falls a visit, they will not disappoint I promise! I'd love to hear which of the four you'd like to visit, or if you've been to Grenada, which one you have been to!
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