All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Grand Etang National Park
Trekking / Hiking in Grand Etang National Park
Grenada's central highland rainforest reserve, built around Grand Etang Lake, a crater lake filling an extinct volcano at around 530 metres. Montane forest of mahogany, tree ferns and gommier shelters mona monkeys and orchids, and the park's trails run from the roadside lake out to Seven Sisters Falls and up the ridgeline to Mount Qua Qua.
Why here
Grand Etang is the undisputed heart of hiking in Grenada, a cool, misty rainforest in the mountainous spine of the island a half-hour above the coastal heat. From the visitor centre by the crater lake, the classic walk drops through forest of giant bamboo and heliconia to the Seven Sisters Falls, also called St. Margaret's Falls, a chain of cascades with pools you can swim in, reached on a muddy 40 to 45 minute descent. The tougher Mount Qua Qua trail follows the ridgeline for about three kilometres each way through cloud forest to a summit with views across the island to the sea, and the most committed carry on toward Mount St. Catherine, Grenada's highest peak at 840 metres. Mona monkeys, introduced from Africa in the plantation era, come down to the roadside, and armadillo, opossum and dozens of bird species live in the reserve. Grenada's hiking is guided by real characters, among them Telfor Bedeau, who has walked these hills for more than fifty years, so a local guide is as much storyteller as route-finder.
Best months
The dry season from January to May gives the most reliable trail conditions, with late February and March the best window for the Mount Qua Qua ridge, when the mud has firmed up and the cloud lifts more often. Even in the dry months the interior is a rainforest and trails stay slick underfoot, so proper footwear matters. The Seven Sisters descent is short but steep and slippery; Mount Qua Qua is a two to three hour round trip; Mount St. Catherine is a full, strenuous day. Afternoons cloud over and rain is possible any month, so start early. A guide is strongly advised beyond the lake trails, as junctions are unmarked.
Getting there & around
The Grand Etang visitor centre sits on the main cross-island road about a 30 to 40 minute drive from St. George's, and most hikes start there or from the Seven Sisters trailhead nearby on private land, which charges a small entry fee. There is a modest park fee, and Seven Sisters costs a few EC dollars per person. Guides pick up from cruise ships, hotels and the capital, and the falls and ridge hikes are half-day outings; combine them with the crater lake for a full day. Bring water, insect repellent, grippy shoes and a dry bag, and expect no facilities beyond the visitor centre.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Henry's Safari Tours
GuideHenry's Safari Tours is a family-owned Grenadian operator founded more than 35 years ago by Dennis and Adeline Henry, based in St. George's. It has guided visitors through the island's rainforest for decades and has been named Tour Operator of the Year in Grenada, with a commendation from the US Embassy. Alongside island and yacht-provisioning services it runs guided hikes to Grand Etang, the Seven Sisters Falls and the Mount Qua Qua ridge, led by guides who grew up walking these forests.
Mandoo Tours
GuideMandoo Tours is a locally owned company run by Simon Seales, known across Grenada as Mandoo, a native guide with more than twenty years of experience and an award-winning reputation with the island's tourism board. It runs half and full-day island tours and a dedicated set of trekking trips to Grenada's waterfalls and forest, including the Seven Sisters Falls, Grand Etang and Concord Falls, with a deep line in the island's history, spice farming and culture along the way.