Windward Isles & French Antilles holiday
| country: | Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia |
| trip type: | A small group adventure. |
| departures: | 2010: 4 Apr, 31 Oct, 14 Nov, 19 Dec 2011: 23 Jan, 6 Feb, 20 Feb, 10 Apr |
| price: | From £1895 - £2750 (14 days) including flights from the UK, from £1300 - £1350 excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Eastern Caribbean is world famous for its beaches, but this island-hopping trip aims to open your eyes to the stunning rainforests, birdlife and mountains of these volcanic isles.
As we travel the language shifts from English to Creole to French, there is time to relax, snorkel, wander through traditional villages or stretch your legs and travel down jungle trails to 200 foot high waterfalls.
St Lucia & the Pitons:
A former British colony, St Lucia is renowned for its physical beauty. Translucent water covers beautiful coral, the forest covered Pitons rear out of the sea, volcanic sulphur springs and banana plantations combine to make an unforgettable visit.
We combine both the east coast, famous for its Atlantic breakers along with the sleepy town of Soufriere on the Caribbean - here there is plenty of time to enjoy snorkelling, visit the interior or the nearby sulphur springs.
Dominica 'Nature's Island': Travelling by small plane we journey to the rugged island of Dominica, a mere 29 miles long but almost 5000 feet high. Little visited it offers fabulous scenery, snorkelling and whale watching (seasonal). We then head up into the highlands to Morne Trois Pitons NP and our lodge, the base for the next day 2 days. Here there are walks to waterfalls, boiling volcanic springs and time to bird watch in this remarkably pristine area. We then spend two days in the atmospheric capital of Roseau with the chance to travel by canoe along one of the tropical rivers.
French & Creole culture of Martinique: Reboarding the catamaran style ferry, we cross the Martinique passage to Fort-de-France. The ambience is distinctly different here with a distinct gallic slant with French replacing English and Creole. We have time to explore the ruins of the former capital of Saint Pierre or relax on nearby beaches.
As we travel the language shifts from English to Creole to French, there is time to relax, snorkel, wander through traditional villages or stretch your legs and travel down jungle trails to 200 foot high waterfalls.
St Lucia & the Pitons:
A former British colony, St Lucia is renowned for its physical beauty. Translucent water covers beautiful coral, the forest covered Pitons rear out of the sea, volcanic sulphur springs and banana plantations combine to make an unforgettable visit.
We combine both the east coast, famous for its Atlantic breakers along with the sleepy town of Soufriere on the Caribbean - here there is plenty of time to enjoy snorkelling, visit the interior or the nearby sulphur springs.
Dominica 'Nature's Island': Travelling by small plane we journey to the rugged island of Dominica, a mere 29 miles long but almost 5000 feet high. Little visited it offers fabulous scenery, snorkelling and whale watching (seasonal). We then head up into the highlands to Morne Trois Pitons NP and our lodge, the base for the next day 2 days. Here there are walks to waterfalls, boiling volcanic springs and time to bird watch in this remarkably pristine area. We then spend two days in the atmospheric capital of Roseau with the chance to travel by canoe along one of the tropical rivers.
French & Creole culture of Martinique: Reboarding the catamaran style ferry, we cross the Martinique passage to Fort-de-France. The ambience is distinctly different here with a distinct gallic slant with French replacing English and Creole. We have time to explore the ruins of the former capital of Saint Pierre or relax on nearby beaches.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/St Lucia; drive to Mon Repos. |
| Day 2-3: | In Mon Repos; visit Atlantic coast; tour to north of island. |
| Day 4: | Fly to Dominica; drive to Laudat by Morne Trois Pitons NP. |
| Day 5: | In Laudat; optional walk to Boiling Lake. |
| Day 6: | Optional walk to Middleham Falls; drive Roseau. |
| Day 7-8: | In Roseau; optional whalewatching and Indian River canoe trip. |
| Day 9: | Ferry to Martinique. |
| Day 10: | In Fort de France; visit St Anne; optional Saint Pierre. |
| Day 11: | Ferry to St Lucia; drive to Soufriere. |
| Day 12: | Visit Pitons area and hot spings; optional snorkelling or relax on a beach. |
| Day 13: | Fly London. |
| Day 14: | Arrive London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Although the Windward isles are famous for their stunning beaches and resorts we take the chance to enter to the interior of the three islands exploring the less visited national parks. We use a local operator to provide our accommodation and transport.
We travel mainly on inter-island ferries rather than flying between the islands, this way we minimize the impact of our carbon emissions. We try to stay, wherever possible, in smaller, family run hotels rather than the larger all-inclusive resorts that are common in the Caribbean. We also eat out in local restaurants in the evenings, thus spreading our holiday spending through the local community. We also use different local agents on each island so that all the revenue for the tour is not going to one operator on one island. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |