When you are relaxing in luxurious bliss at your resort, sometimes leaving is the last thing you want to contemplate (it’s certainly the last thing I want to contemplate). But on this most recent visit to Grenada, I found three good reasons to venture off-property.

Jeep Excursion

We scheduled a daylong trip with Sun Hunters, a local, family-run company that offers Jeep, dune buggy and kayaking tours (weather permitting). Because we’d already seen a few of the planned stops on the public tour (the pretty capital of St. George’s, the House of Chocolate and Grand Etang Lake), we chose the Private Free to Wander Jeep Adventure. What was supposed to be a six-hour itinerary turned into an epic, eight-hour excursion, during which we went into “deep country,” as our guide, Ronel, described it. This experience was a little more expensive ($230 per person), but it was tailored to special requests and spontaneous whims. When I wanted to see a far-flung waterfall, he’d drive us there. When I asked to stop and take pictures of the colorful, ramshackle rum stalls lining the road, he accommodated us. When I wanted to bathe in the Clabony Sulphur Springs or be escorted to the Royal Mount Carmel Waterfall, he was happy to wait. We also had lunch and cocktails at the beachside Petite Anse Hotel on the northern tip of Grenada and had a rum tasting at the Clarke’s Court Rum Distillery in the south — another great reason to have a driver. All Sun Hunters guides are CPR and first-responder certified, and each trail has been tested and approved. You’ll be in good hands no matter what you choose to do.

Seven Sisters Waterfalls

Spice Island Beach Resort arranged our Seven Sisters Waterfalls excursion, and it was intense! Our guide, Lenox, drove us to the trail while giving us facts and history about Grenada and pointing out breadfruit trees, “flamboyant trees” (poinciana) and the “painted tree” (eucalyptus) along the way. Typically, visitors take the established route 1.3 miles from the popular trailhead, where signs say there is a $2 fee. But our guide, suspecting we wanted a more secluded and more challenging expedition, chose “the back way.” We certainly eluded the crowds because it wasn’t much of a trail at all: Lenox said he had forged the path himself, and we had no reason to doubt him. It started off easily enough, on a flat path through the rainforest, but the longer we walked, the more dense and dark it became. We eventually found ourselves clambering over tree stumps, navigating muddy ground and holding on to vines and tree roots as we scaled down steep, wet slopes. Had we been alone, we would have gotten quite lost. Seeing the double waterfall and swimming in its clear pool below was a nice payoff for a long muddy hike, but the whole experience was enriching. We used all five senses: We watched mimosa leaves curl closed upon our gentle touch; smelled the clove and cinnamon trees and the citrusy soursop; saw the bright reds and yellows of rare heliconia blooming amid the lush green forest; heard the birds chirping and the raindrops pitter-pattering on the leaves; and tasted the crunchy French cashew fruit and juicy papaya as we departed. (Read more about other waterfalls here.)