The Ultimate Guide to Carriacou Grenada

Carriacou Grenada is a beautiful, tropical island in the West Indies home to around 8,000 people. Known as the ‘Land of Reefs’, due to the many shallow, surrounding reefs, this Caribbean island is a snorkeling and diving paradise.

Carriacou is one of Grenada‘s sister islands (Petite Martinique is the other) where there is a more relaxed and “island” feel compared to the “mainland”.

If you’re looking for a beautiful place to visit, with some amazing surrounding islands, beaches, and great restaurants, Carriacou Grenada might be for you.

General Carriacou Information

• Currency – East Caribbean Dollar (ECD) is used on the island. $1 USD is approximately $2.70 ECD. Most local bars use cash, however, some restaurants/shops have card facilities.
• Language – English is the spoken language, however, some locals have a ‘creole’ slang.
• Safety – Carriacou is part of Grenada which is generally considered one of the safest islands in the Caribbean.
• Transport – There are a few options to get around Carriacou Island. The local bus (van) is cheap, and you can generally hail them down as they drive past. Alternatively, you can hire a car (or bring your own from Grenada), or hire a taxi to take you around.
• Weather – It is usually tropical and warm throughout the year with Dry Season (approx. January to May) and Wet Season (approx. June to December)

How to get to Carriacou from Grenada

There are two main ways to get to Carriacou:

• Fly from Grenada (20-minute flight)
• Take the ferry from Grenada (approx. 90-120 minutes)

There are two ferries that go to Carriacou, The Osprey and the Dolly C:

• The Osprey is a passenger ferry that takes between 90-120 minutes.
  • Adults: EC$80, Children (5-12): EC$50, Children (under 5): EC$10

• Dolly C is the car ferry which takes approximately 180 minutes.
  • Adults: EC$50.00, Children 0-5 years: EC$10.00, Vehicle Return (Driver Included) – $300.00

Best things to do in Carriacou Grenada

Carriacou has beautiful islands, beaches, historical sights, and more. Here are the best things to do:

Visit the off-shore Islands

Sandy Island is a long, skinny island right across from Paradise Beach. With plenty of palm trees to sit under and two natural lakes, it’s a great place to spend a few hours. If you are feeling adventurous you can kayak from Paradise beach however beware of the strong current. Alternatively, you can arrange a trip with one of the local fishermen, or with Allison at the Paradise Beach Club (25 ECD per person round trip, if you eat lunch).

White Island has a prominent piton, a sandy beach and a great little reef for snorkeling. Water taxis run from Tyrrel Bay (about 150ECD round trip for a group, 30 minutes). It is a popular hangout on the weekends and can see multiple groups ‘liming’ (hanging out).

Saline Island has a long stretch of beach with shallow, calm water. The island gets its name from a large salt pond. It is located right next to White Island and a great place to snorkel (you will probably spot a turtle or two).

Frigate Island has a large protected bay with a small beach inside. It is best to go with a local boat to navigate the entrance.

Relax at the Beautiful beaches

Anse La Roche is up the north end of the island, and a great place to snorkel. It is part of a nature reserve so be sure to bring your own water and snacks if you’re going to stay awhile. On most days there is a local man, Tim, cooking fresh seafood, and he has a great bar set up too. If you organize to eat lunch with him, he can arrange a boat pick up from Hillsborough.

Petite Carenage is the most northern part of Carriacou Grenada. It is a known turtle nesting area. There is a turtle sanctuary close by the beach and also a very shallow shipwreck to the beach’s eastern side.

Tyrell Bay Beach is the new “main beach” of the island. While the beach is fairly narrow and has seaweed patches, it does often get star fish in the shallows. This area is where most of the bars are, so you can walk along the road and find a spot to look out into the bay.

Paradise Beach is the most beautiful beach in Carriacou. With a view looking out to Sandy Island, a couple of local beach bars, and calm water. You can spend the day lazing under palm trees or play dominos with the locals in the beach bars.

>> Here is a list of the 7 best Carriacou beaches.

Traditional boat building in Windward

Windward is an area on Carriacou’s northeast. It is the hub of traditional boatbuilding which is said to date back to the early 19th century. With Scottish roots, the age-old tradition is kept alive to date. With traditional methods and hand made techniques passed down through generations.

It is common to see boats being built right on the beach. On completion, they are rolled into the water using logs.

The traditional ‘sloops’ participate in an around island race every year, which is a great way to see these boats in action.

Savvy Sailing is a beautiful traditional sloop that you can book for a cruise. If you are up for an adventure, do the tour to the Grenadines where you can visit the pristine Tobago Cays.

The documentary Vanishing Sail is a great one for those who’d like to learn more about the traditional sloop history.

Diving

Carriacou is a great place to go diving, there are numerous wrecks that you can explore, and it’s common to spot a shark or two. Deefer diving is a great choice, they keep their groups small, and are involved in reef conservation projects.

• Barracuda Point is one of the Carriacou Grenada’s premier dive sites, offering an insight into Carriacou’s exotic twisted coral forests and dazzling gin-clear, turquoise waters.
• Sharky’s Hideaway, known for nurse sharks, as well as graceful seahorses in amongst anemones and polyps trailing their slender ribbons, is another favorite.
• At the Whirlpool dive site, a zillion bubbles emerge from the seabed to form a showering cascade of spherical confetti, forming a hypnotic backdrop to an atmospheric dive.
• Wreck divers can get their fix at an exceptional range of wrecks, including a small WWI gunboat at about 12 meters deep, a fascinating dive for beginners with its eerie nooks and crannies and rusty relics.

Volunteer with Caribbean Reef buddy

Caribbean Reef Buddy offers guests a unique experience that includes training, education, and real world-positive-impact. There are a few different projects that you can get involved in. These include:

• Coral Reef Restoration Projects – coral transplanting and new site development
• Lionfish Population Control– lionfish are an invasive species causing havoc to the Caribbean’s marine ecosystem. The program allows guests to catch these fish, which get used for food and even to make jewelry from.
• Coral Monitoring – Carriacou has some designated marine conservation areas. Coral monitoring is helping to document the positive impacts that these protected areas are having on marine life.
• Nudibranches and Sea Slug research – monitoring and data collection of these local species

Admire the View from the hospital

The Princess Royal Hospital in Belair is one of the best places to get a view of the island. You can walk into the hospital car park and admire the view that looks out over the island’s west coast out to the Sandy Island marine conservation area.

Just next to the hospital is the Belair Windmill Ruins. One of the many sugar mills in the region that are a reminder of the colonial days.

Carriacou Restaurants

Carriacou Grenada has some great restaurants to suit all budgets. While the island does not grow a lot of its own food, they have some tasty options:

Tyrell Bay

• Slipway – Smokey burgers and fish sandwiches, serves West Indies Beer Company both in bottles and on tap
• Lazy Turtle – Thin-crust pizzas. They also have lionfish if you ask for it
• Gallery Cafe – Coffee and breakfast

Hillsborough

• Bogles Roundhouse – European and local style with some amazing quality food in a homely style venue
• Callaloo at the Mermaid – caribbean style meals. At present they are only open to the public for lunch.
• Green Roof Inn – menu changes according to what’s fresh and available, veranda overlooking the sea
• Laurena II – Jamaican inspired local dishes
• Kayak Cafe – Good breakfast – fresh juices and smoothies, burgers, wraps, and more

Windward

• Pizza Ma Heart – Some great quality pizza that is worth the drive up island!

Paradise Beach

• Off D Hook Bar & Grill – Some of the coldest beer on the island and local dishes right on the beach
• HardWood Bar & Snacket – Local fish and meals
• Paradise Beach Club – amazing quality food and service with views of Sandy Island. Try the Caribbean Gin Gin Mule!

Nightlife

• Paradise Beach Club – There’s always some going on at this awesome beach bar
• La Playa ( Beausejour Bay) – Cute pastel-colored wooden house right on the water. They often have live music and do some great sunset sessions. Cocktails and snacks. On Monday it does good-value lobster for EC$65. 10-6 pm.
• Footprint Bar (Shipwreck beach) – A favorite local hangout that can go all night on the beach
• Frogs – In the center of Tyrell Bay has a popular live music night on Fridays!
• Snaggs – open Saturday nights with a live string band, local food with fresh fish

Where to Stay in Carriacou Grenada

There are some great places to stay in Carriacou Grenada. Whether you want a tropical hideaway or an infinity pool with island views, you can find it here. These are some of the highlights on the island:

The Paradise Beach House

Las Tortugas

Bogles Round House

Green Roof Inn

Situated a short drive north of Hillsborough beach is the Green Roof Inn. This is a collection of rooms of various types (cottages, bungalows, and suites). All of the rooms have ocean views and come with continental breakfast.

The accommodation is conscious of sustainability. They’ve made some great, green steps by eliminating plastic water bottles, switching to refillable soap dispensers, and altering their menu to suit local availability.

The Mermaid Hotel Carriacou

A great place to stay in Carriacou and situated on Hillsborough Beach. It has a clean, modern feel and a nice beachside restaurant. The location makes it convenient to walk around town and access the other local favorites.

Where to Shop in Carriacou Grenada

Shopping is fairly limited on the island, however there are a couple of main locations in which you can get products:

Alexis Supermarket

Situated by the Osprey Ferry Terminal in Tyrell Bay, the Alexis Supermarket is the main island store (with the largest stock and selection).

Here you can get a variety of food and beverage products including frozen goods. They have a small range of fresh produce and bread.

Fruit and Vegetable Stalls in Tyrell Bay

There are a couple of local stalls along the main road in Tyrell Bay, situated at the Southern end by the Lambi Queen. Here you can get fresh food and juice.

Fidel Productions (Paradise Beach)

This shop is built into an old shipping container and has locally made T-shirts, original artworks, jewelry, and photographs. The small, family-run business is a great place to check out the local artisans.

Be All Natural – BAN

Situated in Easy Shopping supermarket is the Be All Natural product line. There are some all-natural shampoos, conditioners, oils, and more.

Eco Travel Tips for Carriacou

Being a small island in the Caribbean, it’s important to be responsible when you travel. There are no recycling facilities on Carriacou, which means that all waste goes to landfill. Many travellers also opt for buying plastic water bottles as stored rainwater is the only water source on the island. Here are some eco travel tips to consider:

• Say no to plastic by packing your own eco friendly travel products
• Bring a water bottle with an inbuilt filter to avoid plastic water bottles
• Wear reef safe sunscreen when swimming in the ocean (protect the beautiful reefs)
• Support local, visit the fruit venders, and bring a reusable bag
• Bring eco friendly toiletries

Visiting Grenada

If you are planning to visit Carriacou, you will probably end up visiting Grenada (the largest island of the three). This beautiful island has amazing beaches, waterfalls, eco-accommodation, and more:

• 5 best beaches in Grenada
• Best things to do in Grenada
• 5 Best Grenada Waterfalls
• True Blue Bay Resort: Grenada’s Boutique eco hotel

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