Have you
ever looked up at a hilltop and wondered what the view would look like from up
there? Or maybe been curious about
hiking thru a rainforest? If either of
those questions has ever crossed your mind, then the Mountain Top Downhill
Rainforest Trek in St. Maarten is for you!
While the
name Mountain Top can be a bit deceiving since St. Maarten does not technically
have any mountains, this excursion does take you to the highest point in St.
Maarten- Pic Paradise. The excursion begins
with a bus ride from the port to Loterie Farms.
This property was once the largest sugar cane plantation on the island,
but is now a Wildlife and Nature Preserve as well as a tourist location
offering many outdoor activities.
Once you
arrive at the farm, you switch vehicles to an open air (think back of a pickup
with benches) vehicle for the steep climb up the hill. At the top of the hill you have an amazing
360 degree view of the entire island which is absolutely breathtaking!
From the top
of this hill it is approximately 2.5 miles back down to reach the farm
again.
Along the way you get to enjoy
the peaceful beauty of what was once a large rainforest (and the only on the
island). During the sugar cane
operations more than a hundred years ago, the slaves on the plantation were
ordered to tear down the rainforest to allow more land to grow sugar cane
on. Since that time however, St. Maarten
has worked very hard to bring back the lush canopy of the rainforest, and they
are succeeding quite well.
Along the
trek, the guides give lots of information about the native plants and creatures
that you come across (don’t worry, there are actually no snakes on St.
Maarten). In addition, you learn many
historical facts about the area to include a long standing feud between
neighboring land owners that was similar to the Hatfields and the McCoys.
There is
also a stop at the ruins of an old secret rum distillery that was used by the
slaves on the plantation as well as Chewbaca Rock- it’s ok, I giggled at the
name too!
Finally, after about 2 hours of hiking, you reach the bottom of the hill and
are rewarded with a cold glass of either fruit punch or rum punch.
This
excursion is an amazing opportunity to see some of the beautiful natural
aspects of St. Maarten, away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist
areas. There were several children along
on the hike with us; however I would not recommend it for children younger than
6 or 7 unless they are very experienced at hiking. So if you ever find yourself stopping in St.
Maarten on an Eastern Caribbean cruise, definitely give the Mountain Top
Downhill Rainforest Trek a try- you won’t regret it!
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| The Disney Fantasy from the hilltop! |
Stacy
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