Things to Do in Cairns & The Tropical North

The hikers’ favorite, Grand Etang preserves the nutmeg groves and tropical rainforest of Grenada’s central highland.

At the park’s heart is the crater lake that gives the park its name, Grand Etang Lake. A network of walking trails meanders away from the lake, through the park, around the lake and towards the coast via the Concord Falls. Choose from 20-minute ambles to multi-hour treks.

You’ll be greeted by local monkeys at the visitor center, where you can pick up walking trail leaflets on park destinations like Seven Sisters Falls and Mt Qua Qua.

While walking, see if you can spot mahogany trees, hummingbirds, frogs, lizards, mongoose, armadillos, tropical flowers, caribs and hawks.

Those seeking a stimulating day trip on St. Kitts couldn’t do better than the Great Salt Pond located on the southeastern tip of the island. Bordered by both the Atlantic and the Caribbean, brilliant white sands line the beach on both sides. Body surfing is popular in the turbulent Atlantic waters, while snorkeling and swimming are preferable in the Caribbean. An array of birds frequent the shore, and while there may be more secluded beaches on the island, the combination of personality and natural beauty more than make up for what it occasionally lacks in seclusion. 

However populated, the Great Salt Pond is far from urbanized. The occasional blight of garbage and pollution that mar many St. Kitts destinations don’t touch this pristine spot. Families casting about for a truly beautiful shore-front free from the clatter of business and entertainment will likely find that this beach fits the bill to perfection.

This walk-through, multi-media exhibition with plenty of sound effects and flashing lights focuses on the epic events of the Great Siege of Malta of 1565, in which the Turks were defeated by the Knights of St John. It also looks back on the history of the Knights, from their formation in the 12th century and their original role in tending to the pilgrims en route to the Holy Land to their reinvention as the quasi-military force who repelled the Turkish invaders. The story of Malta’s great victory is told in a series of period dioramas through the words of Francesco Balbi, a Spanish poet who was eyewitness to the breaking of the Great Siege.

The exhibition provides a great introduction to the events that marked so much of Malta’s tumultuous history and there are plenty of gory recreations of battle scenes from the 1565 siege, which kids will particularly appreciate.

It looks and feels like the Caribbean, but Grand Turk is actually washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. You might be sailing here from the Bahamas, only 48km (30 miles) away, and will soon realize you’ve landed in one of the most tranquil, undiscovered locations on the planet. The shiny new cruise center facilities include restaurants and a shopping mall, and white-sand beaches are just a short walk away.

How to Get to Cockburn Town
The port is on Grand Turk’s southwestern tip, and you’ll find plenty of tour and island information in the sparkling modern cruise center. Taxis line up to take you to downtown Cockburn Town, in the center of the island. You could also hire a go-anywhere jeep for the day, rent a bicycle or join an organized shore excursion.

One Day on Grand Turk
The big buzz on Grand Turk is the wonderful diving, so make the most of your shore visit by joining a snorkeling adventure cruise or diving operator excursion. The best diving is off the island’s western coast, where coral walls and stunning tropical fish are protected by marine national parks. There’s also wreck diving, scuba courses, one of the Caribbean’s largest swimming pools, resort relaxation and beach horse-back riding.

If you’d rather stay dry, take a wander around colonial-era Cockburn Town, with some lovely old churches and buildings, the National Museum’s shipwreck displays, and craft shops selling locally made souvenirs. In whale-watching season, February/March, head out to the island’s historic lighthouse to glimpse humpbacks swimming past. And no further away than the cruise center, space-lovers can spend time examining the NASA exhibit detailing the 1962 John Glenn splashdown and Mercury space program.

Port Information
Cruise lines docking at the revamped and enlarged Grand Turk Cruise Port include Carnival, Holland America and Princess. The local currency is the US dollar, and you’ll find a couple of ATMs in downtown Cockburn Town. The language spoken on Grand Turk is English.

Sited in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta has always had extreme commercial and political significance; a fact reflected in the island’s long and tumultuous history. Valletta’s Grand Harbour has also played a huge part in this history as the biggest and certainly the most dramatic natural harbor in the Med. In use since the Phoenician era and heavily fortified since medieval times, it’s the place where much of Malta’s seafaring tradition and military successes have been played out over the centuries. The Great Siege of 1565 and the relentless bombing during WWII both took their toll here; the former on the occupying Knights of St John and the latter on Allied troops and the people of Valletta ¬– the whole island was awarded the George Cross in 1942 for valor in the face of Nazi attack.

Today, although still guarded by the ramparts of Fort St Elmo, the harbor has lost its military significance and is largely given over to tourism; you’re more likely to see giant cruise liners moored here than warships. Boat tours offer unrivalled panoramas of the Valletta’s honey-and-gold architecture, the mighty bastion walls, the sea forts, and seven different creeks – most notably those leading to Vittorioso, Senglea, and Cospicua just across the Grand Harbour from Valletta and known as the Three Cities.

Known as one of the best diving sites in the Caribbean, the Wall is a diving spot just outside of Grace Bay on Grand Turk. Where the island’s outer reef ends, the Wall plunges over 6000 feet into the deep blue Atlantic. Here you’ll find an overabundance of sea-life, coral reef, and yes – great dive sites. Each dive guide has their own favorites, but expect to see miles of vertical coral reef drop-offs, numerous thermal formations, and a complete spectrum of corals and sea life.

Great pelagic swimmers like groupers, tuna, barracuda, reef shark, hammerhead, manta rays, eagle rays, and more live here and visit this reef often. Other wildlife viewings include migratory North Atlantic humpback whale, stingray, and sea turtles.

One of the great things about visiting The Wall is that this abundant sea life is close to the surface, so divers aren’t the only ones that get to enjoy it – snorkelers and free divers play in the water as well. This is truly some of the best underwater exploring in the world, and many divers make trips out to this little stretch in the Caribbean for just this purpose – are you one of them?

In 1499 Krakow was a wealthy city under constant threat of attack, especially from the rampaging Ottomans. So they made themselves into a fortress. The Great Barbican is both the principal entry point to the city and a massive seven turreted point of defense. These days it looks like a fairytale city gate, back then it was either a massive relief to reach it with your wagons intact, or a deterrent to your planned attack on the city.

The actual gate to the city was St Florian's gate, linked to the Barbican by a covered passageway. But the Barbican and the series of moats and walls which lead away from it, ringing the city, were the first point of entry to Krakow in the Middle Ages. Today, you still enter the Old Town of the city through the impressive  Barbican.