Sports & activities GET ACTIVE IN THE
CARIBBEAN
For activities and exercise, the Caribbean offers a tropical treasure trove of sports and adventures in some of the world’s most beautiful surroundings.
SPORTS fans can take their pick from a choice of activities on land or at sea with championship golf courses, tennis courts and horse-riding, along with world-class sailing and some of the best diving on the planet. For more thrills and spills you can swim with stringrays in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea, skim across powerful Atlantic rollers on a kitesurf, or swing through lush tropical rainforest on the end of a zipwire.
A SPORTING CHALLENGE
The Caribbean serves up a sporting choice that few other destinations can match and there are various initiatives, such as the Sacred Sports Foundation on Saint Lucia, to promote sport to young people across the region. Cricket is the national game and national passion for many of the English-speaking islands such as Antigua and Barbados and
HOT TIP: The Dominican Republic has more than
20 top golf courses, while Bermuda, Puerto Rico,
Aruba, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and St. Croix all have excellent facilities
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international matches are often staged here, and on Saint Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and Guyana on the mainland. For many islands cricket is a way of life and
some of the most memorable games for visitors are the impromptu matches between tourists and locals on the beach. After cricket, golf is probably the top land
sport. The warm, sunny year-round climate, beautiful scenery and spectacular courses – many designed by leading golf architects such as Robert Trent-Jones (junior and senior), Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman – make the Caribbean golfing heaven.
Some of the world’s top championship courses can be found in The Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados. The Dominican Republic has more than 20, while Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and St. Croix (US Virgin Islands) all have excellent facilities. First-rate courses can also be found on Grand Cayman and Guadeloupe. Most islands have good tennis facilities with
resorts in the Dominican Republic and Saint Lucia serving up both courts and tournaments. Antigua’s annual Tennis Week event draws top tennis professionals.
Growing interest in eco-tourism has seen
the more mountainous islands – Dominica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Guyana – start to benefit as more walkers, bikers and hikers explore the trails, waterfalls and mountainous terrain.
www.caribbean.co.uk
More adventurous visitors are discovering
the rugged attractions of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Cuba and Guyana. On St. Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe and tiny St. Eustatius walkers can conquer jungle-covered volcanoes, while on St. Eustatius they can trek across the rainforested
Growing interest in eco-tourism has meant that more mountainous islands such as Dominica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have benefited as walkers, bikers and hikers explore the trails, waterfalls and mountainous terrain
slopes of a dormant volcano called The Quill. Cycling is increasingly popular and many islands now cater for the serious trail and mountain-bikers as well as holiday pedal pushers. In Jamaica some of the best mountain-biking trips run from the Blue Mountains – almost entirely downhill. Barbados offers scenic bicycle tours while Saint Lucia has an excellent network of mountain bike trails in the south of the island. Many islands have riding stables where you can trot off into the lush terrain, gallop along deserted beaches and even swim in the sea with your steed. Those with a more competitive streak can play polo in Jamaica and Barbados or watch horseracing on St.
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