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The Belmont Estate Part 1: The Scenery

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One of the first adventures we took upon arrival to Grenada was a tour of Belmont Estate during the island’s “Chocolate Week”. Grenada is famous for making delicious chocolate from the plentiful cocoa beans that grow all over the island. Our friends David, Toutou, Maya and Tyler on Four Coconuts shared an hour-long bus ride (16-person van) up into the mountains of Grenada to visit Belmont Estate.

I took so many beautiful photos that I’ll have to split up the posts. Scroll down to see some shots of just the gorgeous grounds…

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Many colorful flowers were in bloom…

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There are vegetable and herb gardens on the Estate…

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The Red-Footed Tortoise is native to Central and South America but has been introduced to several Caribbean islands, including Grenada. There is a significant population in Carriacou and many of the islands in the Grenadines.

The kids had fun meeting the tortoises that live at Belmont Estate…

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We saw talking parrots…

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Butterflies were everywhere!

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I think they do weddings here too ;)

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My favorite photo… Maya and Toutou!

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Up next… a lot of cocoa beans and nutmeg!!!

Dominica: Indian River Tour

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The Indian River Tour in Dominica is a great way to see some of the natural beauty this island has to offer. Named after the native Carib Indians, this river is the longest in all of Dominica and once served as an important route of travel between the mountains above and the sea below.

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Who remembers the little house in the mangroves where Calypso lives? That scene from Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed here… We even got to go inside!!

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Our guide, Titus, rowed us as far as we could go, slowly pulling up to a little wooden dock on the river’s edge.

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We stepped out of the boat and followed a small trail up the hill toward what is known as the “Bush Bar.” The vibrant flowers and lush gardens were bursting with color.

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Termite nests were everywhere…

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Fresh Avocados…

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Sweet cocoa beans…

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Bananas…

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Passionfruit…

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Cinnamon bark and nutmeg…

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Fresh squeezed juice was waiting for us at the top of the hill…

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The most delicious guava you could ever imagine…

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Sugar cane cut into small pieces were a delight to suck on.

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The farmers sent us home with a huge handful of fresh lettuce, herbs, vegetables, spices and fruits, all harvested especially for us straight from the plentiful Dominican lands.

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Fresh coconut water and coconut meat to snack on…

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Fresh coconut is my FAVORITE treat!!!

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Dominica is a beautiful island and we only got to see a small portion of the many wonders it has to offer. We will definitely return in the Spring to explore again!!