We are considering a trip later this year. I like the unspoilt character of Dominica (the island, not the republic) but the Azores look pretty good too. Either would be our first visit.
Typically, we go to a destination, drive a hired car and go at our own pace, with lots of photos being taken of anything photogenic. Generally, I have been disappointed at the amount of visible wildlife at European destinations in late summer and hope these might be considerably better. We don't spend much time on beaches unless there are rock pools.
St Lucia or Tobago seem likely to be chronologically first, perhaps Tobago for low risk/low cost hurricane season? Dates are far from being settled and at most one will be this year, the next probably early next year.
Comments of experience or advice would be most welcome.
Harold
Dominica or the Azores, Tobago or St Lucia: Any experience?
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
-
Harold Gough
- Posts: 5786
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
- Location: Reading, Berkshire, England
Dominica or the Azores, Tobago or St Lucia: Any experience?
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.
-
Harold Gough
- Posts: 5786
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
- Location: Reading, Berkshire, England
We are now booked for Anse Chastenet, on St Lucia, for next month. Of course, I will be doing my own research on what flora and fauna to look out for but any advice based on a visit would be welcome.
Unusually, I will not be driving but we will have access to an abandoned, privately-owned plantation, which is rich in flora and fauna and I imagine there will be plenty accessible on foot in the local general forest.
Harold
Unusually, I will not be driving but we will have access to an abandoned, privately-owned plantation, which is rich in flora and fauna and I imagine there will be plenty accessible on foot in the local general forest.
Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.
-
Harold Gough
- Posts: 5786
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
- Location: Reading, Berkshire, England
Thanks, Phil.
I certainly don't expect to be disappointed. In view of the heat and being on foot, I will take about half the usual amount of hardware and will concentrate on finding more subjects, with an even stronger bias to flowers and insects than usual.
Harold
I certainly don't expect to be disappointed. In view of the heat and being on foot, I will take about half the usual amount of hardware and will concentrate on finding more subjects, with an even stronger bias to flowers and insects than usual.
Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.
-
Harold Gough
- Posts: 5786
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
- Location: Reading, Berkshire, England
One interesting peice of information, revealed only when my travel documents arrived:
No camouflage clothing is allowed into St Lucia. Any found in luggage will be confiscated by Customs and returned when you depart.
My personal choice is for a white shirt and light trousers, as the mosquitos are attracted to dark clothing. (Camouflage doesn't fool them!).
Next time I post anything it should be images from the island.
Harold
No camouflage clothing is allowed into St Lucia. Any found in luggage will be confiscated by Customs and returned when you depart.
My personal choice is for a white shirt and light trousers, as the mosquitos are attracted to dark clothing. (Camouflage doesn't fool them!).
Next time I post anything it should be images from the island.
Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.
A strange law! Not sure I've heard of clothing laws other than for indecency.Harold Gough wrote:One interesting peice of information, revealed only when my travel documents arrived:
No camouflage clothing is allowed into St Lucia. Any found in luggage will be confiscated by Customs and returned when you depart.
My personal choice is for a white shirt and light trousers, as the mosquitos are attracted to dark clothing. (Camouflage doesn't fool them!).
Next time I post anything it should be images from the island.
Harold
-Phil
"Diffraction never sleeps"
"Diffraction never sleeps"
-
Harold Gough
- Posts: 5786
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
- Location: Reading, Berkshire, England
This is to tidy up the “loose ends” here by reporting on my experience of Anse Chastenet. The delay has been due to waiting for a complaint to be resolved. It has not been and is likely to go to court. In the meantime, here is what happened.
As a luxury beach resort, with a particular style of accommodation, and with genuinely friendly staff, it is to be strongly recommended. There are issues with jellyfish in the bathing waters and I have suggested that the use of repellents should be recommended.
I do not like beaches and my main reason for visiting was to photograph the local wildlife. In particular, next to part of the beach, there was an old plantation, largely reverted to the wild, which is owned by the hotel. My travel agent told me how it was teeming with wildlife and that I should be able to spend time in there unescorted.
On the first day, we went on a hotel-sponsored guided tour of the plantation, with the guided who had been much-recommended by my travel agent. At the end of the tour I told the guide about my expectations but, to my surprise, he made it clear that it would be unwise for Security to find me in there without him. He did suggest another of his tours as a means of access.
On the second day, having lunched in the excellent Beach bar, my wife and I walked toward the forest. We found our way blocked by a security guard. I stated my intentions but he said that guests were not allowed access in that season, due to “itchy plants”.
On the third day, we went on the guide’s bird-watching tour and again were discouraged from returning unaccompanied.
On the fourth day, some other guide (?) offered his services after he noted me taking photographs on the beach and I had expressed my frustration over access. This triggered my suspicions and I complained to the duty manager. I was told that I should not halve been obstructed in such a way and that I could have access, the guards being there to help me.
So, with half my week’s stay having been spent in frustration and anger, and wanting to return home, I now had the access I needed. However, it was all very rushed (I obviously had to spend some time with my wife) and I couldn’t get to know where to find the subjects in the thorough way I should have.
I booked my stay through Caribtours, who did a great job until I tried to get compensation. They just took the hotel line that a complaint to management could have resolved it at any time, quite ignoring that the hotel staff (authority figures, not some barman) had obstructed me.
Photographically, it was worthwhile if you were going there anyway. There were numerous mosquitoes in the plantation and up to four leading brands of repellent were ineffective (also back in the UK) and our lower legs were severely bitten. There were some butterflies which looked like European ones and others more exotic. There were no large numbers. I was told that there would be more in the rainy season. Humming birds could be photographed. Overall, I found the fauna and flora less rich than in many parts of southern Europe, where you don’t get many mosquito bites.
To avoid my experience it would be advisable to contact the hotel in advance, stating your needs. Otherwise, speak to the Executive Manager who will greet you on arrival.
Apart from, perhaps, stating if I finally get compensation, I shall have no more to say on this topic.
Harold
As a luxury beach resort, with a particular style of accommodation, and with genuinely friendly staff, it is to be strongly recommended. There are issues with jellyfish in the bathing waters and I have suggested that the use of repellents should be recommended.
I do not like beaches and my main reason for visiting was to photograph the local wildlife. In particular, next to part of the beach, there was an old plantation, largely reverted to the wild, which is owned by the hotel. My travel agent told me how it was teeming with wildlife and that I should be able to spend time in there unescorted.
On the first day, we went on a hotel-sponsored guided tour of the plantation, with the guided who had been much-recommended by my travel agent. At the end of the tour I told the guide about my expectations but, to my surprise, he made it clear that it would be unwise for Security to find me in there without him. He did suggest another of his tours as a means of access.
On the second day, having lunched in the excellent Beach bar, my wife and I walked toward the forest. We found our way blocked by a security guard. I stated my intentions but he said that guests were not allowed access in that season, due to “itchy plants”.
On the third day, we went on the guide’s bird-watching tour and again were discouraged from returning unaccompanied.
On the fourth day, some other guide (?) offered his services after he noted me taking photographs on the beach and I had expressed my frustration over access. This triggered my suspicions and I complained to the duty manager. I was told that I should not halve been obstructed in such a way and that I could have access, the guards being there to help me.
So, with half my week’s stay having been spent in frustration and anger, and wanting to return home, I now had the access I needed. However, it was all very rushed (I obviously had to spend some time with my wife) and I couldn’t get to know where to find the subjects in the thorough way I should have.
I booked my stay through Caribtours, who did a great job until I tried to get compensation. They just took the hotel line that a complaint to management could have resolved it at any time, quite ignoring that the hotel staff (authority figures, not some barman) had obstructed me.
Photographically, it was worthwhile if you were going there anyway. There were numerous mosquitoes in the plantation and up to four leading brands of repellent were ineffective (also back in the UK) and our lower legs were severely bitten. There were some butterflies which looked like European ones and others more exotic. There were no large numbers. I was told that there would be more in the rainy season. Humming birds could be photographed. Overall, I found the fauna and flora less rich than in many parts of southern Europe, where you don’t get many mosquito bites.
To avoid my experience it would be advisable to contact the hotel in advance, stating your needs. Otherwise, speak to the Executive Manager who will greet you on arrival.
Apart from, perhaps, stating if I finally get compensation, I shall have no more to say on this topic.
Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.
Harold,
I'm very sorry to learn that your trip was unsatisfactory with respect to your planned access to wildlife. It sounds like the "forbidden area" would have been interesting to explore.
-------------------
Your post caused me to reflect on my own travels to "exotic" locations, mostly as an add-on to some of the business trips I made during my career, now some years in the past. I think that the most stressful hotel/resort I have experienced was a luxury resort in Bangkok. The hotel occupied quite a lot of land and was mostly filled with tropical plants and also contained various unfamiliar and interesting creatures in the patches of interesting jungle-like vegetation and trees.
My employer required me to stay in this specific hotel, in no small part to obtain a high level of personal security for me as a "western businessman/scientist". My first clue that things were different from hotels I was used to were the presence of rifle-armed guards at the hotel's gate, and that the hotel grounds were enclosed by a high concrete wall with barb wire and broken glass along its top.
Late one evening I decided to visit the patches of "jungle vegetation" on the hotel's grounds to see what sort of creatures were making such unusual noises. I soon found that guards were stationed at each cross-corridor of the hotel at night, and they insisted that I go back to my room and that I should not wander around at night.
Based on my travel experiences, I wonder if the restrictions you encountered were due to hypothetical encounters with criminals? Or, perhaps the hotel management was worried that guests might somehow injure themselves while exploring the forbidden zone? Just speculations on my part of course.
Regardless, it's most unfortunate that you weren't able to explore and enjoy the area freely. I'm sure your future trips will go much better - this sounds like a statistically unlikely set of limitations. Macro and nature photography are not crimes!
I'm very sorry to learn that your trip was unsatisfactory with respect to your planned access to wildlife. It sounds like the "forbidden area" would have been interesting to explore.
-------------------
Your post caused me to reflect on my own travels to "exotic" locations, mostly as an add-on to some of the business trips I made during my career, now some years in the past. I think that the most stressful hotel/resort I have experienced was a luxury resort in Bangkok. The hotel occupied quite a lot of land and was mostly filled with tropical plants and also contained various unfamiliar and interesting creatures in the patches of interesting jungle-like vegetation and trees.
My employer required me to stay in this specific hotel, in no small part to obtain a high level of personal security for me as a "western businessman/scientist". My first clue that things were different from hotels I was used to were the presence of rifle-armed guards at the hotel's gate, and that the hotel grounds were enclosed by a high concrete wall with barb wire and broken glass along its top.
Late one evening I decided to visit the patches of "jungle vegetation" on the hotel's grounds to see what sort of creatures were making such unusual noises. I soon found that guards were stationed at each cross-corridor of the hotel at night, and they insisted that I go back to my room and that I should not wander around at night.
Based on my travel experiences, I wonder if the restrictions you encountered were due to hypothetical encounters with criminals? Or, perhaps the hotel management was worried that guests might somehow injure themselves while exploring the forbidden zone? Just speculations on my part of course.
Regardless, it's most unfortunate that you weren't able to explore and enjoy the area freely. I'm sure your future trips will go much better - this sounds like a statistically unlikely set of limitations. Macro and nature photography are not crimes!
Last edited by DQE on Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-Phil
"Diffraction never sleeps"
"Diffraction never sleeps"
-
soldevilla
- Posts: 684
- Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:49 pm
- Location: Barcelona, more or less
Hello.
I'm sorry for your bad experiences on your vacation.
I think you write the key to the problem in a post above "...As a luxury beach resort..."
The tourist protectionism is proportional to the money you pay. I have traveled many countries (Africa, Asia, Colombia ...) but as I have always traveled with "local" ways I've never had problems to move where I wanted. In return I must personally control spiders, snakes, crocodiles and other animals not too friendly ...
I'm sorry for your bad experiences on your vacation.
I think you write the key to the problem in a post above "...As a luxury beach resort..."
The tourist protectionism is proportional to the money you pay. I have traveled many countries (Africa, Asia, Colombia ...) but as I have always traveled with "local" ways I've never had problems to move where I wanted. In return I must personally control spiders, snakes, crocodiles and other animals not too friendly ...