A visit to the wonderful Botanical Gardens located at Deshaies is a nice shoreside attraction. Besides a large display of tropical flowers and trees, the park also features rivers and ponds, and hosts a collection of flamingos, parrots and tropical birds. Allow 60 to 90 minutes for a complete visit. The park has a panoramic restaurant (open for lunches only) and a gift shop. Opening hours are from 0930 to 1730hrs, 7 days a week.
Tel: +(590) 590 284302
www.jardin-botanique.com
Mallorca is a popular place for canyoning; there are at least a dozen canyons in the sierra tramuntana, representing all levels of difficulty, and culminating with the canyon of Gorg Blau (Sa Fosca) which ranks amongst the top ten 'to do' canyons in the world. Tramuntana tours organises canyoning outings on request.
The fast flowing rivers and waterfalls in the mountainous interior of Basseterre provide the perfect arena for some seriously extreme canyoning! A highly professional company offers a variety of sporting / nature tours (including canyoning) with an option to camp high up in the mountains.
Camden is great to explore on foot with its shops, restaurants, and galleries on Main St and around the harbor. Chestnut St and other residential areas are quite charming and filled with gorgeous old period Federal, Greek Revival or Victorian houses.
Walking maps can be found at the Chamber of Commerce:
2 Public Landing
Camden
Tel: (800) 223 5459 / (207) 236 4404
Another fun activity in the island is rock climbing – with climbing terrain accessible to all levels- and the park is famous for its spectacular seaside cliffs of pristine granite.
Two climbing schools are located in Bar Harbor and provide half day and full day tailored courses for everyone from first timers to advanced climbers.
Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School
98 Main St,
Bar Harbor
Tel: (207) 288 8186
Indoor Climbing
328 Parker St New Bedford
A full-service facility offering rock climbing, instruction, and a high level of service for all ages and levels of ability.
Tel: (508) 984 0808
Barakouda
Araguina Av Sylver Bohn 20169 Bonifacio
First class dive centre established since 1971. Team of certified and multilingual instructors, fully equipped diving boat. Nitrox and Trimix diving; express tank refill; rental, sale and repair of any diving gear and high pressure compressors. Charismatic and welcoming owner is Gerard Arend.
Tel: +33(0)4 95 73 13 02
Corsica is a first class diving destination. The dive center below is very popular with yachts and well recommended by captains.
Dollfin
Marine de Sisco 20233 Sisco
This Golden Palm PADI certified diving centre enjoys an excellent reputation. Manager Thierry Doll and his team speak good English and offer ‘à la carte’ dives in the most spectacular spots. Tank refill, sea kayak rentals. Very popular with yachts. Tel: +33(0)4 95 58 26 16 /Cell: +33(0)6 07 08 95 92
Les Deux Frères
10 Bd General Leclerc
06310 Beaulieu- sur- Mer
PADI certified dive center/shop located just above the harbour. Wide choice of dives for any level, certified English and Italian speaking instructors. Private diving instructors available onboard yachts. Tank refill and Nitrox available. Very popular among superyachts. Professional and friendly team managed by Nicolas Faber.
Tel: +33(0)4 93 01 49 05
Beavertail Lighthouse and Park is 153 acres of mixed grassy, wooded and rocky areas, traversed by a network of paths for walking or cycling. Located at the end of Beavertail Rd, on the southernmost part of the island. Also home to a lighthouse built in 1856, with a small museum attached. It is a great place to enjoy spectacular views of East and West Passages, or to climb the rocks bordering the shore. Free admission.
Tel: (401) 423 3270
Nantucket is an island of sand dunes, wooden areas, salt marsh and tidal ponds. There are 16 miles of walking trails and sand roads starting at Wauwinet towards Great Point – including the popular Beach Trail, Inside Trail, and Coskata Woods Trail – plus miles of beach front.
Boston is a great ‘walking’ city, fun to explore by foot from the waterfront promenade to shady parks and streets lined by distinctive red brick buildings. Most of the marinas are located in the very desirable North End district, a really charming and historic neighborhood, with a maze of alleys and streets filled with Italian pastries, restaurants and old buildings.
Old Boston Tours offer very interesting guided tours of the oldest parts of the city.
Tel: (617) 755 2648
There are many exciting paddling options around the island, both in the ocean and lakes. Depending of the weather conditions, popular spots are Eagle Lake, offering views on Cadillac Mountain, Somes Sound, or a tour from Bartlett Narrows up into Western Bay to Clark Cove, where harbor seals, porpoises, ospreys or even bald eagles can be spotted. Several companies offer rentals and/or guided tours.
Several companies offer rentals including:
Maine State Sea Kayak
254 Maine St,
Kayaking around Camden Harbor or from Rockport to Camden is a wonderful way to discover hidden coves, island estates or quaint lighthouses. Megunticook Lake is a great place to enjoy a leisurely paddle or to go swimming in clear fresh water.
Pitcher Pond is a wonderful and unspoiled 3 miles long lake, only 20 min drive from Camden. It is surrounded by wooden land offering great hiking opportunities.
Wentworth by the Sea Marina is ideally located at the mouth of scenic Piscataqua River. This quiet and highly picturesque river offers wonderful kayaking opportunities.
Kayaks can be rented at Portsmouth Kayak Adventures, just a 1 ½ miles from the marina. They also organize tours.
Tel: (603) 559 1000
A paradise for kayakers, Boothbay peninsula is surrounded by beautiful islands, some with public access, many of which provide significant bird habitat.
Tidal Transit Kayak Company
18 Granary Way,
Boothbay Harbor
This company located downtown rents kayaks (and bikes) and organizes kayak tours.
Tel: (207) 633 7140
One of the local favourite kitesurfing and windsurfing spots is the beach just west of Nice airport, next to Cap 3000 main shopping centre. Parking possible alongside.
No Limit is an online shop with all the latest gear available for kitesurf, windsurf, snowboard, ski, wakeboard and paddle board. Choice of second hand gear, team of specialists happy to give their advice.
Tel :+33(0)4 93 31 95 95.
The long beach located after the Vieux Port is a good spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing especially with S, SE or E wind (some waves) or W, SW wind (flatter water).
Martha’s Vineyard offers very good kitesurfing conditions and is an excellent place to learn, thanks to its choice of shallow water spots.
Skyhigh Kiteboarding is a renowned kitesurfing school, offering all levels of lessons from certified instructors.
Tel: (508) 259 2728
Sail Newport
72 Fort Adams Dr, Newport
Renowned public sailing center, dedicated to promoting sailing and offering individual and group classes for all levels and ages, as well as summer camps for kids. Rental fleet of J/22s and Rhodes 19s. School located in scenic Fort Adams Park.
Tel: (401) 846 1983
America’s Cup Charters
Park Loop Road
Drive the 27 mile Acadia’s Park Loop Road for an excellent overview of the island. On a stormy day, don’t forget to stop at the Thunder Hole, a natural stone crevasse into which waves surge, compress and burst out in a thrilling and deafening sound.
Bass Harbor Lighthouse
Picturesque lighthouse, one of the most photographed in the country. Well worth a stop.
Cadillac Mountain
Surfing is a popular sport on Nantucket, and the island hosts several good spots, mostly on the south side (although the best ones are kept secret by the locals!). Madaket, Cisco, Surfside, Madaquesham and Nobadeer offer good surfable sand breaks.
Christian at NantucketSurfari, 1 Essex Rd, offers hourly lessons or packages for all levels. All equipment, from wetsuits to surfboards, is provided. Pick-up at the yacht upon request.
There are several good surf spots in Martha’s Vineyard, such as:
Long Pointin West Tisbury Wildlife Refuge, (off Edgartown-West Tisbury Rd) offers a sand bar with mostly rights. A small entrance fee is required to access the spot. South Beach State Park, south of Edgartown, has good rights on a sand bar. Lucy Vincent and Squibnocket in Chillmark are also good spots, but are private beaches.
Corner Five Surf Co.
5 Water St, Vineyard Haven
Club de Kayak des Saintes
Rental of transparent kayaks available at the beach between the main jetty and La Saladerie on Terre de Haut.
Tel: (590) 690 657981
www. clearbluecaraibes.fr