The highlight of my most recent trip to barbados it was a memorable Sunday morning walk through the countryside sponsored by the Barbados National Trust, a government organization that promotes the indigenous culture, art and natural history of this small island nation. The hike was about 4 hours long and of course “no piece of cake”. There were around 100 participants in the walk, which was divided into three groups based on ability and experience: fast, moderate and slow.

There is no other place in the Caribbean (and few places in the world) where these kinds of organized nature walks take place on a regular basis. Also, in the Caribbean, nature walks are often just a tourist activity: in Barbados, nature walks are more geared towards the native population and is an activity that promotes national pride and environmental awareness. About 80% of the participants were Bajans (native people) and about 20% were visitors. Too bad other Caribbean countries have not instituted an activity like this.

As a novice, I joined the slow walker group, which was led by Colin Blackwell, a well-respected physician and educator who works for the Barbados National Trust. The hike itself took us through a heavily forested ravine, a dark cave populated by bats, and a sugar cane field. Who would have imagined that Barbados had such a wild side? I really enjoyed it and met a lot of interesting people, including some visiting Jamaicans who used to live in the San Francisco area.

By the way, participation in these walks is free!