Due in part to the colonial efforts of Europe the demographics of the Caribbean islands is very diverse with British, French, Chinese, Indian and a small number of descendants from the original native people of the Caribbean. A large proportion of the population are descended from the slave population brought there by the French and British in colonial times.
Dominica has a particularly mixed culture and the last tribe of Caribs live on the island and elect their own chief independent of the political system of the islands as a whole. The annual independence celebrations are marked with traditional songs and dances. Dominica is also known for being the place where modern Creole music originated.
Island culture is influenced to a great degree by the African heritage and to differing degrees from island to island by the French influences that have existed over the years.
On Martinique culture is a blend of French and Caribbean. French is the official language and many businesses on the island follow the French custom of closing at midday. Many French people holiday is Martinique and the former capital of Saint-Pierre was formally called the Paris of the Lesser Antilles. Each year in November Martinique celebrates the release of the Beaujolais nouveau and it is also home to the Jazz l la Martinique festival.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
