The history of the Windward Islands ties in with the history of the Caribbean as a whole. Evidence of human settlement in the Caribbean dates back to 4500 BC, The Taino who originally occupied some of the Windward Islands were relatives of the Arawak people indigenous to the West Indies. When Christopher Columbus arrived in the 15th Century he made contact with the Arawak and Taino peoples.
The Carib people, after whom the Caribbean island group was ultimately named, gradually became the dominant native people in the region. This was due to a combination of their aptitude for warfare and also the fact that they occupied the Windward Island of Dominica (among others). This island and has a dense natural landscape which allowed some of the Caribs to hide from the incoming European settlers. After initial discovery by Columbus other European countries moved in to claim territories, extract resources and create settlements. This resulted in the deaths of many Caribbean inhabitants as the result of encountering European diseases to which they had no immunity and also to the harsh conditions which were imposed upon them.
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.