Rainforest Adventures

Up at Chassin, around 2,000 feet above the sea at the foot of La Sorcière, the forest of the Castries Waterworks Reserve has been protected since 1916. It is about half an hour inland from Castries and the north-west hotels by a winding country road.

The aerial tram is the gentle option: gondolas, each with a naturalist guide, climb slowly through the canopy while the guide points out giant ferns, heliconia and the birds by their calls, and the ride back down gives a long view over the north of the island. There is no fitness or age limit and people with walking difficulties can be accommodated; with the fern trail it takes about two and a half hours. The zip-line course has 16 platforms and 8 lines, starting with a short forest walk. Riders must be at least 5, within waist and weight limits, and fit, and it is off limits in pregnancy or with back or neck injuries. The combined tram, trail and zip-line package fills about four hours, and there is also a guided birding walk on the Jacquot trail.

Closed-toe shoes are compulsory for everything. For the zip line wear long shorts or trousers rather than a skirt, and tie long hair back. Food and drink are not included, and the shared shuttle from the north, Castries or Marigot has to be booked by the afternoon before.