Diamond Rock, a 176-meter-high volcanic islet off the coast of Le Diamant, Martinique, was commissioned on February 3, 1804, as a sloop of the Royal Navy under the name HMS Diamond Rock. A French division commanded by Captain Julien Cosmao recaptured it on June 2, 1805. More than two centuries later, landing there is prohibited.
About 1,800 meters off the coast of the town of Le Diamant, in southern Martinique, lies a small islet that the Royal Navy occupied beginning in 1804. In January, Commodore Samuel Hood decided to turn it into a fortified position. Lieutenant James Wilkes Maurice landed there with a detachment from the HMS Centaur. Just a few weeks later, the Royal Navy added the islet to its list of vessels.
Diamond Rock, 176 Meters Off Le Diamant
The Diamond Rock rises to a height of 176 meters and has a diameter of approximately 300 meters. This islet is a massive dome of dacite, a volcanic rock, formed about 0.97 million years ago, according to geologists’ measurements. In 1804, this landmark became a strategic military position. The Royal Navy occupied it and, from this outpost, controlled the Passage des Fours.
January 1804: The Royal Navy Arms the Islet
In January 1804, the HMS Centaur, a 74-gun ship commanded by Commodore Samuel Hood, anchored at the foot of the rock. First Lieutenant James Wilkes Maurice went ashore with sailors and marines. He and his men were tasked with fortifying an uninhabited islet that was difficult to climb. The cannons were first brought in by sea. A cable stretched from the mainmast of the HMS Centaur was used to hoist them up the cliff face. Five guns were initially installed—three 24-pounders and two 18-pounders—from the water’s edge to the summit.
On February 3, 1804, the islet was commissioned as a Royal Navy sloop under the name HMS Diamond Rock. A sloop is a small warship. James Wilkes Maurice was placed in command of it, with a garrison of about 120 men.
May 31–June 2, 1805: The Recapture by Julien Cosmao’s Division
In mid-May 1805, Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve arrived in Fort-de-France with a Franco-Spanish fleet. One division was tasked with recapturing the rock. It was placed under the command of Captain Julien Cosmao, who commanded the ship Pluton. The division also included the ship Berwick, the frigate Sirène, and French and Spanish vessels. The ships Pluton and Berwick each carried 74 guns. The division set sail on May 29, 1805.
The attack began on May 31, 1805. The ships’ cannons destroyed the islet’s lower batteries, then the troops landed, while James Wilkes Maurice withdrew his men to the upper levels. Running low on water and ammunition, James Wilkes Maurice surrendered on June 2, 1805, with 107 men. The garrison left the islet on June 3 with the honors of war. On the British side, losses were limited to two dead and one wounded. James Wilkes Maurice was tried by a court-martial in Barbados and acquitted.
Today, Diamond Rock Is Closed to Visitors
Since the biotope protection order of March 1, 1994, access to the rock from the shore has been prohibited. The islet is part of a designated protected area, established by decree on April 4, 2001, which covers approximately 1,429 hectares between the municipalities of Anses-d’Arlet and Le Diamant, both on land and at sea. The rock has belonged to the Conservatoire du littoral since 1994. Thirteen bird species were observed there in 2004, including the brown noddy, the bridled tern, the white-rumped tropicbird, the brown booby, and the magnificent frigatebird.
What Diamond Rock Brings to Martinique
Diamond Rock gives its name to the town of Le Diamant and remains a landmark visible from the southern part of Martinique. It still bears traces of a military conflict that took place off the island’s coast in 1804 and 1805. It also serves as a refuge for seabirds, located within a 1,429-hectare protected area. Its value lies in this threefold heritage—geological, historical, and natural—which we preserve by no longer visiting it.
More than two centuries after it was commissioned as a sloop in the Royal Navy, no one boards it anymore. One question remains for those who gaze at it from the coast of Le Diamant: What story does a rock—one we can no longer touch—tell in Martinique?
Frequently Asked Questions About the Diamond Rock
Off the coast of the town of Le Diamant, in southern Martinique, about 1,800 meters from the shore. It rises to a height of 176 meters.
The Royal Navy commissioned it in January 1804 and listed it as a sloop on February 3, 1804, under the name HMS Diamond Rock. Julien Cosmao’s division captured it on June 2, 1805.
No. Access to the shore has been prohibited since the biotope protection order of March 1, 1994.
The Ingenios Valley, northeast of Trinidad, covers 225 km². In 1827, more than 50 sugar mills were in operation there, and more than 11,000 people were working as slaves. A brick tower still towers over these fields, bearing witness to that era. Seven levels of brick and lime mortar, with a plan that transitions from square to octagonal, standing over 43 meters tall. The Manaca Iznaga Tower is visible from afar. Alejo María del Carmen Iznaga y Borrell had it built in the early decades of the 19th century on an estate purchased in 1795 by his father, Pedro José Iznaga, and which he inherited in 1831.
It served as a bell tower and a lookout post, towering over the fields. The bell marked the passing of the days, and the view took in the crops. A local legend tells of two brothers who are said to have challenged each other to see who could build the most magnificent structure. The reality, however, is darker. This tower overlooked a system based on forced labor, in the heart of the Ingenios Valley.
Valle de los Ingenios, three valleys northeast of Trinidad
The word “ingenio” refers to the sugar mill and the surrounding estate. Here, it refers to three neighboring valleys—San Luis, Santa Rosa, and Meyer—located about a dozen kilometers from Trinidad. Together, they cover 225 km², more than twice the area of inner Paris.
Trinidad has existed since 1514. Diego Velázquez made it the third city founded by the Spanish in Cuba. The sugar industry did not take off there until the late 18th century, and subsequently dominated the landscape for a hundred years. The historic center—37 hectares surrounding the Plaza Mayor—has been protected since 1978. The valley has been protected since 1989. In 1988, both were inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Palacio Cantero now houses the city’s history museum.
The Ingenios Valley in 1827: What the Numbers Tell Us
More than 50 sugar mills, more than 11,000 slaves. That’s an average of more than 200 people per estate and nearly 49 enslaved people for every square kilometer of the valley. Each ingenio required workers to cut the sugarcane, stoke the boilers, and transport the sugar. The plantations produced approximately 640,000 arrobas—a unit equal to about 11.5 kilograms—or roughly 7,400 metric tons of sugar in a single year.
The fortunes of a few planter families depended on these men, women, and children. On a national scale, the Haitian Revolution opened up a market for Cuban sugar, and the importation of slaves accelerated. This context helps to gauge the scale of the Ingenios Valley, though it does not fully explain it.
What the Ingenios Valley Has Preserved and What It Has Lost
More than 70 former sugar plantations can still be found in the area, including thirteen manor houses. Many are now nothing more than ruins. The industry’s decline stretched over many years and then accelerated in the 1990s. The valley’s last sugar mill officially closed in 2005. Since then, the valley has ceased to produce the sugar that had shaped it for over a century. What remains is a landscape of ruins.
An album of lithographs published in Havana in 1857, *Los ingenios*, had, however, captured the image of Cuba’s great sugar mills at their peak. The text is by Justo Germán Cantero, who extols the beauty of the Trinidad Valley. In particular, he praises the Buenavista estate, which he considers the most pleasant in the San Luis Valley.
The tower, a landmark of the Ingenios Valley, has stood the test of time. It appears in the inventory of assets drawn up after Alejo Iznaga’s death in 1845. Two interpretations of its purpose coexist. A lookout for fires and leaks, or a display of wealth. In the fall of 2025, it closed to the public for renovations, which were entrusted to a small Cuban company for approximately one million pesos. The beams, columns, and steps on the sixth level were to be replaced, and the bell tower repainted.
Who watches over the Ingenios Valley today?
Since 1978, the tower has been designated a national monument. A conservator’s office, established in 1997, oversees the heritage of Trinidad and its valley. Protecting the brickwork is a first step. Passing on what this tower has witnessed is another—and a far more difficult one. In a valley without sugar, who will speak the names of those who cut the cane?
Frequently Asked Questions About the Ingenios Valley
The Ingenios Valley is located in Cuba, northeast of Trinidad, about a dozen kilometers from the city. It encompasses three neighboring valleys—San Luis, Santa Rosa, and Meyer—spanning 225 km².
In 1827, the Ingenios Valley was home to more than 50 sugar mills and more than 11,000 enslaved people. That averages out to more than 200 people per plantation.
An ” ingenio” refers to a sugar mill and the estate surrounding it. The Valley of the Ingenios takes its name from these sugar estates.
For 53 years, Arecibo, in Puerto Rico, was home to the world’s largest single-dish telescope, with a mirror 305 meters in diameter. Its platform collapsed on December 1, 2020, without causing any injuries. The Arecibo site now houses an educational center open to the public by ticket.
On December 1, 2020, at approximately 7:55 a.m. (Puerto Rico time), the Arecibo telescope platform collapsed into the crater above it, where it had stood since 1963. No one was injured. The director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Sethuraman Panchanathan, expressed sadness over the situation but was grateful that no one had been harmed. In Arecibo, in northern Puerto Rico, this collapse brings to a close a story that began in 1960. That year, teams entered a natural depression in the karst region to install a giant mirror there. A single number sums it all up: 305 meters.
The Arecibo Observatory, a 305-meter dish in Puerto Rico
The Arecibo Observatory was the brainchild of Professor William E. Gordon, then a faculty member at the School of Electrical Engineering at Cornell University in the United States. Construction lasted from June 1960 to August 1963. The U.S. Department of Defense provided approximately $9 million in funding through ARPA. The official dedication took place on November 1, 1963.
The mirror measures 1,000 feet—or 305 meters—in diameter and is approximately 51 meters deep. It remains fixed to the ground. The receivers move above the basin inside a 90-metric-ton enclosure suspended 137 meters above the ground. In the early 1970s, the surface was redone with 38,788 aluminum panels, each measuring 3 feet by 6 feet.
A 53-year-old record, until the arrival of FAST
For 53 years, the Arecibo Telescope remained the largest single-dish telescope on the planet. That record came to an end in July 2016, when the Chinese FAST telescope, located in Guizhou Province, surpassed it. This record applies to single-dish telescopes, not to all radio telescopes. The NSF has supported the observatory since the 1970s. Its discoveries include the first planet found outside the solar system and the detection of gravitational waves from a binary pulsar.
On the morning of December 1, 2020, in Arecibo
The observatory’s problems began in August 2020, when a support cable came loose from one of the three towers. A second cable, attached to the same tower, snapped on November 6, 2020. Each cable consists of about 160 strands. On November 19, the NSF announced that the telescope would be dismantled. Drones subsequently detected broken strands on two other cables on that tower.
On December 1, 2020, the approximately 900-metric-ton platform fell before dismantling could begin. The tops of the three towers were shattered, and the learning center adjacent to Tower 12 was heavily damaged by falling cables. Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for research atthe University of Central Florida, had reiterated that staff safety remained the top priority. On October 13, 2022, the NSF clarified that its new call for proposals does not include the reconstruction of the 305-meter telescope.
A center for students from Puerto Rico in place of the telescope
On September 25, 2023, the NSF announced Arecibo C3, an educational center with over $5 million in funding over five years. Its executive director, Wanda Díaz Merced, summed up the idea in these words. “Nosotros, los humanos, somos quienes vinculamos todas las ciencias del universo” (We, humans, are the ones who connect all the sciences of the universe). James L. Moore III, deputy director for STEM education at the NSF, adds that the center builds on the observatory’s scientific, educational, and cultural legacy.
A pilot phase will begin in June 2024. By early 2026, more than 600 students, teachers, researchers, and local residents had participated in these pilot programs. The center’s partial reopening began in April 2026. It now welcomes visitors who have purchased tickets online at least 24 hours in advance. On Saturday, October 17, 2026, general admission is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $5 per adult. It includes a tour of artifacts from the radio telescope, a terrace facing the remains of the dish, and a guided historical tour. In Arecibo, the telescope is no longer there, but the site continues to welcome visitors. What becomes of a site 305 meters in diameter when the instrument that made it famous is gone?
FAQ
The Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico had a mirror 305 meters in diameter—or 1,000 feet—and was approximately 51 meters deep.
The Arecibo Observatory’s platform collapsed on December 1, 2020, at approximately 7:55 a.m. Puerto Rican time. No one was injured.
Yes, the Arecibo C3 Center welcomes visitors who have purchased tickets online at the site of the former Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Be sure to check the center’s website for hours and admission prices before visiting.
The Jamaica Pegasus has just been named the Caribbean’s Leading Business Hotel 2026 at the World Travel Awards. Before it, only one other hotel had received this title: the Hilton Barbados, in 2007. Between a hotel founded in 1968, a U.S. president, and students seeking shelter from a hurricane, here’s what this award reveals about Kingston.
On October 11, 2026, in Green Island, Hanover Parish, the World Travel Awards presented their trophies for the Caribbean and the Americas. One of them made its way to Kingston. The Jamaica Pegasus was named Caribbean’s Leading Business Hotel, in other words the best business hotel in the Caribbean. As head of the Courtleigh Group, which owns the property, Kevin Hendrickson can savor a moment that has taken nineteen years to come around again.
Competing with it are hotels in Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. The Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski in Havana, the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, the InterContinental Real, and the Sheraton in Santo Domingo are all part of international hotel chains. S Hotel Kingston, which opened in 2009, is even located in the same city as the winner.
Jamaica Pegasus, a title that made a comeback after 2007
This category hasn’t always been known for its consistency. Prior to this year’s competition, only one hotel had ever won it: the Hilton Barbados, in 2007. The Jamaica Pegasus is thus the first winner in nineteen years.
Across the island, the competition remains tight. S Hotel Kingston claimed the Jamaican title for best business hotel. Two hotels in the capital are thus sharing the spotlight, which is a good sign for Kingston. The Jamaica Pegasus also receives this award nearly a year after Hurricane Melissa, a season the island won’t soon forget.
A hotel founded in 1968 that has become Jamaican
The story begins in 1968. A company was formed as a joint venture between the airline BOAC, now British Airways, the Trusthouse Forte Group, and the Jamaican people. The hotel opened partially in 1973 to host a major convention, and then officially in September of that same year.
In 1976, the Jamaican government acquired a stake in the company. In 2002, management returned to local hands. Around 2010 and 2011, Kevin Hendrickson’s group acquired full ownership. Hendrickson was named Caribbean Hotelier of the Year in 2022 by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. Today, the Jamaica Pegasus boasts an all-Jamaican staff. The story of a hotel built with foreign capital and later taken over by local ownership is no mere detail. It explains why this victory is celebrated in Kingston as a matter for the extended family, well beyond the board of directors alone.
Jamaica Pegasus: The Business Side and Behind the Scenes
Heads of state are familiar with the hotel. On April 8, 2015, Barack Obama arrived in Kingston and checked into the hotel. There, he met with staff from the U.S. Embassy, went to visit the Bob Marley Museum, and then returned to spend the night. Three weeks before his arrival, the hotel had stopped taking reservations. That is sometimes the price of having the honor of hosting a president. For a business hotel, closing its doors to regular guests for three weeks is a gamble, and the Jamaica Pegasus took it.
Day-to-day operations revolve more around meetings, conferences, and trade shows, what the industry calls the MICE sector, short for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Here, too, the hotel was named the best in Jamaica in 2021 and again in 2024. It has proven its ability to accommodate guests on short notice. In late October 2025, as Hurricane Melissa approached the island, the government of Antigua and Barbuda secured two nights of accommodations, including meals, for its students who were in Jamaica. The hotel served as a shelter before it served as a conference venue.
What This Award Says, and What It Doesn't Say
A quick word of honesty. The World Travel Awards are determined by online voting. Travel industry executives and travelers choose their favorites, and the vote of a verified professional counts double. There is no jury to decide the outcome, and the Jamaica Pegasus plays by these rules. This award, therefore, measures popularity, not the results of an inspection.
Yet this reputation matters, because business travelers often choose a hotel they’ve heard of before. The votes measure this reputation. Nassau, in the Bahamas, was voted the best Caribbean business destination, while Kingston ranks first in terms of hotels. The two rankings complement each other and paint a picture of the Caribbean that goes beyond its beaches.
There’s just one more step to go. The Jamaica Pegasus is also nominated for the title of World’s Leading Business Hotel 2026. Will business travelers choose the Kingston tower this time over the big international names? The answer will reveal whether the Jamaica Pegasus, born out of a convention in 1973, can speak to the whole world from Jamaica. The outcome will now be decided by the digital vote.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston, Jamaica, won this World Travel Awards prize. The Caribbean & The Americas gala was held on October 11, 2026, at the Princess Grand Jamaica in Hanover.
No. The award had already been presented in 2007 at the Hilton Barbados. The Jamaica Pegasus is the first recipient since then.
Through an online vote by travel industry executives and consumers. Each verified professional’s vote counts double, and the votes are audited.
St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana, is approximately 43.5 meters tall and is built of wood. Consecrated on November 8, 1894, it replaced a brick cathedral, completed in 1842, whose tower was deemed too heavy for its foundations. Its history is that of a building made of greenheart, a hardwood native to Guyana, which the diocese must continue to protect.
In January 2015, Dean Paul Andrew Carto, rector of St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana, warned that the building’s problems would not be solved by barbecues and bake sales. That statement sums up the challenge facing this landmark. In Georgetown, St. George’s Anglican Church is a large, 43.5-meter-tall wooden structure, and wood requires constant maintenance.
St. George's Cathedral, a 43.5-meter-tall wooden structure in Georgetown
St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, stands on Church Street and is approximately 43.5 meters, or 143 feet, tall. The UNESCO Tentative List lists the height as 43.59 meters and specifies that the building is made of wood, with the exception of the low masonry foundations. The primary wood used is greenheart, a hard and durable local timber. Pitch pine imported from North America was also used for the ceiling.
Guyana has been protecting St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown since April 2001, when it was designated a national monument. On November 15, 1995, the country also inscribed it on its tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status, under criterion (i), that of a masterpiece of human creative genius.
When the brick gave way
Anglican services began in Georgetown in 1796. On the site of the present-day St. George’s Church, the first chapel was built in the early 19th century. It was succeeded by a brick cathedral, completed in 1842, the year the Diocese of Guyana was established. Bishop William Piercy Austin, the diocese’s first bishop, consecrated it. Its west tower was deemed too heavy for its foundations. The brick cathedral in Georgetown was subsequently dismantled following a structural failure. The exact year of this demolition is unknown. In 1877, the parish of St. George’s moved into a temporary church, the pro-cathedral, on the lawns of the Deanery in Georgetown.
Blomfield, the architect who never came
The plans for the new St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown came from England. Their designer, Sir Arthur Blomfield, never visited British Guiana. His designs proved impractical, and the church, built between 1889 and 1892, took on a Gothic style, with arches, clustered columns and flying buttresses, and was constructed primarily of greenheart wood.
The cornerstone of St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown was laid on November 21, 1889. The building opened for worship on August 24, 1892, while still unfinished. Bishop William Proctor Swaby consecrated it on November 8, 1894. Some Guyanese publications cite 1899 as the year of completion, a date not confirmed by official sources. The title of “tallest wooden building” remains disputed. Claims range from “tallest wooden building in the Western Hemisphere” to “tallest in the world” to “largest wooden church in the world.” These claims do not overlap, and the Georgetown building does not need them to remain unique.
St. George's Cathedral: A Restoration Project and a Roof Still Awaiting Work
In 2015, Dean Paul Andrew Carto determined that St. George’s Church required a complete renovation after 121 years of existence and repairs. That same year, the dean also reported that flooding during the rainy season was threatening the church’s foundations. An architectural firm from Grenada, TVA Consultancy, had assessed the building, and its structure had been deemed sound.
The restoration of St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown was launched on April 26, 2015, under Bishop Cornell Moss. Work began in 2017. The exterior and interior walls, the basement, and the ceiling were restored, and the electrical system was upgraded. The main phase was completed on October 17, 2020. The replacement greenheart wood came from the Iwokrama Forest in central Guyana. The project cost more than 200 million, of which 177 million came from the Diocese of Guyana and Suriname, according to Bishop Charles Davidson in 2020. The currency is not specified here.
Upon completion of the work, Carlton Joao, an executive at Banks DIH, the company supporting the project, said he was “a proud Guyanese today.” Columnist Ian McDonald, who has known the building for 65 years, wrote that it “shines for God and for man.” The main roof of St. George’s Cathedral, however, was not included. In November 2020, Bishop Davidson estimated the cost at approximately 150 million and was hoping for donations, while the National Trust of Guyana was waiting for the 2021 national budget to determine its contribution.
In Georgetown, the question raised by Dean Carto in 2015 continues to linger. Who will provide the funding, year after year, to keep these 43.5 meters of greenheart standing?
Frequently Asked Questions About St. George's Cathedral
St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown is approximately 43.5 meters, or 143 feet, tall. The UNESCO Tentative List lists its height as 43.59 meters. It is a wooden structure built on low masonry foundations.
Sir Arthur Blomfield, a British architect, designed St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown. He never visited British Guiana.
Bishop William Proctor Swaby consecrated St. George’s Cathedral in Georgetown on November 8, 1894. The building had opened for worship on August 24, 1892, while still unfinished.
La Brea Pitch Lake is a natural asphalt lake located in La Brea, southwest of Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago). It covers approximately 41 hectares and is reported to reach a depth of 76 meters at its center, according to the country’s submission to UNESCO. Walter Raleigh visited it in 1595, and the site has been on the World Heritage Tentative List since 2011, though it has not yet been inscribed.
In January 2020, certified guide Garvin Charles, who was born and raised in La Brea, described his visit to La Brea’s Pitch Lake to the daily newspaper Newsday. At the time, he had eighteen years of experience leading tours of the approximately forty-five-minute hike. In this account, the surface is described using two guide terms. “Elephant skin” refers to the solid, wrinkled crust. “Mother of the Lake” refers to the spot where molten asphalt still oozes. In some places, the asphalt is soft enough for visitors to walk on it barefoot.
The key facts about this site can be summed up in a few figures. According to the dossier submitted by Trinidad and Tobago to UNESCO, La Brea Pitch Lake covers approximately 41 hectares. Its depth is estimated at 76 meters (250 feet) at the center, and it is believed to contain approximately 10 million metric tons of bitumen. Measurements vary by source, ranging from 40 to 47 hectares in area.
La Brea Pitch Lake, an asphalt lake formed by intersecting faults
La Brea Pitch Lake is located in La Brea, in southwestern Trinidad. The name is Spanish and means “pitch.” According to the UNESCO dossier, the asphalt rose up along major intersecting faults during geological movements in the Pliocene epoch. The dossier describes the lake as an emulsion of water, gas, bitumen, and mineral matter, containing a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide.
The lake moves slowly, with visible flow lines. The report notes that prehistoric trees and other objects have already appeared, disappeared, and then reappeared there. Trinidad and Tobago presents La Brea Pitch Lake as the world’s largest and most significant asphalt lake, a claim made by the government.
From Raleigh Pitch to a State-Owned Enterprise
Native Americans were the first to use this asphalt, according to the official history of the company that operates the site today. In 1595, Walter Raleigh visited La Brea Pitch Lake. In his account published in 1596, he wrote that he had tried this pitch to maintain his ships. He described it as “most excellent good” and stated that it “melteth not with the sun as the pitch of Norway,” meaning that it does not melt in the sun like Norwegian pitch.
Commercial operations began in 1888, with a concession granted to A.L. Barber. Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago (1978) Limited, a state-owned company based in Brighton, La Brea, was established in 1978. It has just over 200 employees, 90% of whom live nearby. According to its own figures, approximately 90% of its lake asphalt sales are for export.
Wood carvings and sacred hummingbirds: what La Brea's Pitch Lake holds
In 2017, researchers including Ostapkowicz, Brock, and Wiedenhoeft published a study of ten wood carvings and a skull found in the asphalt of La Brea’s Pitch Lake. Radiocarbon dates range from approximately 3200 BCE to approximately 700 CE. The authors describe them as the oldest known wood carvings from the Caribbean.
These objects were recovered during commercial mining operations, without any archaeological context, which limits the conclusions that can be drawn from them. However, one weaving tool bears a strontium signature that is unlikely to have originated in Trinidad, suggesting connections to the South American continent. The artifacts are housed primarily at the National Museum and Art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago. The UNESCO dossier also recounts a Native American legend. A village is said to have cooked sacred hummingbirds, which were believed to carry the souls of ancestors. The earth opened up, and a lake of pitch engulfed the village.
La Brea Tar Pits and the Wait for UNESCO Since 2011
On August 17, 2011, Trinidad and Tobago submitted La Brea’s Pitch Lake to the indicative list World Heritage sites, including Banwari Trace and the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve. This list is a preliminary step, not an inscription. As of October 2, 2026, the country has no inscribed properties. The nomination cites two natural criteria, (vii) and (viii). On the ground, Newsday reported in 2020 that there were seven certified guides and five tours per day during peak season, compared to twenty when Garvin Charles first started. If inscription ever happens, what will we want to protect about a lake that spits out what it swallows?
On the ground, Newsday reported in 2020 that there were seven certified guides and five tours per day during peak season, compared to twenty when Garvin Charles first started. If the site is ever listed, what exactly will we want to protect about a lake that spits out what it swallows?
Frequently Asked Questions
La Brea Pitch Lake is located in La Brea, in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad, in Trinidad and Tobago. According to the dossier submitted to UNESCO, it is located about 1.1 kilometers from the sea.
According to Trinidad and Tobago’s submission to UNESCO, La Brea’s Pitch Lake covers approximately 41 hectares, with an estimated depth of 76 meters at its center and approximately 10 million metric tons of bitumen. Other sources estimate its surface area to be between 40 and 47 hectares.
No. La Brea Pitch Lake has been on Trinidad and Tobago’s Tentative List since August 17, 2011, which is a preliminary step. As of October 2, 2026, the country has no properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.
On Sint Eustatius, a Dutch-speaking island in the Caribbean, the Quill crater is 760 meters in diameter and plunges to a depth of more than 300 meters. This volcano, which has been dormant for about 1,600 years, is large enough to harbor an entire tropical forest at its base, invisible from the sea.
The main trail on the Quill, maintained by the STENAPA Foundation (St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation), climbs for 1.6 kilometers before reaching the crater’s rim. The round-trip takes between one and two hours, depending on the route you choose. In this southeastern part of the island of Sint Eustatius, the vegetation changes in just a few meters. The dry scrub that covers most of the island gives way to a volcanic cliff face and then, at the summit, to the entrance of a rainforest found nowhere else on the island.
The Quill crater rises to an elevation of 601 meters, with a diameter of 760 meters and a depth of more than 300 meters, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program. This andesitic volcano formed approximately 22,000 to 32,000 years ago and has not erupted for about 1,600 years, an event radiocarbon-dated to around the year 250 CE, with a margin of error of 150 years.
The Quill Crater, an andesitic volcano that has been dormant for 1,600 years
The Quill Crater is located at the southeastern tip of Sint Eustatius, a Dutch-speaking island in the Caribbean covering approximately 21 square kilometers. Unlike the classic image of a volcano topped by a cinder cone, the Quill features a wide and deep crater, with no visible lava or active fumaroles on the surface today. The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program It dates its last known eruption to approximately 1,600 years ago, with pyroclastic flows radiocarbon-dated to around the year 250 CE. The volcano itself formed between 22,000 and 32,000 years ago, according to the same source.
The neighboring island of Saba is home to Mount Scenery, the highest peak in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands at 887 meters. Mount Quill, at 601 meters, is lower, but its crater is significantly wider and deeper than that of its neighbor.
A tropical rainforest invisible from the sea
At the bottom of the Quill Crater lies a rainforest that stands in stark contrast to the dry vegetation found elsewhere on Sint Eustatius. STENAPA, the national park’s managing agency, has identified at least 17 varieties of orchids there, alongside mahogany, breadfruit, banana, fig, and tree ferns. Iguanas, anoles, snakes, and several species of birds also live there. Along the main trail, hikers pass by one of the largest trees in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands, according to STENAPA. This high humidity, concentrated within a closed crater—while the rest of the island of Sint Eustatius remains dry for much of the year—explains why this forest is unlike any other on the island.
A national park on Sint Eustatius that has been protected since 1997
Quill/Boven National Park, on Sint Eustatius, was established in 1997. It was subsequently recognized in 1998 as the first official national park in the Netherlands Antilles, according to the management plan published by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), the regional organization that supports STENAPA. The park is still managed today by STENAPA, the foundation responsible for Sint Eustatius’s protected natural areas. Yet the history of the island of Sint Eustatius is quite distinct from that of its volcano. In the 18th century, Sint Eustatius was a free port so prosperous that it was nicknamed the Golden Rock, before falling into obscurity—a fate that, paradoxically, protected its natural heritage from mass tourism development.
A volcano off the beaten path
The Quill Crater continues to attract hikers rather than crowds on the island of Sint Eustatius, which has never sought to compete with its neighbors in the Dutch Caribbean. With a population of 3,348 as of January 1, 2026, Sint Eustatius remains one of the least populated islands in the Dutch Caribbean. It remains to be seen how long this volcano—which has remained largely off the beaten path of the Caribbean’s major tourist circuits—will retain its status as a well-kept secret.
The Quill Crater is located at the southeastern tip of the island of Sint Eustatius, in the Dutch Caribbean, a few kilometers from the capital, Oranjestad.
The Quill Crater is more than 300 meters deep and 760 meters in diameter, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program.
No, the Quill is a dormant volcano. Its last known eruption occurred about 1,600 years ago, around the year 250 CE, according to radiocarbon dating.
Yes. Several trails marked by STENAPA, the national park’s managing agency, lead to the summit or down to the forested crater floor, taking one to two hours depending on the route.
The Quill/Boven National Park on Sint Eustatius was established in 1997 and recognized in 1998 as the first official national park in the Netherlands Antilles, according to the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA).
Early in the morning in La Ciénaga, in the Central Cordillera of the Dominican Republic, hikers load up their mules before heading deep into the forest. The trail climbs steeply. The vegetation changes with altitude, from tropical foliage to pine trees, then to cloud forest, until nights arrive when the cold takes you by surprise right in the middle of the Caribbean. After two or three days of hiking—sometimes longer, depending on the hikers’ fitness levels and the weather—Pico Duarte comes into view, the highest peak in the entire Caribbean.
Pico Duarte, in the Dominican Republic, stands at 3,101.1 meters according to a precise GPS survey conducted in 2021 —a few meters higher than the 3,087-meter figure long cited by the Dominican tourism board. In either case, no other peak in the Caribbean—whether in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, or Puerto Rico—is higher. A mountain peak, not a beach, offering a different perspective on the Dominican Republic.
Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Central Cordillera
Pico Duarte straddles two national parks— Armando Bermúdez National Park and José del Carmen Ramírez National Park—in the Cordillera Central, the mountain range that runs through the center of the island of Hispaniola. These two parks protect most of the country’s mid- and high-altitude forests, a mountain range that Dominicans sometimes refer to as their “tropical Alps.” Some of the pine trees covering the slopes of Pico Duarte belong to a species found nowhere else in the world: the pino criollo (Pinus occidentalis), which is endemic to the island.
The ascent passes through several vegetation zones—tropical rainforest, pine forest, and then cloud forest—before reaching a summit where nighttime temperatures sometimes drop close to zero degrees, a far cry from the most common image of the Dominican Republic as a tropical destination. This same Central Cordillera is the source of the Yaque del Norte, the country’s longest river at 386 kilometers, which originates on its slopes before flowing across the entire northern part of the island.
A summit that changed its name three times
Pico Duarte has not always been known by that name. In 1851, the German-British explorer Robert Hermann Schomburgk made the first recorded ascent of the peak and named it Monte Tina. Later, the Swedish botanist Erik Leonard Ekman, who spent a great deal of time exploring the island’s mountains in the early twentieth century, distinguished between its two highest points, naming them Pelona Grande and Pelona Chica.
Under Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship, the mountain became known as Pico Trujillo, a name the regime imposed on several of the country’s iconic landmarks during those years. After the dictator’s death in 1961, it was renamed Pico Duarte, in honor of Juan Pablo Duarte, one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic and a leading figure in the country’s independence, which was proclaimed in 1844. The name of the country’s highest peak thus embodies, in and of itself, a part of its political history.
A three-day hike to reach the summit
The hike up Pico Duarte usually starts from La Ciénaga, via Manabao, before reaching the camps at Compartición or Valle de Lilís. Allow two to three days of hiking, depending on the route chosen and the group’s physical condition. A guide and mules to carry the gear are required; these can be arranged through hotels in Jarabacoa or directly at the La Ciénaga outpost.
Jarabacoa, nicknamed the “City of Eternal Spring” for its mountain climate—with temperatures ranging from 16 to 25 degrees year-round—serves as the gateway to the summit. This industry supports an entire local economy of guides and muleteers around Pico Duarte, which is very different from the coastal hotels or the resorts in Punta Cana.
Pico Duarte remains relatively unvisited compared to the beaches in the north or east of the Dominican Republic, despite its status as the highest peak in the entire Caribbean. But its elevation continues to be measured and remeasured—as the 2021 survey once again demonstrated—proving that a peak, even the region’s highest, is never fully understood. Three names in a century and a half—Monte Tina, Pico Trujillo, and then Pico Duarte—also tell the story of a country that long sought a name for itself before choosing to honor one of its founding fathers rather than a dictator. Does the Dominican Republic tell its story best from a beach, or from a mountaintop where it’s almost cold?
Pico Duarte, in the Dominican Republic, stands at 3,101 meters according to the 2021 survey. No peak in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, or Puerto Rico is higher than it.
It was first named Monte Tina after its first ascent in 1851, then Pico Trujillo during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, before being renamed Pico Duarte in 1961 in honor of Juan Pablo Duarte.
Allow two to three days of hiking from La Ciénaga; a guide and mules are required to carry the equipment.
In Barbuda, the show begins even before you spot the birds. There is no road leading to the Codrington Lagoon sanctuary. You have to board a boat, travel across the water through the mangroves, and then watch as the black silhouettes of the magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) come into view—their colony is one of the largest in the Caribbean.
This fact alone is enough to reveal another side of Barbuda. Beyond its pink beaches, the island is home to a lagoon where more than 5,000 of these birds have been recorded, in a colony where a scientific survey counted 1,743 nests. Here, you discover the destination by looking up and understanding the role this lagoon plays in the balance of the entire island.
A Ramsar-designated lagoon, nestled between mangroves and reefs
The Codrington Lagoon covers 3,600 hectares and has been recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention since 2005. It borders Codrington, the only village on Barbuda, from which it takes its name and whose residents are among the sanctuary’s closest neighbors. Mangroves, seagrass beds, sandbars, and reefs form an ecosystem where hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles also nest. Around the lagoon, spiny lobster fishing and nature-based tourism provide a livelihood for some of Barbuda’s families, in a balance that local guides are committed to preserving.
The magnificent frigate, symbol of Barbuda
In Barbuda, the bird is more than just a curiosity. It has become one of the territory’s most recognizable symbols. The male attracts everyone’s attention during courtship, when he inflates a scarlet red pouch under his beak to attract passing females. The species’ wingspan can exceed two meters. Despite its webbed feet, it almost never lands on the water, as its feathers are not waterproof. It therefore spends most of its life gliding, carried by air currents over the sea, and sometimes supplements its diet by chasing other seabirds until they let go—a well-documented behavior in this species.
When Irma Hit the Colony
The importance of the sanctuary became even clearer in September 2017. Hurricane Irma struck Barbuda, forcing the evacuation of the entire island to Antigua. A scientific study published in 2023 showed that the sandbar protecting the lagoon—which had remained intact for 250 years—broke in two places under the force of the storm, a breach that remained open four years later. The lagoon also lost some of its mangroves, prompting a local organization, the MEPA Trust, to begin replanting them with the help of volunteers.
Twenty-eight days after the storm, Barbadian ecologist Shanna Challenger took part in the sanctuary’s first census since the disaster. She found only 300 frigatebirds. “There was a significant drop compared to the usual numbers,” she told the Antigua Observer at the time. No one knows yet whether the birds—like the residents—will return.
The return did not make up for the losses, but it demonstrated the colony’s ability to resume its life cycle in a disrupted environment. Today, the sanctuary is once again home to more than 5,000 frigatebirds. In 2025, a specialized media outlet described it as one of the most thriving colonies in the world, managed by a community council rather than a distant agency, with guides who pass this knowledge down from generation to generation.
More than just a postcard-perfect setting
What makes this sanctuary unique is not just the size of the colony. It is the proximity between a major natural phenomenon and a small island whose entire identity is tied to this landscape. The next time Barbuda appears as nothing more than a postcard of pink sand, just look toward Codrington Lagoon. Behind the beach lies another story—that of an island that has become one of the great refuges for the magnificent frigatebird in this part of the world. What if Barbuda’s true wealth were best seen in what it chooses to preserve for the future?
More than 5,000 magnificent frigatebirds live in the Codrington Lagoon sanctuary, a colony where a scientific census counted 1,743 nests—one of the largest in the Caribbean.
In Codrington Lagoon, on the west coast of Barbuda. The site has been designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention since 2005.
Yes, but the population has been greatly reduced. A census conducted 28 days after Irma in 2017 found only 300 frigatebirds, compared with more than 5,000 today.
In Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, the journey to the Voltaire Falls begins well before the first waterfall. From the town, the Paul Isnard Trail leads into the forest for about 70 kilometers. After being closed to the public for several years, the site has just reopened following a restoration program led by the Territorial Collectivity of French Guiana. The goal is threefold: to make the trail safer, to better accommodate visitors, and to showcase this natural site all without losing what gives this place its unique character.
70 kilometers before the trailhead
The figure illustrates the scale. The “Cascades et crique Voltaire” ZNIEFF, listed in the National Natural Heritage Inventory, begins at the end of the Paul Isnard trail, 70 kilometers south of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. The French Guiana Regional Nature Park also notes that you must take this road from the town before it turns into a dirt track.
Once you arrive, the journey continues on foot. The Chutes Voltaire trail is listed as 5.3 kilometers long and takes about three hours to walk. While this distance doesn’t make the place inaccessible, it does remind us of something obvious: here, the journey begins long before you reach the water. The trail, the forest, and the path are all part of the experience.
A Reopening Focused on Safety
The closure had brought the issue of access to the forefront. The renovation therefore had to address several areas. A comprehensive signage system has been installed starting from the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, particularly along the Paul Isnard Trail. A new visitor area now includes a parking lot, a parking space for people with disabilities, an access gate, and an information sign.
The most noticeable change is the reconstruction of the main footbridge. Approximately 21 meters long, it spans the Voltaire Creek. It was designed to better withstand flooding. The trail has also been restored, with several structures built to allow hikers to cross wetlands. According to information provided at the reopening, all of these improvements have received the necessary regulatory and technical approvals.
Voltaire Falls: A Landscape Unlike Any Other in French Guiana
The Voltaire Falls are not only notable for their remote location. It is a particularly rugged area, where the creek cuts through hard rock before reaching the waterfall zone. Over a distance of approximately 200 meters, the Voltaire Falls have a vertical drop of 35 meters, described in this official documentation as unparalleled in French Guiana. The site combines waterfalls, cascades, rocky thresholds, rapids, and forested areas. The area is recognized for its scenic, geomorphological, ecological, floristic, and faunistic features.
A multidisciplinary survey conducted in 2011 examined, among other things, the flora, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and non-flying mammals. This rich biodiversity serves as a reminder that opening the area to the public must also take into account a sensitive natural environment. The Voltaire Creek is part of the Maroni watershed and originates in a small mountain range east of the Sparouine Mountains. It flows for approximately 30 kilometers. In its upper reaches, the valley narrows and becomes winding: this is where the waterfalls are located. The terrain thus explains the spectacular appearance of the Voltaire Falls today.
At the foot of the waterfalls, a new kind of hospitality
The restoration doesn’t stop at the trail. At the base of the Voltaire Falls, visitors now have access to a large shelter, a fire pit, hammock shelters, and picnic tables with benches. These facilities are designed to provide a more comfortable rest stop after the hike. The reopening may also boost the appeal of western French Guiana as a tourist destination. The inn located at the site’s entrance is one of the local businesses likely to benefit from the return of visitors. This connection between natural heritage and the local economy adds another dimension to the work that has been done.
But the challenge won’t just be attracting more visitors. It will also be necessary to maintain a balance between visitor numbers, safety, and respect for the environment. At the Voltaire Falls, distance remains a key factor: 70 kilometers of road before the trail begins, followed by the forest and the creek leading to the waterfalls. The renovation makes the route safer and more comfortable. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s remote. And that may be precisely what makes the Voltaire Falls a unique destination in western French Guiana.
The Voltaire Falls are located in western French Guiana, south of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. They can be reached via the Paul Isnard trail, traveling about 70 kilometers before reaching the trailhead.
From Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, take the road and then the Paul Isnard trail for about 70 kilometers. Once there, the journey continues on foot along a trail that is expected to take about three hours to complete.
The renovation of the Voltaire Falls is primarily aimed at making the trail safer and improving the visitor experience. The work includes new signage, visitor facilities, trail restoration, and a main footbridge approximately 21 meters long that spans the Voltaire Creek.
