The Windward Islands are a smaller group of the Lesser Antilles, outer islands of the Caribbean Sea. They are referred to as “windward” since they make up an arc of islands which face the prevailing trade winds. The islands in the group are southern representatives of the lesser antilles and include Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, and Grenada.

     Dominica is the “nature” island. Much of the interior is rain forest and set aside as a national park. It is characterized by beauty and pristine wilderness.

Dominica Waterfall

    Martinique is noted for its volcano, Mount Pelee, which last erupted in 1902, destroying the entire city of St Pierre and all but two of its approximately 28,000 residents.

Mount Pelee

     The capital of the island is Fort-de-France, which has some interesting architecture, as evidenced by the St Louis Cathedral.

St Louis Cathedral

   St Lucia is also known for its volcanoes, known now as the Pitons. They are commonly seen on postcards from the island.

Pitons, St Lucia

    Travelers can also visit a drive-in volcano, called Soufriere, the only such attraction in the world.

Soufriere Volcano

 Grenada is known as the Spice Island, since spices are an important part of the island economy.

Grenada Harbor