Sure, you could wander around by yourself, but you'll learn a lot more and make an interesting new friend by enlisting stellar scouts like these, each eager to reveal their island's terrain and lore.
VICTOR COOKE
"Tourists want to get a feel for our villages and get off the beaten path," says Victor Cooke, a professional guide who leads the curious away from Barbados' beaches on custom-designed rambles to the island's rural regions. These treks are categorized by difficulty - from the challenging Grin and Bear 12-miler to the easygoing 6-mile Stop and Stare route - and participants are a mixture of locals and tourists who share an interest in Barbados' history as they pass plantations and sugar-cane fields. Unlike other Eastern Caribbean islands, Barbados is not volcanic, and the scenery is sometimes unexpected. "They're amazed at places like the Scotland District, which resembles South Dakota's Badlands," says the bald and burly Cooke. Complimentary three-hour National Trust tours are available through hikebarbados.com. Cooke's custom hikes begin at $50 per couple; ecoadventures2@yahoo.com; 246-234-9010.
CYRILL KOOISTRA
Mount Christoffel, Curaçao's 1,200-foot StairMaster, is a mystery even to most islanders, but Cyrill Kooistra, an veteran explorer, knows the park like a family member. Kooistra leads visitors on the eight self-guided trails and along the more challenging routes, which include unmarked and undocumented paths. "I was born and raised here, so I know the island from east to west and top to bottom," he says. Starting at 7 a.m. every Sunday, the Christoffel Trail hike offers plenty of Kodak moments, such as sightings of white-tailed deer, vibrant orchids and 10-foot-tall cactuses. It's a fairly strenuous undertaking, requiring a quad- and delt-busting scramble to the top, but Kooistra encourages the weary with promises of panoramic views of Bonaire, Venezuela and, on a clear day, Aruba. Three-hour tours from $30 per person; 011-5999-864-0363; carmabi.org.
Check out the Top 5 Things to Do in Curaçao...
TELFOR BEDEAU
"After walking 100 yards, my grandchildren get tired and they want a ride!" laughs Telfor Bedeau, aka Grenada's Indiana Jones. The lithe 69-year-old has logged 12,000 miles over the last 46 years and summited the island's highest peak, 2,700-foot Mount Catherine, more than 150 times. With jelly sandals on his feet and a cutlass in hand to chop down makeshift walking sticks, he ventures with his party into the spice-scented Grand Etang Forest Reserve or up 2,370-foot Mount Qua Qua. And if he thinks you're game, he'll recommend trails less traveled. "I prefer to go where other tourists don't," says Bedeau, "to places you can't find on your own. That's real bush walking." Three-hour tours from $30 per person; 473-442-6200.
Jim Johnson's been called the Nutty Professor, but the South Carolina-born biologist's other nickname, Jungle Jim, is more appropriate. Johnson, who came to the island in 1983 with the Peace Corps, holds a master's degree in plant pathology and teaches a course in Medicines and Murderous Plants at the local medical school. Carrying a snack-stocked backpack and carved walking stick, he guides vacationers through the rainforest, into ravines and up famous Nevis Peak, regaling guests with tales of bush remedies and their dangerous misapplications along the way. He'll point out "dumb cane," a plant that supposedly renders one speechless, and reveal where native green vervet monkeys like to feast. Johnson doesn't want to lose you, literally or figuratively, so he frequently stops to peer at you through oversized specs, asking with a twang, "Does that make sense for ya?" and "You all right?" In his hands, it does and, yes, you are. Two-hour tours from $20 per person; 869-469-9080; walknevis.com
HARRIS McDONALD
"Let me tell you," says Harris McDonald, "Tobago is green, safe and serene." McDonald, whose father frequently took him hunting in Tobago's forests, has for the past 15 years lead binocular-equipped groups on sunrise tramps through the island's famous Main Ridge reserve, home to over 200 bird varieties. He'll point out the nests of rare hummingbirds and describe the mating habits of the colorful motmot. If you're lucky, you may witness the courtship dance of the blue-back mannequin, a comical ritual everyone loves to watch. Bonus: Should you find a nice vine along the way, McDonald will swing you back and forth, Tarzan-style. Three-hour tours from $60 per person; 868-759-0170; harris-jungle-tours.com.
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