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Our family has been to Bermuda many times and we still have not seen everything. We're heading back this June and our goal is to hit as many secluded places as we can. We're interested in cave swimming, cliff jumping (not too high), renting a small boat for sea garden snorkeling (calm seas close to shore) and any other places you might suggest that aren't too touristy.
We love the island and feel at home there. Any suggestions?
Sheryl Mosso (February 2015)
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Hi, The island might be tiny, but it has lot more treasures to explore than you may imagine...
For cave (grotto) swimming and short cliff jumping, visit Walsingham Nature Reserve (also known as Tom Moore's Jungle) in Hamilton Parish. This 12-acre reserve is full of dense wood, caves and grottos. There are natural pools and a mangrove pond (known as Blue Hole) where you can swim. Forested trail leads to the caves and the pools. The entrance to the park is opposite Grotto Bay Resort (bus #1,3,10,11).
Secluded beaches: Visit an unnamed beach on Castle Road water area in Castle harbor, lounge in the sun, walk on the shallows, get glimpses of some historical forts in Castle Island and few others (accessible by boat from places like Blue Hole Water Sports in Grotto Bay Resort), Drews Bay Beach in St. George's (on north shore road, no bus service, you can walk down from Kings Square... about 20 minutes), Turtle Bay Beach located next to Clearwater beach in St. Davids and fringed by rocky outcrops making it look awesome (some services of bus #6 from St. George reach there). More details about secluded beaches...
Explore the coastline and nearby islands on rental boat with opportunities of awesome snorkeling experience among corals, marine life and even wrecks. You can also find tiny island beaches where you can swim and have exclusive picnic. More details here...
More to explore along off-the-beaten paths in Bermuda:
1) Coopers Island Nature Reserve in St. Davids. Close to Clearwater and Turtle beaches. 12-acre park, lush vegetation including Bermuda cedars, Palmettos, Olivewood etc, boardwalk over a pond, salt marsh and lovely view of Castle Harbor are the highlights here (some services of bus #6 from St. George reach here).
2) Spittal Pond Nature Reserve at Smiths: This is the largest nature reserve in Bermuda and spread across 64-acres area. Lust vegetation, wide variety of flora and fauna, lovely nature trail, strange geological formations on coastline and exposed rocky cliffs, and a large brackish pond at the center are the highlights. Bus #1, 3.
3) Ferry reach park at St. George's parish: 64-acres parkland having a secluded lake with greenish blue water known as Lover's Lake, a beautiful bay and a beach great for snorkeling, few historical forts and lovely trails are the highlights here. Bus #1, 3, 10, 11 come close. More info about Ferry Reach Park...
4) Ferry Island - a small island located at the western tip of Ferry reach. It was from here that people once boarded ferry to cross over to Coney Island and then reach the mainland of Bermuda through an wooden footbridge. Ferry was the only connection between Bermuda's mainland and St. George's until 1871. Now it's a nice and quiet place for nature lovers. More info Ferry Island...
5) Southlands estate in Warwick: A 37-acre lovely estate with a trail through the wooded area. The secluded Marley Beach on South Shore, woodland where you can see Bermuda pepper and yellow woods, garden pools, a historic house are the highlights (Bus #7). More info about Southlands Estate...
6) 9-acre Dunscombe Woods nature reserve in Devonshire next to Devonshire Marsh. The two together forms one of the largest natural reserves in the island and full of flora and fauna. You will see plenty of Brazil pepper, Chinese fan palms although once this place was full of Bermuda Cedars, Bermuda Palmettos, Olivewood etc. Bus #3 comes close. Then walk along Parsons lane and then around Vesey street for about half a mile to enter the reserve. Note that Poison Ivy (a type of plants) exist on some parts of the trail which can cause skin rashes or severe itching if they come in contact.
7) Warwick Pond nature reserve at Warwick parish: 9-acres of marshy forested land with a large fresh water pond. The reserve is home to many migratory waterfowls. A well marked trail takes you through the reserve and signboards at various places let you know about the flora and fauna. Bus #8, entrance on Middle road.
8) Arboretum park at Devonshire: A national park spread across 22-acres of inland area with vast stretch of meadows and plantations. Lots of cedars, rubber trees, cherry forest etc. Nice trail for walking. Great place for bird watching as well. Bus #3 (on middle road). More info about Arboretum...
9) Bailey's Bay and Coney Island - accessible through railway trail at Hamilton Parish: Must walk along the new 740-ft footbridge over Bailey's bay opened in December 2014. It's part of the railway trail. Further east at Coney Island, you will enjoy parkland and coves. You can see the Ferry Island and western part of Ferry Reach park across the water. Take bus # 10 or 11 and access through the railway trail at Hamilton parish.
10) 8-acre Vesey Nature Reserve in Southampton located off Middle Road and near Port Royal Gas Station. Opened in April 2013. Highlights include a limestone sinkhole, couple of quarries, forested valley, rocky shoreline, hill top etc.
11) 1-acre Warwick Ridge Nature Reserve in Warwick. Full of Kiskadee birds and Anolis lizards. Kiskadees were introduced in 1957 to control the lizards, but the experiment failed and you can see both now in plenty. The reserve is accessible from the section of railway trail from Khyber Pass (bus #8)
12) 2-acre Gladys Morrell Nature Reserve, off Somerset Road in Sandys (bus #7, 8). You can see Bermuda cedars, Olivewood. The reserve is also a nesting place for rare bluebird. More info about the reserve...
13) Little Head Park at St. David's Island (the location where ruins of Fort Popple exists). Nice trail, lovely views of the ocean and rocky coastline. Bus #6 from St. George. More info about Little Head Park and Fort...
14) Paradise lake in Great Sound water area (Warwick): As the name suggests, it's a piece of paradise on water and surrounded by several islands including the Long island where you can have a great exclusive picnic. Just float on the water and look around, you will know why the lake is so named. Take a rental boat to access from Hamilton harbor. More info about Paradise Lake...
15) Palm Island: A tiny beautiful island accessible from Ely's harbor by boat. The island is full of palm trees and hence the name. It's a great place for a private picnic. More info about Palm Island...
16) Seymour's Pond Nature Reserve in Southampton - a 2.5 acre nature reserve with a pond, forests on the hills, farmland and a great place for bird watching. Bus #7 or 8. More info about Seymour's Pond...
17) Hog Bay Park, a 32 acre national park in Sandys with unspoiled forested area and lush vegetation, and forest trail leading down to a lovely little beach on the western coastline. Wide varieties of birds can be spotted here. Bus #7. More info about Hog Bay Park...
18) Flatts Village: A quaint fishing village in Hamilton Parish, wonderful water inlet and lovely pastel houses reflecting Bermuda's traditional architecture. Bus #10 and 11. More info about Flatts Village...
19) Paget Marsh in Paget parish which is a 25 acre peat marsh and a nature reserve with ponds, grassy lands, mangroves and forests. Bus #2, 7, 8. More info about Paget Marsh...
20) In order to get a flavor of Bermuda's original military history, you should visit some forts which were built in 1600s and later by the British to defend several strategic water and land areas in Bermuda. Few of such forts include the Gates fort on Cut road in St. Georges that was built to stop enemy invasion through St. George's harbor, Fort George on north shore in St George, Albert and Victoria forts on Retreat Hill at St George, Fort Cunningham at Paget Island in St George's harbor and accessible by boat, Martello Tower at Ferry Point in St George's parish etc. More info about the forts and how to reach...
21) And if you want to tread the off beaten path with a theme to discover Bermuda's history of slavery, then visit some places that bear marks of those painful days which very few have cared to know. Some of such places include the Gibbet Island where slaves were punished and often hanged, Cobbs Hill Methodist Church in Warwick which was built by the slaves under the moonlight during their free time, Jeffery's cave in Smiths where a slave hid for over a month to escape his master but finally could not, 'Lost at Sea' memorial at Great Head Battery Park in St Davids built in memory of the slaves who worked for their masters at sea and lost their lives at sea. More info about the places and how to reach...
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) February 2015
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I have been to Bermuda 5 times and have been lucky enough to do the usual tourist venues. I was wondering what is the best way to see the island off the beaten path? I was hoping to rent a jeep but discovered this is not a possibility and am afraid of the scooters.
Cindy Richard (June 2016)
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You can hire taxi by hour (minimum 3 hours @ $50 per hour for small taxi).
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com) June 2016
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By Raj Bhattacharya