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St.
Kitts: Bloody Point Carib Petroglyphs Part 1 |
I rate this one of the Caribbean's Top 10 walks. Pause and ponder what happened here. |
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Approaching Bloody Point from Basseterre, look on the right for a dirt road going uphill on the outskirts of the village. Your landmark is a small white bridge on the right side of the main highway. The bridge has recently painted Carib faces on it. The dirt road leading to the petroglyphs is just to the right of this bridge. Many locals know of the site and can point out the road if you miss it. The canyon walls contain one of the best petroglyph collections anywhere in the Caribbean, yet few tourists see the rock drawings. These drawings are one of St. Kitts' best-kept secrets. Drive or walk up the dirt road to the right of the bridge with the Carib faces until the road ends. reach a bridge. Don't make the mistake of crossing the bridge; instead, look for a footpath that leads down to the river. The path crisscrosses the river several times, and in places you will have to scramble up and around boulders in midstream but your feet shouldn't get wet unless the river is high. Be sure to wear non-skid shoes for the rock hopping. About 15 minutes from the bridge--remember, you are going into the interior of the island, not toward the coast--you should reach a narrow canyon that varies between 10 to 20 feet wide and 80 feet high. The canyon is a time tunnel into the past. Carib drawings will be all around you on the canyon walls, beginning about 4 to 6 feet up the cliff side. Some are difficult to discern because the carvings are faded; others are unmistakable due to the way they've been outlined in red by some local artist. Hiking guide Greg Pereira of Greg's Safaris estimates there are perhaps as many as 100 drawings in the canyon. It is a remarkable sight and well worth the effort required to get here. Most of what you see are human faces--the eyes, nose and mouth but no other parts of the body. Greg suggests they may be drawings of ritualistic importance or a register of events important to the Caribs. Next Page (Bloody Point Petroglyphs Part 2)
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