Excursion review - Hunte's Garden - St Joseph Barbados Caribbean Cruise Barbados Excursions

If you have been to Barbados you could mistakenly think you are just around the corner from Hunte's Garden while at any point on the island. It has to be one of the most signposted attractions in the whole place. In reality it's located towards the center of the island, in the parish of St Joseph. Many of the island tours have this as one of their stops and people have said it's a nice place to visit for a hour or so. Therefore it was on my list to visit.

But what if you don't want to do the island tour? Can you get there by yourself? And is it worth it?

Hunte's Garden website is actually pretty good. It has details on how to drive there and how to get the bus if you are relying on public transport. This is how we decided to explore so the description of my experience will include some of the travel.

Buses run from Bridgetown Fairchild Street terminal but are quite infrequent so check the timetable before you plan your trip. We planned to get to the garden just as it opened at 10 am, so we could relax in the cooler part of the day and before it was likely to get busy. The bus arrived on time we paid our $3.50BBD fare (approx £1.40 each) and started the climb into the mountain. It was a bit bumpy as the roads are more rustic in the mountains, but for me, it's all part of the experience.

There is a bus stop just outside the garden, so it was very easy to ask for the right stop and then find the garden. We walked the path in and were met by a lovely lady (and a cat) to pay our entrance fee $40BBD per adult (approx. £15.50 at time of writing). You are given a little information sheet and you are then free to explore. The paths wind down the side of the cliff so there are quite a lot of stairs. The main part of the garden is down in a crater, around 100 feet deep, the result of a cave collapse many years ago. The stairs take you down in a safe manner, something to be taken into consideration if anyone has mobility problems. But there are areas to the side where you can take a rest, so it doesn't all have to be done at once. Once you reach the bottom you step into a beautiful garden oasis with paths that are well-maintained and you can take your time before climbing back out.

Most people just take a quick walk around, tick the box to say they have seen it and then leave to go to the next Barbados excursion location. But the owner has built-in relaxing nooks with seats so you can pause and really appreciate the garden. He has piped in relaxing music, the trees give some respite from the intense sun and it's only when you stop that you truly appreciate the surroundings.

So what can you see?

Along with the tropical flowers and plants you are surrounded by wildlife (which is more my thing), which you might miss to begin with. We sat and suddenly we could see centipedes, lizards, hummingbirds and many other bird species going about their day. We moved onto another seating area and had even more to watch and a cat graced us with his presence. Truly a relaxing experience.

When we thought we had finished and climbed the stairs towards what I thought would be just the exit you find more gardens (less developed) overlooking the crater that the garden rests in. You also find some bathrooms, old buildings showing artwork and the owner's home/gift shop/cafe. We didn't linger around this area for long as we were getting rather hungry and the cafe seemed to be mainly cake and drinks consumed while chatting with the owner. The next bus was due, so rather than waiting another hour for the bus after that, we made our way back to town.

If we had packed a lunch I would happily have stayed all day. Maybe treat it like a beach day, a day to slow down and just relax. So many people seemed to rush round but it could definitely be an experience in and of itself. It just depends on how you want to spend your time.

I will probably visit again in the future. Take some lunch with me, then go and have cake with the owner and learn more about how he developed the garden into the special place it is today. But for now the 3-4 hours I spent there were a great way to relax and smell the roses (or the more tropical equivalent). It is one of the Barbados excursions I would recommend to others. Don't want to go on the bus why not book a small tour here.

Want to see more of my visit to the garden? See my review video below.