Despite what some people think, Grenada is actually a safe place to travel as a tourist but of course, as is true when traveling anywhere, you need to exercise a certain degree of caution. By being mindful of your surroundings, never leaving your belongings unattended, and using common sense, you’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits of your trip with as few of the potential downsides as possible.
Dangerous Areas of Grenada to Be Mindful Of
Generally, the more isolated areas of Grenada are the ones that you need to be careful of. This includes a lot of the “nature-centric” areas of the island, as well as beaches that are said to be especially remote or secluded. While these areas may be nice, they also tend to have informal parking areas and are generally just not as safe as staying in a heavily trafficked area.
U.S. Department of State has a currently level 1 warning for traveling in Grenada which is the lowest and means “exercise normal precautions“.
Safety Tips to Follow While in Grenada
When you visit Grenada, there are a number of best practices that you can follow to help stay safe for the remainder of your trip. They include but are not limited to ones like the following:
- Even if you plan to venture into a public area like a nightclub, try not to go alone. When traveling by foot, always go in groups whenever possible.
- When traveling by foot at night, try to stick to brightly lit streets with lots of people around. Don’t venture down a dimly lit alley, even if you think that it might be a shortcut to get to where you’re going.
- From a health perspective, while it is perfectly fine to drink water while in Grenada, use caution when doing so immediately after a storm. There are purification tablets that you can buy to help make sure the water is safe to consume. Conversely, you can boil it.
- Avoid using ride-sharing services whenever you can. Instead, use only the registered public transportation systems or services like taxis, which are generally considered to be safe all across the country.
- When going out to bars or restaurants in Grenada, it is likely a good idea to avoid what is referrer to locally as the “Pain Killer” cocktail. Traditionally this has been made with homemade alcohol with a very high ABV and many people who are travelers in particular report getting stick from it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I experience an emergency while visiting Grenada?
If you’re the victim of a crime while in Grenada, or if you or one of your traveling companions experiences something like a medical emergency, the first thing you should do is seek help from the United States Embassy (or your country’s embassy. They operate from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (local time), Monday through Friday. The only exception to this is on local or US holidays, during which they will be closed.
Is crime as significant as they say in Grenada?
While crime does occur in Grenada, it is generally not any worse than a lot of other countries that you might travel to. Having said that, officials do recommend that you stay on the lookout for issues like petty crime in particular – meaning pickpocketing, purse snatching, and the like. Always make sure that all of your valuable items (including your passport) are secure and never leave any valuables unattended. Use caution whenever you’re using an ATM (especially at night) and never carry large amounts of cash around with you at all.
What are the best places to visit while in Grenada?
One great place to travel while in Grenada is Saint George’s, which is indeed one of the major reasons that people go there in the first place.
It is the home to not only Fort George but also the Grenada National Museum as well.
The coral reefs and Tyrell Bay Beach in Carriacou are certainly worth checking out, as are the sights and sounds of the beautiful Morne Rouge.