To visit the Falls of Baleine, you board a boat in Kingstown or one of the western bays and travel up the leeward coast, watching the landscape get wilder and more dramatic as you head north. The coastline here is rugged, with dark volcanic cliffs and jungle growing almost to the water's edge. When you arrive, you anchor offshore and wade through a shallow stream to reach the base of the falls.
The pool at the bottom of the falls is wonderfully cool and clear, fed constantly by the fresh mountain water tumbling down from above. On a sunny day, a fine mist of spray fills the air around the pool, catching the light in shimmering droplets. The sound of falling water echoes off the rock walls, mixing with birdsong from the forest above.
The area around the falls is a nature lover's paradise. The surrounding forest is thick with tropical trees, ferns, bromeliads and mosses. Tree frogs call from the branches, and brightly coloured birds — including hummingbirds and bananaquits — flutter in the canopy. The area is rarely crowded, which means the wildlife carries on quietly even when visitors are there.
The name 'Baleine' is French for 'whale', and indeed humpback whales can sometimes be spotted offshore in the waters near this northern part of Saint Vincent, especially between January and April when they migrate through the Caribbean. Arriving by boat, you have a chance of seeing one of these enormous creatures surface near your vessel.