The Katouche Valley

Flat, dry Anguilla keeps one green exception: the Katouche valley folds actual forest - turpentine trees, figs and bromeliad shade - down toward its bay, and the walk through it ends at Cavannagh Cave, chambers that yielded fossil finds (a giant extinct rodent among them) and now host bat colonies in the dark the guides' torches respect. The trail runs birdsong-rich and gently rough, the bay closes the walk with a swim option, and the valley's rarity - shade, green, cave - makes it the island's favourite answer to the question nobody expects to ask here: what about a hike?

The landscape

• The forest walk - the island's rare green shade.
• Cavannagh Cave - fossil-famous chambers and bat colonies.
• The valley birdlife - doves, thrashers and warbler passage.
• Katouche Bay - the swim at the trail's end.

When to go

December to May for dry trails and season; mornings carry the birdsong and beat the heat. Guides turn cave and fossils from glimpse to story.

Practical notes

The trail is informal and stone-rough in stretches - proper footwear beats flip-flops; cave entry respects bats and ceilings both, torch and humility required.

Nearby

Crocus Bay, The Valley and Little Bay's cliffs.