Primeval Forest National Park

Primeval Forest protects a small block of mature Bahamian coppice on New Providence, and its interest is underground as much as above: two large sinkholes formed by collapsed limestone, with the humid microclimate at their base supporting ferns and epiphytes that do not grow in the dry forest outside. A short trail loops through the coppice and down into one of the sinkholes on wooden steps. It is a fragment, but it is what the island looked like before.

History

From the 18th century into the 1970s logging stripped most of the hardwood forests that once covered the islands, with trees up to 50 feet tall. In the 1990s Pericles Maillis, then president of the Bahamas National Trust, came upon an undisturbed patch of old forest here and led the effort to protect it, and the park was established in 2002 (Wikipedia, Primeval Forest National Park).

The landscape

• The sinkholes - collapsed limestone chambers with humid fern-filled floors.
• The mature coppice - old-growth Bahamian dry forest, rare on this island.
• The steps down - wooden stairs into the larger sinkhole.
• The ferns and epiphytes - vegetation the sinkhole humidity supports.

When to go

November to April is the dry season. The park has limited opening hours and is sometimes only accessible by arrangement with the Bahamas National Trust. Mornings are coolest.

What to expect

It is very small and an hour covers it comfortably. Access is not always straightforward and the gate is sometimes locked; checking ahead with the Trust saves a wasted drive. The steps are slippery when wet.

Nearby

Coral Harbour is south, and Nassau is northeast across the island.

Key facts