Lovers' Leap

The Santa Cruz Mountains run out to the south coast and end abruptly, and at Lovers' Leap the land drops in a single sheer face of more than five hundred metres straight into the sea, one of the highest coastal cliffs in the Caribbean. A lighthouse stands on the edge and a viewing platform runs out over the drop, with the coast visible for a very long way in both directions and, on a clear day, a horizon that is nothing but water. The name comes from a story about two enslaved people who are said to have chosen the cliff over separation, a legend attached to cliffs across the region and impossible to verify here.

What you actually see

• The cliff - over five hundred metres straight down to the sea.
• The viewing platform - out over the edge, with the coast in both directions.
• The lighthouse - on the cliff top above the drop.
• The south coast view - open Caribbean with nothing beyond it.

When to go

December to April is drier and clearest. Late afternoon light along the coast is the best of the day. Haze builds through hot afternoons in summer. The site keeps set hours and closes in the early evening.

Honest expectations

It is a viewpoint and takes half an hour, with a small attached restaurant and grounds; the entry fee strikes some visitors as steep for what it is. The roads up from the coast are steep and winding. On a hazy day the view is much reduced. The legend attached to the name has no historical evidence behind it.

Nearby

Treasure Beach is 40 minutes; Alligator Pond is on the coast east.