HIKE FEST 2013 hailed as successful

Some of those who participated in HIKE FEST
Some of those who participated in HIKE FEST

HIKE FEST 2013 came to a close on Saturday May 18, with 77 hikers taking part in the final day of Hike & Jazz.

This featured a maroon heritage hike to Jacko Flats/Jacko Steps followed by a live music session Riverside Jazz & Creole at Riverstone Bar & Grill in Belles.

This year, under the theme “Celebrating Traditions Old & New”, HIKE FEST presented the usual 3 Saturday hikes as part of Tourism Awareness Month, but also added the new element of a Sunday hike in collaboration with Kairi FM, and weekday hikes during the week of Pentecost, leading in to the Jazz n Creole festival.

This year, Hike Festers came from the Netherlands, France, England, Germany, China, Congo, Nigeria, Iran, Haiti, USA, Canada, St Martin, Barbados, Martinique, Jamaica, Antigua and of course many from Dominica.

The levels of participation and enthusiasm were excellent, with 74 hikers doing Segment 7 of the WNT, 45 taking the Boiling Lake Challenge and 77 exploring Jacko Flats/Jacko Steps!

The presentation of a week of Hike & Jazz generated good interest; this combination is expected to attract more visitors to Dominica during the HIKE FEST period, for exciting packages featuring spectacular hiking and Creole jazz music in the Nature Island!  The dates have been set for 2014…Saturday 24 May 2014, and Saturday 31 May to Saturday 7 June!  HIKE FEST: still 3 Saturday hikes, PLUS the NEW feature of a week of Hike & Jazz!!

HIKE FEST is getting bigger and better with the support of local and regional hiking enthusiasts, our membership and our corporate sponsors.

The DHTA does not take this support for granted and will pursue growing partnerships with our sponsor partners – Digicel, the Discover Dominica Authority, the Waitukubuli National Trail, LOUBIERE Spring Water, Jolly’s Pharmacy, DOMLEC, HHV Whitchurch/UNILEVER/Lipton Teas, GATORADE, and Cool Breeze Tours.  We would like to present certificates to show and place on record our sincere appreciation to each of our sponsors.

We would also like to recognize the winners of our raffles and other prize draws!  Our avid Hike Festers seem to have dominated the draws this year…!

-Fabien Jules – Complimentary lunch for two from DIVE DOMINICA and one smart phone from DIGICEL

Other winners are:

– Liz Madisetti!    Complimentary lunch for 2, RIVERSTONE Bar & Grill

– Gwenith Whitford!  Prize of dinner for 2 from OLD STONE Grill & Bar

– Tamara Karam!    Prize of whale watch for 2 from ANCHORAGE Hotel Whale Watch & Dive Centre

– Wilco Sikkema!     Gift voucher from HHV Whitchurch & Co Ltd.

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8 Comments

  1. Nudibranch
    June 14, 2013

    Belle Marche is for the most part a badly conceived and enforced route march that turns the children off hiking and exploring the islands treasures. When you try and involve many of them they think of the school Belle Marche immediately and refuse to go. Nothing Belle about walking along a road from Roseau to Layou, other than heat, I’ve done Roseau to the old Layou suspension bridge, it wasn’t fun.
    Its time that schools incorporated proper hikes into their Belle Marche instead of force the children to walk along roads in hot sun, at least if they never hike again they can say they did something.

  2. June 14, 2013

    This in great news indeed, please provide us with some photos

  3. ThinkingOutsideBox
    June 13, 2013

    This is great! Surely there must be larger pictures from this event and one showing the winners?

  4. DA2NYC
    June 13, 2013

    Not all Bel Mache constitutes a hike. Bel Mache is just a long distance walk. My last school Bel Mache was from Roseau to the Layou bridge on what is now the E.O.Leblanc highway. Hiking encompasses trails, climbs and the like in natural often mountainous terrains.

  5. Dominica_Lover
    June 13, 2013

    Why not. “Fèt Bèl Maché!” Keeping inline with our creole culture. I never knew the word hiking until I was much older. We always went on a Bèl Maché.

    • Sug
      June 13, 2013

      sounds more sophisticated and creative to… “hike feast” sttps….where the creativity…everything now a days people just lazy putting feast at the end of every word

      • Mojo 1
        June 13, 2013

        In kweyol ‘fes’ means buttocks. So people must be careful in how they abuse it. :-D

    • Hiker
      June 14, 2013

      It was not a belle Marche’. A belle Marche’ is when you walk on the road. It was indeed a hike. In the forest of Dominica, hiking the trail, climbing steep mountain and going down steep slopes. It is very much a HIKE!

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